Navigating life as a (second)wife, (step)mom, and (frazzled)bear with inappropriate laughter and near-perfect hindsight.
Hello my (male) friends, Quick holiday gifting PSA. I’m about to impart wisdom on you that will be a relationship saver. Probably. Honestly, I haven’t done a deep dive into my blog demographics, so perhaps it is lacking in male readers. Perhaps this PSA will actually just be printed out in households around the world … Continue reading The Gifts that Don’t keep on Giving
It’s happened again. I thought maybe we could just ride out the rest of 2021 without any major parenting milestones, but alas...kids. Am I right? Or rather, NON-parenting milestones. The parenting moments your pesky teens steal from you without permission. I've written before about that sense of loss, like you missed an important invite. Maybe … Continue reading Flu-ing the Coup
Referring back to my entry of a few weeks ago, it didn’t feel right to leave it without an update and a plea. First, I want to offer a huge thanks to all who reached out to us personally with kind thoughts and words of encouragement. It is always so reassuring to know how many … Continue reading The Power of Mom
We’ve got a Facebook group in our town called “Buy Nothing.” It’s pretty cool as it serves as a Hey! I’m cleaning out my garage/closet/living room/etc swap bank in which one can post items that are no longer needed or wanted and then, in theory, someone will play one man’s trash and come pick it … Continue reading ImPodsible
A letter to my husband… No, not the sweet kind where I tell you how proud I am of you or how lucky I am to be your wife. Though, yes...all of that is true. It’s just that yesterday, I know I had a total meltdown over something that may be rated as a lopsided … Continue reading Dead (Wo)man Walking
Seven years after misplacing my child for the first time, I think it's finally safe to relay the chain of events to the public. Not so much because he's big enough now not get very lost (or at least, if he does, he is grown up enough to help himself), but because I'm one thousand … Continue reading Lost and Found
Bruised knee, 1; Jyl, 0. Such an odd holiday season this year! I had some time alone while Rich and the kids were out to dinner with his mother - and while it was truly only a few hours, I think because it was Christmas Eve and not our typical 'pre-Christmas night,' the idea of … Continue reading Seasons of Change
I’m not sure if we’re cracking or not. Things seem to still be going well, yet there are times I wonder how not interacting with 'the others' is affecting us. Should I be concerned that I basically spend the days intercepting hilarious jokes that zing thru my head? Should I be concerned that most times, … Continue reading Wake me up, when Apriltember ends.
Throw out your button pants
I had another one of my favorite lunches last week with one of my favorite people - the one who always encourages me in parenting, marriage-ing, people-ling and writing. Her wisdom is always strong and I am a smarter being because of her. This day, though, she was definitely off, having lost a close friend … Continue reading Rigid, no. Intentional.