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Here we go, another I am busy, quick, word vomit blog. I have now been working full time almost a week. I feel guilty even saying this, but I LOVE it. Would I rather be home with my baby? Naturally. However, I am really enjoying my new job. I told George that really my office is calmer and more peaceful than home has been these days. We are in full swing of the holiday activities and memory creating for our littles. I had half a blog typed out and erased it because it was jus

As we enter the month of December with huge household changes, I am STRESSED. I made and kept my therapy appointment last week and am still going to try using my coping skills to avoid triggering me too severely, but I also asked about medication, because in this busy time I want to have something as a safety net. I am trying to avoid needing the medication, but I am seeing that I am struggling, and I have reached out for help. Over the Thanksgiving holiday more than one pers

There are so many topics I could touch on this week. I could tell you about the personal increase of chaos in our lives over the last week. I could talk about what I am thankful for. I could tell you what my therapist said my homework is this week. I could talk about what Thanksgiving looks like for my family. I could keep it completely light and tell you our menu and how to cook each dish.  I think I am going to briefly touch on several of these things, but in the context of

The holidays are quickly approaching, and if you are anything like me, you have been stressing many aspects of that for a while, but now have to make a plan. I make things easy on everyone and keep an ever changing Amazon wish list for every member of my household. I browse when I have time and add things they need and work with them to add things too. Then, when it is close to their birthdays or a family member asks for a Christmas list I have it on hand and they can order q

Hello Readers! This is my first unplanned, off the top of my head, probably not edited or husband-previewed blog post. Why am I taking a risk and just winging it this week? Because I have not had a minute to breathe, let alone plan a thoughtful blog for you guys. I have been bogged down and busy. Besides the everyday norm of mothering five children, the chaos I am accustomed to, there have been some relationship struggles, financial realizations, and big decisions needing to

One day I noticed that asking my kids about their day got really frustrating. They would get home and say, "Good." or "It was school." or "Meh." Even when I asked about what they did that day, it seemed to be the same things, "Not much." or "Read stuff." or "Math." I would try to probe deeper only to be met with, "I don't remember." or "Same thing we've been working on." I would get frustrated, they looked bored. I read somewhere online once a list of better open ended questi

We are a household that observes Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day. If you do not, then that’s okay, but I love any opportunity to do activities with my kids that will create core fun memories. I also love a good theme! That being said, starting with this month until the end of February, I tend to be extremely stressed about all of the activities there are to do as a family and at their schools, and traditions I want to uphold with the cost t

You always hear about “Mommy’s boy” or “Daddy’s girl.” In my experience though, kids just tend to be more attached to the parent that takes care of them more consistently and crave the attention of the parent that doesn't. I was always what they call the default parent for my firstborn, and he has always been a mama's boy. George’s firstborn naturally defaulted to him too, because it had always just been them. We were their stability and comfort, so they were closest to us. W

As I have said time and time again, no one, even those with extensive experience or degrees, would I ever consider a parenting "expert." I think that there are those of us that have been doing it long enough and have good enough kids a majority of the time to share what works for us on some things. What works in my house with my feral hoard of five may not work for your one calm little angel or three terrors. Every single child is different. Every single parent and family dyn

I aim to only post once a week. I do this for many reasons, including that I am busy and also I figure y'all don't want or need to hear my musings any more than that. Today, I am making a rare exception. Not because I am having a Crisis of the Week (COW as my therapist shortened it), but because I think that mental health is too important to not talk about as often as possible. As I have previously stated, I have Bipolar Disorder, among other things. The most relatable aspect

Something a little lighter this week. First of all, I do NOT get paid for promoting any companies. Maybe one day this blog will be super...

I know that I mentioned trying to go lighter this week, but life happens, and I felt in my heart that this post mattered more than fluff....

I promised real and this may be a little too real and triggering for some, but here it is... This one is extra long, but deep and...

I’m a 34-year-old mom navigating the wild ride of a blended family. My husband, George, and I each brought a son into our relationship....