Hot Mess Mommy Express

Have you ever walked past your family command center/wall calendar only to realize that you never changed the month? In our home, it is still February! Do I still wish it was February? Absolutely not! I love each March day that comes, bringing us closer to spring. I love the spring forward time change that gives us longer days. I love that it's 4th quarter at school and we've nearly survived another school year. The wall calendar that hasn't left February only goes to show just how chaotic and crazy this last month has been, not only at work, but also at home. I've barely known what day it is for weeks now. Not to mention that it's apparently St. Patrick's Day and you can find me in pink today, instead of green, because I still don't know what day it is. My kids were kind enough to greet me with pinches this morning to remind me, but the mornings are so crazy that there wasn't time to change clothes. So off to work I went....without any green. It's f...

This moment right here? It's one of those moments when you know it's going to be one that you cherish forever while you are in the moment living it. This was our very first "big" family vacation as just us...our family of five. Every single moment of it felt like a dream. It was the day after school ended in 2021. We loaded up the hot mess express and drove until we reached the sand! It was quickly made evident that our kids needed this just as badly as we did. Sometimes when I'm having a tough day or feeling emotionally drained, I remember this moment. My kids felt free...we felt free. They left behind their sibling conflicts, stresses and worries and ran for the salty water. At one point, they joined hands and just stared out at the horizon and my eyes filled with tears. You see, this wasn't just a family vacation. This was us overcoming tough times, not just from the pandemic, but there was a time when financially, this wasn't possible. There was a time...

"Mom, can I go to the dance on Tuesday?"  My eleven year old asked me this very question and of course I said yes. It will be his first-ever school dance and it's right after school for two hours next week in honor of Valentine's Day. My only ask of him was that he didn't dress like a homeless person for school that day. Maybe he will finally take the tags off of those super nice jeans and sweaters collecting dust in his closet! Of course I'm excited for him to experience this ritual, but why am I so nervous about it? I think the overprotective, wants what's best for her son, apprehensive about mean kids, version of me worries about him experiencing two different things. First, what if he musters up the courage to ask a girl to dance and is rejected? Secondly, what if he has a run in with mean kids? He has dealt with his share of them this year in middle school. I finally (and I do mean FINALLY) hear him mentioning his friends at his new school. This is a ...

Every Sunday, for the last few years, we've had what our kids have officially named "Cinnamon Roll Sunday." On Sunday mornings, we make cinnamon rolls and have breakfast together. There is always a fight over who get's to be in charge of frosting the cinnamon rolls. There is always an argument over who gets the center, gooiest cinnamon roll and there is always a mess to follow.  Cinnamon Roll Sunday is something that our kids look forward to all week. It's a time when we make a point to have breakfast together. It's a fun tradition, that may seem insignificant to many, but to our kids, it's so important. Emersyn always makes a point to avoid spending the night places on Saturday nights, because she doesn't want to miss Cinnamon Roll Sunday. How sweet is that?  Family traditions are so important, regardless of how big or small they are. Do I make those Insta-worthy homemade cinnamon rolls? Psssh! Absolutely not. We're working with Aldi cinnamon roll...

  Every year it comes and every year I cringe. The flyer comes out of the folder and the headline reads... "It's that time! Create your own Valentine's Day box for our class party!" When I was in school, we put stickers all over a Kleenex box or decorated a paper sack with crayons. Not anymore! In today's day and age, it's all about the show. You go big or go home! Parents are spending hours and dollars to create these Valentine's Day monstrosities. I actually love (no pun intended) Valentine's Day, but what I don't love is the added pressure that it puts on parents.  I will say that I'm pretty darn proud of some of the Valentine's Day boxes I've whipped up for my kiddos over the past few years. Thinking back we've had everything from Harry Potter, to Disney, sports, Fortnite and donut themes. While I don't consider myself a crafty person, this is something I excel at (thanks to Pinterest, Hobby Lobby and Dollar Tree). However, ...

Today was one of those mornings. Usually by Friday, the Zehnle family is just over it all. From the getting up early, to the morning routine, drop off/pickup, work/school, we all long for a day off and a day to stay home. Rocking the morning routine solo is always an adventure. Michael goes in to work super early and also makes time to feed and take the dog out, which I so much appreciate. That leaves me with the three kiddos and all of the things to accomplish before we head out the door.  I always feel like I've been on a whirlwind adventure before my workday ever begins. Today was no exception. I try my best not to show it and bring my professional self in to work, but inside my brain at times, you can find me screaming. The headache I started my workday with is a result of a morning full of chaos, a week full of it really. Picture this. 1. The kids were fighting, yelling and screaming at each other. This is pre-coffee mind you, so my tolerance was extremely low and by Friday, I...

 Let me preface with this. The Zehnle family was not looking for a dog. For over a decade, I remained firm in my stance against getting a big dog. The commitment, costs, added responsibility to our already loaded plate, my need for clean, etc, were all reasons why I never thought that adding a big dog to our family would be a good idea. I also believe that sometimes four legged family members find you at the right time, when you are not even looking. I'll admit, hearing Michael's half of that phone call made my skin crawl at the idea. However, I saw his face. And in that moment, I knew it was happening. I can't be the villain forever and he was willing to step up and take care of her.  After that phone call, I had the next couple of weeks to wrap my head around the idea. Ready or not, Betty was coming to live with The Zehnles. I'll be honest, I lived in total denial for those couple of weeks and prayed that things would fall through. That Saturday morning arrived though...