Hot Mess Mommy Express

We did it! Week one of back-to-school is under our belt and our second week has begun. It's amazing how quickly my kids (and myself really) were able to fall back into routine. I'm not sure if it's just the initial excitement of a fresh start, seeing their friends or they were getting bored with summer downtime, but I am just so proud of our kids for jumping back into the groove. I always joke that the excitement fades quickly and before I know it, we are back on the struggle bus. I anticipated a rough start with our Monday morning routine today, but much to my amazement, we had a positive start to the week! This school year came with a new morning routine and family dynamic. With my husband's new fully remote job, I no longer have to drop off and pick up the kids from school anymore. This gives me a little extra time and less rush in the morning. It lightens my load up a bit, which I didn't realize how much I needed. I feel like I can soak up those breakfast conver...

For the first time in almost twenty years, I was pulled over by a police officer. For some this isn't a big deal, but for me, it left me with lasting impact. Want to hear the story?  Last Thursday, I left work feeling mentally exhausted, more than normal. I put my hot mess express in drive and headed for home, just like I do on every single work day. How often do we drive somewhere without a recollection of how we got there? How often are we driving while spaced out?  Here's the scary part. I don't remember the drive. I have a mental block somewhere as a result of constantly running on autopilot.  Sometimes the pressures of career life, married life, parenting life and everyday life take their toll on us. Am I right? I try my best to use my commute as a time to gather myself, clear my head and get ready for the next phase of my days. On this particular day, I felt so drained. I hadn't slept well in a while. I felt like I was carrying a massive load and I drove home, for...

Suddenly you're 30 and think to yourself that the next ten years are going to be the best yet. It feels like you have so much of the 30's ahead of you, but then suddenly you hit the mid-way hump and realize that you are now on the downward toward 40. I'm not sure how that happened, but I won't lie! I do love the 30's. The 20's were tough, as we worked hard, struggled to get by at times and tried to find our way. Today is my 35th birthday, so I feel the need to offer words of encouragement to those who may need it! Are you a twenty-something who dreads the 30's? Are you already in your 30's and feel defeated by it? I'm here to encourage you to stop! Brace yourselves for this one, because some of these are mind-blowing. Okay...more like comical, but nonetheless, here you go.  Enjoy my personal list of reasons why I love the 30's!  Unlike my 20's, I feel like I somewhat (not fully) have my sh*t together.  We have more financial wiggle room than ...

I would be lying if I said I didn't sit in my office for a moment to just reflect (and shed a few tears) as we wrap up yet another whirlwind school year. With every single last day of school (and the first days) comes the further realization that my kids are growing so fast. They have become intelligent, talented, passionate, brave, loving (and sometimes mischievous) individuals and I am so proud of them.  Over the last nine months, I've packed hundreds of lunches, styled hair, checked for shiny white teeth, handed out vitamins, prepared breakfasts, wiped away tears, given countless hugs, adjusted work for sick days, powered through snow days, looped through the morning drop off line with an "I love you" and cleaned out endless papers from backpacks. One thing is certain. The days often seemed so long, but they were oh so short!  Rhylan had the biggest transition year of all....middle school. This came with so many tough moments. As a mom, there is something so emotio...

I've been very aware of several trends that are making a massive comeback with Gen Z and even with us millennials. Welcome back biker shorts, high waisted denim, chokers and platform sandals, to name a few! To be honest, I don't hate it! I actually love it. Does that mean we were trendsetters back in the day? I like to think yes! Returning trends have inspired this blog entry and I hope that some of you can relate. Growing up, I absolutely cringed at the thought of a clothes from a thrift store, garage sale or anything in between. You see, back in my youth, you weren't considered "cool" in our small-town school unless you were rocking Tommy Hilfiger, Z Cavaricci, Calvin Klein, Nike, Doc Marten (are you feeling nostalgic yet) or shopped at The Buckle. I knew my parents couldn't afford it, but yet our Mom always tried to keep us looking and feeling stylish! Once I started earning my own money, you could find me putting things on layaway at The Buckle. I look bac...

  I'm the mom who periodically monitors her middle schooler's school gmail account. I monitor for certain things, one being missed homework assignments, because let's face it! He's in middle school and there are so many other things he'd rather be doing than his homework. At the same time, he's smarter than I ever was in school and when he's pushed, he truly can rock his homework, just like the great bands of the early 2000's.  Does my kiddo know that I monitor his school email? Not exactly. Judge me if you want! He does know that I have access to it. I'm not going to defend myself, but I will say that in doing so, I spare myself from a lot of worry. I also monitor for signs of bullying and profanity. I've found both, but that's a discussion for another day. When your child has been the target of bullying on multiple occasions, it's important to watch for the signs, so that you can have evidence when it comes to communication with school ...

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...