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The Pulse: Mom Guilt and the Power of Raw Reality
It is amazing how quickly two weeks can slip away. Not in a "slipping through my fingers" kind of way, but in the sense that 14 whole days have zoomed by, and it literally feels like I just blinked away a massive chunk of summer. For me, it’s the realization of holding two conflicting truths at once. On one hand, it saddens me that our summers are spent in the rigid routine of early morning camp drop-offs, working, rushing home in time for dinner, and trying to cram a season'
4 days ago
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CHAOTIC THOUGHTS
The Pulse: Mom Guilt and the Power of Raw Reality
It is amazing how quickly two weeks can slip away. Not in a "slipping through my fingers" kind of way, but in the sense that 14 whole days have zoomed by, and it literally feels like I just blinked away a massive chunk of summer. For me, it’s the realization of holding two conflicting truths at once. On one hand, it saddens me that our summers are spent in the rigid routine of early morning camp drop-offs, working, rushing home in time for dinner, and trying to cram a season'
4 days ago
The Pulse: Frugal Roots to Bougie UGO Wins
On my little IG and TikTok posts, I briefly mentioned that I’ve been using these grocery hack strategies for about 20 years, but I didn’t really get into the why of it. At baseline, I grew up pretty frugally. All of our needs were met—we got to go on vacations, lived in a nice home, and drove good cars—but we weren’t ones to seek out brand-name clothing or accessories, and we were shopping at Aldi back when it didn’t really have a big mainstream presence. My parents did what
Jun 15
The Stockpile: Pilot Recipes
PEANUT BUTTER BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST BAKE Batch Yield: 8 Servings Batch Ingredient List: 1 loaf Smart Way White Bread 4-oz bag Simple Truth Dried Blueberries 1.5 cups Silk Protein Soymilk 2 scoops ON Whey Protein 4 tbsp PBfit Powder 1 cup Gold Hen Liquid Egg Whites I'm a configure a meal based on what I have in the pantry kinda gal, so I like a little adaptability. That's possible with this recipe; just make sure to keep the amounts the same: substitute the white bread for y
Jun 10
The Stockpile: The Sunday Pilot Study—Proof of Concept Meal Prep
First off, let's set the tone and have some music for you to listen to as you read. Last night's spin class was a throwback to the boy band era, and they duked it out as we pedaled our literal butts off. So, I’ve been doing a thing and thinking about where I see myself in this little adventure in the fitness world. I'm looking at how that aligns with my background in nutritional sciences, my love for cooking and baking, and how it all ties into creating a cohesive approach to
Jun 9
The Pulse: Screamless Roads, Rock Climbing, and the Illinois Road Trip
Last week was the first full week of summer, and if how quickly that week went by is any indication of how the summer is going to fly by, I'm not ready. I wrote that as I lay in bed before the start of camp drop-offs. I'm not one to get teary-eyed, but dropping the boys off at camp this week made me sad for the rhythm of this summer. I'm gonna have to work on my outlook and figure out how to best approach this summer's look. The prior week, we made it through the last days of
Jun 3
The Crew: Preventing the Summer Backslide
As I alluded to in my weekly update on Sunday, I have been working hard on the kiddos' summer packets. I really like to emphasize reading during our off-time—not only to build their love for it, but to keep their little minds working and not entirely consumed by screens. In my house, we have a clear system: the boys have to complete their household and hygiene tasks and get their reading time in before any screens are turned on. Thankfully, we have discovered several programs
May 21
The Pulse: The Final Countdown
Well, I made it through last week, mostly unscathed. I can say I probably wasn't the most cheery, nearly-turned-40-year-old. I think it was the expectations I had in my head, and what I thought I had worked through with my therapist, not necessarily aligning with reality. Live and learn, I guess. However, when I was loved on, it was to the full extent, it made my heart full. I felt seen and cared for, and it’s all about balance. I even had some helpers assist with gathering a
May 17
The Itinerary: The Systematic Escape
If you had told me a few years ago that I’d be booking a solo trip to the middle of the Atlantic, I would have laughed. Then I would have created a spreadsheet. Approaching 40 has brought a lot of 'heavy and light' reflections, but it has also brought the realization that choosing myself is a system worth investing in. Here is the literal 'cents and sense' of how I mapped out my Azores escape, even without my normal level of advanced planning. Let's map out the approach I tak
May 14
The Pulse: Reflections on and Evolution of the "Yes-Year"
As my "Yes-Year" officially comes to a close, I’ve realized it isn’t necessarily the end of the mentality—just a massive evolution of it. Since the start of 2025, I’ve challenged myself to say "yes" to everything. Looking back, I think I was running on a high fueled by the stress of life; that cortisol spike made it possible to juggle five activities a day on five hours of sleep. Early on, saying "yes" was easy. But as I’ve neared this milestone, it has become a challenge of
May 11
MOTHER OF ALL CHAOS
Welcome to my chaotic world! I'm a single mother of 3 boys, navigating a new job, frugal living, and budget-minded travel. Join me as I share the chaos and adventures of my journey.
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