Not all moms connect with their kids in the same way and that’s okay. This post explores why pretend play can feel draining for some parents, why that doesn’t mean you’re disengaged or doing something wrong, and how connection can look different depending on temperament and nervous system. A compassionate reminder that effort matters and good parenting doesn’t have one look.

“The feelings don’t get to overtake the boundary.”

There’s a phase of parenting where you realize you’re no longer just raising kids, you’re negotiating with them. Constantly.
This week’s post breaks down what’s actually happening in those moments, why it’s normal, and how to hold the line without losing the connection.

Being busy isn’t the problem. Being busy with the wrong things is. A reflection on capacity, boundaries, and choosing what actually fits.

Every mom becomes a very specific version of herself during the holidays. Planner. Grinch. Big-hearted magic maker. Last-minute chaos tornado. This is the Holiday Mom Spectrum and how to find the magic without losing your sanity.

I didn’t feel like myself for a long time. Then something shifted — not because life got easier, but because I started choosing me in the small moments. This is how I found my way back.

This week was chaos — sick kids, no sleep, derailed plans — and somehow that turned into the perfect moment to tell the real story of how Messy but Managed started. Spoiler: it wasn’t planned, polished, or strategic. It was born in the cracks of motherhood, at 2 A.M., fueled by exhaustion and a tiny spark of “why not?”

Every year on her birthday, I realize she’s not the only one growing up. She’s seven now, which means I’ve been learning how to be her mom for seven years too. And in every lesson she’s taught me, patience, softness, slowing down, I’m raising her, but I’m also raising me.

I’m a working mom…not because I love my kids any less, but because I want a life that includes them and includes me. You can work and still be a good parent. You can crave quiet and still crave connection. Both can be true.

Some days, being the adult just means not throwing the shoe.
Parenthood is humbling, hilarious, and occasionally full of moments where you’re teaching emotional regulation while losing yours. This one’s for the moms who take a deep breath, mutter under it, and keep showing up anyway, coffee in hand, grace in progress.

Sometimes I love motherhood so much it hurts and sometimes I miss the version of me who had space to breathe. The one who could rest without guilt, be spontaneous, or sit in silence without someone calling “Mom.”

It’s not regret, it’s remembrance. Because motherhood is full of both: joy and exhaustion, love and loss, chaos and connection. This post is a gentle reminder that you can miss yourself and love your life both are true, and both are okay.

Raising strong-willed kids is equal parts chaos and magic. One wants to understand every rule; the other wants to rewrite them. As a social worker and mom, I’ve learned that the traits that make them exhausting now are the very ones that will make them unstoppable later. This one’s for the parents in the trenches, those trying to raise brave, kind, independent humans without losing their cool (or their coffee). ☕️

Motherhood cracked me open. I’ve never felt love this big, or frustration this strong. This is my story of the “momster,” why it shows up, and how I’ve learned to tame and repair.

I’m not the one scrubbing pots or folding endless laundry (thank you, hubs 🙌). I’m the one juggling calendars, permission slips, and kid chaos. This post is about how we split the visible chores and the invisible mental load and how quick check-ins keep the balance (mostly) intact.

Stars, sharks, sticky notes, and smooshed faces—my kids show love in the most opposite ways. Here’s what I’ve learned about connection, chaos, and showing up.

Parenting isn’t neat, and it’s definitely not Pinterest-perfect. Around here, it’s about the mental load, the mismatched energy, the bedtime chaos, and the little wins that keep us going.