Category: The Common Thread
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Back to School Already?
Inside a Middle Schooler’s Mind During Supply Season Cue the dramatic sighs and the sudden need to look away: the moment a middle schooler sees a back-to-school display in July, the panic sets in. One second they’re living their best life in swim trunks and popsicle mode—and the next, a neon yellow sign is screaming…
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🧠 The Twilight Zone: A Peek Inside a Mom’s Brain After Dinner, Before Bed
Dinner is done. Sort of. Plates are still scattered, someone has mysteriously disappeared mid-bite, and there’s a noodle stuck to the wall—but technically, the meal has concluded. And now begins the strangest stretch of the day: after dinner, before bedtime. This is the hour where moms do their best Olympic-level multitasking… fueled only by crusty…
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🎒Backpacks, Lesson Plans, and a Quiet Car Seat
A Teacher Mom’s Back-to-School Story Back-to-school season has always been a whirlwind. But this year? It feels like a new chapter—and a big one. I’m heading back to my classroom, but this time, I’m bringing two of my kids with me. My daughter is going into 2nd grade—confident, chatty, and fully embracing the role of…
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💦 “From the Pool Deck: A Mom’s View of Swim Time”
There’s something magical—and mildly terrifying—about watching your kids swim. Whether it’s swim lessons, pool playdates, or chaotic cannonballs at the neighborhood pool, as a mom, you’re not just a spectator. You’re the lifeguard, towel manager, sunscreen enforcer, snack provider, and emotional support floatie. From the moment those tiny goggles snap on (after a 10-minute meltdown),…
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The Good Ole’ Days, Today
What Is, What Will Be, What We’ll Miss There’s a certain kind of day we’re living in right now. The kind filled with sticky fingers and missing shoes, morning cartoon negotiations and bedtime bribery. The kind where your coffee is cold and your patience runs hot, and you think to yourself, Is it bedtime yet?…
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“The Mom Circle: Finding My People at the End of the Cul-de-Sac”
Where the scooters fly, the sidewalk chalk flows, and the moms become family. When we moved into our cul-de-sac, I was mostly thinking about safety. Fewer cars zooming by, a quiet street for the kids to ride bikes, and a little more peace and quiet after the chaos of the day. I wasn’t thinking about…
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Middle School…Then vs. Now
A Walk Down the Hallway of Time Middle School Then vs. Now: A Walk Down the Hallway of Time If you survived middle school in the late 90s, you probably remember a lot of awkwardness, chunky highlights, and the pain of getting kicked off AIM because your mom needed the phone. And if you’re teaching…
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VHS, AOL, TGIF…A Love Letter to the 90s
If you were born in 1986 like me, then you were raised in what might be the weirdest, most wonderful, delightfully awkward time in history: the 90s.Before WiFi, before smartphones, and definitely before “aesthetic” was a thing, we had jelly shoes, cassette tapes, and a whole lot of neon. We were the last generation to…
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It’s True What They Say…
“It’s true what they say, you know…” That phrase has been floating around for generations. A wise little nudge. A moment of truth. A gentle “told ya so” from life itself. And now that I’m both a mom and a teacher?I find myself saying it more than I care to admit. Usually with a cup…
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Sundays in Mom Mode
Rest, Reset, and the Sunday Scaries There’s something about Sundays that’s both soothing and slightly stressful when you’re a mom. It starts slow—coffee, cartoons, maybe a moment of quiet before the chaos kicks in. And then it rolls right into the checklist: laundry piles, grocery lists, prepping backpacks, refereeing fights over the last waffle… and…
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Coffee ☕️ Crayons 🖍️ and Curriculum 📝 