Some seasons don’t announce themselves — they just quietly slip by if you’re not paying attention. Lately, I’ve been holding onto the small things: drawing side by side, driveway games, bedtime stories, and the hands that still reach for mine.

The Recipe that Followed Me from My Bakeshop to My Boys. There’s a funny little overlap between my old life and my new one — the former bakeshop owner in me and the stay-at-home-mom I am now. One version of me was up before sunrise running a bakeshop, living in a cloud of flour and espresso. The other is here now, juggling all the things: homework, sports, healthful fuel, laundry overload, cleaning (THE CLEANING), chauffeur and oh, plant lady boss with a side hustle of bush t

When a school raffle basket turned out too big for my SUV, I decided to walk it — 1.2 miles, dolly and all. What started as a funny “mom moment” became something more: a quiet reminder of why this stay-at-home-mom season still feels so right, even after all these years.

What the Ruck? That’s exactly what I said when Todd suggested we start walking around the neighborhood carrying weights. In a backpack? But once I learned it’s called rucking  (and that it’s secretly an amazing full-body workout), I was in. After years of loyal love for my Peloton (and that obsession is still real), I found myself craving fresh air + sunshine + movement that didn’t involve my bonus room walls. Todd was looking to boost his cardio and strength, and we both wa

“Who Dey! Who Dey!” chanted my CINCY boys, Brooks and the hubs, as we made our way to our very first NFL game last fall in Charlotte, NC. Todd, a diehard Bengals fan since the age of seven(ish), passed his tiger stripes right down to our eldest, who proudly calls himself a “Bungle for life.” Beckett, our “Mary Mary Quite Contrary” guy, wasn't crazy about either team but still rocked his big brother’s CINCY tee like a champ. That first game was a total family highlight - a qui

It didn’t take long for us to catch the pickleball bug - one “game” turned into two, then suddenly weekends revolved around hard-to-snag court time. Proof that adventuring doesn’t always mean leaving your neighborhood - sometimes it’s just a quick stroll (paddles in tow) or a car ride to the nearest court. But this new obsession of ours leveled up big time when we hit our very first PPA Tour stop, the Veolia NC Open , right here in our home state and next town over. Watching

When b + b asked (and begged) for a family cruise, Todd and I knew it was time to give in to the ultimate floating playground - Royal Caribbean’s (almost) brand-new Utopia of the Seas . We decided to make it a summer adventure and, spoiler alert: it checked all  their boxes. Because I’m a firm believer in easing into vacation mode, we flew into Florida two days early and checked into the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes for a two-night stay. Best decision ever as it truly s