Read more about the article What could be better than Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) responding to your tweet?
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What could be better than Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) responding to your tweet?

Social media is a necessary evil in my line of work. I wish it didn't have to be sometimes because it's exhausting and if I could, I would walk away from it. There are some really amazing things about social media and there are some really awful things as well. Today I wanted to talk about one of the cooler experiences I've had and then use that experience to make a really important point. I'm so incredibly lucky to have some really cool connections on social media. I'm so grateful to have the support of so many people and I will never take that for granted. I had one of those cool experiences today. You can click on the embedded tweet to read the comments. Hey @VancityReynolds, this is pretty…

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June 7, 2021
Read more about the article I ended up having a really good day
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I ended up having a really good day

For the last couple of years, I've associated June 5th with sadness. It's my grandma's birthday, and since she's passed, it was a sad day for me because she's not here to celebrate it anymore. I think that's pretty normal and part of human grief. For the first time since the funeral, I went and visited her at the cemetery. The kids wanted to go because they'd not been there before, and I took that as a sign. We got up early-ish on Saturday morning, packed up, and made the drive to Youngstown. I have no idea why my grandparents opted for the cemetery they did because it's out in the middle of nowhere. I meant to ask my Dad about that but keep forgetting to do that. I'm genuinely…

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June 6, 2021
Read more about the article I’m doing something special today
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I’m doing something special today

My Grandma Gene passed away on June 15, 2019. She was quite simply one of the most amazing humans I've ever met, and I got to call her Grandma. Losing her was difficult, and I haven't been to the cemetery since the funeral. I'm not proud of that, but I own it. COVID was an issue last year, but honestly, I shouldn't hide behind that because the truth is, I wasn't ready to visit her at the cemetery. During her last few months, I spent every single day with her at the nursing home. She would call me in the middle of the night. She didn't know where she was and wanted me to find her because she was scared. I can't tell you how many trips I made out…

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June 4, 2021
Read more about the article This might help you get to know me better
Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

This might help you get to know me better

I know there are people out there who are new to this blog or maybe just getting to know me, so I thought now might be a great time to share an update that focuses on my journey. I haven't done one of these updates in a little while, so now's as good a time as any. I assume that you know the basics about my life, and if you don't, those are pretty easy to find on the homepage or throughout this entire site. What I want to do is focus on the time since I became a single parent. A lot has changed for me since August of 2019, and I'm okay talking about it because it's part of my journey. I feel like we're all on a…

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June 4, 2021
Read more about the article Sometimes I need to remind myself
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Sometimes I need to remind myself

This week is turning out to be chock full of life lessons for me. I'm not one to shy away from valuable life lessons and I believe that I can learn something from every experience. I'm not super thrilled that some of these lessons have to be unpleasant in nature but such is life. I've been in a weird mood today and Mr. Emmett has constantly been asking me if I'm okay. Let's be honest here, he would be doing that anyway but it's harder to navigate this when I'm actually having a rough day. I ended up sitting him down and explaining some of the reasons for my more challenging day. Of course I kept it age appropriate and very general. Here's the thing. I think it's okay for…

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June 3, 2021
Read more about the article When I finally get an overnight break from my kids
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When I finally get an overnight break from my kids

I had an overnight break for the first time in a little while. We had a memorial day cookout yesterday at my parents, and the boys ended up staying the night. It's so nice to be in a place where the kids can once again spend time with family and friends. On my time off, I went to visit a friend who lives in the Cleveland area. It's about an hour or so away from me, so not a huge deal. It's really nice to be able to get away from the house and kids for a little while. It's a huge part of self-care and I'm putting a major focus on that. I love my kids but we do need breaks from each other on occasion. I really enjoyed…

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May 31, 2021
Read more about the article Empowering my kids through a Summer of Mightier
Mightier / My thoughts / Parenting Resources

Empowering my kids through a Summer of Mightier

COVID had taken its toll on pretty much everyone and my family is no exception. One of the things that I want to do is spend the summer, helping my kids to get back to some semblance of normalcy. COVID was very challenging partly due to the isolation, but also because of the frustration, anxiety, and fear it caused on the daily. As an adult, I found myself struggling to manage these emotions and I have a lifetime of experience to assist me. Gavin is 21 years old and Emmett is almost 13. It works amazing well with both of the boys. My kids on the other hand, struggled with managing these emotions in a way that was appropriate. Frankly, I feel like they've done an amazing job but we…

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May 30, 2021
Read more about the article The last couple of weeks have been a roller-coaster for us
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The last couple of weeks have been a roller-coaster for us

It's been a couple of days since I've written. Life has been a roller-coaster ride for the last couple of weeks but we seem to have established an equilibrium as of late and I'm thrilled by that. I had to make some rather dramatic changes in their lives but the boys are definitely doing better as a result. School is officially over for the summer and that's a huge relief. They're excited to get back to a relatively normal life. By this time in June, the boys will be fully vaccinated and that will open up quite a few doors. We have made major progress on the outside of the house, which feels incredibly good. The inside of the house is not quite so far along. I think we're going…

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May 29, 2021