Last month, after more than 12 months of abiding by state and local COVID guidelines and starting a new full-time contract job, I felt as if I’d fallen behind the eight ball as a mom.

On Christmas Eve 2019 I sat alone on my couch, tree lights twinkling brightly over wrapped presents, and my almost empty fourth glass of wine. I should have been happy, but there I was, staring at the text conversation I was having for the fifth time that month with Crisis Hotline.

Last week, my older daughter, Sophie, was looking over my shoulder as I scrolled through Instagram. We saw a video from a college we know, saluting all its sports for NCAA Division III Week, on the account of its athletic conference. 

Today is my 35th birthday, and I feel young. I feel vibrant! I feel really on top of the world and in control of my life.

We have been living through this global pandemic for over a year now. Our lives have been changed forever, and we have to find new ways to celebrate life! Last year, we were afraid to open the doors to family, friends and our neighbors. Some of those people were claimed by the virus, but they will be with us forever in our memories and dreams.

About three years ago, my good friend Beth recommended watching “The Goldbergs,” an ABC period sitcom about a family of five. At the time, although I had heard of it, and maybe caught a glimpse of it in passing once or twice, I never figured out a way to carve out the time to sit down and watch. 

We can all agree on this: Kids are expensive. I am not a financial guru and this isn’t going to be a “how to manage money” article. I’m simply a single mother who is sharing her experience in this parenthood journey. One of those least talked about experiences is money.

I think I am the southernmost Mommy Blogger, so I’ve shied away from writing too much about local stuff. But I was inspired by Bitsy McCann’s post last week, so here are some parks in south central Pennsylvania I think are worth the drive.

Spring is coming and the parks are waiting. Here’s my list of kid-friendly favorites

Everyone knows what a free-range parent is, right? In case you have no idea, it’s a pre-90s parenting style where kids are essentially allowed to freely roam their neighborhood from morning until the street lights go on at dusk.

Ahhh, love. It’s a basic human need. One Google search about single parents will yield abundant dating sites and advice. We are lookin’ for love!

We’re rapidly approaching a year in a global pandemic and let’s be honest, pandemic fatigue is real. However, I’m dealing with an offshoot of that – what I’ll call pandemic paralysis.

Don’t get me wrong, she will still hit the wall angrily and then say “hit” and “hurt,” but she will also take deep breaths when I reminder her to.

One thing that you can’t protect or prepare your children for is the pain of loss.

 am very fortunate and thankful that I had the opportunity to take a planned career break for 11 years. Because of my husband’s job, I was afforded the luxury of being a stay-at-home-mom, or SAHM.