I used to believe that protecting my children from the infinite number of ills that might befall them was the single most important task of the gig. Trips and falls. Diseases. Cavities. Mean people. Bugs that bite. Failure. Whatever. Protection extended far beyond these what nots to all things – catastrophic to miniscule. In my […]
Thinking of gift ideas for grownups that won’t blow a budget is a challenge. We have lots of options, all available on Amazon for less than $20. The season for gift giving has arrived! And like every season before this one, I am squinting my eyes, tapping the right side of my chin with an […]
The Prequel I heard Lizzo play the flute before I ever heard any of her lyrics or saw her perform. Let me be clear, without any of the present day fanfare – I classified her as a bad mamma jamma. Listening to those sweet melodies escape from Sasha Flute {indeed, her flute has a name… […]
My name is Joi and I am a cheater. There. I said it. I cheat. I make no excuses about it. Adulting is hard work and sometimes, we just have to get through by any means necessary. I’ve come to terms with my reality and I no longer carry guilt and shame. I fall short […]
When I started this gig, in the Back to School Game, my skills were on point. There were systems and routines. Every move was the result of research and planning. My playbook was extreme. Yeah… I was on a whole other level. School shopping for the kids was my sport. Back to School was my […]
Back in 1984, then President Ronald Reagan named every third Sunday in July National Ice Cream Day. It is not like we need an excuse to enjoy ice cream, but knowing there is an actual official declaration to eat ice cream makes it easier to enjoy the consumption of this sugary confection and also justify […]
School is out. It’s almost that time again. The 42-day stretch of summer break with the father is on the horizon. Let me be clear. My kids get on my every-last-nerve. And I do mean every last one of them. But that doesn’t mean that I do not want them within arm’s reach… pretty […]
My first baby had a penis. As luck would have it, so did my second baby. While these babies were relatively cute and fulfilled all the general expectations that one has for babies – my heart longed for a girl baby. All the Shades of Pink In my girl baby dreams, there were frilly dresses […]
*Whispers quietly* Psssst… Mom. Mommy. Mother. Momma. Ma-Ma… and all the other M-words. YES, YOU. If you’ve birthed a baby, adopted, fostered, raised or otherwise contributed to the growth and development of a child – I am talking to you. Work with me here; I am trying – quietly, secretly, in stealth mode – to […]
The headlines are plentiful. If I had to guesstimate, I figure there no fewer than fifty-eleven thousand articles on the topic floating around the internet right now. If I had to combine the major elements into one headline, it would read something like Rich and Entitled Parents Buy and Cheat Their Over-Privileged Children’s Way into […]
