This week was a LOT. I booked a Disney trip, cut my own hair, entered the kindergarten Chromebook era, started a new dance season, ran a zoo race, and became mildly obsessed with HYROX.

I’m also reflecting on my 23-year-old self (girl… we’ve come a LONG way), giving you my unsolicited Disney budgeting/deep-cleaning advice, and diving into all my current TV obsessions—from The Traitors to 90 Day Fiancé to Dancing With the Stars.

Plus: The Uprising, historical trivia, Taylor Swift cheering for Travis, a keyboard-playing horse, and why you absolutely do NOT need new seasonal decor. 🫶

Booked Mexico. Booked the wrong dates. Rebooked Mexico. Questioned my financial decisions.

Also: soccer mom life, dance season, fart-scented gymnastics gyms, foot scrubbers, Texas Roadhouse rolls, budgeting TikToks, and my bathroom makeover.

Then I watched Mormon Wives and Practical Magic 2 and naturally developed approximately 47 opinions.

Anyway… come yap with me.

I’m officially entering my “maybe I’m actually 40” era, recovering from 100 burpees, mourning my 300-day Connections streak, and seriously considering booking a vacation I absolutely do not need. I’m also defending my annual tradition of buying my kids new Halloween costumes, celebrating my Samoan culture, sharing what I’m obsessed with lately, and giving you all of my unsolicited opinions on pop culture. Basically, just another week of me talking too much.

September is the month of Frankie ✨

Choosing sunshine, movement, good food & believing everything is going to work out.

This week we’re talking motherhood, homeownership, mice, baby sprinkles, powerlife, pop culture, new girl, scary movies, and a few unsolicited opinions along the way.

A little chaotic, a little reflective, very frankie talks too much. 🤍

This week was a little bit chaotic, a little bit emotional, and honestly just a lot of talking. I had a major “I REALLY need to stop telling everyone everything” moment and spent way too much time worrying that I had accidentally offended someone. Apparently having zero tact and a brain that never stops thinking is a dangerous combination!

We had AC again (only $6,000 later), went to a Royals game, had a much-needed girls night, celebrated the last little bits of summer, and got ready for the kids to start school. I’m also sharing some very real thoughts about confidence, taking care of myself, food, running, and figuring out what actually makes me feel good. Plus, we’re talking Kardashian relationships, Housewives, Lifetime movies, blanket opinions, first-day-of-school hacks, and whether I should keep doing this podcast… or turn it into “Car Line Chat.” 😂

Basically, lots of life lately, lots of opinions, and a reminder to take your joy seriously.

This week was a perfect mix of bad luck and good luck. I spent a lot of money on new tires and an alignment, my AC broke during 90-degree weather, and I looked questionable all week until my eyebrows finally saved me. But then came Megan Moroney tickets, an unexpected payout, two great movies, and a birthday celebration complete with breakfast in bed, Cheesecake Factory, new Lululemon, and the cutest concert outfit.

I’m recapping the Megan Moroney concert, surviving life without AC, becoming a first-time kindergarten mom, and trying to process how quickly summer is ending. I also get into the Lindsey Clancy trial, my kids’ creepy fascination with death, sleepwalking, and my attempt to stop letting the little things get to me.

Plus, my current obsessions, budgeting advice I stole from the Inspired Budgeting podcast, and reviews of One Night Only and The Odyssey. And somehow, through all of this chaos, I’m trying to get back into a routine, celebrate eight years of marriage, and maybe try laminated brows.

This week was a mix of road-trip chaos, sleep deprivation, and me questioning whether anyone actually cares about my TikToks or podcast. We made it through California, Catalina Island, Vegas, and the Grand Canyon, somehow survived a stroller-free water park day, encountered the infamous kids’ pool poop situation, celebrated Dante’s 33rd birthday, and came home straight into grandparents, dance, soccer, and real life.

I’m also getting a little philosophical about jealousy, judgment, and putting more effort into people than they put into me. Plus, I’m obsessed with giving my kids new experiences, traveling during the busiest months, low vacation screen time, hitting 500 PowerLife classes, and—most importantly—STARTING YOUR CHRISTMAS FUND NOW. We’re also talking money, getting back into a routine, my desperate need for a Skylight calendar, and my thoughts on Spider-Man: Brand New Day (spoilers included!).

Basically, I’m tired, slightly judgy, financially responsible-ish, and still talking into the void. So… welcome back.

It is officially my birthday month, which means I get to be a little more dramatic than usual. This week we’re on our road trip out west, and I’ve come to one very important conclusion: overnight hotel stops make road trips infinitely better. We also made an official stop in Cheyenne, so yes, I’m counting Wyoming as another state visited. Along the way I was reminded just how painfully dry Utah and Las Vegas are (my lips and nose are fighting for their lives), why Midwest drivers are simply built differently, and how surreal it was taking my own kids to BYU after so many changes. Between late-night chats with my cousin until 1 a.m., catching up with family, spending time with my aunt in Vegas, and surviving a church building with no air conditioning, this trip has been equal parts nostalgic and chaotic.

I also get a little more vulnerable than usual. I share how growing up hearing “we don’t have the money for that” shaped the way I think about finances today, leaving me somewhere between a spender and a saver. I break down exactly what we spent on our Hawaii reunion and this road trip, why I wanted to be transparent about it, and how I’ve realized that comparing your finances to someone else’s is almost always pointless because everyone is building a completely different life. Travel is something our family chooses to prioritize, even if it means saying no to other luxuries, and I don’t take for granted that we’re able to do these trips.

Plus, I confess that I’m becoming way too picky about cleanliness, wonder if clutter is turning me into an unfun person, realize families with three or more kids are playing life on expert mode, and admit that maybe I don’t actually want everyone’s “tea” after all. Then we wrap things up with my first impressions of Married at First Sight—including my early red flags, favorite couples, questionable family dynamics, and all my completely unqualified predictions. Finally, I share my goals for the week ahead: survive California without blowing the budget, stop worrying about everything happening back home, and somehow learn our Samoan Flag Day dances.

This week I’m recapping our last-minute trip to Oahu, which somehow turned into me realizing my parents have become the world’s most stressful retired travelers. I also confess to being way too hard on them, rant about why airports are basically my personal nightmare (if you clear your throat every five seconds, I will notice), and question why I continue to pack a blow dryer for Hawaii. We also get into vacation budgeting, the emotional crisis of posting vacation photos on Instagram, and whether I’d even go on a trip if I couldn’t post a single picture from it. (The answer is… complicated.)

Then I’m sharing all of my Oahu favorites—from Foodland poke and Waimea Valley to the places I’d probably skip next time—plus why Dante and I genuinely love traveling with our kids, even if it isn’t the most relaxing vacation imaginable.

Finally, I’m reviewing everything I watched on the flights, including The Drama, How to Make a Killing, Voicemails for Isabelle, and the latest chaos from 90 Day Fiancé. We wrap things up with this week’s to-do list, because apparently the vacation ends when it’s time to clean out my car and immediately pack for another trip.

This week was pure chaos in the best way. I booked a last-minute trip to Hawaii, bought a fancy new camera that I absolutely love… right after questioning every financial decision I’ve ever made, accidentally drove on freshly paved roads because apparently no one thought to tell me, went to the Post Malone concert, struggled through sculpt classes (why are they trying to kill me?), and realized spending time with my grandparents is becoming one of my favorite parts of life.

This episode is basically one long argument for why quitting isn’t always quitting. Sometimes it’s just choosing yourself. I’m talking about why I quit the PowerLife challenge, why I’ve stopped forcing myself to finish books, shows, and other things that make me miserable, the lifelong battle of being a recovering people pleaser, setting boundaries without spiraling into guilt, and all the random things people have quit that ended up leading them somewhere better. Turns out “never give up” is occasionally terrible advice.

Then we get into the important stuff: reality TV. I’m sharing my anxiety after watching Shipwrecked, my completely unqualified opinions on 90 Day Fiancé, picking sides at the Real Housewives of Rhode Island reunion, trying to understand Suddenly Amish (while somehow falling in love with Kendra and Judah), and cheering on Jasmine as she continues to humble the boys on Love Island UK. Come hang out while I talk way too much about absolutely everything.