raising the curtins

Marina’s purple fairy dress was adorable, even worn backward and paired with a face full of snot and an attitude the size of Jupiter. Then a routine bathroom stop took a turn I should have seen coming.

I decided it was time to chop my hair off before I got any more “Little House on the Prairie” looking. Vince liked it, Gianna loved it, Evie didn’t notice, and Scarlett told me I looked like Karen from Eight Is Enough. Apparently, cutting your hair short also means opening yourself up to a full family review.

A simple trip to the DMV for Scarlett’s learner’s permit becomes a painfully relatable mom fail and a reminder that sometimes motherhood is just confidently forgetting the one thing you absolutely needed to remember. Add teenage side-eye, parental guilt, and a very specific path to forgiveness.

Seven days to Ireland, and the most important document in the house is missing. This week, Kristina walks us through the high-stakes scavenger hunt for Vince’s passport and the moment she realized she might not be losing her mind -she might just be highly protected. We’re talking travel stress, unusual calm in the face of chaos, and the ‘extra credit’ work our guardian angels do for us.

At age two, Marina has officially retired her ‘baby’ status and moved straight into her ‘landlord’ era. This week, we’re talking about the wild independence of the fourth child and the moment I realized my toddler views me more as a roommate than a mother. If you’ve ever been ‘bro-ed’ by a tiny human, this episode is for you

Kristina goes back to the bedroom floor where she spent her childhood protecting everyone but herself. This week, she shares a breakthrough from therapy about ‘re-parenting’ the little girl inside and why the survival skill of ‘saving yourself’ might be holding your adult relationships hostage. Grab the tissues; this is an unfiltered dive into the difference between forgiving and truly healing.

I almost ended my 30-year relationship over a double-sided, syrupy lollipop. In this episode, I’m getting raw about the “whoremones” and the reality of perimenopause symptoms that nobody warns you about—specifically, the cold, analytical “Lawyer” that takes over your brain and detaches you from your heart. We’re talking about: If you’ve ever felt like a stranger in your own body or wondered why your marriage suddenly feels like a court case, this one is for you.

Is AI taking over the world? Maybe. But for now, it’s helping Kristina Curtin plan for college, analyze real estate, and save her from the ‘meeting time suck.’ Tune in to hear how to embrace the dark side and make AI your most productive family member.

Vince is like a bomb—usually, he’s just ticking, but tonight he actually caught himself on fire. Between the literal flames and a daughter who isn’t afraid to point out a double standard, our dinner table became a masterclass in resiliency. In this episode, I’m reading through the chaos of the ‘man bomb’ dynamic, the silence before the explosion, and why a little ‘light emotional damage’ might be exactly what the kids need. Pull up a chair (but maybe stay away from the stove).

What happens when a Type A mom who ‘never gets sick’ meets a household full of fluids, boogers, and a 5-year-old Patient Zero? You get the most productive flu week in history. Join Kristina as she navigates the holiday epidemic and finds a rare moment of stillness in the chaos