raising the curtins

Watching my daughters date in the age of Snapchat and location tracking makes me miss the old days. Is technology killing romance? I think so. My brain spiral on the subject leds me to a new idea for a dating show.

I usually adore old ladies. They’re bold, unfiltered, and make great cookies. But every now and then, you meet one who’s just… a dick. While out shopping with my toddler, I ran into one of those passive-aggressive grannies—the kind who hides judgment behind a smile and thinks she’s helping.

I tried to make my living room look like adults live here — you know, end tables, matching lamps, maybe a whiff of “HGTV energy.” It actually worked… for a while. Then one lamp met its death by blanket, and the other was taken out by my 5-year-old doing Spider-Man parkour across the couch. Now both are gone and my living room’s darker. I will never live in a showroom — I live in a house of play, laughter, and memories.

Kristina reflects on the emotional whiplash of raising her 14-year-old daughter, Scarlett. From crying in the car after being pushed away at her first dance to soaking up surprise snuggles the next morning, she captures the rollercoaster of parenting teens with humor, honesty, and hard-earned perspective.

Cardboard boxes were great childhood memories for me and I wanted to pass along this tradition of using your imagination with my two younger kids.

If you’re not early, you’re late… but is two hours early a bit overkill? Kristina dives into the mental load of managing a 6-person household, the ‘parent math’ required to get out of the house, and why she refuses to feel guilty about the occasional scheduling snafu.”

Kristina takes Dublin, her unruly dog, to the vet for his shot, only to get more than she bargained for—a stranger asking if she’s single. What followed was a spiral of awkwardness, self-reflection, and gratitude for the marriage she has, even if Vince sniffs his laundry before wearing it and starts a dozen projects he never finishes. With sharp wit, she explores the absurdity of midlife dating, why her empty ring finger gave the wrong signal, and the deep comfort of a decades-long relationship.

When your teen’s back-to-school prep screams “rich sorority girl energy,” you just nod, sip your coffee, and call her your basic girl.

Recounting how my daughter’s 14th birthday went from pancakes to inappropriate in the matter of minutes.

A funny, unfiltered mom blog post on the inconvenient truth of potty training toddlers. Real stories, real laughs, and way too much poop talk.