Shhhmykidsareasleep

The day has finally arrived: my daughter is going to get her driver’s license. 🚗

Except first, I have to pick her up from school because she doesn’t feel good. Then she throws up. Twice. The first time I’m thinking, Wait… is she contagious? The second time I’m thinking, Okay, maybe we need urgent care instead of the DPS.

And then… magically better. 👀 Weird.

So off we go to the Texas DPS, where I immediately begin sweating over paperwork, including the California driving record I had to print out because we’re out-of-state transplants. Of course, the website says everything should be OFFICIAL, and naturally, the copy I brought is… unofficial. Cool. Cool cool cool.

Eventually, I’m told to sit down and watch my precious baby girl walk out of the building to take her driving test.

And now I wait.

Did she pass? And who from a previous episode was actually her driving instructor?!

Buckle up. Yes, that pun was absolutely intended. 😂

This week on Shhh My Kids Are Asleep: She Can Drive Legally Now?

I didn't think this kid was real.

Sometimes your kid tells you something so casually that you don’t even think to question it.

When my daughter was in 3rd or 4th grade, she started talking about a new friend with a name that sounded way too cool to be real. I took her completely seriously… and somehow convinced myself my kid had an imaginary friend.

Fast-forward to open house night, when I got a very rude awakening.

Turns out, I had fallen victim to one of the most dangerous combinations known to motherhood: a creative kid, a sarcastic sense of humor, and a mom who apparently doesn’t ask enough follow-up questions.

In this episode, I let you in on the “imaginary friend” who was actually very much real and why, when you have a sarcastic child, you might want to keep your eyes and ears open.

#Parenting #FunnyMomStories #MomLife #KidsAreFunny #ParentingHumor #MomHumor #KidsSayTheDarndestThings #SarcasticKids #ParentingStories #FunnyParenting #RaisingKids #FamilyLife #MomPodcast #ParentingPodcast #RealMomLife #imaginaryfriend #htx #htown #htxmoms

Connect with Rachel: Follow over on Instagram@shhhmykidsareasleep to connect socially

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Apparently, not all high school activities are created equal.

In this episode, I’m rating school organizations from a mom’s perspective, starting with cheerleading vs. water polo. And let me just say… these two organizations could not be more different.

Cheer? A well-oiled machine. Calendars, communication, uniforms, traditions, senior nights, the whole thing.

Water polo? Let’s just say there’s a little more “wait…what are we doing?” energy.

After having kids involved in different school activities, I’ve learned that every organization has its own personality, level of chaos, parent involvement, and completely different way of doing things.

So let’s rate them. Because if I’m going to spend years driving to practices, games, meetings and senior nights, I feel like I’ve earned the right to have opinions.

Cheer vs. water polo: Which organization gets the mom stamp of approval?

Listen in for the ratings and the very real differences between two completely different high school activities.

#Parenting #HighSchool #Cheerleading #WaterPolo #SchoolActivities #Teenagers #MomLife #HighSchoolSports #HoustonMoms #TexasMoms

My 4th grader got lost at Disneyland in the rain… or at least that’s how she remembers it. 😂 She turned the whole 5–7 minute parenting panic into a school story about getting lost at Disneyland, searching every ride, and eventually being rescued by a Disney employee.

We found her, everyone was okay, and now it’s a funny Disneyland family vacation story with a bigger reminder: parenting is messy, kids remember things differently, and none of us get it right every time. In fact, they will even make you revisit those scary times when they go to school sharing the story.

Have you had a scare like that?

Tell me about your last Disney trip!

·  ✨ Connect withRachel: Follow the daily chaos over on Instagram @shhhmykidsareasleep to watch this week's reels!

·  💬 Have a Question? Submit your messy parenting story or ask a question at [email protected] to be featured on a future episode.

·  🎧 Love the show?Tap the 5-star rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help other moms find the show!

#tx #htx #Houston #moms #lost #Disneyland

The Six-Line S is BACK. 😂

If you were a 90s kid or an early-2000s teen, you already know exactly what I’m talking about. That weird little S we doodled absolutely everywhere has somehow made its way into my kids’ school pictures… as MARKETING.

Excuse me?! Who approved this?! 😂

Obviously, someone on that marketing team is our age, because there is no other explanation. I had to say something. Cut it out. LOL.

#90sKids #2000sKids #90sNostalgia #MillennialMoms #MomHumor #ParentingHumor #Nostalgia #ParentingPodcast #Houston #Texas #Texasmom

I tried to make an episode about mom group chats.

I really did.

But sometimes you have a topic in mind, a plan in your head, and absolutely none of it wants to cooperate. So instead of forcing the mom-group-chat episode, I gave up and talked about what actually happened over Labor Day weekend.

My husband decided we were going to relax. Like… actually relax. And for once, I didn’t fight it.

Then my daughter decided I had a much more important assignment: becoming the official camera woman for her very own “Tim McGraw” weekend, thanks in part to one very specific Tim McGraw lyric that apparently became the soundtrack to the whole thing.

And because I have now been a Texas mom for an entire YEAR, naturally I have some questions.

Specifically: MUMS.

I know girls wear them for homecoming. I know they can be enormous. And beyond that? Ma’am. I am lost.

So if you are a Texas mom who understands the sacred tradition of mums, please know that I need the 101 course because apparently I have been living here for a year and missed the orientation.

Basically, this episode is what happens when you stop trying to make the pieces fit and just let the weekend become the episode.

And yes… I had to end it exactly where I felt it needed to end. (Again I do not own the rights to any Tim Mcgraw Music.)

#Houston #texas #texasmoms #TimMcGraw #LaborDayWeekend #HOCO #Mums

🎉 ANNIVERSARY EDITION!!!

....of Shhh My Kids Are Asleep! 🎉

WE MADE IT! One episode every Tuesday. Another year of hitting records, telling stories, oversharing a little, laughing a lot, and somehow keeping this thing going week after week. ❤️

For this special anniversary episode, I’m answering YOUR questions—and a few of my own. We’re talking about me, the podcast, motherhood, marriage, raising four kids, the things I’ve learned, the things I’m still figuring out, and what it’s really like to keep creating something when you have absolutely no idea where it’s going to take you.

What has motherhood taught me?
Has marriage changed after four kids?
What have I learned about myself?
And after a full year of podcasting…was it worth it?

Most importantly, we're celebrating something I'm genuinely proud of: a published episode every single Tuesday for an entire year. 🎙️

And if I didn't answer a question you think I NEED to answer... send it my way! 😂

📧 Email me at [email protected], and your question could make it into a future episode.

Thank you for listening, sharing, laughing with me, and letting me talk into a microphone about the beautiful, crazy, unpredictable, ridiculously silly thing that is life with kids.

Here’s to another fun year. 🥂

Now…let’s see what happens next.

I realized that I have posted a new episode every week for over the past year... and then I recap the rough week I had.

I got sick. Like, REALLY sick. And while I was trying to recover, life kept moving around me.

But something unexpected happened: my kids stepped up.

Two of them made dinner. One helped get the baby home from school. My husband helped wherever he could. And somewhere in the middle of a really rough week, I had one of those moments every mom needs sometimes...the reminder that maybe I’m doing something right.

Because raising kids isn't just about being there for every little thing. It's also about knowing that when you can't do it all, they can.

This week, I realized my kids are going to be alright. And honestly? So am I. ❤️

After 20 years of marriage and four kids, how do you keep the spark alive?

For us, apparently, it involves a little game we’ve been playing for years. 😂 It started early in our marriage, back when I was still learning how to find the fun in all the ordinary moments of being married. Somehow, all these years and four kids later, we’re still doing it.

And the last time? Let’s just say I gave my husband my number… and people working got involved. 😳😂

But the sweetest part wasn't what happened between us. It was watching our kids watch us. Two were in my car, two were in his, and somehow nobody was embarrassed by their ridiculous parents. In fact, one of my daughters said she can't wait to do something like this with her own family someday.

Maybe that's the real secret to keeping the spark alive: finding little ways to choose each other, have fun together, and let your kids see that marriage can still be playful after 20 years. But don't take my word for it. I am still figuring this whole thing out.

And now I want to hear from you: What little things do you and your partner do to keep the spark alive after kids? Send me your stories! 💕

The internet is officially out of control. 😂

This episode was sparked by an internet couple from West Virginia who somehow became the subject of a full-blown investigation by the court of public opinion. The guy posted a video telling a story about what had and was happening in his life...but, like most human beings, he didn’t tell the internet every single detail.

And apparently, that was enough.

Because the internet filled in the blanks for him. People started making accusations, creating theories, digging into their past, and deciding what must really be going on in their relationship and their lives.

And honestly? I found it fascinating.

Because when did we collectively decide that if someone posts a 60-second video, we are entitled to the entire backstory? When did “I don't know what happened” turn into “I have investigated the situation and here is my conclusion”? 😂

The court of public opinion will have you convicted, divorced, remarried, diagnosed, and emotionally rehabilitated before you even finish uploading the video.

And that got me thinking about how we do this with EVERYTHING now, especially as moms.

There is always a new trend.

My daughter recently showed me this thing called “12 Things for 12th Grade.”

Twelve things.

For 12th grade.

Because she’s a senior.

And I was like… GIRL. WHAT?! 😂

Apparently, seniors are supposed to have this list of 12 things they want for their first day of senior year, because apparently simply surviving senior year, applying to college, keeping your grades together, participating in activities, and making it to graduation wasn't enough.

Now we need a curated senior year experience, starting with day 1.

And don't even get me started on painted senior jeans.

That is a WHOLE other episode.

Because apparently we have entered an era where your pants need to tell your entire life story before you walk across the graduation stage.

So we're talking about all of it , the internet's obsession with knowing everything about everybody, the way people create entire narratives from incomplete information, and the never-ending stream of trends our kids bring home that leave us standing there like…

“Who came up with this, and why are we doing it?”

Because between the internet detectives, the senior trends, and these painted jeans, I am tired. 😂

Welcome to parenting in the age of the internet.