The Life I Want

I've had multiple people assume, in a negative way, that I'm divorcing my husband in order to get the life I want. Honestly, my first reaction was to be outraged that they think THIS is the life I want - to be a divorced mom of four on the cusp of 40, dealing with mental … Continue reading The Life I Want →

An Epiphany About My Parenting

I was thinking about how my husband had accused me of isolating myself from him and the children a few months back. He wasn't entirely incorrect - I was withdrawing and holding space for myself instead of spending all my available time with them. I'd been withdrawn for a while, though, especially during the two … Continue reading An Epiphany About My Parenting →

I am AJ, Mother of Trash Pandas

Last night I had a conversation with my children in which I called them trash pandas and highlighted how they treat our apartment as if they live in a dumpster. I informed them that we're going to be enacting some new standards for cleaning, and pointed out some specific problems that they'd been contributing to: … Continue reading I am AJ, Mother of Trash Pandas →

Unwanted Holiday

I wish my children would forget and ignore Mother's Day. I've said, in the past, that I didn't want anyone to bother recognizing the day for me. The older two seem content to ignore it, now, but the younger two have school projects that involve the whole class making cards or pictures for their mothers, … Continue reading Unwanted Holiday →