The boys are gone for the night and I can just sorta exhale for a bit. I absolutely love my kids but it's so hard to see them hurting all the time. It eats away at me and it's tough to deal with. I just finished a 3.5 mile walk with my Mom and I think I'll get a nap in before getting some recording done for the podcast. I'm really tired and it's freezing in the house for some reason. The thermostat reads 68°F but it doesn't feel like that. I'm gonna crawl into my nice warm bed for a little while and recharge. It's just me and Ruby. The house is quite and I haven't heard gunshots in a while. ☺ The kids will be home around noon…

I wanted to share a bit of very positive news this morning. I know it seems like everything is always negative here but it really isn't. The idea of being transparent means that you get a glimpse into the reality in which I live. The reality is, there are major challenges in my life and if I wasn't open about them, what you'd be reading was nothing more than spin or fantasy. With that said, I'm super stoked to share this today. For months and months, my youngest, Emmett, has refused to sleep in his own bed. He's been through so much and sleeping near me is the only way he was able to fall asleep. It's problematic and has significantly reduced my overall quality of sleep, but as a…

Many of you know, we just recently got a new car. It's a 2016 Buick Regal Premium II Turbo. It is a significant investment and the first one I had to make as a single parent. I just made my third payment this month and while it's a challenge, it's something I'm very proud of. I was able to do this completely on my own and that feels so good. Twice this week, I've experienced car problems. It's a 2016 and I was hoping to have a bit of time before having to deal with anything like this. Earlier this week, the car wouldn't shut off properly. It's passive entry and push button start, so I can't just turn off the ignition and pull the key. It only happened the…

I wish I was able to be a bit more uplifting right now but the reality is that things are very difficult at the moment. I have my hands full with the kids and all they're currently struggling with. I'm spread so thin you can pretty much see right through me. As tough as things currently are, we're finding our way through the darkness. No one is giving up and no one has been left behind. That's a very positive thing and I'm trying to focus on that. It's times like these that it's even more important to find a silver lining. I'm going to remain focused on the positive as best I can, while trying not to be taken over by the negatives. The last thing I'll say for…