I’ll never forget—try as I might—my very first diary. It had a neon-themed Winnie the Pooh on the front and a tiny little lock that never quite worked. And while I was always a prolific talker, I was even then a sporadic writer: consistent for weeks at a time, then skipping two years without a … Continue reading Of Idols
Author: kelseyaeschliman0791
On K-Pop, Demons, and Being “That Mom”: When Kids’ Movies Preach a Different Gospel
Want to start a fight? 🤪 I’m feeling a bit feisty—though admittedly a little apprehensive about this one. I’m not standing with a crowd of besties behind me, shouting into an echo chamber. Instead, I’m feeling a bit alone. But I think it’s a fight worth having, so join me if you will. There’s a … Continue reading On K-Pop, Demons, and Being “That Mom”: When Kids’ Movies Preach a Different Gospel
Bite-Sized Grace
What a week. Let’s start with a moment of silence, if you will, for Velma: our sweet, 15+ year old Honda Odyssey who left us this week for the streets of gold… No children were harmed in the making of this photo. The same cannot be said for the van. Did she shake when we … Continue reading Bite-Sized Grace
Fear Itself
Ah, October. The month of all things scary and ghoulish. We’ve had a relatively eventful month, I cannot lie. The highlights (and lowlights) included a quick escape to the mountains, one of the twins broke a leg, our first (but certainly not our last) “Trunk or Treat” victory, and a painting project. I’ll never forgive … Continue reading Fear Itself
Fixing the Feels
It’s another quiet nightshift. They’ve become slightly harder of late, as my adorable little patient has acquired a new noise machine. No problem, except it’s the same one I’ve used every night myself for the past decade. Talk about a Pavlovian response…. Me. All Night long. Between his cute little snores, the sound of rain … Continue reading Fixing the Feels
Be Still
Earnest Hemingway supposedly once said, “Write hard and clear about what hurts”. That advice has stopped me a time or two, because it seems dangerously oversimplified. I can’t just write about those deep and dark places- what about privacy? Trust? No one loves to be emotionally vomited on, right? But tonight, the world feels heavy. … Continue reading Be Still
Bleach
Remember how two weeks ago I shared that my entire house smells like pee? Well. Celebrate with me, my friends. I have wrought a long, sweaty battle and emerged victorious. Tonight, after dinner, my husband took one look at me (my hair is my tell, apparently) and herded all of our feral children upstairs to … Continue reading Bleach
Summer Joys
[ There’s nothing quite as humbling as a blank page and nothing to say. I’ve always been in awe of people who write on a schedule because like… how do you have something interesting to say on demand? I am not a DVR or fancy streaming service- I’m old school cable. You turn it on … Continue reading Summer Joys
Well
If you know me at all, you probably know that I love to sing. I don’t have any world-changing talent in the matter, but I am loud, exuberant, and mostly on-key. In the car, cleaning the house, folding laundry, rocking my children to sleep - I find endless joy in singing whatever song that comes … Continue reading Well
Becoming
Have you ever had a moment when you realized that you don’t really like… yourself? I’m not talking about the face palm, “what is wrong with me?!” frustration of locked keys in the car. Nor am I referring to the deep self-loathing that accompanies chemical depression or consuming an entire pack of cookies mindlessly in … Continue reading Becoming