They both admired her wall and complimented her work. Gianna’s eyes, however, lingered for a moment on the two sets of rosaries that were draped over the push pins on the top right. One light pink, one red. She had just purchased a light pink set at St Peter’s Basilica this summer. Scarlett, known for taking Gianna’s stuff without asking, could have possibly taken Gianna’s rosaries as her own and draped them on her wall, hoping to get away with it.

Knowing this, Gianna said: “Hey, where did you get those?”

I lost my shit on Scarlett yesterday. The girls had all been dancing in the kitchen together as Vince and I got dinner ready. Before the shit was lost, it …

There are moments in life when someone unexpectedly shares a world-altering piece of advice or insight. Some are deeper than others. Like the mind-bending concept that you are the one inside your head hearing the thoughts…you are NOT your thoughts. I have changed so much since learning that. But other times, the insights or lessons are much smaller. Yet, their impact is just as great.

It is with that in mind that I bring you the concept of…. the ✨magic pee✨.

Yes, this is bathroom stuff. But if you’ve ever had to convince a small child to try and go number 1 before you leave the vicinity of a restroom, you know the struggle. You’ve seen them consume enough liquid to warrant a pee, yet these mini dictators insist they have no urge whatsoever to go. Trying to save yourself from an inconvenient bathroom stop, you rationalize with them. If they just TRY, they might squeeze out something. But no, they have their mind set. Aside from sheer force, you must persuade or bribe them into attempted urination.

This is a battle that lasts way too long. I have fought it and lost.

So, when standing in the ladies’ restroom line and a mom shared this concept of the ✨magic pee ✨with me, I was forever changed. How did I not think of this? I have been a mom for over 30 cumulative years. Not once, across 3.75 kids, have I thought of this trick myself.

Now, I share this genius with you because, dear sweet baby Jesus, this works.

They wanted to go sneak into our unfinished clubhouse to see how it looked. Not to do any vandalism, just curious and wanting to explore. Excited by the thrill of doing something somewhat bad. Something you shouldn’t. Feeling empowered by the nighttime sky.

Gianna, concerned of being caught by the security guard that occasionally drives around the neighborhood, initially declined going inside. What if they got caught? We shouldn’t do this. We aren’t allowed. I’ll stay outside and keep watch, you guys go in. Saying all those things, even though deep in her heart, she was curious and wanted to go inside too.

And, you know what made her say yes? Me. Her mother. The person that is supposed to give her rules and guidance. A north star for the right behavior. *palm meet face*

This trip, while a learning experience, was also supposed to double as a mini vacation for my family. Going alone was an option, but that felt like leaving too much of me behind. So, we all drove 4 hours to Fort Lauderdale for what I had envisioned being a fun-filled weekend that included time at the beach, exploring the area a tiny bit, and some pool time for the fam while I got my learning on.

While Vince and the kids did enjoy some pool time and we managed to explore the area a teensy bit one night, my plans were a little thwarted by our hotel accommodations. That’s seems strange. A hotel can change your entire plans?

Yes. Yes, it can. It can when you are staying at Hotel Catfish.

I’ve been dumped a few times in my life. Not as much as others, to be sure. My love life experience is more about depth than the number of tallies …