me

How do I tell her I don’t want them in the same bed because I don’t want to be a grandma yet? Or because I don’t necessarily think it’s appropriate …

Good Friday is literally the antithesis to Black Friday. A day of fasting and penance to reflect on the day Jesus was crucified, and my child thought it was a …

Recounting my first Trivia Night experience which included being heckled by the host, coming in last, and realizing the real win was being a safe space for my daughter after …

As I watched the lightning alone, I felt wrong. This wasn’t right. This isn’t the type of mom I want to be… I turned away from the window, leaving the …

The other day, as I was watching my 4-year-old play at the park, clothed in pants heavily stained at the knees and a shirt that did not match, I wondered …

Kristina shares a rare and unexpected moment of deep connection with her youngest daughter, Marina. Typically an independent and no-nonsense toddler, Marina surprises her mother with an unprompted, lingering hug. …

I have a complicated relationship with Scholastic Book Fairs. It was a nostalgic childhood event that used to highlight my family’s financial struggles. Now as a parent, I find satisfaction …

Exploring the unexpected challenges of embracing school choice after moving from Pittsburgh to Florida. I was prepared for differences in education quality and facilities, but wasn’t expecting the loss of …

I’ve haven’t written much lately. Been distracted I guess by other things. Minor to-do’s. Finding ways to save a little moola (cut out some subscriptions I really didn’t need and …

I haven’t really written too much about this up until now. But my oldest daughter Gianna has been in a serious relationship for some time. She’s been dating this boy …

It used to be a Christmas Eve tradition in my husband’s massive Irish Catholic family. Before eating dinner on the night before Christmas, we would pray, and then these thin, …

My oldest had all 4 of her wisdom teeth extracted last week. It was the first time any of my kids had to go under IV sedation and I was …

I’m excited to introduce “The Gobble Guide,” my Thanksgiving meal planning binder that started as a simple way to manage the chaos in the kitchen but quickly turned into something …

For the past two months or so, I have been getting up before dawn to record audio files of all my old blog posts. This has taken me hours. I …

October’s ‘Quote Quiz’ results are in, and let’s just say…no one aced it. I mean, we had Scarlett launching her 2025 campaign on the quiz paper, Gianna assuming I was …

I try to inspire my family but most often are met with blank stares. Recently I swapped out our WiFi password for some deep wisdom and threw a “Quote Quiz” …

A storm can wreak havoc, but most of the time it’s what happens after the skies turn back to blue that hits hardest. This is my reflection on navigating the …

Prepping for Hurricane Milton started to get stressful. So I diffused the situation with a bit of humor.

After all these years with Vince, I’ve come to accept most of his quirks—except his daily ritual of starving himself to the point of hangriness. Seriously, the man acts like …

The other day, when I got into the car, my phone automatically hooked up and began playing one of my audio episodes of the blog I’ve been recording. I was …

About a year ago, I started buying Kerrygold butter. I tried it out on a whim, based on a recipe that recommended it. More expensive doesn’t always mean better, but …

We had a repair tech at the house today to check out our garage fridge. It’s a piece of shit LG so of course the compressor is bad already. While …

A few months ago, I decided to replace our wifi password frame with something more substantial. The frame sits right on our entryway table. I’d walk pass it daily, glance …

Until 9:14pm last night, I thought I was pretty cool under pressure. At 9:15pm, I realized I was wrong. Because at 9:15pm, I thought my 13-year-old daughter had been abducted …

In the days leading up to the first day of school, Scarlett had made plans to go tanning to get the perfect back to school glow. She monitored the UV …

Vince and I had a date last night to go see Deadpool & Wolverine. It started off as a normal evening out until about 45 minutes into the movie I …

If you are new to my blog or my social media pages, you might not know this yet, but I am completely unfiltered about my life. I like to share …

We have family movie nights pretty regularly. It can be hard to pick a movie because of the vast age range in our kids. But one thing that is always …

When we moved to Florida 8 years ago, I thought the upheaval would impact Gianna the most. She was 9 after all. She had a circle of friends and had …

When I was younger, I used to look down when I walked. Adults thought my low self-esteem was the reason I kept my head down. That I was afraid to …

Pixar makes amazing movies that totally impact my life, especially Inside Out (1&2). On the surface, they are kids’ movies, but with so much depth. It’s truly impressive how they …

My almost 10-month-old is not a snuggler. I attribute this to the fact that she is my only child who did not nurse 50,000 times a day and thus does …

Took the brood to the Tampa Fringe Fest yesterday. I never heard of it before but got an email somehow and was intrigued. It was inside and not that expensive …

Bert Kreischer and me may seem to have very little in common. After all, he’s a partier, rich, and has a penis. But, we actually are similar in a few …

I posted a video the other day of Evie in the play yard with Marina. While I had my back turned, Evie had put a necklace over Marina’s head. The …

Family came to visit this past weekend to celebrate Evie turning 4. Vince’s mom, aunt, and sister all flew down from Pittsburgh to stay with us. We didn’t really do …

I’m not a materialistic person. Things don’t matter that much to me. Recall my blog post from 2019 about Vince being a hoarder and me not caring about things. Classic …

Evie has been gone this week. She traveled up to Pittsburgh with Vince for 5 days and it’s utterly insane how quiet the house is, despite me still having 3 …

I haven’t written a blog post in some time. I’ve been distracted with other life things. Which is ok, I guess. But I do feel like my mind has been …

As a mom of 4, alone time is hard to come by. Not so much with the oldest two. Hell, Gianna and Scarlett spend their entire lives in their rooms …

We have two cars in our family despite having three drivers. We’ve been wanting to get a third car for a while now, however life is already too expensive and Florida …

After living in Florida for almost 8 years, I finally invited our nearby family over to our house this past weekend. There’s no real reason why I’ve never had them …

I’m not a rookie. I have raised 3 babies so far. I consider myself somewhat of a pro if you can ever truly be that as a parent. But, looking …

Ok, first, let me preface this entire post with the fact that I am not basing anything that I write with pure facts. This is all based on my life, …

On October 19th, my husband Vince had a vasectomy. Despite this being a personal event, I of course shared this with flourish on my Facebook page. For a few reasons: …

I am wrapping up a blog post right now that talks about the status of mine and Vince‘s sex life, post-vasectomy. You know, typical things people share online to family …

I don’t see why there was such a big backlash against the song “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” How stations banned the song from the radio because a few people complained …

I go back to work in less than a month. This thought is somewhat frightening to me. Thank all of them – Buddha, Jesus, the Great Mother, the Positive Energy …

raising the curtins 151. take me to church Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:05:54 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts Google …

My dad died last week. He had been sick for some time and didn’t take care of himself. To me, he died about 35 years ago so this day where …

raising the curtins 149. three inches is big Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:01:46 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts Google …

After the pop, I thought, with great inner satisfaction, that she would realize that I was right. Victory for mom!!!!! What is more sweet in this world than an “I …

It’s been about 3 weeks since I had Marina and life has been all over the place. Acclimating to the new normal as a family of 6 has been…. challenging. …

raising the curtins 146. finding the g spot Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:01:55 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts Google …

raising the curtins 145. book amnesia Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:02:47 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify …

I have a hard time sitting down. Both physically right now because baby girl 4 is seriously taking up a lot of real estate in my body, and mentally – …

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 …

raising the curtins 142. a ruined moment in the kitchen Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:01:57 Subscribe Share Apple …

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 …

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 …

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 …

raising the curtins 138. always been dumped Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:07:35 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts …

raising the curtins 137. not done brewing Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:04:52 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts …

I just had the longest sonogram of my life. I was on the table for about an hour as the tech slid the probe around my stomach, checking to make …

I got home that day and was telling Vince about my visit. He didn’t realize the point of the consultation was to prep for a future microblading session. He thought …

“I’m scared Mom.” When she followed up with those three words, it didn’t matter that this lockdown was out of an abundance of caution. It didn’t matter that there was …

There are many things that I think about in my mind that I would never do. I think all minds are like that, right? If not, I suppose I have …

We arrived at the doctor’s office. You know when you walk into a place, and you immediately feel like something is off? That’s how I felt. This place was bare …

raising the curtins 131. i hate pretend play Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:04:27 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts Google …

raising the curtins 130. stroganoff for dinner Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:03:39 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts …

raising the curtins 129. don’t make the clock, work Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 10 seconds 00:00 / 00:02:36 Subscribe Share Apple Podcasts …

Sitting in the director’s office, I got choked up talking to her about my concern with Evie needing to socialize and separate from me a bit. I know this will …

We went strawberry picking this past weekend. It’s something I’ve been wanting to take the kids to do for a while, but never seemed to have the time. This weekend …

My dad was an alcoholic. He still could be as well. I’m not sure. I haven’t spoken to him in lifetimes. But, in the small span of years that I …

Days go by. They are here and then gone before you know it. Like a hot breath on a cold window. We move through them, doing the motions on repeat. …

Here we are again. After “trying” for the longest period of time yet, we have finally started to bake another nugget. The last nugget. The final piece to complete our …

Gianna had about 18 or so of her friends come over for a gift exchange a few days before Christmas. Last time she had her large group of friends over, …

Yesterday I was walking through the produce section at Sam’s Club. I had decided to not change out of my pajama pants when I woke up that day. So, it …

What kind of sadistic, childless, asshole makes a bathroom door that unlocks when you turn the door handle?!?! Just the damn door handle! The lock and the handle are separate …

I don’t know if there’s a single day that has gone by, since becoming a mother 15 years ago, that I have NOT ended the day without some bodily fluid …

Having a fourth child, that’s not crazy, right? I go back and forth about this idea and wonder if I’m batshit crazy to even entertain this thought. There’s never a …

I think Evie had her first dream last night. Well, in her case, she would probably call it a nightmare if she could. From behind the gate, I hear her …

It’s no secret that my toddler is not a good sleeper. I envy those people who have children that sleep 12 hours straight all the time and who take 2 …

A minute later, I hear a plunk sound…followed immediately by an “uh oh.” No. That’s not what I think it was. But turning around and noticing her empty hands and …

I am selfish. I am prideful. I am a bad partner. I realized these things the other day. Felt them in my core. Vince and I had a fight. A …

I was attempting to lay Evie down to sleep the other night. I knew going into this, it would be hard. It was late and way past her bedtime. She …

The girls still had school, so we were on a typical schedule. I take Scar to her school with Evie in tow. Afterwards, me and the little shadow go through …

For some reason, on October 1st, I just didn’t feel like posting anything. Sure, there were funny moments in our lives from Oct 1-5 that I could have made memes …

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the fact that I never really went to therapy and in some ways, I probably should. But that also takes time… I’m likely …

This picture I posted is the issue with social media. Not because sleeping babies might cause you to have baby fever and want to pop out 15 kids. No, it’s …

I’m not proud of a lot of the things I did as a teenager. I know I’m not alone in this. I always say that you shouldn’t judge the teen …

Gianna overheated at her soccer game this afternoon. Playing in the Florida sun/heat is no joke right now. I don’t think they should have games between the hours of 12-5. …

I live in an area that has a plethora of playgrounds, but most are limited to the use of the residents of those communities since they pay an HOA or …

Sometimes I hear this voice in my head that warns me not to do something. And usually I ignore it because I have other voices in my head telling me …

Picking up the lid, I see my neighbor’s can wide open next to me. In that moment, I decide to do something I NEVER do. I toss the soft drink …

It was now 9:27am and I was standing in the kitchen, making Evie mac and cheese. Because if my two-year-old wanted a steak at this time, I probably would have …

I followed the girls around all night, watching them laugh, take photos, and stalk (so not casually) a group of young boys. We took a break after they lost the …

This morning, we left the house commando (just her). The potty came along just in case I needed a vessel for her to let loose in. Of course, the urge …

Selfie taken without being detected by the crowd, I pull up Facebook to post. I click on upload photo and pause as I see my face in the image I …

I’m lying in the queen-sized bed of our short-term rental, nursing my 2-year-old daughter Evie before she lays down to nap. I haven’t weaned her yet. These nursing sessions before …

The first words I often hear in the morning come from my two-year-old daughter Evie. When she wakes up, she immediately demands to be let out from her bed by …

I don’t talk to my immediate family. My mother died years ago so there’s just my brother and dad left. Still, it’s been decades since I’ve said two words to …

These past few weeks have been chaotic and crazy. Closing a chapter on your life is always bittersweet and our move out of our old home is no exception. We’ve …

Lice. This was not good. This was not good at all. This was not good because I immediately recall that my daughter, Scarlett, had been complaining for the past two …

I’m in the kitchen, getting ready to make dinner. It’s my least favorite thing. Cooking is not my passion. My teenage daughter, Gianna, is at the table, doing a school …

On the top right-hand corner of my glowing screen, it reads: “3:06am” WTF? That can’t be right. My phone needs to resync or something. Then I look at my laptop …

I recount the time I actually had time to myself during the day, away from my clingy 1-year old. Sure, my legs went numb, but those 10 minutes were glorious.

I’m sitting in the guest chair of the dimly lit optometrist room watching my oldest daughter, Gianna, prepare for her exam. Gianna, at the perfect age of 14, is sitting …

I’m sitting in the 1960’s style cushioned seats of my high school auditorium as I watch the curtains part. I’m a freshman, attending my school’s spring musical, “Pippin.” I don’t …

Is my toddler a musical prodigy or are my standards just that low? 🎶 Watching Evie sing along in the bath, I couldn’t help but wonder. Parenthood definitely has a …

I was sitting at my desk, staring at the Southwest website, realizing that a trip to Pittsburgh for Christmas just wasn’t going to happen. The cost of airline tickets was …

I grew up with one Big Christmas. Just one. And it’s been haunting me ever since, shaping the way I approach Christmas with my kids. Do I overdo it? Is …

We don’t do date nights. Not because we’re too cool for them, but because, well, life. But after 20 years and 3 kids, we tried it out: dinner, axe throwing, …

Ever wish you could clone yourself to be everywhere at once? Yeah, me too. I had to make the call between staying home with two kids or catching Gianna’s first …

Are you a parent who sometimes feels like you’re barely holding it together? Same here. In my latest post, I’m sharing my “Mother of the Year” moments—the times I definitely …

TikTok… love it or hate it? I was firmly in the “hate it” camp—until my daughter pulled a fast one on me, using a TikTok persuasion trick to get herself …

Ever wondered why women have to do all the primping to look good? Kristina sure has! In this quick and funny post, she explores the idea of flipping beauty standards …

Is cheerleading a sport? Kristina’s take might ruffle some pom-poms! With a blend of humor and reflection, she dives into her high school days, when she cheered on the sidelines …

When we plan for vacations I have to plan on spending a decent amount of cash on food. I say “plan” very loosely. I don’t budget. When I use the …

What happens when you mix a competitive soccer tournament, a road trip, and an unpredictable toddler? A “perfect recipe for disaster”—or maybe not. This lighthearted look at managing family chaos …

Ever wonder how COVID hit a house full of girls (and one man with a “man flu” immune system)? Our family’s journey through mild symptoms, testing woes, and a side …

Ever feel like your biggest critic stares back at you from the mirror? In this raw and relatable post, I take a hard look at self-awareness, diving into the struggles …

Ever had your 1-year-old treat you like a blow up doll? Join me as I share a hilariously uncomfortable parenting confession that’ll leave you both laughing and reassured that you’re …

A simple day turns into a profound journey of connection, memory, and love. Join me as I share the serendipitous series of events that brought me face-to-face with my guardian …

In “The Message in Luca,” Kristina Curtin reflects on the 2021 Disney movie Luca, highlighting a key message that resonated with her about silencing fear and self-doubt. In the film, …

In “Bite,” Kristina Curtin recounts a frustrating legal and financial ordeal that began in February 2020 when her elderly dog, Coco, was accused of biting a woman while they were …

In this hilarious and relatable post, Kristina shares her frustrations with various clothing items. She touches on functional issues that drive her nuts and through humor and exaggeration, she makes …

In this candid and humorous post, Kristina shares her recent trip to Delray Beach, where she and her family visited relatives. However, the focus of the post quickly shifts to …

I haven’t really posted about Evie’s sleeping patterns lately. This is because I am deathly afraid to “jinx” myself. Not that I really believe that you can jinx something. I’m …

This past weekend, we took a day trip to Sarasota. It’s about an hour and 20 minutes from our house, but we decided to go on Memorial Day weekend, so …

As a parent, I’m going to be direct and say that you should never allow a video service to autoplay anything for your kids. It’s like playing roulette with your …

The actual traveling part of traveling is probably the most stressful piece of vacation for me. Especially now that I am planning trips again with a baby in tow. Plans …

Initially I had wanted to spend Mother’s Day mulching my front yard and planting some flowers to get my house ready to sell. I was going to guilt my family …

We try to raise good children. Honest, funny, caring, aware, financially savvy, confident…all things we want our kids to be. We teach them to tell the truth, to never bully, …

I am starting to write a section in the blog about our travels. Partially because I’m somewhat nutso. I research the hell out of things before doing it; reading reviews, …

The housing market is downright bonkers right now. I don’t know if it’s like this everywhere…but inventory is low and demand is high in our area. I think a lot …

Epicurious has not been publishing beef recipes for the past year or so because of the negative effects the beef industry has on climate change. They haven’t posted recipes for …

It’s the house kids flock to. You know the one. Opening the pantry door is like walking up aisle 16 at the grocery store. Shelves loaded with Nutella snack packs, …

Living in a community has its pros and cons. However, lately, I feel like the cons are winning and I would seriously consider hauling ass someplace else if our girls …

My hands are purple and I don’t know how to get the color off. It’s all because I’m a sucker for guilt and Evie was primed and ready to pee …

I was standing in line the other day, waiting to go inside to watch Scarlett’s cheer showcase. We were outside and I had just eaten dinner about 30 minutes prior. …

I walked downstairs the other night to tell the girls it was time for bed. As I made my way into the kitchen, I overheard the TV show they were …

I see all these posts about “how do I explain {insert touchy subject} to my kids”. It seems like a lot of parents out there agonize over how to tell …

If you don’t care to hear more about milk, boobs, and the agony I’ve been in for the past month or so, carry on. If you want to commiserate with …

Getting unsolicited criticism about something you hate doing is probably one of the top 5 most irritating things in my book. Thrown in there are people leaving their dirty clothes …

Just wanted to share the bingo cards I created for my fam to use when driving around our neighborhood, looking at Halloween decorations. We did the same thing last year …

They’re cute, better for the Earth, better for your baby, and save money. Four good reasons why I am now addicted to cloth diapers. Don’t send help. I’m good.

I recently started recording Facebook Live videos to promote my blog posts. Video, is not my jam. The ensuing 3 minutes were torture, for me and likely anyone viewing. But …

My girls don’t date. They are all under the age of 14 and one’s an infant so I don’t think I’m being a strict parent. Really, what’s the point of …

After a recent trip while required to wear a mouth covering, I feel compelled to say something. Firstly, I fucking hate masks. They are uncomfortable and hot. I get anxiety …