On the blog:

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Look how sweetly the big two are interacting. ⁣⁣What this photo doesn’t show is the majority of the time, these two are hell-bent on destroying each other, physically and mentally. ⁣⁣The week leading up to Halloween is always chaotic. There are so many parties, so many expectations, costumes to organize and treats to prepare. Matt […]

Shitty Parenting Advice

shitty parenting advice

Motherhood

Motherhood, Wellness

a mother and an 8 year old girl hold the hands of a little girl and swing her into the air.

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We were several weeks deep in trading illnesses back and forth between the five of us. My skin was burning and itching with a severe flare-up of psoriasis. We’d just been blindsided with unexpected health news, and the next steps felt unclear. ⁣⁣The thought came that may be slipping under the bathwater would be easier […]

Why I Started Blogging

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I have a secret. Not a well-kept secret, but it’s something I usually keep to myself. I’m a P.T.A. mom, and it’s something I dreamt of becoming long before I had kids.   I once told an ex-boyfriend that I couldn’t make a sexy video with him because it might ruin my chance to be […]

Are All PTA Moms Jerks?

a young girls reads an inspiring school bulletin board

Curious Living, Motherhood

Motherhood, Wellness

parenting in a pandemic

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The day the pandemic was announced, I sat in my dining room, flooded with shame. ⁣⁣My first thoughts were how I would survive with my three kids and no escape to recharge.⁣⁣How had I become the type of mother when faced with a global pandemic that panicked about spending large amounts of time with her […]

Pandemic Parenting

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Want to see something weird? ⁣⁣Put me in a room full of cool girls and strong women. Things will get strange quickly. It will definitely get sweaty, and I’ll either start talking gibberish or not at all. ⁣ The Cool Girl Run-In I recently ran into Brianne Jell, “The Cool Girl,” from my high school. […]

Interview with a High-School “Cool Girl”

Interview with Brianne Riches by Christine Coughlin

Relationships

Motherhood

a bird's eye view of a women kneeling on the living room floor writing in a journal on the coffee table

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When I close my eyes at night, and my mind begins whirling with worry. ⁣⁣When the questions of my worth become highlighted in the darkness. ⁣⁣When the fear of not figuring out the next chapter stares down at me as I try to sleep. ⁣⁣With deep breathes, on repeat, until sleep comes, I remind myself. […]

A Mantra for Mothers who left the WorkForce

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A Tale of Life After, Happily Ever After. There once was an introvert. He loved peaceful days, gardening, and occasionally playing sports with buddies. He did not enjoy talking about feelings. ⁣⁣This introvert was married to an extrovert who loved nothing more than planning big parties, connecting with all the people, and long in-depth talks […]

Opposites Attract, But How Do They Survive?

Christine Coughlin and husband sit on a bench at Whonnock Lake

Curious Living, Relationships

Curious Living, Motherhood

are_family_photos_worth_the_hassle

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Let me tell you a little tale of how this day really went.⁣ 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝟒-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫.” ⁣ ⁣⁣Photographers love to suggest the “golden hour” for the magical light you see in these photos. In parenting circles, this time is known as the witching hour.⁣ Family photos […]

Are Family Photos Worth The Hassle?

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Do you travel with your kids? Mine destroyed private property on our recent Whistler getaway. That was a fun end to the trip! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Let me back up a minute. Matt sweetly suggested we take his mom to Whistler to celebrate her birthday. I had also been saying I wanted to do a Whistler trip, so […]

Travelling with Kids, The Nightmare Version

a mother with three small children sit on a large swing on a farm

Motherhood, Travel

Motherhood, Wellness

self acceptance inspired by a tiny fashionista

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Since she was a tiny little thing⁣⁣, my Maddie Mae has been a fashionista.⁣⁣⁣She’s always had a knack for putting together outfits in wonderfully unique ways and then strutting around confidently in her choices. ⁣⁣⁣⁣Recently, on a pink tutu, glitter-riffic, floral bomber kind of day, her self-doubt made it feel impossible to get out of […]

Self-Acceptance Inspired by a Tiny Fashionista