About 8 years ago, I wrote about the Inside Out film and how at that time (2017), my two kids tested me and acted out all of the different emotions. Now fast forward to today. Meet me, mid-40s Mandy. I’m now living out all the emotions from the Inside Out 2 movie. Anger – I …
I don’t know what I was fully expecting from “Brats” the documentary about The Brat Pack by Andrew McCarthy – probably more insider movie stories and love triangles about Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Demi Moore and Anthony Michael Hall. I did not realize that it was a …
I watched The Blue Angels documentary (released May 23, 2024) and I’m happy to share that I loved it and was inspired by it. I felt the same as I do every time I’m privileged enough to see The Blue Angels fly over or perform a show – excited, inspired, nervous and awestruck. I encourage …
How are you doing and feeling these days? I’m going to be honest. I struggle at times to make sense of (and in) this world. I’m always looking for signs, symbols and meaning that appeal to me or reach my core. A week ago, I set out for a three-mile walk alone. I put my …
I just got off the phone with my mom, and we were speaking about finding joy in our current constant state of media, COVID crisis, and unkind world. This is not an easy thing to do on some days. People are feeling fatigued. A new friend of mine, Rocky, wrote this post about COVID fatigue …
Mother’s day was last weekend and it turned out to be a nice day. Realistically though, I had no expectations of it being anything other than an ordinary day with more hugs and possibly hand written cards by my kids. I had not communicated that I wanted anything other than my husband to fry fish …
My mood and outlook has been up lately. I’ve felt more positive and stronger, mentally and physically. This is saying a lot after an emotional rollercoaster year of 2020 and a worldwide pandemic. But I went into 2021 with more focus. I have devoted more time this year to myself and I’m seeing improvements. Therefore, …
Something strange and wonderful is happening in my household… I never pictured this or dreamed it would happen, but I sure am happy about it. My daughters have become my in-house editors and beta (test) readers. My youngest daughter may become my next book’s illustrator too. There I said it…my next book. I’m ready to …
“I feel like I’m leaning back or going to fall,” my oldest daughter said. This was her first time on a treadmill. She held onto the sides with a firm grip. A machine that seems so normal and easy for me to use was strange (and a tiny bit scary) for my teenager. At least …
I’m sitting in my kitchen typing on my laptop at the dinner table, trying to think of something good to write about. This is my first blog post of 2021. My youngest daughter Lana is at the table next to me writing a folk tale for a class assignment that she did not finish on …
