Mmm... Papers Delicious.

My name is Mandy and I have spent the majority of my life wanting to be a writer. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of times I have sat down and said to myself, “Ok. Today is the day. Today you will write THE BOOK.” (I call it THE BOOK, because I’ve already titled it and planned the idea of it out in my head for the last 14 years. Literally) But then… I sit, I think, I maybe type a couple lines, and then I give up and go back to my everyday life.

I’m a mom of 3 kids. My 8 year old son, 3 year old daughter, and my youngest boy who passed away mid-pregnancy. I work at a grocery store. My life now is fairly…calm…steady… routine. It wasn’t always though. I’ve worked fancy jobs , traveled to different states, helped construct buildings, been a Jehovah’s Witness (I know, right!?) had small clips of writings published and even held a baby kangaroo. (So exciting, I know…) But, at no point in my life have I truly chased my big dream of being a writer.

So here I am. Maybe this isn’t THE BOOK. But it is my beginning. The beginning of chasing my big dreams. Of following Thoreau’s advice and “creating the life I always imagined.”

My goal with this blog is to be real with you. I want to share advice on how I got through the hard times and events in my life. I want you to experience my DIY attempts… even when they are absolute fails. When you watch my videos and read about my experiences with my kids… I want you to laugh, cry, and see first-hand that you are not alone. That as parents, what you’re going through, the good- the bad- and the hilarious? Are all totally normal. Even if Betsy and Linda post staged photos on Facebook that make you think otherwise. (We all know your 3 year old did NOT frost that fancy cake by herself, Linda!)

So, I invite you to follow along with me. Join my journey. Reach out to me. Because I am here for you, as a blogger, as a mother, as a person whose experienced loss and as a friend. Together, We got this thing called Life.