The Jaded Mother

06/14/2026

Maybe it’s Not Laziness…

Recently, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder after spending the better part of 12–15 years wondering why I seemed to be operating on the off-brand rechargeable batteries (never charged one…

05/24/2026

Tiny Dog. Massive Opinions.

There are clingy dogs… and then there is my dog. Rags — also known as Doodle Noodle, Doodle Bop, Rag-a-Bop, Bop-a-Lop, Rags Elaine Wheat, and approximately 47 other names depending on the day — is a 9-pound bichon mini poodle (bitchypoo) with the confidence of a 250-pound nightclub bouncer. What she lacks in size, she makes up for in bossiness, attitude, and what I can only describe as unchecked emotional dependency....

There are clingy dogs… and then there is my dog. Rags — also known as Doodle Noodle, Doodle Bop, Rag-a-Bop, Bop-a-Lop, Rags Elaine Wheat, and approximately 47 other names depending on the day — is …

05/10/2026

For the days you wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

I started Friday by waking up on the wrong side of the bed. You know the kind of morning I mean — the kind where you wake up already annoyed for absolutely no reason. Tired. Sore. Slightly offended that morning had the audacity to arrive at all. That was me. I’m not sure if I slept wrong, if my body was still negotiating with me from earlier workouts, or if I was simply not prepared to participate in life before coffee....

05/03/2026

The Great Gym Divide: Leg Day vs. Upper Body

Oh, the throes of public gym life… Leg day? Yes please! We show up like it’s a full-blown event. Mentally prepared, playlist ready, outfit coordinated and water bottle filled. Basically acting like…

04/26/2026

Before Coffee and Questionable Decisions…

The gym prior to caffeine….

04/19/2026

Normal Labs, Not-So-Normal Life

I turned 43 recently, and if I’m being honest, it has been quite the journey getting here—physically, mentally, and everything in between. The other day I was talking with a friend who is about hal…

04/11/2026

Wrinkles Don’t Matter (At Least Not These Ones)

There’s a quiet kind of rebellion that happens in adulthood, and for me, it started with a fitted sheet. The other night I was flipping through a magazine—yes, an actual, physical magazine—and came…

03/29/2026

The Follow-Through Trap: When Being “The Bigger Person” Starts to Cost You

I’ve been thinking a lot lately—mostly during those quiet car rides home from work where your brain finally has space to wander. I’ve always been the kind of person who follows through. No matter what. It didn’t matter if I changed my mind, if I was treated poorly, or even if I realized I was wrong—I stuck it out. I swallowed my pride, honored the commitment, and saw things through to the end....

I’ve been thinking a lot lately—mostly during those quiet car rides home from work where your brain finally has space to wander. I’ve always been the kind of person who follows through. No matter w…

03/21/2026

When There’s No Fix (And That Drives Me Nuts)

Something came up at work recently that really made me think about a part of myself that can be a flaw: my need to fix things.Here’s the thing no one really prepares you for when you step into management: you don’t just manage tasks, you manage humans. And humans are… complicated. We spend so much of our lives at work, side by side with the same people every day, that when something feels off—when there’s tension, miscommunication, or conflict—it doesn’t just stay “professional.” It seeps into everything....

Something came up at work recently that really made me think about a part of myself that can be a flaw: my need to fix things.Here’s the thing no one really prepares you for when you step into mana…

03/15/2026

The Never-Ending Quest for “Just a Little Bit Happier” ☕🐦

Somewhere along the way, many of us picked up this idea that happiness is something we’re supposed to find. Like it’s hiding behind the next promotion, the next house project, the next vacation, or the next thing we order online at 11:30 p.m. because “future me deserves nice things.” We’re constantly being told we can do better, be better, have more, optimize our mornings, maximize our productivity, and reach our full potential....

Somewhere along the way, many of us picked up this idea that happiness is something we’re supposed to find. Like it’s hiding behind the next promotion, the next house project, the next vacation, or…