This is my little corner for the things that don’t quite fit anywhere else: small victories, petty annoyances, unexpected favorites, funny moments, and the random pieces of everyday life that felt worth remembering.
No major life updates. No deep essays. Just life lately, in smaller pieces.
──── ❤️ Tiny Wins ────
❤️ Down two pants sizes.
One of those milestones that feels small and huge at the same time. Not dramatic movie makeover huge. More like standing in front of the closet and realizing something that used to be tight suddenly isn’t fighting for its life anymore.
❤️ Caleb is excited for middle school.
Last week, we went to a new student/family night at the middle school he'll be attending (which still feels emotionally illegal to type). Middle school. Somehow, this is happening next year.
And the best part? He’s excited! He wandered around the library, posed for a picture, met the band teacher, heard from the principal. It could have been overwhelming or intimidating, but he liked it. That feels like a pretty big tiny win.
❤️ Holden’s school turnaround arc.
Holden and his teacher this year haven’t always been the easiest match. I hear from her frequently, let’s put it that way. But lately, he’s been doing better. Better enough that apparently we have now moved from behavior concerns to him claiming he has a crush on her.
Unexpected plot twist, but I’ll take it.
❤️ Medicine in ginger ale.
Holden is awful about taking medicine. I was the same way as a kid, which my mom has been very quick to label as karma.
Unfortunately, earlier in the week he reached the point where he was coughing so hard in the middle of the night that he was throwing up and keeping both of us awake. At that point, I informed him that medicine had officially become non-negotiable.
Miraculously, he took it mixed into ginger ale. Said it tasted good. Then did it again the next two nights, too. No fight.
A breakthrough. Bless.
❤️ The Dollar Tree balloon endorsement.
At the Dollar Tree on our way to the movies, Holden pointed up at one of those foil balloons hanging near the ceiling right after I had agreed to buy him a Push Pop.
“See that balloon?” he asked.
I looked up.
“It’s true about you. Best mom ever.”
So yes, this compliment may have been partially sponsored by candy, but I will still be carrying it around for at least six business days.
❤️ The Aldi brownies came for the crown.
The latest brownie contender entered the ring: Aldi’s Specially Selected Double Chocolate mix purchased by Mimi. And honestly? It nearly tied the reigning Ghirardelli champion, which is saying a lot considering it costs less.
I also apparently entered my serious brownie era and bought an aluminum baking pan after learning they supposedly bake better than glass.
Unfortunately, the first batch stuck to the pan like it had signed a lease agreement. But we regroup, we adjust, and we bake again.
❤️ An author found my post.
I posted about a book I was reading on my blog Facebook page. I didn’t tag the author or anything. I just shared the cover. Somehow, she found the post anyway and ended up liking and commenting on it.
I’ve been a book blogger since 2009 and worked as a librarian for years, so I’ve had quite a few author interactions and communications over time.
But honestly? It still always feels a little surreal when it happens. The person who wrote the book is suddenly just there, in your comment section.
──── 👎 Petty Woes ────
👎 The bettergoods brownie betrayal.
The family brownie taste testing journey continues, and the bettergoods brownie mix did not survive the rankings. It looked promising enough. It was not. The worst part is that this mix lands in the "expensive" brownie range of approximately $4. It did not taste expensive.
At this point, Ghirardelli remains firmly seated on the brownie throne while lesser brownies continue embarrassing themselves in our kitchen.
👎 Another brownie fail.
Unfortunately, the next brownie contender also failed to impress. Betty Crocker Delights: Supreme Chocolate Chunk is now on my no-buy list. This is a mid-range brownie at around $3, so I expected pretty good quality. We gave this mix two chances, and it was disappointing both times. I thought they were fine enough, but Holden said he didn't like them at all, so there's that.
I don’t know why boxed brownie mix has become such an ongoing storyline in my life, but here we are. Some people have hobbies. Apparently, I have dessert-based disappointment brackets.
👎 Gas prices are personally attacking me.
When I got my car last summer, it cost about $28 to fill the tank. Now it’s over $40.
I would like to formally speak to whoever decided my gas tank suddenly identifies as a luxury purchase.
👎 Holden discovered the 3 a.m. hour.
Holden isn’t a great sleeper, and lately he has been waking me up early asking me to put movies on for him. Around 6:30 one morning, after I had already been awake since 6 because he woke me up, I told him no because I was trying to sleep.
His response?
“Well I’ve been up since 3!”
Sir. You woke me up at 3 to ask what time it was and now you're acting like you were the one personally victimized by the middle-of-the-night wakeup call?!
👎 The IRS resurrected 2023.
I got mail informing me that apparently I made a typing error on my 2023 taxes and owed a little over $100.
Fine. Whatever. Annoying, but survivable.
What felt deeply petty, however, was the fact that they apparently unearthed this from the archaeological layers of time and then added a decent amount of interest even though I had absolutely no idea the error existed.
I paid it, but not emotionally.
👎 The TikTok account horror story.
My TikTok account entered its villain era.
I have never posted videos there. Ever. Then suddenly, a random video appeared on my account out of nowhere. I deleted it, changed my TikTok password, changed my email password, turned on two-factor authentication for both accounts, and revoked access to a suspicious CapCut connection despite the fact that I have literally never used CapCut in my life.
Despite all of that, more random videos kept appearing.
So eventually I did what any calm, rational adult would do and deleted the entire account. Burned it to the ground. Nuclear option. Gone.
Unexpected side effect: I also no longer lose an hour every night scrolling when I should already be asleep. So technically, this may have been a Tiny Win in disguise.
──── ✦ Until Next Time ✦ ────
Some weeks feel bigger than others. Some are mostly small victories, minor inconveniences, parenting plot twists, questionable brownies, and stories I’d forget if I didn’t write them down. Either way, this felt worth keeping.
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