Years ago, or what feels like a lifetime ago, I started a blog and I loved it. It served as a creative outlet; as someone who was a Journalism major in college but took a different turn into education, it was a way to keep my love of writing alive. You can probably guess what happened next – kids arrived. Work kept going. Suddenly my summers off were no longer off, and even when I switched over to contractual work and had some control over my work schedule, the idea of going back to the blog was often buried under all the other things.

Things like more kids, pumping, interrupted nights, more pumping (as in with a breast pump, not iron), managing aforementioned kids’ schedules as apparently as they grow up they become busy too, a skincare business, changes at work, deciding to have a third kid, living in NYC … the list could go on but I know I only have a little space to grab and keep your attention and by now, you get it.

The blog’s candle never quite went out. It was like when the wick is nearly out but there’s that little tip of orange and you remind yourself you should not in fact lick the bottom of the candle, despite being covered in delicious chocolate icing, because it’s still burning. I’d have ideas here and there, I’d even write down on my plan for the day - Pick back up with blogging – and then it would be buried. Or I’d talk myself out of it. I’m pretty sure vlogging is now all the rage and was there even space for a written blog these days?

Lucky for me the blog candle was a trick candle, refusing to go out despite my many attempts to hide the light. I am not one of those intrinsically motivated people (despite my best efforts to be) but I am an excellent rule follower. So I figured if I started working in rules in my day-to-day, then I would follow my own rules and start writing.

So here I am.

If you’re new to me, here’s a little background for you. I’m a 40-year-old woman living in Morningside Heights (a little known neighborhood in NYC, north of the Upper West Side and south of Harlem) with my husband. Together we’ve grown our family to include three kids, all of whom weighed 9 pounds or more at birth (the third clocked in at 9 pounds, 12 ounces and you can imagine the physical repercussions of bringing that watermelon into this world).

I lean towards sarcasm, my favorite food is a tie between bacon and Peanut M&Ms and I drink Cold Brew Coffee year round (yes, even in January). I have no idea what the trendy restaurants or clubs are in the city but if you want the best cookie (Spoiler alert – it’s Levain Bakery’s Chocolate Chip Walnut and yes, that should be capitalized because it is that amazing) or to know of a good playground in Riverside Park, I’ve got you.

My family is supported by our sitter who has been with us for seven years and I’m convinced is either a superhero or has secret magical powers. My parents also fall in this class and we have been interrupting their nights as well for many, many years as they enjoy a scenic drive up 95 and then roll along the Turnpike to help us out twice a month. My in-laws fly in to take on our insanity as well, and we are incredibly fortunate to have neighbors who politely lie to us and tell us they can’t hear anything or if they do, it doesn’t bother them.

If you stick around, you’ll get to learn more about our NYC life, all the secret joys and pains that come from becoming a parent and then trying to figure that chaos out, my own struggles and victories and maybe, just maybe, be able to name all the Levain Bakery locations in the city (and yes, there’s one in the Hamptons but we’re more Ocean City, MD people than we are Hamptons so I can’t speak to that one). Thanks for visiting!