Last March, specifically on a sweltering Saturday the 15th, my backyard in Austin looked less like a suburban lawn and more like a scene from a low-budget Jumanji remake. My nephew, Liam, was turning three, and my sister had a budget that wouldn’t even cover a fancy brunch for two at Magnolia Cafe. She handed…
Austin in April is a gamble. One minute you are sipping an iced latte in 75-degree perfection, and the next, a humidity wall hits you like a rogue Hulk smash. Last year, on April 12, 2024, I found myself standing in my backyard with sixteen two-year-olds and a very confused Golden Retriever named Biscuit. It…
Sweat beaded on my upper lip as I wrestled with a giant roll of red poster board in the middle of my living room in Austin. It was March 14, 2025, and my niece Chloe was turning seven. She didn’t want a “cool girl” spa day or a trendy trampoline park jump-fest. No. She insisted…
My classroom floor usually looks like a confetti cannon exploded, but last April, it was specifically blue and yellow confetti. Leo turned 12, and for some reason known only to pre-teens in Houston who spend too much time on TikTok, he wanted a Baby Shark theme. I spent three hours after school on a Tuesday…
Twenty-two second graders staring at you with wide, expectant eyes is a specific kind of pressure that only we teachers truly understand. It was October 12, 2024, and my classroom was vibrating with that post-recess energy that usually signals impending doom. We were celebrating a “Cocomelon Throwback” day for the kids who still secretly hummed…
Last October, the Chicago wind nearly blew my $2.50 bag of pink streamers all the way to Lake Michigan while I scrambled to set up for Maya and Miles’s 10th birthday. Being a mom of twins means double the joy but also double the potential to go broke if you aren’t careful. I had exactly…
My living room looked like a unicorn exploded in it last Tuesday, and frankly, the glitter might be a permanent part of my floorboards now. I am a teacher here in Houston, which means I spend my days managing twenty-four chaotic souls, yet I still somehow agreed to host a backyard bash for my daughter’s…
Easter Party Game Ideas that Actually Kept the Kids Engaged? Share Your Magic! @gabriella_partymom Oh, you guys, this Easter is already feeling so special. Nora, my ten-year-old, is really getting into the planning with me for Stella, who just turned two. It melts my heart seeing them giggling over egg colors or picking out little…
Austin in May feels like sitting inside a preheated oven, but that didn’t stop my nephew Leo from demanding a full-blown western showdown for his fifth birthday last year. On May 12, 2024, I stood in my sister-in-law’s backyard with a staple gun in one hand and a lukewarm iced coffee in the other, determined…
Standing in the middle of my kitchen last March 12, I stared at my nine-year-old son, Leo, who had just announced he wanted a Peppa Pig birthday party. Usually, nine-year-olds are into Minecraft or whatever digital chaos is trending, but Leo is a nostalgic soul with a wicked sense of irony. My first thought wasn’t…
