Hello there! It has been exactly 883 days since my last post here. I got lost somewhere along the way and this thing that used to bring me joy fell to the wayside.

So what have I been up to since March of 2019? WOW, it seems like it was a lifetime ago and in many ways it has been.

Let’s start with a little refresher on who I am for those who might not have been around all those years ago. My name is Mychal (pronounced Michael) and I am a wife, mother, full time employee and dog mom who seemingly runs on coffee.

I am married to one of the most amazing men on the face of the planet, he takes all my craziness in great stride. He often indulges my every whim. He is my rock and without him I would have definitely starved to death and God only knows what hole I would have ended up in.

I have two sons.

Cameron, my oldest, is about to start his sophomore year in high school…How the hell did that happen? He’s into I-racing, or is it E-racing? I’m not really sure. What I am sure of is that he has some talent with it and the paint schemes he creates for his cars are nothing short of amazing.

Logan is my soon to be seventh grader. He has the world’s biggest heart, always taking good care of the people he loves. He refuses to play organized sports but is super athletic. He enjoys Xbox and just about anything with a screen. He also has the fiercest temper (like his mother) and doesn’t always think before he chucks attitude.

I work in the death care industry. I first started out working support, I’d run errands for the funeral home, help out at services, you name it. In May of 2018 I moved into a full time role as an office manager. I spend my workdays in a house that was built around 1863 making sure that families have all they need to give their loved ones the final farewell they deserve. It’s probably not the best job for someone with high anxiety and a fear of death (but somehow not a fear of dead people), but most days I really enjoy what I do.

I have three Yorkies, they are all rescues. Cooper came to Mommyland in July of 2015, he’s now elevenish and either can’t hear for shit or gives zero fucks about what I have to say. Daisy was adopted in May of 2020, she came to us from a Lancaster County puppy mill. Daisy is six years old and very sweet, although she has some issues from spending her first five years in a rabbit hutch with very little food. Bella is our newest addition, coming to Mommyland in May of this year. She was surrendered by her owner at a kill shelter in Alabama. I can’t for the life of me figure out why, she’s amazing! Her only downside is that she is absolutely obsessed with my husband. So obsessed that she barks when I hug him and tries to get between us.

Coffee is my lifeblood. I have the vocabulary of a well educated sailer. I can’t keep a plant alive to safe my own life. I’m socially awkward as hell. I’m easily overwhelmed. On most days I feel like a hot mess.

That’s me in a nutshell. If you’d like to learn more, stick around. Questions? Feel free to drop a comment.

If you’ve been following along with Mommyland from the beginning, I’ve missed you. I’m hoping my effort to rekindle the joyful act of blogging brings a little joy to your life too.

I’m really not sure how it happened, I sent my baby to middle school. He can’t possible be old enough for sixth grade, he was just born yesterday. I can’t really be old enough to have a kid in sixth grade, I’m still 23 (at least in my head).

Last Monday Cameron’s alarm went off at 5:45am and we started on a new adventure here in Mommyland. His excitement was not only about starting middle school but the poor kid was just ready to get back to school and back to a routine. That excitement was gone by Thursday morning when he was tired of the early mornings. I know he’ll get used to it, but it’s going to be a challenge until he does. Oh and I just can’t wait until he has to get on the bus in the dark. {insert sarcasm here}

So how did it go?

The first day he was given an incorrect schedule that sent him to two wrong classes. No one realized he was in the wrong class until I questioned why the schedule online and the schedule he brought home were different. After a nice conversation with the principal we got it all straightened out and he was ready to rock on day two.

Cameron was bummed that his closest friends are not in any of his classes but he seems to be enjoying the freedom of switching classes without having to follow single file with the rest of his class. He likes just about all of his teachers which should make for a good year. There are still some things he has to figure out, like when he can make it to his locker between classes and how the hell he is going to get his saxophone to and from the band room without being late for first period in the morning or missing the bus in the afternoon.

How am I doing with the change?

Like anything else there are good and bad aspects of it. I love that I get one on one time with him in the morning before he heads off to the bus. I don’t love getting up at the butt crack of dawn. I love that he’s growing up and becoming more of a little human. I hate that he’s growing up and getting closer to leaving the nest. Seven years is not that long of a time when you think about it. I love that he has classes that interest him and teachers he likes. I hate that I worry about him maneuvering the school and getting where he needs to be.

When Cameron was born people would always tell me to enjoy every second because the time goes so fast. I had no idea what they meant at the time and I usually just rolled my eyes. Some of the days seemed to go so slowly when he was a baby and I always felt so tired and overextended. Now I look back and wonder where the hell the time went. How did my big baby become my big boy? When did he make it through preschool and elementary school and off to middle school? Now I understand just how fast time flies and it seems the older I get the faster it goes.

1st Day of Kindergarten

1st Day of 6th Grade