Meaningful Moments

What Thanksgiving Needs: An Attitude Adjustment, Thank You!

It’s one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories–no gravy stress here! This isn’t about the past; we’re discussing what’s on our plates tomorrow. Let’s do the Hokey Pokey Thanksgiving has arrived! We’ll get there, don’t worry, but first, a word or two about gravy stress. One Friendsgiving, we gathered around the kitchen stove, waiting for the… Continue reading What Thanksgiving Needs: An Attitude Adjustment, Thank You!

A Mama's Muse

Reframing Tragedy–One Hug At A Time

A sunset reminds us that life is beautiful even when we can’t see it. I’m working exceptionally hard on reframing how I view things. I’m battling an all-out war to get these negative thoughts to be positive. I hide it as cleverly as possible with these muses, ensuring that “all’s well that ends well” every… Continue reading Reframing Tragedy–One Hug At A Time

Dedicated Muse · Meaningful Moments · Road Tripping

The Mother Lode Of The Wild West, Bolivia

Twenty-three years ago. I went to Bolivia filled with youth, health, and an adventurous silver streak in my otherwise brown hair, but I couldn’t appreciate the riches of the Wild West of Bolivia the way my father-in-law (Papito) did. He drew from those riches when we first met at their apartment in Washington, DC. We… Continue reading The Mother Lode Of The Wild West, Bolivia

A Mama's Muse · Meaningful Moments · Review

Your User Guide! (To Binge-Read A Muse4Mama Or Skip To The Parts You Love)

If your hankering for muses about… A Muse 4 Mama the buried truth & growing pains of two years of muses Goodbye Mommyhood, the second muse I ever wrote, is still one of my favorites. This concept of losing motherhood is the reason I started this journey. One reader even called it a tear jerker.… Continue reading Your User Guide! (To Binge-Read A Muse4Mama Or Skip To The Parts You Love)

Road Tripping

A New-Fashioned Thanksgiving: All Care For All

We took a non-traditional approach to Thanksgiving this year–we celebrated a day early. It felt almost as realistic. By the end of the meal, we talked at the table, wondering how all that preparation ended in our stomachs in just under 15 minutes. We swiveled our near-empty glasses and lingered in our seats as long… Continue reading A New-Fashioned Thanksgiving: All Care For All

A Mama's Muse · Zana & Sky

Mean Well–This Song’s For You (By You, Too)

Calling all you caregivers–be part of our creative team (the Ortiz treble makers) and help us write a song that matters. We work alone most of the time, Skylar and Alexandra don’t need me to write a song and publish it on their YouTube channel, and I stick to what I do best: writing my… Continue reading Mean Well–This Song’s For You (By You, Too)

Meaningful Moments

Mother’s Day Special: How Friends and Family Matter More Than a Virus

We’re all tired, get it, no, I mean really tired, I know, get it, so let’s change the subject, what are you doing for Mother’s Day? Duh, same thing as you. Now there’s a name for what we’re going through; it’s called “coronavirus quarantine fatigue,” at least that’s what the NYT calls it. If you… Continue reading Mother’s Day Special: How Friends and Family Matter More Than a Virus

A Mama's Muse

Goodbye Mommyhood but Daddy is still Daddy

Goodbye Mommy. Goodbye Daddy (somehow he still gets to be called Daddy. For the record, that’s so not fair). Goodbye little kids. Leaving behind all that made life cute: the days of make believe and unicorns, cool crafts, matching outfits (that I bought. I had good taste back then), oh, those photo opps, Disney princesses,… Continue reading Goodbye Mommyhood but Daddy is still Daddy