Mommy Commentary

Why I Switched to Walnut Cat Litter (And Why I’m Not Going Back)

For years I was stuck in the clay litter cycle — the dust clouds every time I poured a fresh bag, the way it tracked across the house no matter how good the mat was, the constant low-grade guilt about what I was scooping into the trash every week. Then a friend mentioned walnut shell litter, and I figured, why not. The difference showed up almost immediately. It's lightweight —
Mommy Commentary

No, Not Wanting to Date a Bi Man Doesn’t Make You Biphobic

Every few months, this discourse resurfaces: a straight woman says she's not interested in dating bisexual men, and the internet decides that makes her a bigot. I want to talk about why that framing is wrong — and why I think the real agenda behind it has less to do with biphobia and more to do with policing what women are allowed to want. Where the "it's biphobic" argument comes
Mommy Commentary

Why Outlet Shopping Is My Back-to-School Secret Weapon

Every August it's the same scramble: three kids, three different growth spurts, and a school supply list that somehow costs more than my first car payment. A few years ago I gave up on doing all my back-to-school shopping at the regular mall and started routing straight to the outlets instead. I'm not going back. Here's why it works. The markdowns are real, not fake-real Outlet stores get a bad rap for
Mommy Commentary

The Back-to-School Prep List Nobody Tells You About

Every year around this time, my feed fills up with the same stuff: color-coded school supply lists, "cute first day of school outfit" hauls, labeled lunch containers arranged like a magazine spread. And look, I get it. I've bought the label maker too. But the prep that actually saves my sanity every August has almost nothing to do with pencils and backpacks. Here's what's really on my list. 1. Reset the
Mommy Commentary

Why the Annual Father-Son Trip Isn’t Optional in Our House

Every family has that one tradition nobody's allowed to skip. In ours, it's the father-son trip. One weekend a year, just my husband and our son, no itinerary requirements, no me tagging along to smooth things over. It happens every year, period. Here's why I've stopped treating it as a nice-to-have. Time Alone Together Doesn't Happen by Accident Dads and sons live in the same house, eat the same dinners, sit in
Mommy Commentary

The App That Tells You When Someone’s Wearing Camera Glasses (And Why I Downloaded It Immediately)

I'll be honest — I didn't think much about smart glasses until I started noticing them everywhere. At the grocery store. At my kid's soccer game. On the guy waiting next to me in the school pickup line. They look like regular sunglasses, which is exactly the problem. That's why when I heard about AntiZuck, a new iPhone app built specifically to alert you when smart glasses might be nearby, I
Mommy Commentary

The Back-to-School Sale Calendar Nobody Told You About (Buy This Now, Skip That Until August)

If you've already grabbed a cart of school supplies just because you saw a sale sign, I need to stop you right there — because back-to-school sales season isn't one event. It's six different sales, each peaking on a different week, and buying the wrong category at the wrong time can cost you real money. Here's the breakdown so you're not blowing your budget on the wrong stuff too early. Buy
Mommy Commentary

The Drum Set Deal: What Happens When You Bet on Your Kid

My husband made a deal with our son last month: if he was serious about drumline, he'd get a real drum set. Not a starter kit. Not a loaner from the school band room. A real set, sitting in our living room like a statement. Our son had been in drumline for a while, and we'd watched him go from "this is kind of cool" to staying after practice to run through
Mommy Commentary

The 4th of July Gave Us Sparklers, S’mores, and… a Cracked Back Window

Let's just say this year's fireworks left more than a memory — they left a crack running clean across my back car window. One second we're oohing and aahing at the show, the next there's a loud crack against the glass and I'm standing in the driveway with a flashlight going, "you have GOT to be kidding me." If you've ever had a stray firework find your car (or you're currently googling
Mommy Commentary

I Tried the Viral Cyklar Body Wash So You Don’t Have To (Kind Of)

If you've spent any time on TikTok in the last year, you've probably seen someone doing an "empties" video and gushing about Cyklar. The brand — founded by influencer Claudia Sulewski — has built a whole cult following around its oil-infused body washes, lotions, and body oils. The pitch is simple: skincare-grade ingredients, a shower gel that smells like a $200 candle, and a "get in touch with your