This past winter, I stopped showing up here. I stopped writing, stopped creating, stopped doing anything that wasn't directly about keeping my kids fed, warm, and happy. We were living with family — which sounds like a blessing, and in many ways it was — but if you've ever tried to raise your children under someone else's roof with someone else's opinions filling the room, you know how quickly that gratitude turns into tension. I spent my free time budgeting grocery runs, str
