Tiny Wins, Petty Woes (2)

This is my little corner for the things that don’t quite fit anywhere else: small victories, petty annoyances, unexpected favorites, funny moments, and the random pieces of everyday life that felt worth remembering.

No major life updates. No deep essays. Just life lately, in smaller pieces.

──── ❤️ Tiny Wins ────

❤️ Down two pants sizes.

One of those milestones that feels small and huge at the same time. Not dramatic movie makeover huge. More like standing in front of the closet and realizing something that used to be tight suddenly isn’t fighting for its life anymore.

❤️ Caleb is excited for middle school.

Last week, we went to a new student/family night at the middle school he'll be attending (which still feels emotionally illegal to type). Middle school. Somehow, this is happening next year.

And the best part? He’s excited! He wandered around the library, posed for a picture, met the band teacher, heard from the principal. It could have been overwhelming or intimidating, but he liked it. That feels like a pretty big tiny win.

❤️ Holden’s school turnaround arc.

Holden and his teacher this year haven’t always been the easiest match. I hear from her frequently, let’s put it that way. But lately, he’s been doing better. Better enough that apparently we have now moved from behavior concerns to him claiming he has a crush on her.

Unexpected plot twist, but I’ll take it.

❤️ Medicine in ginger ale.

Holden is awful about taking medicine. I was the same way as a kid, which my mom has been very quick to label as karma.

Unfortunately, earlier in the week he reached the point where he was coughing so hard in the middle of the night that he was throwing up and keeping both of us awake. At that point, I informed him that medicine had officially become non-negotiable.

Miraculously, he took it mixed into ginger ale. Said it tasted good. Then did it again the next two nights, too. No fight.

A breakthrough. Bless.

❤️ The Dollar Tree balloon endorsement.

At the Dollar Tree on our way to the movies, Holden pointed up at one of those foil balloons hanging near the ceiling right after I had agreed to buy him a Push Pop.

“See that balloon?” he asked.

I looked up.

“It’s true about you. Best mom ever.”

So yes, this compliment may have been partially sponsored by candy, but I will still be carrying it around for at least six business days.

❤️ The Aldi brownies came for the crown.

The latest brownie contender entered the ring: Aldi’s Specially Selected Double Chocolate mix purchased by Mimi. And honestly? It nearly tied the reigning Ghirardelli champion, which is saying a lot considering it costs less.

I also apparently entered my serious brownie era and bought an aluminum baking pan after learning they supposedly bake better than glass.

Unfortunately, the first batch stuck to the pan like it had signed a lease agreement. But we regroup, we adjust, and we bake again.

❤️ An author found my post.

I posted about a book I was reading on my blog Facebook page. I didn’t tag the author or anything. I just shared the cover. Somehow, she found the post anyway and ended up liking and commenting on it.

I’ve been a book blogger since 2009 and worked as a librarian for years, so I’ve had quite a few author interactions and communications over time.

But honestly? It still always feels a little surreal when it happens. The person who wrote the book is suddenly just there, in your comment section.

──── 👎 Petty Woes ────

👎 The bettergoods brownie betrayal.

The family brownie taste testing journey continues, and the bettergoods brownie mix did not survive the rankings. It looked promising enough. It was not. The worst part is that this mix lands in the "expensive" brownie range of approximately $4. It did not taste expensive. 

At this point, Ghirardelli remains firmly seated on the brownie throne while lesser brownies continue embarrassing themselves in our kitchen.

👎 Another brownie fail.

Unfortunately, the next brownie contender also failed to impress. Betty Crocker Delights: Supreme Chocolate Chunk is now on my no-buy list. This is a mid-range brownie at around $3, so I expected pretty good quality. We gave this mix two chances, and it was disappointing both times. I thought they were fine enough, but Holden said he didn't like them at all, so there's that.

I don’t know why boxed brownie mix has become such an ongoing storyline in my life, but here we are. Some people have hobbies. Apparently, I have dessert-based disappointment brackets.

👎 Gas prices are personally attacking me.

When I got my car last summer, it cost about $28 to fill the tank. Now it’s over $40.

I would like to formally speak to whoever decided my gas tank suddenly identifies as a luxury purchase.

👎 Holden discovered the 3 a.m. hour.

Holden isn’t a great sleeper, and lately he has been waking me up early asking me to put movies on for him. Around 6:30 one morning, after I had already been awake since 6 because he woke me up, I told him no because I was trying to sleep.

His response?

“Well I’ve been up since 3!”

Sir. You woke me up at 3 to ask what time it was and now you're acting like you were the one personally victimized by the middle-of-the-night wakeup call?!

👎 The IRS resurrected 2023.

I got mail informing me that apparently I made a typing error on my 2023 taxes and owed a little over $100.

Fine. Whatever. Annoying, but survivable.

What felt deeply petty, however, was the fact that they apparently unearthed this from the archaeological layers of time and then added a decent amount of interest even though I had absolutely no idea the error existed.

I paid it, but not emotionally.

👎 The TikTok account horror story.

My TikTok account entered its villain era.

I have never posted videos there. Ever. Then suddenly, a random video appeared on my account out of nowhere. I deleted it, changed my TikTok password, changed my email password, turned on two-factor authentication for both accounts, and revoked access to a suspicious CapCut connection despite the fact that I have literally never used CapCut in my life.

Despite all of that, more random videos kept appearing.

So eventually I did what any calm, rational adult would do and deleted the entire account. Burned it to the ground. Nuclear option. Gone.

Unexpected side effect: I also no longer lose an hour every night scrolling when I should already be asleep. So technically, this may have been a Tiny Win in disguise.

──── ✦ Until Next Time ✦ ────

Some weeks feel bigger than others. Some are mostly small victories, minor inconveniences, parenting plot twists, questionable brownies, and stories I’d forget if I didn’t write them down. Either way, this felt worth keeping.

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Forced Family Fun

On Bingo nights, bad attitudes, and the memories they didn’t know we were making

We keep going back to Bingo.

Not because it’s easy. Not because it’s peaceful. Definitely not because anyone wants to go.

Because I signed them up.

It started as a wholesome idea. Community center. Monthly event. Cheap entry, guaranteed prizes, the kind of thing that sounds like a memory before it even happens. The kind of thing you imagine your kids loving.

I loved Bingo once. Not this version. The real kind. Loud halls, dabbers in hand, cards spread out like strategy maps. My friends and I used to go in high school, dead serious about it. Competitive. Focused. Occasionally walking out with actual money like we’d just pulled off something impressive.

This was supposed to be the softer version of that. An introduction.

Instead, from the very first night, it turned into something else entirely.

Caleb doesn’t do well with losing. Not quietly, anyway. He knows everyone gets a prize. He understands the structure. It doesn’t matter. If someone else wins first, you can feel the shift immediately. The huff. The tension. The slow unraveling until it’s his turn.

Holden is the opposite. Blissfully unconcerned. He’s there for snacks, vibes, and whatever chaos presents itself. He’ll miss half the numbers because he’s watching someone open a bag of chips across the room. My mom and I end up covering his board like unpaid assistants.

And still, we go.

Every month, they complain in advance. Weeks ahead. Like they’ve been sentenced to something.

So for March, I told myself it was the last one. One final round. Pizza night. I had already paid. We were going, and we were going to have fun. No negotiations left on the table.

They protested anyway.

Especially Caleb. He told me, very clearly, that I needed to stop signing him up.

I told him, very clearly, that we were going.

And then something strange happened.

He won in the first round.

Just like that, the entire night shifted. No buildup. No slow burn frustration. No meltdown waiting in the wings. Just immediate victory, like the universe decided to throw him a bone for once.

It changed everything.

Holden, meanwhile, launched himself toward the food table the second it opened like he’d been released from captivity. Pizza, chips, dessert. A full tour of options in under a minute. I had to physically stop him from going back up for more before everyone else even got through the line.

Caleb hovered, calculating. Asked for seconds on the pizza. Was told to wait. Suggested, casually, that it would be really nice if someone offered him theirs. My mom handed over her half-eaten slice without hesitation. Later, both boys got seconds anyway.

At some point, between the pizza negotiations and drink spills, the game actually kept going.

This version of Bingo has rules, but not the ones I grew up with. No one yells “Bingo.” Instead, each round comes with a question. You win, you answer.

When Holden won, the question for the round was “What’s your favorite song?”

“Tom Petty!” he shouted, like he’d been waiting his whole life to say it.

Which song? Unclear. Didn’t matter. The room loved it.

Then they offered double prizes if he’d sing.

And he did. A quick, confident piece of “American Girl,” like this was all part of the plan.

At the end of the night, they do a raffle. Two Squishmallows. Two winners. We’ve never won.

Until this time.

Holden’s number got called, and he lost his mind. Full sprint to the front. Yelling, “I’ve never won! I’ve never won!” like this was a defining moment in his personal history.

The Bingo woman laughed. Told him she knew. Said he was there every month.

Which honestly caught me off guard a little.

Because they hate going. They argue. They resist. They drag their feet all the way there. And then they show up like regulars.

By the end of the night, jellyfish Squishmallow in hand, pizza eaten, moods completely reset, they looked at me and asked if I could sign them up again next month. Like none of the arguing ever happened. Like this wasn’t the same thing they fought me on every single time.

Like maybe, just maybe, they don’t hate it as much as they think they do.

I think I expected family traditions to feel sweeter while they were happening. Instead, ours apparently involve arguments in the parking lot, food negotiations, and Holden treating Bingo night like a live performance opportunity.

But I have a feeling they’ll remember it anyway.

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Where We Used to Sit (One Minute Memoir)

A Memoir of Friendship, Fried Ice Cream, and Sweet Full Circles

Setting: April 2024 — A corner booth in the mall

Some places become part of your story without you realizing it. Not because they’re remarkable, but because you keep returning to them at different versions of your life.

For me, one of those places was Critics, a casual diner tucked inside the mall.

People stopped there after shopping or making a few laps around the mall, but for my friends and me, it became something more.

The three of us used to go there after walking the mall. A giant bowl of fried ice cream, three spoons, and hours of sharing stories over melting whipped cream and hot fudge.

It was tradition: a sugary ritual that made us feel older, more important, like we had a table and a dessert to call our own. It wasn’t just about the food. It was about belonging.

We went there all throughout middle school, high school, college and beyond. It was one of those places that never really changed, even as we did.

In 2024, I took Holden there for the first time and slid into the same booth where my friends and I had sat, the one that held so many stories.

He got one look at the whipped cream mountain and yelled, “WOW.” Then he dug in like it was the best thing he’d ever tasted.

“I’m not full,” he insisted between bites. “This is so good, my brain doesn’t want to stop eating.”

Then, with all the sincerity in the world, he said:

“I love this food. I wish I could live here because I love desserts.”

Critics closed in 2025. But before it did, the tradition came full circle in the same booth, over the same dessert. We were there: first us, then him. 

 

What started with three spoons ended with one more.

And even though the lights are off now, the memory — the ritual, the belonging, the joy — still sits there, right where we left it, tucked into that old corner booth where we used to sit.

This post is part of my One-Minute Memoir series — short reflections on small moments that still manage to say something big.

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Recent Reads: March + April 2026

March and April ended up being a pretty eclectic reading mix for me: attachment theory, disturbing true crime, survival thrillers, literary fiction, and some books that completely caught me off guard. I read six books total over the last two months, and while my ratings were a little all over the place, I never really felt stuck in a reading slump. A couple were genuinely memorable, a few had fascinating concepts that carried me through, and one left me sitting there with a lump in my throat after the final page. Overall, a really solid stretch of reading.

📊 Reading Stats

Books Read: 6
Genres:

Fiction (4)

↳ Thriller (3) ◦ Literary (1)

Nonfiction (2)

↳ True Crime (1) ◦ Self Help (1)

Formats: Print (3) ◦ eBook (3)
Sources: Library (4) ◦ Kindle Unlimited (2)
Average Rating: 3.7 stars
Yearly Goal: 13 / 100

13%

📖 Book Reviews

The Last Party

Author: A.R. Torre

Genre: Fiction ◦ Thriller

Publication: 2024

Format & Source: Print ◦ Library

Rating: ★★★★☆

Perla Wultz seems to have the perfect life with her husband and daughter in an upscale Pasadena neighborhood, but she is fixated on a notorious child murder case from decades earlier. As a doctoral student begins interviewing the convicted killer, long-buried secrets start rising to the surface, and the line between past and present begins to unravel. 

What a delight this one turned out to be! The story hooked me right away and quickly became much darker than I originally expected, which ended up being a really interesting surprise.

I especially enjoyed the true crime style elements and the dual narration. The format worked well and added tension as the story slowly peeled back more and more twisted layers. Just when it seemed like things were settling into place, another reveal would shift everything again.

The twists were genuinely shocking and reminded me of the kind of bold reveals Freida McFadden is known for. It made the whole book incredibly fun to read.

I had a great time with this one and will definitely be picking up more of A. R. Torre’s books.

 

⚡ Quick Take: A dark, twisty thriller with a true crime feel and plenty of shocking reveals.

The Family Next Door

Author: John Glatt

Genre: Nonfiction ◦ True Crime

Publication: 2019

Format & Source: Print ◦ Library

Rating: ★★★★☆

This true crime book tells the story of the Turpin family, whose outwardly ordinary suburban life concealed years of severe abuse. Behind closed doors, David and Louise Turpin subjected their 13 children to prolonged neglect, starvation, and torture, until one of the children made a daring escape that finally exposed the truth.

I had heard of this case before going into the book, but I didn’t know many of the details, and honestly, what I found was horrifying.

The level of abuse these kids endured for years is almost impossible to wrap your head around. What stuck with me most wasn’t just what happened, but the how. How do two people agree to something like this? Where does that even start? Who pushes it forward? And why doesn’t the other stop it?

It’s one of those cases that doesn’t just shock you... it leaves you sitting there trying to understand something that doesn’t really make sense.

I’ve read several of John Glatt’s books at this point, but this one solidified him as one of my favorite true crime writers. He has a way of laying everything out so clearly that you feel like you fully understand the case — every detail, every layer, every piece of history behind it. It’s incredibly well researched, with a lot of insight from people connected to the case, which makes it feel even more real.

By the time I finished, I had already added the rest of his books to my list.

⚡ Quick Take: Disturbing, detailed, and impossible to forget.

The Correspondent

Author: Virginia Evans

Genre: Fiction ◦ Literary

Publication: 2025

Format & Source: Print ◦ Library

Rating: ★★★★★

Told entirely through letters, this novel follows Sybil Van Antwerp, an older woman who has spent her life making sense of things through writing. Her daily correspondence spans everything from family and friends to authors she admires, but as letters from her past resurface, she’s forced to confront a painful chapter she’s long avoided — and consider whether she’s ready to finally let it go.

This book was really amazing. It’s quiet, but somehow still hits like a gut punch. It managed to be my first five star read of the year.

The story follows Sybil over several years, all through letters, and it works so well. She felt completely real to me: her quirks, her voice, her way of seeing the world. I felt like I actually knew her.

I also really connected to that feeling of being a little outside of everything… like you don’t quite fit, but you’ve made a life anyway. The love of reading, writing, observing — it all felt familiar in a way that snuck up on me.

It’s funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful all at once. The kind of book that doesn’t scream for attention but stays with you after you finish it.

I was genuinely sad to say goodbye to her, and I closed the book with that quiet, heavy feeling sitting in my chest.

⚡ Quick Take: A quiet story that lingers long after the final page.

Safe: An Attachment-Informed Guide to Building More Secure Relationships

Author: Jessica Baum

Genre: Nonfiction ◦ Self Help

Publication: 2025

Format & Source: eBook ◦ Library (Libby)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

A guide to understanding attachment theory and how it shapes your relationships, this book explores how early patterns influence the way you connect with others, and offers tools and exercises aimed at helping you build more secure, trusting relationships.

 I’ve been really interested in attachment theory for years, especially after realizing I lean pretty heavily anxious. It’s something I’ve spent a lot of time reading about, and it continues to feel like one of the most accurate ways to understand relationship dynamics.

Jessica Baum is someone I already respected going into this. I’ve followed her for a long time and always find her insights thoughtful and spot on. I also really liked her first book, Anxiously Attached, so I was genuinely looking forward to this one.

Overall, this one didn’t land the same for me. It took me over a month to finish because it dragged quite a bit. While I appreciate the advice and the intention behind it, a lot of it didn’t feel especially actionable in real life. There were quite a few exercises throughout, and I’ll be honest... I skipped most of them. I read through them all but didn't participate in any. They felt a little hokey to me and didn’t really match how I prefer to process or learn.

That said, I still think Baum is incredibly knowledgeable, and I’ll absolutely keep following her work. This just didn’t quite click for me the way her first book did. Part of that is probably on me —I wasn’t willing to fully engage with the exercises— but even so, the format and pacing didn’t really suit me.

⚡ Quick Take: Insightful, but heavier on theory and exercises than practical takeaways.

Conditioned

Author: Amanda Russo

Genre: Fiction ◦ Thriller

Publication: 2025

Format & Source: eBook ◦ Kindle Unlimited

Rating: ★★★★☆

After being abducted by a man she once thought was just odd after visits to her coffee shop, Tori wakes up trapped in a disturbing, meticulously recreated version of her workplace, part of a larger underground world her captor has built. As she’s forced to follow his rigid routines, she realizes she’s not the first victim — and that survival may depend on resisting the slow pull toward compliance.

I’m always drawn to stories about kidnappings and missing people, so this was right up my alley. What made this one stand out was the premise: a wealthy man creating his own underground world by abducting people. It’s such a strange, unsettling concept, and it immediately pulled me in.

I was intrigued pretty much the entire time and had a hard time putting it down. The story itself is genuinely compelling and keeps that tension going throughout.

That said, the writing wasn’t the strongest. The biggest issue for me was the dialogue which felt really stiff and overly formal in a way that didn’t sound natural at all. A lot of “I am” and “it is” phrasing that just doesn’t match how people actually talk, and it pulled me out of the story more than once. It felt like it could have used another round of editing to smooth that out.

Even with that, I can’t deny how much the story worked for me. The concept alone carried it, and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

⚡ Quick Take: A gripping, unique premise that outweighs its clunky dialogue.

Death Row Games

Author: Shade Owens

Genre: Fiction ◦ Thriller

Publication: 2024

Format & Source: eBook ◦ Kindle Unlimited

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Six death row inmates are given a chance at freedom, if they agree to compete in a deadly survival game on a remote island. Last person standing walks free. For Brooklyn Winters, it’s a choice between certain execution or fighting to survive in a brutal, high-stakes competition.

The premise of this hooked me immediately. It gave strong Hunger Games vibes, but with convicts, which felt like a really interesting twist.

The story delivered for me. It’s told through dual narration, following two of the inmates, and I liked how their perspectives alternated. Their voices felt distinct, and I thought the character development was done well enough to keep me invested in both sides.

It’s also a fast read, with a steady pace and several bigger twists that kept things interesting throughout. I wouldn’t say I loved it, but I was definitely entertained the whole way through.

Overall, it’s a solid, well-written thriller with a compelling concept, and I’d be interested in reading more from this author.

⚡ Quick Take: Fast-paced and twisty, with a concept that’s hard to resist.

🎖️ Favorite Book of the Month

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

That’s a wrap on this month’s reads — here’s to another great chapter! 📚

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Month in Review: April 2026

April 2026 in Review

April was a mix of small routines, kid chaos, and a few standout moments that made the whole month feel fuller than it probably looks on paper. Some things moved forward, some didn’t quite land where I wanted, but there was enough in between to make it feel like a good stretch of real life.

Month by the Numbers

Weight: ↓ 4 lbs Runs / Walks: 1 Migraines: 4 Books: 4

Blog Posts: 14 OMMs: 4 Savings: ↑ $350 Debt: ↑ $225.51

OMM = One Minute Memoir

Highlights

• Spring Break + April Fools: April kicked off with Spring Break. My mom took the kids to a hotel so they could swim, and I met them there after work. Since it was April 1st, I brought cookies designed to look like other foods as a joke. They were… not amused.
• Life with Holden: Holden had a busy month between a doctor’s appointment, weekly Lego Club at the community center, and a couple trips to Abbott’s for ice cream. He has also enjoyed "helping" me bake brownies all month for our extensive family brownie taste testing.
• Things we did together: The boys and I saw the new Mario movie on a discount Tuesday, went to our monthly Bingo night (Earth Day themed this time, complete with pudding dirt cups), and went to Get Air trampoline park on a random Sunday morning. Fun fact: Caleb has sprained or broken his ankle/foot twice at trampoline parks. No injuries this time. Holden, however, throws up after the trampoline park every single time… and did again. I think he just gets overheated.
• School + our first run: We had another school dance at Caleb’s school, and toward the end of the month, the weather finally cooperated enough for our first family run of 2026. Just a mile, mostly walking, but it felt like a start.
• A new musical: I saw A Beautiful Noise with my aunt, a musical about Neil Diamond. I liked it quite a bit and have found myself listening to his music more since.

What I Read

A pretty good reading month! A solid mix overall with one clear standout.

• Safe by Jessica Baum ★★☆☆☆
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans ★★★★★
• Conditioned by Amanda Russo ★★★★☆
• Death Row Games by Shade Owens ★★★☆☆

Favorite: The Correspondent
Yearly Progress: 13 / 100

What I Watched

A slower month for shows, but documentaries absolutely carried things.

Movies

• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ★☆☆☆☆
  (Theater)
  Took the kids. They loved it. I did not.

TV Shows

• Full House
  (Hulu ◦ rewatch ◦ s:1 e:3)
  The slowest rewatch in history.
• Grey’s Anatomy
  (Netflix ◦ rewatch ◦ s:2 e:4–7)
  Still a slow rewatch.
• His & Hers ★★★☆☆
  (Netflix ◦ 2026 ◦ s:1 e:3–6)
  A small-town murder pulls multiple perspectives into the same story, with shifting narratives and secrets underneath the surface. This started strong for me but kind of fizzled out, especially because I read the book and it was way better. I finally finished it.

Documentaries & Docuseries

• Captive Audience ★★☆☆☆
  (Hulu ◦ 2022 ◦ 3 episodes)
  A family grapples with the long-term fallout of a highly publicized kidnapping. This was interesting but, for some reason, didn’t fully capture me. It was ultimately a sad and twisted story, but it moved kind of slowly.
• The Way Down ★★☆☆☆
  (HBO Max ◦ 2021 ◦ 5 episodes)
  A deep dive into Gwen Shamblin and the rise of her religious weight-loss movement turned cult. I thought this would be fascinating, but it really dragged for me.
• They Called Him Mostly Harmless ★★★★☆
  (HBO ◦ 2024 ◦ film)
  A mysterious unidentified hiker sparks an online investigation to uncover his identity. This was intriguing. It was a baffling mystery, and I enjoyed watching armchair detectives unravel it.
• American Nightmare ★★★☆☆
  (Netflix ◦ 2024 ◦ 3 episodes)
  A bizarre kidnapping case that initially seems unbelievable before the truth slowly unfolds. I knew a tiny bit about this well-known case, but never the full story. It was strange and interesting to watch play out. A little slow at times, but good overall.
• Trust Me: The False Prophet ★★★★★
  (Netflix ◦ 2026 ◦ 4 episodes)
  An inside look at a modern cult, following the people who infiltrated it and documented what was happening. I was completely obsessed. I’ve always been fascinated by cults and the FLDS, and this was so well done. I absolutely loved the couple who infiltrated the cult and filmed it. Christine Marie had a heart of gold and Tolga was absolutely hilarious. Well done, fascinating, sad, and crazy. I wish there was more.
• The Dark Wizard ★★★★★
  (HBO Max ◦ 2026 ◦ 4 episodes)
  A documentary series about climber Dean Potter, told through interviews, archival footage, and access to his journals. Another instant obsession. Fascinating, well done, excellent interviews, archival footage, and access to his journals. This stayed with me, and I was sad to see it end.
• Free Solo ★★★★☆
  (2018 ◦ film)
  Follows climber Alex Honnold as he attempts to free solo climb El Capitan without ropes. I first learned of him during the live Tappei climb on Netflix earlier this year and immediately started this older documentary about him, but never got very far. After watching The Dark Wizard, where he was featured, I went back to it. All in all, I enjoyed it. He’s kind of an odd guy, but very interesting and fearless.

Best Thing This Month

Feeling genuinely appreciated and valued at work for Administrative Professionals Day. It wasn’t just the lunch or the cake or the card... it was the feeling behind it (and the fact that they got me a McDonalds gift card because they know me).

Worst Thing This Month

Dealing with an ongoing skin infection that’s been stubborn and slow to heal. It’s been frustrating. Weight loss also wasn’t where I wanted it to be this month. Still moving forward, just not quite at the pace I had in mind.

Coming Up in May

A family night at Caleb’s new middle school as he gets ready for 6th grade. Monthly Bingo. Hopefully another movie night with the kids (The Sheep Detectives is on the list). And hopefully some warmer weather so we can keep up with family run/walks. June is already looking busy, so I’m hoping May brings a little bit of calm before that.

See you next month.

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Unsold Inventory (One Minute Memoir)

A Memoir on Family Entrepreneurship, Profit-Sharing Negotiations, and One Unsold Balloon Dog

Setting: March 2026

The idea started casually.

One evening, I suggested that maybe Caleb could try selling some of his 3D prints. Not as a serious business venture. Mostly just so he could learn a little about money... and maybe cover some of the cost of the filament I keep buying.

Just a balloon dog to start.

But the conversation escalated quickly. Different colors. Different models. Maybe a whole little product line.

Caleb thought about it for a moment and finally agreed.

Holden reacted immediately. He jumped up and grabbed an axolotl—an earlier print we had made—and suggested we sell that, too.

Then he disappeared into his room and came back holding a toy airplane.

Not a 3D print. Just a random airplane.

He asked if we could list that for sale as well.

But before anything could be sold, we needed photos. Holden volunteered for the job and took the balloon dog to the windowsill to photograph it.

The lighting was terrible.

So I sent him to the kitchen for a quick lesson from my dad, the actual photographer in the family. After a little coaching about lighting, Holden came back with better pictures.

Meanwhile we still had to work out the financial structure of the operation.

Caleb pointed out that he was the one printing the items. I pointed out that I was the one paying for the filament. Holden felt that photographing them counted as work.

Eventually we reached an agreement: Caleb would receive seventy-five percent of any sales and Holden would receive twenty-five percent.

The photos were taken. The listing was posted.

And then we waited.

After all that planning and negotiation…

...no one bought a damn balloon dog.

This post is part of my One-Minute Memoir series — short reflections on small moments that still manage to say something big.

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