I can’t talk about the arrival of spring without reminiscing on Easter this year. As the hollowed day of chocolate & small toy filled eggs arrived, I began to talk about how the Easter bunny was coming. But despite the arrival of Santa in the home and even a potential leprechaun ( haven’t done but she’s been very intrigued with learning about kids who do this) —she started to get genuinely terrified of the Easter bunny and very uneasy about how tall it was and why it was in our house/yard?! Good points. The night before Easter I put together her Easter basket and eggs for finding in the yard. Easter Sunday was colder than expected , there was snow and sleet so putting the eggs out was a challenge. I finally got to sneak out and place them. Then told Opal to check outside , she was ecstatic to see the arrival of the eggs , thankfully. In fact we we were so excited that we ran outside without shoes on ( we did have socks) in the middle of the sleet. Whoops , everyone survived though. ^_^

During my FMLA, I decided to get a rental car and head up north with Opal to see my parents.It was the first time since I met Jose, which is to say 7 years ago , that I drove up without him. It’s a long-ish drive, especially for a four year old. We stopped about five times on the way, including once when she was somehow bleeding. At first, I didn’t think we’d make it out of metro Detroit. But finally, Opal and I and our fancy rental car ( Nissan Altima ) drove up up UP. I don’t always love “going home.” As an adoptee , I often feel the semblance of home just isn’t for me—my first mother, a door I may never know. And yet I will always seek it.

I enjoyed seeing my parents play with Opal. Hearing her squeal and run through my childhood home. Hearing her call my dad her best friend, all things I may have wanted to do but had forgotten their possibility to my own fractured relationship with my parents. Before packing up to go back to the D, my mom and I sat down and looked at keepsakes from my childhood and adolescence. So many Little Golden Books, pictures of youth group friends, clothing items that she had knit and my favorite thing-hand written letters and recipes from my Grandmom! Seeing her handwriting again brought me a special ache of joy, I could hear her voice rising up from the page. In that moment, I really understood what people mean when they say, your grandmother’s prayers are still protecting you.

But Mother’s Day is also an open window , where the breeze can come in and change things, even if for a little while. My daughter , who I keep , who I kept , who I am keeping —is that twirling changing breeze. And because of her and the flowers surrounding me, that proclaim the coexistence of death and life , joy and grief, can parallel play together. I can laugh because she is a little girl wonderfully sweet and made of bubbles and belief in all the things I’d forgotten about long ago.

So I chose to sit at the window this year, letting the breeze tickle my nose and letting the little girl bring me a myriad of her favorite toys as presents , she who wants to be called Glinda( as in, The Good) —which is also my first mother’s name—gives me the gift of girlhood, all pink and bursting with magic.

Things I did/saw/ate/made/bought:

• Opal got her first bike, with training wheels. It is Frozen themed, all purple and blue with matching handlebar streamers and the best clanging bell. She also got kneepads and elbowpads, and a helmet obviously, because safety first

• At the beginning of April, I went to the DIA to see the Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation exhibition. I was blown away by what I encountered and heard, the design of the exhibit was exquisite. One of my favorite parts was witness the art plaques written side by side in Anishinaabe and English. What a special kind of liberation.

• My flowers : I have so many blooming flowers that I have grown from seeds and transplants-many are towering over the fence.

• I joined two virtual book clubs and a summer reading challenge!

• Went to National Planning Conference in Detroit and got super inspired by the folks working at the intersections of art, youth engagement and planning. I was especially overjoyed to attend a book reading and panel conversation featuring my friend, DR. Morgan on an anthology she contributed to about Urban Design.

• I talked about public art with new friends.

• I made a portfolio that I was really proud of!

• I got a local loaf of gf sourdough bread !

• I visited Cranbrook and fell in love with the trees ( and the artmakers, especially my dear Rachel)

• I ate lots of ice cream, sometimes multiple servings a day as a heat mechanism.

• Played with friends , their dogs and my mom’s cats

• Visited the science museum, nature center & bear slide playground with Opal

• Went to MOCAD and made polymer clay beads for a necklace for family day

• Fell victim to too many Memorial Day sales

• Had the best matcha for Mother’s Day

• Made roasted asparagus topped with burrata and balsamic glaze & macrons Basel, lisa frank cookies with my mom & Opal

• Visited/noticed new & old playgrounds , gardens and public spaces and dreamed about several new projects

I’m writing from the other side of a wild February + March. I’ve always loved March Madness and creating brackets starring my favorite team, the Michigan State University Spartans. However, in my personal final four it was me VS depression on one side and me VS anxiety on the other. I decided that I needed to win so I looked around for the helpers and the support system to help me get out of this wintertime sadness/march madness.You may have noticed that I didn’t get to write a monthly roundup for February. It’s always a tough month for me, due to the birthday blues of a middle aged adoptee. But nevertheless I still decided to gather a small group of friends + Opal ( my best friend) to walk the trail to the light house at Belle Isle, to stare at the ice caves on the river , to explore the secret bush with its treasures hidden deep within it shrubbed sanctuary and then have some yummy treats and tea at Warda, one of Detroit’s finest jewels.

ON TO MARCH THINGS….

In mid March, I began taking a leave for FMLA. I’ve been slowly and then quickly loosing my battle with depression this winter and I wanted to take this time to rest, reset and get grounded in who I am again. It’s meant to be a time of low productivity and simply listening to my body. Which is what I’m trying/aching to do! I’m upping my meds and looking into alternative/new treatments and diagnoses. I am committed to the days ahead and the promise of Spring and Summer and Fall and Winter on repeat, forever.

I got to take another risograph and zine making class in late February early March. I’m not quite done, still designing but it’s gonna be about the rights of children during war. Those rights being , stop the fucking wars. It’s a tough subject which explains it’s tough going. I am taking my time on it while also knowing that I won’t be able to cover the entire topic within a single zine- despite how mighty and small a single zine can be!

If one class wasn’t enough , I additionally and finally got to take a class with one of my favorite authors, Vanessa Agélica Villarreal. It was called 404 File Not Found: Or Where Cultural Essay Meets Critical Memoir— wow did that open my mind! I really hope it charts me to the next place my writing wants to go.

DANCE BREAK FOR THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING

I love spring , I love flowers and hearing the birds and seeing people outside again. There’s already tiny deep purple violets in my yard , buttercup crocus next door and the green shoots that are easily identified as the leaves of Tulips. There was a a whisper of snow on the grass this morning which I invited as a true sign on the threshold we stand in in Michigan —between winter and spring, coldness and warmth.

Art and community making will always be the heartbeat of my being. Things I loved the most included artmaking side by side with Opal. Visiting playgrounds, libraries with Opal and reading books to her classroom.

I know I usually talk so much about food I made but I truly only remember one meal- A steak dinner and a truly show-stopping cheesecake with graham cracker crust for José birthday

Enjoyed my favorite breakfast bowl at Commonwealth Coffee: bacon fried rice with a Vanilla Matcha Latte and gf banana bread. We also got a new chamomile tea from Forest Bakery it’s so good which makes sense because I can literally see the flowers in the satchel. Even Opal tried it and liked it!

This last week has been a mixture of cold and warm days. Right before the arrival of the first day of spring, we had a short series of days in the 60s and 70s. Opal and I took advantage of that by going across the street to the little playground nestled in a pocket park. It is such a luxury to have this cozy playscape so close. It was a lovely day up to Bill Withers standards: birds were chirping , little girls playing with toys under the big trees, teenagers playing basketball in the street , folks playing fetch with a chonky pitbull & Opal switching back and forth between the swings and slides.

It wasn’t always like this though. I can’t remember exactly how old she was for her first swing ride but I think nearly one. As a child born during quarantine times , we didn’t get out much so the first we tried a swing it was one of those mommy and me swings , I thought it would be such a cute moment but when I put her in the baby swing and pumped ourselves up into the sky she started to cry and hard. I quickly got her out and vowed to keep trying another time. I think it was a slow burn like many special love stories , her adoration for the swing. She started really enjoying it once we moved into our house across from the playground. There is a swing set with four swings , two for babies & toddlers and two for anyone else. One thing that definitely helped her create a bond with swinging is my songs that I make up , there’s “Opal in the sky…” to the tune of Reading Rainbow and more recently “Swing Low,Sweet Chariot” with verses about Opal touching the sky.

While Opal loves swinging on nest swings with friends and egg shaped adaptive swings, especially the gliders, she still prefers the toddler swing. She has very long legs- she’s almost 4 feet tall! And towers above the kids in her class and many children who are even two to three years older than her. So recently when we went on a Target run, we stopped by a new playground and she saw the bucket swing and went running towards it. I got her in and pushed but when the timer went off signaling playtime was over, I couldn’t get her to budge. At first it was like a game, asking her to squirm her legs, shake her butt so I can get traction and lift her out-but it wasn’t happening. So I did the thing that all sane mothers do when their children get stuck- I called the fire department. When the firefighters showed up in their big red truck, we saw them walking towards us with a big round saw. They joked that they were gonna have to cut her out of the swing. But instead one lofted her over his shoulder as the other firefighter and I pushed on her knees to try to get her legs up through. Opal laughed and then cried. It was tough but we got her out, thankfully she’s not still in that swing today. The firefighters took down our information and made us promise to go in the big swings from now on. We said ok and walked back to the car.

I want to end this meditation on swinging and learning and mothering with a poem that I wrote over a year ago that somehow has both swinging and firetrucks! Like this essay, my poem comes close to examine what may be considered mundanities—but really these little moments capture a labor of love woven together to get us where we are today. I hope this poem resonates with you and invites you to remember all the beautiful ( and also hard!) little things you did to get this far. That’s what it does for me.

On the second day of January , which feels like it was about three years ago, I boarded a plane to NYC. I am going to write more about my time there but to say it was the much needed creative energy blast to my system, would not be an understatement. So let’s jump onto it and see how much of these 500 days I can remember…

ADVENTURES

Rang in the new year at what is now known as the new indoor playground. There is something very healing about a fast slide, a ball pit and a huge cotton candy bouquet.

The following day, I arrived at LaGuardia and immediately was greeted by a grandpa who was giving directions , he pointed towards the bus stop and I walked up just as the bus I needed arrived.

Snow finally arrived! We’d had a few dustings here and there but it had been nearly 40 on Christmas. So when the temperature majorly dropped , to under zero, and the big white flakes fell- I couldn’t be happier, thank goodness. (Though to be clear, I do not like negative temperatures that feel like even lower negative temperatures.)

FOOD

I love a good bowl, both the vessel itself and what it contains. Lately I’ve had so much joy in layering yogurt bowls, my favorite being peanut butter baked oatmeal warmed up for 30 seconds and topped with Greek yogurt , strawberries, raspberries & bananas.

I made cheesy chicken spaghetti squash bake for a friend’s family and mine. Let’s just say it only lasted one serving.

I also indulged in making White Chili Mac N Cheese , the recipe I made ended up being a little to dense to be a soup - more of a casserole really but still very good, especially topped with ketchup!

Opal is of course very interested in doing whatever I’m doing and this month we baked Unicorn rainbow Rice Crispies and large Levain-ish choco chip cookies.

Special shoutout to the food I had in NYC: Harlem shake , incredible soul food from Sylvia’s and an incredible Thai spot steps away from where my artist retreat was.

FINDS

I bought some really beautiful and archive-y, zine culture books to start the year. I am really excited to get into them! I also bought two poetry books, one of which I originally saw at Powell’s in PDX almost 2 years ago. I am excited to dig into these.

I purchased two fun outfits from my Nuuly subscription last month. One is a sheep sweater vest and the other is a corduroy dress, I am a lover of all animal sweaters and corduroy.

I also decided to upgrade my baked goods by investing in vanilla bean paste. I am very happy about my decision especially because it makes everything taste like brownies.

CREATIVE PRACTICE

I decided to take a disposable camera with me to NYC. It has been such a lovely tool to use throughout the month and I still have a few shots left to take!

I went to Studio Museum of Harlem with my dear friend Kristen. It was incredible. The Jean-Michel Basquiat painting got me emotionally. I saw so many favorites: Kerry James Marshall, Mickalene Thomas, Simone Leigh, Kara Walker, Faith Ringgold

I went to an artist retreat at Brooklyn Poets led by two of my favorites: Hala Alyan and Safia Elhillo.

I did a lot of collage making throughout the month. I just love playing with paper and colors.

Last but not least, I am so proud to share that I won another artist grant and have some new poems out in the world with The Seventh Wave. I am still figuring out how to celebrate and share about my work, so I will do another post about that soon.

TENDERNESS

On MLK Day I went to two museums with Opal. It was insanely cold but we braved the weather to make collages and sing protest songs and eat sprinkle cupcakes.

I have been trying to remember my body lately. One thing I’ve noticed is that I do have space most evenings to implement a short nigh time ritual. It’s mainly focused on moisture for chapped hands, lips and legs. And I love all these little containers that help me relax into the night.

I went to an Imbolc festival with the fam. We loved the seed swap, collage making and book nook.

Lastly, I nourished Opal’s new found adoration for the Frozen universe. Singing our hearts out to Let It Go and Into the Unknown has been so lovely. I also love seeing her performances (in the living room) flourish. She has such a unique understanding of music and dance, it is the true joy of my life to witness it.

I was recently interviewed by James Beard winning food writer and critic Lyndsay Greene for her article, “For Many Black Detroiters, saying grace is a Thanksgiving prayer”. She asked me about my relationship to praying over food. I told her about my upbringing, the glass covered wagon wheel table , my family would sit around and say grace before passing dishes. I always dreaded it because I didn’t want my dad to ask me to pray aloud. The times I did pray, he told me (more like commanded) that I pray harder. As if the prayers of a child could be anything but earnest and true.

Then Lyndsay asked me another question, what’s my relationship to faith , religion and the church now? It’s pretty fractured , I responded. Likely fully broken. After over a decade of missionary service and three decades of being a Black femme body in the church , I couldn’t do it anymore. As of March 20, 2026 it’ll be 6 years since I’ve gone to a regular service or been a regular at service. The quarantine allowed me to close that chapter without much notice. Everyone was at home and for the first time in a long time , the church doors were locked permanently.

At first when more churches started doing zoom sermons , I thought it’d be awesome to visit some of my old congregations online. I went to Mosaic in Hollywood and Seattle ( two different churches , same name) and my beloved Valley & Mountain also in Seattle. But even that didn’t feel right. It was cool to talk to my friends across the country but I didn’t feel like I used to. Now the only thing I miss, except the tight knit community, is communal singing. Music heals me so often , especially when it comes from a deep place in between my lungs.

I did not mean for this essay to turn into one about my faith deconstruction but here we are. These days the only holiness I experience on Sundays , besides the attention of a four year old, is the golden fluffy pocketed waffle. I have been making waffles with Opal for over a year almost every Sunday . That’s what we call a ritual! We prefer to make Ube Mochi waffles from TJ’s. I use a regular waffle iron from Bed, Bath & Beyond and a small sea foam one for kid waffles. The Ube Mochi waffles are marvelous because they are purple and gluten free. They are also an incredible source of peace. I may say something wild now so brace yourself:

I come from a household who eats pancakes & waffles with peanut butter and syrup on them. Preferably syrup tapped from our own trees or the ones in Vermont.

When scrolling through my phone , I found almost 100 photos of waffles I have made and/or eaten over the years. This made me feel very grounded. Such a small thing to make one feel belonging.

So in the spirit of generosity and soldarity in waffles; Here are some my favorite waffle concoctions & tools:

🧇 Obviously the Ube Mochi Waffle mix , no this isn’t sponsored by Trader Joe’s but seriously reach out, please. We like to top them with cream cheese and jam or pb & syrup.

🧇I usually am not a pumpkin person but I grabbed a pumpkin pancake mix from TJs and turned it into waffle batter which was harder than I thought but they turned into rustic waffles that were wonderfully cakey. I served them with stewed apples , Greek yogurt & granola. It felt incredibly fall & homey.

🧇If you’re making waffles from scratch , which I did more before I had a kid. I recommend using Bob’s 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour that way you can follow practically any waffle recipe ever. I like this one. I love adding yogurt( or ricotta!) to my batter and of course berries or chocolate chips or cocoa powder and berries or pomegranates.

🧇I also enjoy my waffles with a nice spice accent. I loosely follow molly Yeh’s recipe for hawaij for many different things like Dutch apple pie, baked oatmeal and especially waffles ! Just add it directly to your dry ingredients so it can really get mixed into each part of your batter.

🧇Special shout out to savory waffles! The waffle iron can be a vehicle for so many different types of flavors. I love putting frozen hashbrown directly in the waffle iron with my favorite cheese ( Gouda or sharp cheddar) and fresh herbs like chives and rosemary. The crunch they make in your mouth is a perfect crackle only known to a fresh hashbrown served hot.

🧇Honorable mention to funfetti waffles which I made from a box for Opal’s 3rd birthday party. It was really good and super awesome to see her little friends enjoy the sprinkle waffles but I haven’t made them since. Not necessarily on purpose but also just haven’t thought to. But since they were so fun, maybe I’ll do a holiday rendition!

🎀 I am hosting a virtual artist’s retreat on Monday, December 29 from 11-3 PM EST.

🦢 This retreat is open to all, whether you consider yourself an artist or not.

🎨 This retreat is the place where you can make space to be creative, reflect on 2025 and buildrituals for 2026 all while being in community.

✨I have been curating organizational retreats for a long time and am excited to bring my background as a trauma-informed teaching artist to this experience.

🖇️ REGISTER HERE, sliding scale and scholarships are available.

I hope you join me, I will be posting another essay tomorrow, see you then!

As you probably realized, it’s been awhile since I checked in here. I’ve been cocooning away and healing from and experiencing sicknesses and emotional trauma. Such is the wheel of life. Here’s my first monthly capsule of adventures food , finds, creative updates- I’m gonna capture Sept-Nov bc the fall is accidentally slipped through my fingers real fast!

ADVENTURES

My friend Sheena & I hit the road to go to Pittsburgh to explore the anthro home outlet and stroll the beautiful city streets. I love an east coast city , with its old row homes huddled together & the litany of bridges …though steep hills will always get my heart racing. It’s so unnatural to catapult a hunk of steel on wheels up a hill (I did a rhyme).

Opal & I went to many libraries across metro Detroit. We primarily play in the kids section where they have open ended toys and go on scavenger hunts that the librarians set up. Our favorites include : Redford, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, The Main Branch and Eastpointe.

We also went to a parachute party at one of my favorite third places , Seasons Market. It was so lovely to play under its big colorful embrace.

And of course, we couldn’t end October without trick or treating. It was Opal’s first time going to door to door. We made it extra special because she went her bestie , it was the cutest thing ever! She was a black cat, he was a pumpkin.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Ralph C. Wilson Park. What a place ! As a wanna be urban planer with a keen interest in child-centered spaces , it’s been such a balm to play there with Opal. I am so grateful that she will grow up getting to go there

FOOD

Michigan peach season extended into early October, thanks, I guess, climate change.I love putting peaches in everything ( yogurt , ice cream, salads , sandwiches etc) when its stone fruit season. I kept getting surprised at the market to see more peaches each week from my favorite local farms. Which I gobbled up as fast possible.

I made my first soup of the season, one of my go-tos Magic White Bean Soup and then the following days here were 80. Later I made a chocolate peanut butter chili and Samin’s winter squash soup, both were excellent.

When in Ann Arbor, one must indulge in the cuisine. I went to two of my favorite little spots across from my favorite book store. Toastique ( one also just opened downtown Detroit , which I took the family to!) and Le Bon Macron where I had this blueberry rooibos latte I’m still dreaming of. Need to go back for that and their chocolate chau!

I love Pho and we made a great choice of going to Ima after the playground with the whole family! I was so proud of Opal, she did a great job eating ( and dancing with the disco ball) in the restaurant!

For thankstaking I made : roasted Brussels tossed in balsamic glaze and bacon fat, Everything bagel Mac & cheese and my famous popovers.

We ended November with the perfect silky and crunchy grilled jamón( from Forest Bakery!) & cheese with tomato soup. It was the divine intervention I needed to jolt me back to life.

FINDS

What I got from anthro outlet all for under $50 : a set of latte stoneware pasta bowls in various gorgeous hues, An owl figurine and a little mouse dressed in a tutu with a pumpkin for Opal.

I know we’re not shopping at Target right now but… I had to get myself some pieces from their recent woolrich collaboration and it did not disappoint. Ba ba black sheep, I have your wool! And I thank you!

Little wooden owl from a flea market, which I need to touch up with hot glue gun

A cute notebook with Great Lake vibes, a squirrel hair claw and a fruit salad inspired hair clip from a vintage place in Ann Arbor

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Performed with some dear friends and fellow adoptee abolitionists to raise money for families in Gaza

Went to a craft night with my family

Worked with an editor to get three poems through three rounds of revisions , they will be published in January !

Read 25 poetry books for the Sealey challenge and several placemaking texts.

Taught a workshop at my friend’s birthday party on Centos, aka collage poems

Started percolating new ideas for workshop offerings & a small press

Signed up to be a vendor at Detroit Zine Fest

Applied & got accepted to present with a few colleagues at mDw next summer when it comes to

Planned Opal’s 4th birthday - Gabby’s Dollhouse , all the way! I will probably write more later about the audacity of her turning four but for now I’ll just say, what the heck is she thinking with this big age?!

Went to see Dance Theater of Harlem with Margo. I cried and smiled to see Blackness portrayed in such a triumphant, joyful and bold way.

TENDERNESS

Went to the ford house , a favorite outdoor spot & sat in their new butterfly house and read Joy Harjo’s Washing My Mother’s Body": A Ceremony for Grief on my adoption day

Tended to my gorgeous garden and watched it as it held onto summer and faded into fall

Went to Belle Isle with Opal and walked in the tall grass and over the slippery river rocks and said hi to dogs and ate snacks and went to the nature center and playground

Began writing morning pages again

Watched the snowfall, tasted the cold flakes on my tongue and noticed the joy it always brings

thanks so much for reading! I will be back with an essay soon!

I hate that I have to write about this again. I hate that there has been more attention to a white supremacist with a podcast and a tent than the bodies of two Black men hanging from trees.

Beneath a tree’s brilliant plume of leaves, its canopy of forever, is the vegetation layer, also known as the tree’s understory. This vegetation is anything that can be found below the canopy and above the forest floor. It includes other trees, shrubs, vines, plants, any green or brown thing that shoots up from the ground that finds herself witnessed and resourced by the tree’s great expanse.

And what of the understory of our country? Is the canopy that shades this story one that inspires hate or hope? It is often said that “America” is the home of the free and the land of the brave. I like to call it by a more accurate allegory, stolen land and deferred freedom, the home of the (not so) brave. When Ch@rl!3 K!rk was killed, it recharged the dissonance of whiteness. It made white conservatives upset, they said he had good ideas and protected the American right and history of debating in the public square. The ideas that he brought into the public square were and are nothing short of the type of racist, homophobic and violent rhetoric that results in the lynchings of Black people.

The trees are ashamed of you. They do not want to bear the fruit of your hatred and fear. This is not why they are here. That is not why any of us are here.

One of my favorite poets, Tiana Clark, wrote the book “I Can’t Think About the Trees Without the Blood.” I remember gulping up every page when I first received it. It was one of the first books that I read in the fall of 2018, also known as the fall of my conditioning in white evangelism, that really spoke to my plight as Black transracial adoptee who had been raised to be white and complicit. Here’s a screenshot from that day:

Tiana’s work has inspired me many times and I most recently wrote the poem Walking Meditation on Bird Island at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, here is a few stanzas that especially reflect her work and the beauty and devastation of nature often( or always) perpetrated by white men.

5. I can’t think about the water without remembering Emmett Till. How he was drowned by white men. How the river still cradles his innocence.

6. I can’t think about the water without calling out to her , the dark blue body who is only a reflection of my own.

I do not claim to have all the answers to this dilemma, this undoing of our shared humanity. All I hope is that this cannot be the story that is carved into the bark of our knowing. Perhaps we can start or return or continue to look to the trees, I suggest finding the biggest and boldest one in your neighborhood. Breathe in her beauty, her possibility, your possibility and consider how we are all interwoven. Our liberation is interconnected and part of the understory of trees because we too stand under their great expanse of forever.

COME CELEBRATE WITH ME

🪄I got a large artist grant that is allowing me to go on an artist residency in northern Michigan on the dune-y shores of Lake Michigan. Due to some changes , I have decided to shift it to next summer. I’m upset about it but I’m planning a smaller artist retreat / staycation for a week in October where I will do some concentrated writing, reading and research in art museums, creative spaces and third places in the city.

🪄I had two poems published in Riverwise. I’m very proud of them! I also have three more poems forthcoming for publication in January!

🪄I sold and traded my risograph zines at Black Zine Fest in Detroit. I wanted to make $75, I made $85. I finally ready to do a third edition on my faithful community riso, Sally Hankshaw

🪄 I just recorded my poetry for Ann Arbor Public Library podcast , The Coolidge-Wagner Anthology of Recorded Poetry, it should released early next year and will be accompanied by a reading. They were impressed I did it one take , so profesh.

🪄 I interviewed for a job in a totally different field than I’ve been in before , though I didn’t get the position , I was proud of my composure and clarity

🪄 I’m beyond grateful that so many of you have carried me through a season of deep depression as I rise into remission , thanks to my mental health team ( which includes a therapist, a psychiatrist & Zoloft 200) I feel ready to step away from my weekly public diary. Not because I no longer have depression but because depression can no longer have me.

A PIVOT

🧿 I will likely be doing analog diaries/morning pages from here on out , only sharing what feels necessary to the public.

🧿 As I shift away from this series, I feel the need to reconnect with my writing . Because I wrote so much here! I think it’s all valuable of course but I want to focus more on the craft of my story, my poems than writing down the lists of everyday, hour by hour things.

🧿 From now on I will be publishing two personal essays or poem and a list of delights ( name pending ) monthly! I still love a list and I still love sharing what I did with you so this will be a way to do so in more curated way.

🧿 Because I have so loved rediscovering printmaking , cyanotype , collage , photography etc …so I’m finally launching a zine project you can subscribe to! It will be a physical copy like this newsletter that will arrive in your mailbox six times a year, starting in January! This is an experiment in building capacity and community and I can’t wait to share more as it takes shape over the fall.

 I have to be honest , I want to start this zine project today but like all of nature right now, I have to go slow and preserve my energy.

My first essay drops Wednesday and then I will see you again at the end of September! I hope you are steeping in the slowness of fall 🍁

MONDAY

3:00 AM- Opal wakes up , I go in and sit with her for awhile , adjust her blankets

5:00 AM- she wakes up again, this time José goes in

9:00 AM -finally up for the day , grandparents are almost here so we hustle to get ready

9:30 AM- after they leave, i eat a banana and then I drag the hose and some soil to the front yard to try and help some of my struggling plants . I’m so glad there’s rain in the forecast this week too. I greet all the bugs I see , I know they are pollinators and part of this ecosystem just like me. Then I go inside grab some fruit , baby yogurt & muffin and do my therapy appointment

10:00 AM- start work for the day , work on the weekly update for slack and go through the emails I got over the weekend.

12:00 PM- I take a break to eat some cheese snacks and chocolate covered gummies plus TJs cheese it’s

2:00 PM- do some back and forth on slack with a few folks

3:00 PM- I go back outside for a minute to feel fresh air on my face , then return to my screen

4:00 PM- José and I go to pickup Opal , get gas & go to TJS. Opal is asleep by the time we get to the store and is then sad that i went in without her. We promise to go again soon

6:00 PM- I put together a peach Caprese salad , José cooks some ravioli in pesto, I add burrata to the salad and ravioli by cutting the large whole wonky balls in half , it’s divine

8:00 PM- Opal has done a good job potting today so we decide to paint her nails tomorrow for the first time as a treat

9:00 PM-It’s bedtime , takes quite awhile for her to calm down

10:30 PM- finally asleep

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TUESDAY

3:00 AM- Opal wakes up crying , José goes in

83:0 AM- Opal gets up for the day, Jose gets ready so he can take her. I grab her bedding, extra clothes , some underwear & her water bottle to put in her bag for school

9:30 AM-Opal and José head out , I assemble a yogurt and berry bowl then watch part of AJTL before my meeting

11:00 AM -After my meeting I do some stretching and then start to organize some notes for another meeting , I get a call on slack right before my next mtg so we chat a bit about contracts

1:00 PM- lunch break , put together a turkey , prosciutto & Swiss sando on English muffins with grapes , truffle chips & pb cups & gf madeline’s , watch miss govenor

3:00 PM- After a couple more meetings and various work tasks , I go with Jose to pickup Opal from school. She’s crying pretty bad , has had a stressful day without her friends so we take her to the big store to pick out nail polish and new hatchimals, then TJs for tamale stuff and extra fruit , they have a special citrus from SA that I can’t wait to try, then cream and home

7:00 PM- I take Opal upstairs for a bath, he hair is really matted so it takes me awhile to set angle but she does a great job

8:00 PM- late dinner , yummy tamales & plantains …Opal has Mac and watches Blippi. Then we do her nails , she has a hard time staying still, but we finally get done then I let her paint mine lol.

9:30 PM-We all get ready for bedtime

WEDNESDAY

8:30 AM- Opal and I head downstairs for a Yogurt breakfast where she judges me for the amount of granola I have.

10:00 AM- I head out to the Library where I have the privilege of being followed by two police , 11:00 AM- My team has our weekly meeting

1:00 PM- drive back Home and have some snacks

2:00 PM- Opal has nap time , I work more and

Send out some emails , have left over tamales & sour cream for lunch

4:30 PM- Then I Make kielbasa & roasted veggies

8:30 PM-Opal goes to bed early but gets up an hour later , takes awhile to go back down

10:00 PM- José and I have soooo many Snaaaaacks- cheese , crackers , gummies , chocolate . Salami , grapes.

Thursday

8:30 AM- We are up and out of the house early. I Drop Opal off at daycare , then back home where I Eat yogurt & watch hunting wives

10:00 AM- my First meeting of the day begins, it’s the weekly finance meeting

12:00 PM- i get ready for next only to find out it’s cancelled

2:00 PM- Slack with my supervisor , then go to my long meeting

5:00 PM- it’s been such a long day of meetings , I Watch more hunting wives while José goes to pick up Opal, then shut my eyes for a screen break

6:00 PM- José and Opal Come back with groceries , I make more roasted veggies to round up the leftover kielbasa

7:30 PM - bath time for Opal begins , she wants to pretend to be a mermaid which is a fun thing to talk to her about and sing with her about while I do her hair

8:30 PM- we read boxitects , bluey and another then get ready for bed

9:30 PM- After I’m done putting her down, I take my medicine and tinker around my phone , play a bit of rummib, then pass out

FRIDAY

8:39 AM-wake up and make eggs

11:30 AM- Wr go to grandma house , drop off Opal.

12:00 PM- José and I hang at coffee shop , read books . I Eat a slice of zucchini bread .

2:30 PM- We drive over to the Comic store and browse through the stacks

3:00 PM- pick up Opal, go to Brome for late lunch. They have these amazing new shawarma chicken sandwiches. I have that with sweet potato fries and strawberry, Oreo shake. Opal has tots and vanilla shake

5:00 PM- When we get back out of the car Jose notices a Tire issue , seems to be leaking . We go to two tire places , thankfully the second one could take us. They lift up the car , Opal is asleep the whole time. Finally got it figured out. We head home and get gas on the way.

7:00 PM- I Call Leila and we catch up about how Cali is going so far. Meanwhile Jose makes Mac cheese for Opal

8:30 PM- it’s everyone’s Bedtime , we are all so tired from a long day.

9:00 PM- I have a few Snackies before passing out

SATURDAY

9:00 AM-Wake up and assemble a yogurt bowl

11:00 AM-We head over to the toy store to primarily stand in line for glitter tattoos, ice cream & pony rides . The glee she has is so pure to behold.

1:00 PM- Go inside the toy store and pick out some swim calico critters, Ariel color sheets and follow the train around the store

1:30 PM- We get back home, Opal has a Cheese sammi with swiss cheese which she calls mouse cheese then she gets out her new Ariel colors.

2:00 PM- I try to transition her to nap time but its a no go so we do some quiet time.

3:00 PM-Then I take a nap when I wake up I order pizza.

4:30 PM- I come downstairs and play with Opal and her new toys. She has a tiny fox, otter and cat. They are decked out in swim gear like goggles and have tiny squirt guns. There’s also a tiny dolphin for them to ride on. It’s ridiculously cute.

5:00 PM- The Pizza here ! I make some rice and I eat the pizza after it starts to simmer.

7:30 PM- After dinner, we cuddle up and watch Miffy. Then we transition into bedtime. Opal cleans up her things and I put away the food. Then we read 3 books and head upstairs for bedtime.

SUNDAY

9:00 AM- I sleep in , I got 11 hrs of sleep !

9:30 AM- I clean the kitchen and dishes then make ube waffles with Opal

10:00 AM- The waffles are incredible and so buttery, so purpley.

11:00 AM-José comes down and makes bacon and finishes off the eggs. Opal sets up the table for breakfast

12:00 PM- Then we go to big playground where Opal chases birds around and does slides, swing and sandpit.

1:00 PM-Then we walk across the street to use the potty. Opal sees the splash pad so we look at it through the windows, she also sees a huge alligator toy which she gets very excited about

1:30 PM- I tell her if she continues to do a good job listening and pottying we can come back to play. Then we go to the bakery , José gets some hard family news , Opal gets applesauce.

2:00 PM-We head home for nap, after 40 minutes, I decide to do quiet time.

3:00 PM-Then Opal and I call Mia , they talk for 1.5 hr which is mainly Opal and Mia showing off various toys and then building forts with tissue boxes and toilet paper.

5:30 PM- Opal is really upset after we say bye so we do more crib time , I read her a few stories.

6:00 PM- Then head downstairs , go to TJs and then come back. It’s wild how many times we’ve gone to Grosse Pointe today.

6:30 PM-Opal has two bowls of rice , babble cheese , 6 salami slices , baby carrots and grapes for dinner!

7:00 PM- After dinner, we watch gabby dollhouse Christmas episodes , then start getting ready for bed.

8:30 PM- Opal and I have rearranged her room so I am curious to see what it might be like to sleep in a different place , she falls asleep quickly.

9:00 PM- I have some pb cups then fall asleep.

It’s September and the fall vibes are rolling in, tune in next week to find out what we get up to!

MONDAY

8:30 AM-Everyone wakes up and gets ready for the day.

9:30 AM- Grandparents pickup Opal , I make stovetop granola mixed with fresh Michigan peaches . Top it to yogurt with blueberries. Its incredible!

10:00 AM-I start work, mainly from the couch but I also move from couch to upstairs throughout the day because Jose and I are both working from home with meetings.

1:00 PM-For lunch I whip together another DIY creation : a rice bowl with cucumbers , heirloom tomatoes , cotija , beans in tomato sauce & topped with balsamic drizzle, furikake and rotisserie.

2:00 PM- I log in for more work and my last meetings of the day.

3:00 PM- José leaves grabs Opal while I do work and laundry.

5:00 PM- they come back and we make spaghetti for dinner.

7:00 PM-After dinner, I take Opal upstairs for bath time. She’s in bed by 8:30 PM.

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TUESDAY

6:00 AM- Opal is awake and ready to play with her friends at daycare.

7:30 AM- Before we head out, I get her bedding and water cup ready

9 :00AM -Back home , whip up yogurt for José & I for breakfast. Watch Workin Moms , then log into work for the day myself, because I too am a workin mom.

11:00 AM- I take a stretch break , walk aside and it’s already so hot so that’s not gonna work.

1:00 PM -Get ready for a meeting then have lunch which is leftover spaghetti . I work in a few project due dates

3:00 PM-I head next meeting and I’m already having a post period headache so I shut my eyes on turn off my screens to try and clear my head

6:00 PM- I decide to order pizza for dinner bc I really don’t feel like cooking or assembling anything

WEDNESDAY

9:30 AM -We go out of the house to drop Opal at grandma’s house for the morning.

10:00 AM- I go to the office , it’s another quiet day here so I perch up in my favorite cozy chair in the big conference room.

11:00 AM- my meeting starts , I lead the ice breaker.

3:00 PM -Jose picks me up to grab tacos then go to the grandparents to pick up Opal and get gas at one of the cheaper gas stations in town

4:30 PM-We then head over to Trader Joe’s to pick up snacks and groceries for our trip tomorrow.

6:00 PM- We get home , we have pizza and lots of snacks.

7:30 PM-I take a shower and do my hair routine.

THURSDAY

6:30 AM-Opal and I wake up , get ready for daycare. She is very excited to see her grandparents later today.

8:00 AM- After drop off, I do errands: getting car fluid , few things for our trip and go on a turkey hunt for gf graham crackers that is unsuccessful

10:00 AM0-I start workday with finance meeting , eat some mango and passionfruit skyr for breakfast.

12:00 PM-I do some more work tasks , then Jose and I watch the new episode of platonic

1:00 PM- During lunch break, I finish( and start!) my packing , I’m bringing clothes for Opal & I, lots of snacks and food options , toys & art suppplies , José stuff, my CPAP , beach toys …everything for 2.5 days

4:00 PM-I pick up Opal and head to grandmas house , she is excited about her snack tackle box.

5:00 PM- We grab Culver’s , then head up north. there’s a lot of traffic, plus we stop for potty break & more gas, so it takes close to 3 hrs

7:30 PM-Arriving in WB , Opal is so happy to see cows, horses , Barnes and corn but is even happier to see her grandparents and Mia ! They hug and run off holding hands to start playing

9:00 PM-José and I eat sausage and beans for dinner , Opal has Mac n cheese. We play outside and throw apples off the hill.

9:30 PM- We go to the hotel for the night , it’s so cold , so I turn down the AC we set up for the night.Our room looks over the rec room and pool, so it’s loud AF but finally fall asleep around 11.

FRIDAY

2:00 AM- Opal wakes up by falling off the bed , we put a bunch of pillows around her for protection.

7:30 AM- I wake up and read , then everyone gets up to go grandparents house . On the way I get some good news that a poem mine is being published!

9:30 AM- we arrive and make ube waffles plus sausages for breakfast , Mia wakes up crying so Opal gives her her present.

11:00 AM- we go out to the beach , I ask grandma to ride with us , so she sits by Opal and they talk and sing a lot of the drive

12:00 PM- we get to the lake , change in swimsuits at the beach house and then walk over to where everyone is sat up. I put on Opals life vest and we run into the water , it’s pretty cold but feels incredible we float around together , it’s incredibly shallow everywhere so we could easily stand up and the water be at my ankles but love gliding on the little waves pretending to bubble guppies.

2:30 PM-We make sand art for awhile and then go to Gs for food but it’s way too expensive, must be that “Cape Cod of the Midwest” prices and Opal doesn’t eat much so we go back to my parents.

4:00 PM- Opal sleeps in the car there’s a bridge down so we take a detour down a dirt road and pass a buggy.

5:00 PM- we make it back before everyone so we shower but it’s freezing cold , people finally start showing up.

6 :00 PM-my mom makes tacos for dinner , Opal has rice and chips

7:00 PM- Opal and her cousin do more playing , we all go outside to take a picture. Takes about 20 minutes and my dad on a tractor lawn mower to get it right.

8:00 PM- I read some of my older cousins poetry , she’s really talented and I’m excited for her

9:30 PM- we go back too the hotel, I wash Opal’s hair , people are very loud-even more so than before , she eats mac n cheese after I get it up in the microwave down the hall while watching Peppa Pig.

10:30 PM-it’s finally bedtime , I turn up the sound machine to drown out the loud drinks , Opal falls asleep before me.

SATURDAY

2:00AM- Opal wakes up looking for me , doesn’t see me so I get up, give her a hug. She curls up beside me.

4 :00 AM- she pushes me out of bed so I surround her with pillows and go sleep in other bed.

8:00 AM -I wake up and read , then everyone gets up. While Jose gets ready , Opal and I clean up the hotel room.

10:00 AM -We check out of the hotel, drive to my parents for breakfast where we eat eggs & English muffins with apple butter , drink more grape juice.

11:30 AM- we go to Irons Park to play , the girls run around the jungle gym , dig in sand , swing , slide , hide and seek, hop scotch , play with bubbles , eat snacks and then cool off in the creak - which is like an ice bath

1:30 PM- My dad loads then into the wagon , we go back to their house for lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup.

4 :00 PM-We finally leave to go home , Opal cries a bit for grandma and then passes out most of the trip.

6:30 PM-We arrive home , it feels so nice ! We unpack and crawl onto couch , I eat left over pizza and wings. Opal has mac n cheese

9:30 PM- It’s bedtime , we are so grateful to be back in our comfy beds.

Am I a food content creator? Also…I can’t believe we’re more than halfway through August! I wonder what will happen next?

MONDAY

8:00 AM -I wake up and the grandparents are already on their way. They drop off milk , granola & bleach and undeniably strange combo lol.

9 :00AM -I eat yogurt with formerly mentioned granola and watch AJLT, then do therapy.

10:00 AM- I begin work for the day and create the weekly update on our work Slack channel.

11:30 AM- José and I head out for the day, he drops me at the office. I have a virtual visit with my psychiatrist…this day is really a high level mental health care day but I think that’s just what I need.

1:00 PM- Rubini and Sanjana arrive for their tour of the building , I show them the different floors and spaces available for events , they stay to co-work.

3:00 PM -They head out because Sanjana has to catch the train back to Chicago, we all express our deep gratefulness for being in community together through our work and creativity.

4:09 PM- Jose picks me go, Opal is asleep in back . We drive to Trader Joe’s , the market & get ice cream! Opal really wanted for play outside but the air quality is terrible, so ice cream helps ease the disappointment.

5:00 PM0 Back at home , we get dinner ready. Opal has rice and Jose and I have pasta with heirloom cherry tomatoes, my favorite.

7:00 PM- We watch some Pete the cat , then read some Pete the cat and do some watercolors.

8:30 PM -We start bedtime routine , Jose puts her down while I continue reading my poetry book

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TUESDAY

5:30 AM- Opal’s curtain randomly falls down which wakes her up scared , obviously, and in my dream it sounds like someone scraping the last bit of baked oatmeal from my glass square dish , very specific and weird . I get her back to sleep but every time I try to leave , she wakes so I’m locked in.

7:00 AM- She finally gets up for the day and I go to the bathroom and see my period had started.

8:30 AM- José takes her to school, I eat oatmeal because of my dream and my tired body and watch Perfect Match.

10:00 AM-I start work , respond to a few emails and send off contracts and grant documents to be signed.

12:00 PM-I take my lunch break, have a sandwich and watch more perfect match.

3:00 PM-It’s time for my meeting so I log in, afterwards I take a short nap then do some more work downstairs , José and I rearrange the dining room a bit .

5:00 PM- He leaves to pick up Opal, I order pizza and wings.

6:00 PM- Opal has sweet potato dinosaurs & breadsticks

7:40 PM-We watch Hello Kitty , which is a tad out of Opal’s age range, so we switch to Gabby’s Dollhouse.

8:30 PM-It’s bed time , I play rummikub and eat sweet n sour watermelon gummies, then read some poetry.

WEDNESDAY

7:00 AM- I wake up and finish my substack to be sent out and also watch the season finale of buccaneers. Opal and Jose get up so I get out of bed and take Opal downstairs.

9:00 AM- We have eggs and bread and then head out to the library , we play with the kitchen , color pictures ,play games on the computers and meet a new friend named Raven.

12:00 PM- On the way back home, we stop by the toy store , it’s pretty overwhelming and Opal is tired so we pick out a small school bus book and surprise unicorn paint kit.

2:30 PM-Home , get ready for bed but doesn’t take so I get her up, José comes back and she opens her unicorn paint kit. I go upstairs to work, rest and snack.

3:00 PM-Opal comes up , sings me lullaby’s.

6:00 PM-I go downstairs after awhile to start dinner. More cherry tins and pasta, Tis the season !

7:30 PM- Opal has spaghetti and yogurt , then we go upstairs for her bath, I find my special period underwear and then Opal and I act out the three little pigs with her Bluey and dinosaur bath toys, she is also wearing part of the swimsuit she just got

8:30 PM-Dry her off , get ready for bed . I cuddle up with my squishy

THURSDAY

7:30 AM- I start the day off by reading Concentrate by Courtney Faye Taylor.

8:30 AM-Opal is up , so we get ready for school , and do drop off.

9:00 AM- Afterwards, I go over to White wolf for coffee , hojicha , macrons & a croissant. Then pick up breakfast from Biscuit & gravy for biscuit breakfast sando and breakfast tacos.

10:00 AM- My first meeting begins , we all talk about being feral, I eat my breakfast tacos which feels aligned.

11:30 AM- I go upstairs to keep working, get ready for next meetings where I have some pleasant reminders about my own boundaries and keeping my peace as a mother which inspires me to say no to one more thing.

4:30 PM-Pick up Opal, she’s playing in a canoe with Nora. Teddy tells me his dad is back from NYC. We pick up diapers , underwear and a few snacks.

5:00 PM-Trader Joe’s for eggs, cheese, yogurt , sparkle water. Opal has a really kind interaction with the lady working the register. José picks up Jets pizza for dinner , then we finally get home.

7:00 PM-We get some really stressful mail so I cancel my plans with Zoe and stay home .

8:00 PM-We have dinner then get ready for bed, time has slipped through our fingers , as ABBA says ( I’ve been listening to so much show tunes including Mama Mia!)

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FRIDAY

9:00 AM- We have eggs, bacon and tots for breakfast, I top mine with ketchup. Opal finally decides to try them after I convince her they’re just small hashbrowns.

1:00 PM-I go to Bulk Space to work on a few upcoming projects, I say hi to Nate, Claire , Vanessa , Saylem and Trinitii . Most folks are there setting up for Black Zine Fest so the vibes are high. Nate is working on a zine about taking the bus in Detroit and it looks awesome! I’m quite distracted by everything but I manage to get a page written so I call that good.

3:00 PM-I go over to seasons because I’m so hungry , I have their ginger chickpeas over rice and sparkling water and good cakes and bakes gf brownie. I watch perfect match as I eat it all. Then I grab some Michigan peaches, goat cheese from here and then spinach , rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods for salad plus milk for Opal. And also more ice cream!

4:00 PM- I go to Zoe’s house to bring more of my zines over To Bulk , I see Michaela and her sister leaving as I grab the zines from Zoe’s cute mailbox . I go back to Bulk and drop them off to saylem.

5:00 PM-I go home and assemble the salad , with a mustard vinaigrette . Later we have more peaches and ice cream topped with granola and sprinkles which makes me dream of making peach baked oatmeal.

7:30 PM-We do a quick shower for Opal and then it’s bedtime

9:00 PM-I watch more Perfect Match and go to bed way too late,which is near midnight.

SATURDAY

3:00 AM- Opal wakes up and we have change her bedding due to an accident so , it’s takes awhile to get her set back up and asleep.

4:30 AM- finally asleep again

9:00AM -We are up for the day, big sleep in that everyone needed . I’m so tired.

10:30 AM-We have yogurt breakfast , then José leaves to hang out with a friend.

11:30 AM-Opal and I play a little bit in her house and water the plants

1:00 PM-Inside for snack time and cool off from the heat , watch bubble guppies and gabby crafts

2:00 PM-It’s bedtime but it doesn’t take so back downstairs until Jose gets back.

4:30 PM- I go to the zine fest , it’s hopping . I trade my zine for ones from Sojourners4Justice and Grace Issues and chat with them they both have such dope Black feminist publications, plus I meet folks and make a Riso print within the last 5 minutes.

6:30 PM-I go to food co op, grab more peaches , chocolate ice cream and old sparkle water. I also order pizza with the money I made from selling zines!

7:00 PM-I am home again , so tired , so hot but so happy about my zine haul and pizza!

8:30 PM bedtime , José puts her down and I finish the perfect match.

SUNDAY

9:30 AM- We have breakfast of eggs and chocolate hazelnut toast with bananas.

12:00 PM- We drive out to Birmingham library but it’s closed for fire repairs so we go to a playground with water features.

2:00 PM- Head over to my favorite bougie cafem Commonwealth for cold drinks and snacks , Opal plays with new travel magnatiles , I get a strawberry iced chamomile that I love.

3:30 PM- We drive home , Opal falls asleep during the last 10 min of our drive I try to put her back in the crib but it doesn’t work , we read a few books then go back downstairs.

4:30 PM-I try to work on some edits and nap upstairs but Opal comes back up and says she wants to nap with me but that really just means putting fairy stickers on my face.

5:45 PM-I do actually get an hour of sleep , wake up hungry so I quickly go downstairs and gear up my pizza leftovers , make Opal Mac n cheese then she does a bath.

7:30 PM-Come back downstairs and have popcorn I’d which she ate most of

9:00 PM-It’s bedtime and chocolate ice cream time , I read Sonia Sanchez.

Will ice cream and tomatoes continue to save me? Find out next time!

MONDAY

7:00 AM- I wake up and do some work on Substack.

8:30 AM- Opal is finally awake so we quickly get ready for grandparents.

9:30 AM- After pick her up, José leaves. I eat yogurt with berries & chocolate granola & made good cookies. It takes me back to my favorite granola from Marquette that has macrons in it , finish AJLT.

10:00 AM-I log onto work, start therapy. Such a good session, I love starting my week this way!

11:00 AM-I work on a few tasks, answer emails, put on Japanese House channel and start laundry.

1:00 PM- It’s time for a lunch break ,I have Sheena leftover rice & chicken , watch Workin Moms. Then try to use a hot glue gun to fix a few things but don’t have enough glue , so I put that on the back burner. I listen to Alex Sujong-Laughlin’s new podcast , Try Hard . It’s really lovely!

2:000 PM- I start up some more tasks which includes translating a bill from Spanish to English . I go outside to water the plants right before it starts to rain and thunderstorms, comically. Double water is good, right?

3:30 PM- I wash my hair , sadly out of body wash so I put a mebtal note in to order some more ASAP.

4:00 PM- José and Opal return , I put on a hat so my hair doesn’t get wet, I help bring in and put away groceries , start therapy next laundry load & heat up José dinner

5:00 PM- I get ready to go my Culturesource PD in Mexicantown . I run over a flattened cone and have to pull over to make sure it’s all good, luckily the cone fell out once I pulled over. No idea how.

6:00 PM- I arrive , they have tacos set up, just as the book foretold , then a panel starts on demystifying the grant process . I was reminded to: Work backwards from the future and go to the people who see the totality of who you are . Then grab some more tacos for lunch tomorrow , as I head out they say …we’re gifting everyone a surprise for returning their name tag. So I did and I got a $100 gift card!

8:00 PM-With this extra gift, I grab pull ups and more snacks from Kroger then head home. Opal runs up to meet me and gives me a huge hug, I miss you, she says

9:30 PM- It’s bedtime for all , she asks for dada out down so I get my CPAP set up for the night and have lots of snacks: cheese sticks, meat sticks, gummy bears, tru Fru, crackers & grapes! play some rimmikub. I feel proud of everything I did today!

TUESDAY

3-6 AM -Opal wakes up , she is primarily asleep most of the time but wakes up when I try to leave, I transfer to Jose around 5 so I can sleep. He gets her back to sleep soon after.

9:00 AM- Everyone gets out of bed to get ready for school and work, it’s a very groggy day.

10:30 AM- We arrive at school just on time to drop Opal off before cut off time, then drive to work while Jose takes a meeting in the car.

11:00 AM- I accidentally miss my doctor appointment but I need to eat breakfast so I have the yogurt I packed , then get ready for some meetings and go through my inbox.

1:00 PM-I meet with a new project then take my lunch break, eat tacos and drink sparkling water.

3:00 PM- My next meeting starts up , we talk about risk & use Miro to design some POVs, then I take another meeting in the car while we go pick up Opal.

5:00 PM- we got her , it’s wild how she runs up to me and says I miss you and gives a huge hug but then once I take her hand in the parking lot , it’s get away from me lol.

6:30 PM- We are home finally after picking up some overnight pull-ups.

7:00 PM- We have dinner.

8:00 PM-Opal does bath time , then painting while drying hair , we have cheese, grapes and a pack for snack.

9:00 PM- Its bedtime , José puts her down and I fall asleep immediately.

WEDNESDAY

7:30 AM-I wake up and read , everyone else gets up. Opal and I go downstairs for snacks. I pack yogurt.

9:30 AM- we head out to grandma house to drop off Opal.

10:00 AM- I go to the office for awhile and start my first meeting , then work on some tasks and talk to a few coworkers who are here today.

3:00 PM- José picks me up, Opal’s asleep . I send emails from my phone.

4:00 PM-We go the kids bookstore in Grosse Pointe Park , blocks away from our old house, Opal plays with a lot of the Mickey Mouse characters . Then we have ice cream and check out their patio where they have the most enchanted fairy garden which Opal and I love. José thinks we should be wary about welcoming the fae.

5:00 PM- We head home , pick up pizza , and are finally home. I notice that my second zinnia bid is about to open and I can’t wait

7:00 PM - After dinner, Opal and I play with sand . I switch her play kitchen with her chalkboard which creates a natural flow for the sand cakes she likes to make, we have berries. Then we color in her new Minnie Mouse coloring book.

8:00 PM- We read a few Pete the Cat bedtime stories , then get ready for bed. Opal is excited to see her friend Teddy tomorrow.

9:40 PM- Opal is finally asleep , I slink to the bathroom to take my medicine and then play some rummikub.

THURSDAY

7:00 AM -I’m up, feeling the need to rest , depression is hanging low over me so I take a sick day.

8:00 AM- Opal wakes up so we all get up, she and I head downstairs. She colors her Minnie coloring book with her Mickey doll by her side.

9 :00 AM- We head to daycare to drop her off and then the bakery but they are already sold out so we go to Flytrap , then pick up some flowers.

12:00 PM- I plant the flowers in the front of the house while listening to What’s the Reality. I am disappointed that the guest is talking about Is(nt)re@l.

2:00 PM- I go back inside to shower , then make a turkey , ham and Swiss sandwich with grapes , blue corn tortilla chips. Watch working moms. I notice after being outside that my depression has depleated.

5:00 PM-We head out to pick up Opal , a neighbor a few blocks away is selling a playhouse so I stop to look at it. It’s so cute! They’re only accepting cash so I say I’ll come back with some.

6:00 PM- after picking up Opal we get ice cream and fries , I get a chocolate peanut butter milkshake.

7:00 PM- We are finally home I drive over to the bank and get cash but the folks are already gone for the night , the house is still there so I leave a note with my number under the chair leg on their front porch

7:30 - Second night of pizza for dinner, Opal has Mac n cheese and rice lol then blue chips , I start laundry.

9:30 PM- It’s bedtime, I haven’t heard from the neighbors but I hope it will work out.

FRIDAY

7:00 AM-I wake up , read Claudia Rankine, Just Us, for first day of Sealey challenge

8:00 AM- Opal is awake , we head downstairs to do ,ore coloring and playing little red riding hood.

9:00 AM- we head out to the bakery , there’s a line around the building. Opal and I draw with sidewalk chalk and then do hopscotch while we wait. We get in and Rachel is slanging baked goods today so we say hi across the corner , blow kisses & I love yous. We order some yogurt , Kyle has saved me the last gf financier , earl gray tea cake , coffee , cookies, sparkle water

10:00 AM- we eat outside as Opal keeps playing hopscotch. I go back into the bakery an infinite amount of times and come out with more things each time.

11:00 AM- We go back home , the pink playhouse is still available ! The neighbors are kind enough to drive it down the block for us. Opal is so happy!

12:00 PM- José heads out , Opal and I play outside for awhile primarily in the house pretending to be Goldilocks and putting mail (green leaves which she calls memails) into the mail box slot.

1:00 PM-We are back inside for snacks , I eat a salad from the bakery then leftover potatoes from flytrap . Opal has oranges and cheese.

1:40 PM- I get ready for nap time after she’s finally asleep I eat the rest of the tea cake and start watching perfect match. I can’t believe how electric Ollie & AD are right from rip.

3:00 PM- Opal wakes up, we go downstairs and use the potty. Then go outside to play in the house and water the plants and play in the water.

4:30 PM- We have snacks : blueberries , cheese, English muffins mine with chocolate hazelnut spread anf bananas, another Marquette call back, hers plain.

5:30 PM-I start making plantains for dinner , José finally back so we get tamales ready and finally eat , Opal has Mac n cheese.

7:00 PM- We play more red riding hood, I unload dishwasher.

8:30 AM- We read Pete the Cat and get ready for bed.

SATURDAY

7:00 AM- I wake up and read Ankle-Deep in Pacific Water for E. Hughes for Sealey Day 2 , Opal and Jose get up. Opal and I have yogurt and watch Mickey mornings.

9:00 AM- we head out to ballet class, Opal is so excited in her new pink leotard and ballet slippers but is overstimulated by the loud music so she has a meltdown.

11:00 AM- dose for post ballet treats , then Brooklyn street for second breakfast . I have ham and cheese and caramelized onion omelet with fruit and breakfast potatoes and strawberry raspberry tea.

12:00 PM- We try to go to Belle isle for the water salon but traffic is unreasonably busy so we go to the rouge for more snacks, coffee and then the big playground so that Opal can run around for a bit.

2:30 PM-We stop at Trader Joe’s for pasta supplies and fruit.

3:30 PM- Finally home , Opal changes out of her ballet attire and then we watch Pete the cat while having many yummy snacks

5:00 PM- Dinner for Opal is rice , I slow roast cherry tomatoes and make pasta for José and I which turns out to be incredible because tomato season is my favorite!

7:00 PM- Opal and I do some laundry then play hide and seek with monster, baby shark and some other animals . She has an apple .

8:30 PM- We get ready for bed earlier since there was no nap today.

9:00 PM- I read more and text with Teddys mom about our play date tomorrow.

SUNDAY

7:00 AM- I wake up and read Plantains and Our Becoming by Melania Luisa Marte for day 3, Opal wakes up and is excited about Dinoland.

9:00 AM- everyone has eggs , then we get ready to head out.

11 :00 AM- we arrive at Dinoland , Opal squeals when she sees Teddy. They play on the playground while Jose and I talk to the parents. Then potty and snack break. Opal has a juice box, pringles and fruit snacks . Then we play a bit more. I go up into the Dino play scape for a bit too and am reminded of my age the minute I try to crawl through the purple tube. And trust me when I say, it takes me more than a minute to get through the tube.

1:00 PM- We go to target next door and grab a few too many things then head home.

2:30 PM- I don’t know how the Target run took so long but we are finally home, José puts Opal down for nap, I go to Seasons and then Belle Isle for a nature walk and cyanotype experience.

4:00 PM- I say hi to Rubini and meet Mateen, Rachael , Anastasia, Brian, Rhea, it comes out naturally about my book and everyone is excited about it. We go out to collect found objects for our prints . I grab : Queen Anne’s lace, bark, bottle cap, bottle seal, a big fluffy flower with thorns and several other things , Rhea has deed flowers so I pick out some pansies. I am happy to walk in the tall grasses and witness flying grasshoppers. We make the cyanotypes by the river, with river water. The shadow of plants on the prints reminds me of clouds. We have a deep circle conversation.

7:00 PM-I drive back home, order Chipotle for Opal and I. José goes to the movies wth his friends. Opal and I paint with her new watercolors.

8:30 PM-finally the chipotle arrives , I’m starving. I eat the chicken honey bowl and Opal has the milk carton , cheese quesadilla, some rice and the orange.

9:30 PM- we get ready for bed which includes finding new bedding for her crib.

10:00 PM- Opal is finally asleep , I take my medicine and go to sleep too.

Will I ever be able to wash my hair without a thunderstorm threatening my fresh curls? Is next week also all about Opal? Tune in soon to find out

MONDAY

8:00 AM- Opal and I are awake, I’m trying to find her childcare. School doesn’t have room so grandma says she can watch her despite her hurt foot.

9:30 AM- I finish up some yogurt , have therapy for the first time to start the week and then log in to work for the day.

11:00 AM -After working on a few tasks, I take a break to stretch , my body is feeling very anxious so I do some breathing exercises.

1:00 PM -I take my lunch break and watch Workin Moms

3:00 PM-I have my check in circle and afterwards chat with a few coworkers via slack,

6:00 PM- Work is done for the day so I make rice bowls for dinner , the protein being leftover wings.

7:30 PM-Opal and I start playtime by pretending to be kitties which quickly turns into her wanting to ride me like a horse. She says, “come here fella."

9:00 PM- It’s bedtime so we head upstairs. Opal falls asleep quickly after a full day of fun.

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TUESDAY

4:00 AM- Opal wakes up and has peed through so I grab her new bedding and clothes , José puts her back down.

8 :00 AM- We are finally up for the day snf get ready for school and work. I pack yogurt bowls for breakfast and Opal’s bedding for school.

10:30 AM -We arrive at work , I see Leila…it’s her last day in person, we

11:00 AM- I work on a few tasks and emails then I start getting ready for the PD I’m leading later in the afternoon.

1:00 PM-I set up the room with candles, scarves on the table for table cloth. My coworkers start arriving and help me set up the fruit and macarons. Then I start facilitating my PD workshop “Self-forgiveness as Practice for Communal Healing” based on the book Fumbling Towards Repair. We have really lovely conversations and make a paper quilt that represents the harm we’re letting go of.

4:30 PM- Jose and I head out to get Opal , we stop by target to grab a few things which turns into a few hundred things lol and then drive home. We consider getting ice cream but its too hot to sit outside at the ice cream shop. Which is wild.

6:00 PM- We order pizza for dinner, Opal has sghetti. When the pizza arrives, I am a little disappointed that mine doesn’t look as good as last time. But it tastes like pizza and that is always a plus.

7:30 PM- Opal does some coloring with her new markers and sets up her new unicorn placemat to do crafts on.

9:00 PM- It’s bedtime so we head upstairs, Opal takes a little over an hour to calm down but finally is asleep.

WEDNESDAY

7:00 AM- I wake up and do some reading.

8:00 AM- Opal is up so we go downstairs and have our respective yogurts.

9:30 AM- I head out to a Work meeting but the library I usually go to is closed so I go to Post and end up staying all day, which is an incredible choice.

12:00 PM- I order a Sister pie cookie and a Matcha. After my first meeting, I finish some tasks and then watch the new Buccaneers episode. One of the most wild yet!

2:00 PM- I do a meeting with my coworkers to debrief a few things.

3:30 PM- I grab a few things I’ve had my eyes on at Post and then head home to pick up Jose & Opal but they no longer feel like doing anything so we have our pizza

5:30 PM- I make Opal more spaghetti , we have ice cream… Opal successfully asks me to share which I don’t want to but give into because she is so cute.

7:00 PM- We do some more flashlight stories and then Opal plays with her dinosaur slime which has gone bad, maybe from the heat. I make a mental note to try and find more.

9:00 PM- We are getting really good at 9 PM bedtimes. Opal falls asleep quickly.

THURSDAY

8:30 AM- Opal and Jose head out to daycare. I work from home because it’s too hot to leave where I am currently sitting lol.

10:00 AM- I start my work day by facilitating the finance meeting. Then I work on a few tasks and pick up some of Opal’s toys that are trying to take my life from me.

12:00 PM- I step into another meeting, Jose comes home because again its too hot in the world.

1:30 PM- After my meeting, I make us prosciutto and turkey sandwiches which we have with grapes and darkened chips , so good!

4:30 PM- We head out to pick up Opal from school , it’s so hot like almost 1000 degrees. We pray the car’s AC works with us because it doesn’t always.

6:30 PM- Finally home, back in the glorious AC. I heat up the rest of the pizza for dinner. It really has lasted us so long and that is a small miracle that I am grateful for because no one is trying to cook in this heat.

7:30 PM- Opal and I cuddle on the couch then play with her gabby cats.

9:30 PM-Bedtime is a little later but the plus side is we got to see more fireflies.

FRIDAY

6:30 AM- I wake up and read ms red cherries , scroll through IG , read substack and start AJLT

9:30 AM- Opal and Jose wake up , Opal says her tummy is rumbling so we head downstairs to have blueberries and cheddar bunnies.

10:30 AM- We have eggs topped with avocado for brekky , then we get ready to head out for the day.

12:30 PM- Finally out of the house, José drives us to the main branch of the library , Opal pretends to be a plane and flies all the way to the children’s library. When get there , there is a learning circle happening about birds so we get to see some feathers, eggs and nests. Then we go over to wear they have inner tubes and play with those , do some coloring , listen to little red riding hood on the computer , Opal songs loudly , play with legos , look at a few books. We check out their doll display before José picks us up and Opal points at the ones she wants to play with.

3:30 PM- We go to 27th letter, buy a book for the baby birthday we’re going to. Opal and I play bus drivers with the small rocking chairs

4:30 PM-We get to the party , gorgeous backyard and say hi to Jenny, Nate, Soh , Zumi, Toni and Lauren. Then Cyrah and Juniper come down dressed in gold bathing suits . Jenny grills up some meats. I eat some chicken , hot dogs & salad while talking to Siobahn. Opal and I get ready for the pool. It’s Opal’s first time in a big pool but she’s laughing and splashing as we glide around on a floatie. Morgan and Nami show up! This is turning out to be the social event of the season!

5:30 PM- we get ready to head out , say hi and bye to Liz and walk back to the car. We have ice cream at huddle and then get groceries from TJs. I am feeling so tired from the swimming and all the other things.

7:00 PM- Opal has a bath then eats mac and cheese for dinner. Jose and I have tamales and plantains. Then we do some flashlight stories and head bed… I fall asleep before 10.

SATURDAY

7:00 AM- I’m awake before everyone as usual , so I read and play rummikub

8:00 AM -Opal wakes up and says her tummy is tumbling , we go downstairs . I cut her an oddly long apple into slices. She uses the potty. We watch bubble guppies

10:00 AM-I start breakfast ,we are having hash browns , bacon and eggs.

12:00 PM- José heads out for the afternoon. Opal and I have play monsters which includes hiding and running and screaming and roaring all around the house. Then we have snacks: star crackers & bananas. We read a couple books before map: Boxitects, Pete the Cat Screams for Ice Cream and Where’s Spot.

2:00 PM- Opal falls asleep a bit before 2 for her. I charge my AirPods while cleaning out my backpack. Then I watch Workin Moms , drink Chobani mango smoothie and have TJs m&ms, a banana and crackers.

3:00 PM- Opal wakes up crying , it’s only been an hour …rats as she would say! We head back downstairs and cuddle up on the couch

4:30 PM- José gets home and I get ready to head out for dinner at Sheena’s. I pick up some me strawberry lemonade and sparkle water on the way. When I arrive at Sheena’s, she’s finishing up the bbq chicken out back on the grill. We catch up and head inside where I assemble the spiced apricot rice salad we’re having. Then we dish up our beautiful meal: grilled chicken & asparagus , rice salad . We mix the sparkle water with strawberry lemonade . We chat about so many things, listen to good music and laugh. It’s been awhile and we’ve missed each other.

8:00 PM- I head home to get ready for my reading for the launch of Marcescence Magazine at the BIPOC Adoptees conference. It’s pretty late for me as it’s 6 PM PST. I go on close to 10 PM my time and read about my collages and the essays and poems that accompany them.

10:30 PM - I grab some snacks and then head to bed, José had a tough tnight me putting Opal down but she’s finally asleep.

SUNDAY

1:00 AM- Opal wakes up crying in pain because her stomach hurts. After coming to my bed, back to hers, grabbing the potty … she finally throws up twice. We clean her off, I grab her water and throw the messy stuff in the wash. After an hour plus or so she’s finally asleep.

4:00 AM- I climb back into bed and dose off.

8:30 AM- Opal is up but I sleep in for awhile and read. I also make all kinds of reminders in my finch app for the creative deadline I’m trying to make today.

9:40 AM- I’m fully up now and after my morning routine, I head downstairs where I’m greeted by Opal, she’s eating pretzels and raspberries.

10:30 AM- she potties and then we play with dinosaurs in her sand table , I turn the oven on for hash browns and tater tots. I start making the bacon on the stovetop.

11:00 AM- we eat, then I get ready then head out to the library. I listen to Liberty Lost on my drive. I really want to go to the arboretum across the street because they’re doing a poetry walk but it’s already 90 so I run inside the library where the AC is blasting. I’ve come prepared with a sweater.

1:00 PM-I work on my first draft of the artist statement and watch the info session then watch Workin Moms and order Target pickup.

4:00 PM- I head out to pickup my order and then go home.

5:00 PM- At home we have ice cream, I crumble made good mini cookies & sprinkles all over it. So good! Then make pasta for dinner and slow cook some yellow cherry tomatoes until they burst , then fold it all together w pesto and parmesan- that’s amoré!

6:00 PM- Opal and I play with her pink spikey ball, I clean up a bit. We watch some coco melon. Then turn it off for the night.

8:30 PM- we head upstairs and she falls asleep within 20

9:00 PM- I send off my submission after one more look through , have some snacks, play rummikub and then snuggle up with my squishy forwhat I hope will be a better night sleep.

Will I find more heirloom tomatoes? Will I get into a better cooking routine despite the heat? What adventures lie ahead for Opal? Tune in next week to find out!

MONDAY

7:00 AM I wake up before everyone, my new but also old routine, to read my poetry book on my nightstabd, beside my CPAP. I’m currently reading Mother by ms RedCherries.

8:30 AM-I finallly get out of bed ,I get Opal up and get ready for the day.

9:30 AM-Opal’s Grandparents arrive , José and I head out. I grab matcha for Leila and I plus some treats from Alba.

10:30 AM-I get to the office and eat yogurt for breakfast. I can’t remember the last time I was here on a Monday! Istart checking emails and text with Meli about grief ceremony.

12 :00 PM-Meli arrives and I head out to get snacks. I see a goldfinch in the trees.

1:30 PM- Sche & I set up snacks , she does it beautifully. I take mental notes.

2:00 PM-The grief ceremony begins , people bring so much to the space . Meli cleanses each person with a maraca. We move our bodies and wail and yell together. Then sing songs of thanksgiving, while jasmine is dripped onto our tongues . Then we have the snacks I got: berries, crackers , Brie , salami , prosciutto

4:30 PM- José and Opal come to the building to pick me up, we drive over to TJs. Opal wakes up when we get there. She gives me a big hug and says I miss you . I pick her up and she says she wants to keep holding me. I carry her inside and set her down by their baby carts.

6:30 PM-We are finally home , I read about Andrea’s passing. I haven’t been on IG much. Opal notices my crying and so we all dance together in the living room to Naya Rivera (also RIP) singing If I Die Young. Feels like such a loving container for all the grief of the day.

7:00 PM- We have breakfast for dinner , I put thick slices of heirloom tomatoes into an English muffin egg sandwich with bacon and arugula. We Also have hash browns. So yummy and grounding

8:00 PM- Opal and I relax upstairs by cuddling under the blankets in my bed and playing my penguin game.( the finch app)

9:00 PM- We get ready for bed, Opal does her flashlight stories . Then I eat salami with TJs gluten free and dairy free cheese it’s & cheese sticks and a chocolate chip sesame cookie in bed.

11:00 PM- I finally drift off to sleep.

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TUESDAY

8:00 AM- I take Opal to school and then come back home and have leftover breakfast for dinner for breakfast.

10:00 AM- I start my work day with two meetings, one with my supervisor and another with a project. I learn that we have a shared connection, Danya, who might be coming on as a contractor soon.

12:00 PM- It’s the first cooler day in awhile so I do some garden work while listening to Liberty Lost, then I come into have lunch from Seasons. I check my work email and like clockwork, Danya has emailed me! She has a friend who recently moved to Detroit that I should connect with. Danya and I make plans to catch up more fully in September which seems like a long way off but its really not.

1:00 PM- I take a quick shower, place a Target order and then join my next few meetings.

4:00 PM- José gets Ppal while I finish my last meeting of the day. When she gets home, she yells up the stairs, I’m baaaack.

6:00 PM- Dinner is Pizza then we do some cleaning. Opal and I do her flashlight stories which is so fun and ridiculous.

8:30 PM-We head upstairs and climb into our beds to go to sleep.

WEDNESDAY

9:30 AM- We drop off Opal at Grandparents

11:00 AM- I have a staff meeting and share about the upcoming PD that I’ll be facilitating.Jose and I work from the coffee shop but heat is unbearable so we switch locations,

1:00 PM-I go to Seasons for a bit to continue working. I remember that AC is a gift as the cold air pierces my skin.

2:30 PM-Then we pick up Opal and she falls asleep in car.

3:30 PM- We do a grocery pickup at TJs, the heat is starting to break. I am thankful.

5:00 PM- We have Baobab for dinner and Opal has rice.

6:00 PM- I join a hybrid meetup for People’s guide to AI bookclub hosted by Mother Cyborg at Bulk Space.

7:00 PM-Then I play with Opal, we play hide and seek and big bad wolf.

8:30 PM- After a few more snacks, we get ready for bed.

THURSDAY

6:00 AM- Opal wakes up, she seems like she is still tired so she sort of sleeps for a bit more but then gets up. We get ready for school and head out pretty early.

7:45 AM- Arrive at school in time for breakfast and then pick up Fly Trap Foragers for brekky.

9:00 AM-I am home and eat my food while watching Workin Moms. I relate to these ladies so much.

10:00 AM- I have three back to back meetings: finance, then transition meeting with project, then a tough but needed debrief about the events earlier in the week/last weekend.

1:00 PM- I grab a cinnamon coffee cake muffin from downstairs and catch up with Ryan. It’s been way too long since we talked and it feels like pulling a cozy blanket out of the dryer while its still hot.

3:00 PM- I go to my final meeting of the day- all staff meeting , I have a raging headache from too much zoom doom room, then eat some Cheese Pizza for lunch.

5:00 PM- I sign off from work for the weekend! We order Olive Garden for dinner because no. I try to nap until Opal gets back. She yells up the stairs, “mama, I am back!!”

7:00 PM- We do some reading after dinner and playing with kinetic sand. I work on some dishes.

9:00 PM- bedtime.

FRIDAY

3:30 AM-Opal wakes up and asks for more milk which I give her. I get out of her room around 5 AM and fall back asleep.

8:00 AM- Opal is up for the day, I get Jose to get up with her so I can sleep an extra hour.

9:30 AM- I get up slowly and do my morning routine. Opal and I make eggs.

11:00 AM- We head out for the day. We drop off José at the coffee shop then Opal and I go to Rhythm & Reading on the River , they have therapy dogs which makes both Opal and I so excited.Then we get some donuts and go to the playground. It’s a perfect day and we haven’t been able to go to the playground in so long since the air quality and heat have been unbearable.

2:00 PM- We are back home. Opal goes down for nap time. I watch Workin Moms and try my favorite crackers with dark chocolate — it’s great!

4:30 PM- I wake up Opal and go pick up Jose. Then we grab sushi for dinner. We head back home so I can get dressed, grab my riso zines and prints for my reading and put the sushi in the fridge.

6:30 PM- We arrive at my reading at Book Suey, Opal and I perform first. She leads the crowd in Twinkle Twinkle and Old Macdonald which is a great reprieve from the intensity and beauty of my poems.

8:30 PM- We go home eat more food. We have leftover Olive Garden so I heat that up. Opal has her spaghetti, Jose eats my leftover pasta and I have one of the Zuppa Toscanas.

10:00 PM-We go to sleep with twinkling stars in our eyes.

SATURDAY

7:00 AM- I wake up an hour before my alarm goes off so I do some reading and skimming through substacks and instagram.

8:00 AM- I get out of bed and get ready for my pedicure with Sol. Opal wakes up too.

9:00 AM- Opal and I have yogurt, then I head out to the salon.

10:15 AM- Sol and I have our pedicures side by side, they chose a dark red color, almost metallic, while I did a lavender. We catch up and laugh a lot. Afterwards, we go over to Seasons for a little bit to keep chatting in their beautiful garden.

11:50 AM- Sol and I say goodbye, I go to Markus Market to buy tacos for lunch. I notice they are selling Labubus. I grab one to reward myself for the zines I sold at my reading last night. It’s likely a knock off because its so cheap but I am so happy I got the Lychee one. I facetime Opal to show her and she is so happy about it. I know it won’t be mine for long.

12:30 PM- I spend some time at Bulk Space eating and doing some light grad school research.

1:30 PM- I head over to a flea market about 10 minutes away. I run into Rachel and Katy who are both selling their amazing prints. I get this vintage wooden owl art piece that reminds me of the other wooden owl art pieces I have. I make a plan to do an owl gallery wall at home. I also grab a couple of Katy’s mini block prints to give to friends and put in my house.

3:00 PM- I go back home to pick up Opal and Jose. Opal immediately sees my Labubu and names it Monster.We go to CVS for nighttime pullups, Trader Joe’s for food and two Krogers before we find the milk that Opal likes. We order pizza on the way home because we need to do some cleaning and I won’t have time (or energy) to cook too.

6:00 PM- Finally home, we eat our pizza and Opal has rice for dinner and then some breadsticks. I start cleaning up her play area/the living room. I also vacuum and do some toy organizing.

8:00 PM- I am finally done. It’s not perfect but I know I did a pretty good job when Opal immediately sees the open space and says, “wanna play?” I say yes and we play with Gabby’s Dollhouse Kitty Care Ear set until bedtime.

9:15 PM- Opal asks for dada put down so I scroll through Apartment Therapy before going to bed early.

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SUNDAY

6:00 AM- One downside to going to bed is waking up early but my body remembers that I am actually an early bird, and I relish having control of my waking and sleeping, when I do. I do some stretching, tiptoe to the bathroom and then do some reading.

7:00 AM- I go back to sleep and wake up after an hour to Opal saying mama. She’s not yelling my name yet so I get up slowly.

7:30 AM- We head downstairs for the morning and talk about what we want to do today. She uses the potty. Then she finds Monster.

8:30 AM- Opal eats two baby yogurts while I get laundry together and get dressed for the day.

9:30 AM- I put bacon and hash browns in the oven. Opal and Jose make eggs while I do some more cleaning. We sit down to eat breakfast. I cut up heirloom tomatoes for our breakfast sandwiches, the flavor is insanely sweet.

11:30 AM- We head out to a craft studio pop up downtown. It’s really cute with so many wicker accents, which I am obsessed with. Opal makes sand art, I make a friendship bracelet and Jose starts a vinyl drawing. Then we paint pots and get seeds to plant in them. We then walk back to the car, its noticeably cool, the wind makes it almost cold.

1:00 PM- We head to the coffee shop to do a potty and snack break. We run into Nate and he plays with Opal and Monster. Then we go over to the Book Festival in the market but it’s honestly a bust so we head over to West Village to get ice cream.

2:30 PM- We arrive at Huddle and there’s a decent size market happening there. It’s bustling but the seats by the ice cream are completely empty so we hunker down away from the crowd.

3:30 PM- I grab some flowers and then we drive home.Opal falls asleep in the car, holding Monster.We cruise around more, get some gas and then stop at my favorite little market for snacks. They have the best fruit, big and boogie. Opal wakes up and we all use the potty in the back. We leave but I somehow forget a bag of my groceries so we turn back. Thankfully the clerk left the groceries for me in the ice cooler in the front of the store.

4:30 PM- Finally heading home while eating snacks, drinking ice cold sparkle water (what’s cooler than being cool? Ice cold!!!), salami, asiago cheese and melons.

5:00 PM- Home so we huddle onto the couch to chill out. I put the snacks out on a plate for us to keep grazing. Both Jose and I nod off despite Opal constantly asking us to play.

7:00 PM- We get dinner started, Opal has sweet potato dinosaurs. Jose and I have our leftover pizza. Its one of the best pizzas I’ve had in a bit and that makes sense because it has extra cheese and extra pepperoni.

8:00 PM- Opal and I eat raspberries, blueberries and grapes. We then play with Monster, Bluey and a few of her other stuffed animals while watching a new show.

9:00 PM- We get ready for bed but Opal has an accident so we have to everything out of her room. She asks for dada put down so I go into my room to listen to Hamilton and work on my Substack.

Will I be more organized with my time? Are there any other answers to this heat other than ice cream and pizza? what adventures will we do next? Find out next week!

Hello, welcome to my (anti) depression diaries. These weekly entries serve as my visual archive of what I am doing in the midst of heavy mental health fog.These entries, this archive is my response to my inner critic who tells me that I do not do enough. I am very inspired by poet Safia Elhillo who does this weekly diary series crafted after the Grub Street Diet. Here you will find my daily rhythms of musings, food routines, mothering, 9-5 work and creative practice. It’s a delicate and wild and terrifying and beautiful balance. So please join me as I quiet my imposter syndrome, engage in shadow work and write about what’s really happening for me. I will continue writing these until my battle with my inner critique is won and the fog turns into clear skies.

MONDAY

8:30 AM- Opal and I wake up, get ready for her grandparent’s house. She has baby yogurt and I make golden oatmeal. I watch the new episode of And Just Like That.

10:00 AM- I start work and have an 11 AM meeting.

12:00 PM- I take a break to do some gardening, this is the first day it’s been in the seventies for awhile so I take advantage of it and dig up some grass. By the time I am done it fully looks like a dig site.

1:30 PM- I have another meeting , this time it’s a check-in circle that my team is trying in small groups.

2:30 PM- For lunch I have a turkey and salami sandwhich with kettle chips and grapes while I watch Queer Ultimatum.

4:30 PM- Opal and Jose come home. We make tamales and plantains because that’s our religion.

7:00 PM- I go back outside to do some more gardening, dump two bags of soil. Opal plays with bubbles and helps by digging with a trowel.

8:30 PM- I take my second shower of the day, just one is a feat so…two is like gold medal status.

9:30 PM- Opal gets ready for bed and so do I. My back hurts really bad from the cement I found buried in the ground and dug up.

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TUESDAY

7:30 AM- The construction starts and wakes everyone up, which is bittersweet. We should get ready but also I hate the noise of a jackhammer in cement as a way to wakeup.

8:00 AM- Opal reads in her crib while I brush my teeth.

8:30 AM- We head downstairs, Opal has Apple slices for her morning snack, I make yogurt breakfast & sandwhich lunch for José & I.

9:00 AM- We head out to drop Opal off at Daycare.

10:00 AM- I start work by doing my first meeting of the day, I eat my yogurt immediately afterwards.

11:30 AM- I meet some folks doing a writing residency in the building, one person and I immediately recognize each other but I have no idea why.

1:00 PM- I meet with a new project that feels really good and fulfilling. I love supporting Black women and femme, especially from Detroit.

2:00 PM- Lunch break! I eat my sandwich and talk to a few folks while I get a few things ready.

3:00 PM- We have our weekly Staff meeting.

4:00 PM- Jose and I head to the coffee shop. Someone drops off the new Riverwise Magazine which I have two poems published in!

5:00 PM- We go to Trader Joe’s and then daycare for pickup.

6:30 PM- We get back home and I take Opal immediately to the bath since she is so muddy and sweaty from school.

7:00 PM- We have tamales for dinner.

8:00 PM- We close out the night by reading a few stories together before going upstairs to bed.

WEDNESDAY

8:00 AM- We wake up to rain, it is a gloomy day.

9:00 AM- It’s potty time , we’ve all regressed so Opal is resistant at first but eventually gives into it.

9:30 AM- I start work while Opal eats sliced apples. Then we do a shark hunt and a couple rounds of hide and seek.

10:00 AM- I have a yogurt with berries and chocolate granola while I start work. Opal has baby yogurt.

11:00 AM-Opal has accident so I clean that up. Then she and José make eggs. I head out for my morning meetings at library.

12:00 PM - I head out for a Target run.

1:30 PM- I get back home for nap time but it’s a fight but after an hour plus she’s finally down.

3:00 PM- I watch part of the new Buccaneers episode but she wakes back up after only an hour.

4:00 PM- I start making rice, Opal watches Miffy and has mini cheese sandwich crackers.

5:00 PM- José comes back , we talk about random stuff throughout the day.

6:00 PM- I start cutting bell peppers, Opal cuts her cucumber shapes. I make a beef tips and veggie site fry

6:30 PM - Opal has two bowls of rice , then some grapes

7:00 PM- We read Boxitects a couple times.

8:00 PM- I start to clean up kitchen and let out a tiny fart. I say, “Ope that was the baby fly.” Without missing a beat, Opal says, “there’s not a tiny fly in your butt.” We all laugh so hard.

9:00 PM- Opal gets ready for bedtime, we all fall asleep quickly.

THURSDAY

8:00 AM- Get up with Opal. I help her get ready for the school and then Jose takes her. I stay home because I am facilitating a poetry workshop this morning. I eat yogurt with berries and chocolate granola then watch the rest of the Buccaneers episode.

10:00 AM- I facilitate a poetry session for community call for work. The session is called “Let’s Talk About Our Flowers: A Poetry Practice of Noticing. It is all about reading and writing poems, that are our litanies on survival in these challenging and critical times.Using poems as a reminder to the world, ourselves , of our staying power.I have everyone write a poem based on the prompt of using the title “Self-Portrait with Survival.” I write about Rose of Sharons.

11:30 AM- José gives me a financier from the bakery. I work on a few contracts and write out a few questions for tomorrows moderation.

1:00 PM- Then take half day because I’m working tomorrow. I start rewatching Workin Moms and heat up leftover stir fry for lunch. Then I eat kettle chips and chocolate mints.

4:30 PM- Jose and I get ready to grab Opal , stop by TJs on the way. José gives her a croissant he got for her earlier in the day from the bakery

6:00 PM - We get back home, I make spaghetti while working on dishes. Everyone eats and then we play outside for a little while.

8:30 PM- It’s been a long day so we head upstairs, to tuck in tight.

FRIDAY

8:30 AM- Everyone is awake. Opal and I head downstairs first. Then Jose comes down to mae Eggs with avocado.

11:30 AM- We head out to go to the first Read & Rhythm on the River of the season , Opal loves it. When we arrive, someone is singing about turkey vultures(classic) and we flap our arms like wings. I love how Opal makes portals for my inner child to soar.

1:00 PM- We head back home , it is really hot outside. I do a shower and my hair routine so I am ready for my moderation later tonight.

2:00 PM- José heads out for a few hours. I try to give Opal a nap but she doesn’t go down after 1 hour of trying.

3:00 PM- I eat yogurt for a late lunch and then get out Opal’s water table, also first time of the season, we clean it and then splash around for quite awhile. She has this miniature pink jet ski that is actually from a Polly Pocket set, we both are excited about it’s floating abilities!

4:30 PM- We come back inside. We have cheese sticks and tangerines for a snack. Then I get ready ready for my event.

5:00 PM- Head out after Jose gets home , traffic is incredibly terrible, people are reversing up the on ramp to the highway, which I always find bizarre.

6:00 PM- The event starts. Meli gives a beautiful reading of their book, Beyond Disaster. Then I do my moderation and open it for questions from the audience.I’m so proud of the questions & conversation I cultivated.

7:30 PM- I have a few vegetables w hummus and some fruit. Then I meet and talk to a bunch of folks about a variety of topics ranging from doula work to Philly NPOs.

8:30 PM- I get back home. I have my favorite crackers, Mary’s Everything crackers with roasted red pepper hummus.

9:00 PM- Then I take down the water table for the night and make sure the hose is off, switch laundry and get ready for bed.

SATURDAY

8:30 AM- Opal and I get up. I clean up the counter, then we make waffles. It’s my first time using the 1 to 1 GF flour blend from TJs. It’s really good! I also heat up breakfast sausages.

10:30 AM- José heads out for morning.Opal and I play with her trains and then toss the ball back and forth between our legs, diamond shaped, with her Ms Rachel & Bean dolls.

11:30 AM- Then we play hide and seek which takes us upstairs to her room where we play with her Woodzies animals and their little acorn treehouse with a yellow slide.

12:30 PM- Then it’s snack time , it’s cheese stick and pretzels for her. Cheese stick and blue tottilla chips for me. We listen to some stories on the tv then have tangerines.

2:00 PM- Then it’s get nap time so we go back upstairs after she potties.José gets home so we switch off, I head out

2:30 PM- I go to Seasons and have a late lunch of broccoli and cheddar soup and a peach smoothie plus mozzarella balls & dark chocolate pb cup while watching Too Much on Netflix. It’s pretty good but I only have time for one episode.

4:00 PM- I go to City Bird for some cute little gifts, then go to Whole Foods for some cute expensive food.

5:30 PM- My friend Leila is in town from Chicago at Heidelberg Project so I surprise her & drop in, we catch up for a bit then I realize it’s later than we thought so head home.

7:00 PM-Dinner is Caribbean turkey burgers topped with. Mango salsa , broccoli crunch salad and pesto caprese salad which I topped w balsamic glaze , all curtesy of whole foods deli . It was really good but needed more mango salsa.

8:00 PM- Opal has some baby yogurt then we play for a bit before getting her ready for bed. She didn’t sleep long for nap due to dumb loud vehicles

8:30 PM- She asks for dada put down for the first time in awhile , so I take my medicine and cuddle under the blanket and text a few friends about my upcoming reading , then play a round of rummikub on my phone which I win, handsomely.

SUNDAY

1:30 AM- Opal is up.

3:00 PM- I get her back down finally but she wakes up again at 4:30 AM. I try to put her to sleep in my bed but it doesn’t work. Finally by 5 AM she is asleep again in her bed.

10:00 AM- We all get up, despite the stunted sleep, we are energized for the day.

10:30 AM- There’s not a lot of food so we scavenge together leftover waffles , an egg and sausage for breakfast. I see the Rose of Sharon blooming in the backyard which fills me with so much glee! An answer to my poem.

12:00 PM- We head out to go to the Discovery Center. We park and then walk to a coffee shop and then over to the center. We play with a bunch of different toys like building blocks, air flyer?, dino dig, watch National Geographic channel about octopus and penguins and eat popcorn. Then we go back to the coffee shop because they have AC and we want another drink and snack.

3:30 PM- We get back home. I head out to Seasons for a couple hours. I eat a broccoli cheddar soup with crackers and sparkle water. Then I have a good cakes and bakes brownie. I submit my zine for Black Zine Fest in Detroit and then watch a little more of Too Much. I grab a few snacks for home before heading out.

5:30 PM- Back home, Opal is excited to see me. I give her the locally grown $5 blueberries and she gobbles them all up in one sitting.

6:30 PM- She goes potty then we make Moana mac n cheese. She eats while watching a unicorn story on Youtube. I finish up my zine application because I forgot to upload a few things.

7:30 PM- I eat my spaghetti leftovers. Opal has two packs and then she has an accident. We clean that up. After I’m done eating, I run the bath for her and grab some new clothes. She gets in these strawberry pants after the bath that I accidentally rip while playing with her.

8:30 PM- I show her the storybook flashlight I got her and we do all three stories: The three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood, before going upstairs for bed.

9:00 PM- She goes to sleep quickly. Jose comes back home from seeing Superman with friends. I realize the laundry never started from earlier so I try to make a mental note to send that out tomorrow.

10:00 PM- I finish up this substack, schedule it and read Hanif’s article about Zohran and Mahmoud.

Tune in next week to see how I practice my fine balance of motherhood, creativity, art admin & food prep….will I pull it off? Hopefully!

Hello, welcome to my (anti) depression diaries. These weekly entries serve as my visual archive of what I am doing in the midst of heavy mental health fog.These entries, this archive is my response to my inner critic who tells me that I do not do enough. I am very inspired by poet Safia Elhillo who does this weekly diary series crafted after the Grub Street Diet. Here you will find my daily rhythms of musings, food routines, mothering, 9-5 work and creative practice. It’s a delicate and wild and terrifying and beautiful balance. So please join me as I quiet my imposter syndrome, engage in shadow work and write about what’s really happening for me. I will continue writing these until my battle with my inner critique is won and the fog turns into clear skies.

MONDAY

8:00 AM - Opal wakes up and gets ready for her grandparents house

9:00 AM - I am heading into my second week off so I am happy to have a slow morning, eating eggs and catching up on And Just Like That.

10:30 AM- I start cleaning and listening to Liberty Lost podcast.

1:00 PM- I stop for lunch to have leftover olive garden and watch season two of America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders(DCC).

2:00 PM- I do more organizing downstairs and set up Opal’s area with a new toy rotation.

4:00 PM- I take a break for the day, I watch more DCC and start snacking on dried mango dark chocolate almonds. I also start a load of laundry and take what I have organized into orange bins to the basement.

5:30 PM -José and Opal come back home , José orders pizza and wings.Very exciting times!

6:30 PM -Opal and I play with her newly organized spaces. She’s enjoying finding things in my little baskets and bins. I am proud of how I put all the Bluey toy figurines in a small basket, all the Gabby’s Dollhouse ones in another small basket and Calico Critters in another. I knew I collected small baskets for a reason!

7:30 PM- Pizza is here! I have wings and the leftover Olive Garden soup as well.

9:00 PM- I get Opal ready for bedtime and go over workshop notes before passing out.

TUESDAY

8:30 AM- I take Opal to daycare after she finishes her yogurt

9:30 AM - I drive back home , it’s so hot , for breakfast I have eggs and my kefir + jam drink. I also watch And Just Like That.

11:00 AM- I head upstairs to clean my clothes up and listen to heart wrenching podcast, Liberty Lost.

1:30 PM - I have a self-imposed lunch break, eat a turkey, salami sandwich and watch more DCC.

3:00 PM- I do some more cleaning , start laundry , I actually open the closet to hang things up. I put a dress aside for tonight.

3:30 PM- I catch up with Rubini over a Google hangout and we start making plans to do a film photography portrait session!

4:30 PM- I shower , do my hair and makeup , and put my dress on.

5:30 PM- It’s raining so much that it flooded the highway so it takes a very long time for José and Opal to get home.

6:15 PM - I head out for a dinner for Arc Fund Arc Fund Grantees , they have Yum Village for dinner. I sit at a table, meet some new people while I eat. I get up to walk around the room. I see a new friend and then Leila and Alise. They also introduce me to Noor. Leila, Noor and I talk until the event is over and the start putting away chairs. We decide to keep hanging out over milkshakes but Leila gets a flat tire so we rain check

9:30 PM- Opal put down and read the news about Iran

10:00 PM - I fall asleep wishing for the end to madness and bloodshed.

WEDNESDAY

5:30 AM- José goes to the bathroom , Opal wakes up and then I get stuck in her room because she wakes up every time I try to leave.

8: 00 AM- Opal is up for the day, goes downstairs to use play dough , I nap for a bit then eat peanut butter banana toast.

10:00 AM- we get ready to go to grandma house and grab egg bar for breakfast.

11:00 AM- we go to comic shop , they have some really cool zines that I day dream about making my zines like.

12: 00 PM- we head to coffee shop , I send off some submissions then watch The Buccaneeers.

2:00 PM- I grab lunch at Summertown, text with Noor about meeting up and then drive to get Opal.

3:00 PM-we go to target , for new shoes. She picks out purple sparkly clogs. Then she uses the potty and has a pink cake pop as a prize!

4:00 PM - I pick José up , we drive to CVS and TJs , Opal sleeps.

4:45 PM- José drops me off at CVS, then I walk over to TJs , I use the bathroom.

5:15 PM- I start getting groceries from my list , Opal and José come in. I say hi , Opal gets upset because the little carts are gone. Then she has meltdown and pees on floor. We don’t have extra clothes so José puts her in a diaper and takes her back to the car while I finish groceries.

5:45 PM- Back in the car.Opal is still upset , I give her a cheese stick, which calms her down.

6:40 PM- we are finally home! Opal has Moana mac and cheese. I make Jose and I bbq chicken salad.

8:00 PM- we start our bedtime routine. We watch Fireflies flickering outside, read new books about Moana and Ms Rachel!

9:00 PM- We all go to sleep, good night!

THURSDAY

9:00 AM- We head out to drop Opal off at school

10:30 AM- I go to Seasons for the morning , eat yogurt , and watch more DCC.

12:30 PM- I head over to Bulk and go through some workshop notes.

2:00 PM- Sol comes by and we print and fold zines for our event later.

3:30 PM- I have tamales for lunch and head out to grab Jose.

4:30 PM- Then we drive up 75 to pick up Opal from school.

6:00 PM- I grab stuff from home for the event and head over to the garden it’s set up so cute.

8:00 PM- The event goes really well.We meet some other BIPOC adoptees and it is really such a loving and open vibes.

8:30 PM- I finally head home, Opal gives me a big hug. I heat up leftover Zuppa Toscana and eat it with Blue Corn Tortilla chips.

9:30 PM- I put Opal down and then grab some ice cream after taking my medicine.

FRIDAY

7:30 AM- I wake up an read the new jia essay. Like clockwork, Opal starts to wake up after I finish reading.

9:00 AM- Opal says while building magnatiles , we don’t figure it out , we just build

9:30 AM- Opal has a pack and some cheese for her pre-breakfast snack. Then we make eggs and have peanut butter toast.

10:30 AM-I clean the fridge

12:00 PM- We get ready for birthday party and pick up target order.

1:30 PM- We arrive at the party , Opal tries the swings in the shade , and then the splash pad , and then the cake but mainly only eats groceries.

4:00 PM- Opal falls asleep in the car while we drive to pick up a few groceries.

5:00 PM- When we get home, I make some Bbq sandos with english muffins.

6:00 PM- Opal has a bath and eats sghetti.

7:30 PM- We have our evening snacks and read Pete the Cat.

9:00 PM- I am so tired so I say goodnight to all.

SUNDAY

4:00 AM- Opal is up, I stay up with her until while she snoozes. After two hours, she potties and we go downstairs

8:00 AM- I switch with José so I can nap for a bit and finish my workshop critiques.

9:30 AM- We eat eggs and then Opal and I play with cars while Jose gets ready.

1:00 PM- I head out to library for my workshop but they’re closed so I sit on their beautiful & shaded patio for workshop. I’m finally being workshopped today , it goes well! I feel inspired for where I can go next with my writing.

3:30 PM- I head back home and heat up leftover wings for lunch.

4:00 PM- Opal gets up. We play hide and seek and flashlight car in her room.

5:30 PM- I start working on dinner, making sausages and roasted veggies.

6:00 PM- Opal paints a wooden butterfly and then builds a pillow fort while the food cooks.

7:00 PM- I get ready for my reading and enjoy hearing other folks from my cohort share their work. I read a section from my essay ‘On Mothering’ and the sounds of Opal in the background really ground the piece. I feel proud of who I am, what I am doing.

8:30 PM- Opal has a potty training accident and then spills soup so José gets her ready for a bath. I say goodbye to the folks at the reading to help with the bath.

9:30 PM- We read one story and then get ready for sleep.

Will I keep my fridge organized? Will Opal let me sleep? What will I eat? Tune in next time!

SUNDAY

2:00 AM- Opal wakes up and is wide awake.

4:30 AM- I finally switch out with José and go back to sleep

8:40 AM- I wake up for the morning, I got 6 hrs

9:00 AM- Happy Father’s Day , Opal and I make the table for dada

10:00 AM - I bake bacon and hashbrowns, Opal helps me whip up the eggs

1:00 PM - Opal goes to sleep. I watch Secret lives of Mormon Wives. I eat some monster cookies that Opal and I made, this makes me hungry so I eat a sandwich.

3:30 PM- Opal wakes up, we get ready to go out for Father’s Day.

4:30 PM- We go to a playground but it’s so hot so we get ice cream, José was really excited about the Dubai Chocolate they had. We also do a Target pickup.

7:00 PM- I bought ingredients to make a special father’s day meal but it’s really hot so we decide to do tamales for dinner.

9:00 PM- Opal goes to sleep , I take my first increase dosage of Zoloft that my therapist, psychatrist and I agreed on and it immediately knocks me out.

MONDAY

8:00 AM- It’s the first day of my two week break! I get Opal ready for her grandparent’s house.

9:30 AM- They pick her up. I make scrambled eggs with cottage cheese and watch the new SATC.

10:30 AM- I clean my room while listening to podcasts.

1:00 PM- I take a lunch break eat tamales and watch Starstruck.

2:00 PM - I work on some canva designs for an event I am planning with Sol and notes from the. writing retreat I’m part of.

3:30 PM- I watch more starstruck and snack on dried mango & dark chocolate covered almonds.

4:00 PM - I start laundry , the construction workers seem to be back

5:30 PM - I get the trash together while Jose and Opal get home.

6:00 PM- I play cars w Opal & hide and seek with her animals , then she wants a snack so grabs baby yogurt

6:30 PM- I start cooking a special pasta dish and work on dishes while the I wait for the water to boil.

7:00 PM- I am making this smoky pasta with steak so I season the steak , so thankful there is AC because it’s in the high 80s today.

7:30 PM -Pasta I served ! It’s so creamy and pilllowy , I feel so rich and proud! Opal said she wanted rice but refused to eat it so we try Moana mac n cheese which is a hit especially bc she loves helping me cook it ( it’s instant Mac so cooking means stirring in the water, using the microwave , stirring in the cheese, then letting it cool in fridge )

8:00 PM - I go upstairs to wash my hair.

8:40 PM - We take Opal outside before bed to do bubbles and chalk , we also water the plants.

9:30 PM -bedtime is long because Opal primarily wants to play with her a stuffed animals.

10:30 PM- She is finally down , I take my meds and grab my stuffy. I fall asleep quickly again.

TUESDAY

7:00 AM- Wake-up and read some poems and substacks.

8:00 AM- I get out of bed and start my morning routine.

8:30 AM- Opal wakes up, so I go in her room.

9:00 AM- I drive her to daycare and also pick up books for The Free Black Women’s Library-Detroit from Rose

10:00 AM - I get home , José makes eggs . I finish Starstruck & watch Mormon Wives for a bit.

12:00 PM-I call Shannon. We have a good long catch up session.

1:30 PM -José and I leave , I drop him off at the coffee shop and I head over to have lunch with Sol. We catch up and laugh for a couple hours. Sol gives me a shirt from Ben from a march that I missed this Spring in DC.

4:00 PM - José and I drive to REI so I can finally get sandals since my last pair broke last summer.

5:00 PM - We head to Whole Foods for a few items and also grab jeni’s ice cream sandwiches and dreamsicles that are sooo good. The chocolate mint sandwiches are worth risking a gluten induced sickness.

6:00 PM- We pick up Opal and grab a few more things at TJs , she snacks on the passion fruit dreamsicle

7:00 PM- We are finally home , I chat with Zoe about hanging out next week.

7:30 PM - dinner is more tamales and Jose finishes the pasta. Opal has Moana mac.

9 PM bedtime, Opal finally falls asleep a little after 10

WEDNESDAY

6:00 AM- I am up really early but I accept it so I read some essays for the workshop I’m in , go through Substacks amd read through Azka’s work on parenting & independent play.

8:00 AM- Everyone starts getting up , Opal & I go downstairs.I have yogurt & berries with my favorite chocolate granola that tastes like oreos . Opal has circle crackers and baby yogurt. José comes down and has yogurt too. Since it’s such a hot day and will be rainy we decide to go to the library for the morning.

11:00 AM- we arrive at the library and explore the stacks, play on the kitchen , use computers to sing along with books I notice some books I’ve been interested in including Rio Cortez ‘s . Opal meets some new friends including someone with the same light up shoes.

1:30 PM- We head out of the library and over to noodles & co for lunch. It is sunshowering so Opal and I share the umbrella.

2:00 PM - Opal gets a car nap while we drive down Woodward to do some errands.We end up going to one of my favorite bookstores and I pick up More by ms cherries and chat with a few friends who work there. We also go by Comic store and Bulk to pick up our respective books, the Bulk folks are real excited to see Opal.

4:00 PM- We go to the coffee shop and have sprinkle cookies and sprinkle water.

5:00 PM - We head home , watch tv and have dinner. Opal has more spaghetti and pho broth which she mixes together brilliantly.

7:30 PM -We all move to the couch to read and eat popcorn.

8:30 PM - Opal gets ready for bed.

10:00 PM - She is finally sleep and I pass out soon after.

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THURSDAY

6:30 AM- Happy Juneteenth! I start reading Artict Play in bed

7:30 AM - I do my morning routine , Opal wakes up. I get my books ready for the library pop up.

9:00 AM - We head out to daycare, go to the bakery and then eat at Flytrap for breakfast.

11:30 AM- We drive in Detroit for the day, José posts up at the coffee shop and I get ready for the pop up for library at bulkspace.

12:00 PM- Before I start setting up the co founders of bulk help me with some conflict and sheena idsalso there which is an incredible support , I cry.

1:00 PM - We set up the library , Ona and Etta help make a sign with oil pastels , I catch up with Sheena.

2 :00 PM- people start trickling in, it’s raining but they’re still coming , instagram post is deleted but they’re still coming. I’m grateful . I meet so many wonderful people who are passionate about books, many are connected to me and have only one degree separation.

3:00 PM- Sol comes before the end of the day , we catch up and they bring books and browse too. We print off flyers for our vigil next week and then I start to pack up the library with the help of Sol and Vanessa.

4:30 PM- pickup José and then drive to the daycare to pick up Opal , she is happy to see us

5:00 PM- We head to the big store to buy: eggs ( they’ve been out almost everywhere), hand soap, dish soap, snacks , pull ups and art supplies for Opal.

6:30 PM - We head home , order pizza, Opal falls asleep, holding her chip bag. We let her sleep as we unpack the books, backpacks & groceries

7:00 PM- Opal eats her pho & noodle leftovers , José and I eat pizza and wings.

8:00 PM - start opals bath and chooses a yellow bath bomb.

9:00 PM- we go back downstairs , have a few more snacks and then get ready for bed.

10:00 PM - Opal falls asleep and I take my medicine , the house is dark and cool from the rain and wind. I’m grateful. The rain is still coming and someone is confusingly doing fireworks too, I try to sleep.

FRIDAY

5:30 AM - I wake up too early but need to pee so I go and fall back asleep for about an hour , then I’m up so I read the writing for my workshop.

8 :00 AM - Opal and Jose get up so I go into Opal’s room to play with her.

10:00 AM- I head out to bas blue to work on a few creative projects , have the peri peri hash for breakfast alongside a matcha.

1:30 PM- head over to bulk spare to print a few things for workshop on Sunday and then go home . I try to put Opal down but it doesn’t work out . We paint her ceramic rainbow and have snacks

5:30 PM- José comes back home and brings more pizza things like wings and breadsticks.

6:30 PM- Opal helps me get her dinner ready , it’s more mac and cheese

7:30 PM - We get ready for bed early & potty

9:00 PM- Opal sleep , me sleep

SATURDAY

8:00 AM- Everyone is up, we have Eggs and bacon for breakfast.

11:00 AM- We head out to market at The Shepherd , pick up Sheena on the way.

11:30 AM0 Riverwards is having a pop-up farm stand, and I am most excited about that , a luscious grocery store I’ve visited and coveted from in Philly -coming to Detroit this fall!

1:00 PM - We eat cherries and drink lavender blueberry soda on picnic blankets , Opal runs up and down the hill , we find ice cream. We head out , it’s so hot.

1:30 PM - I try to put Opal down but she does not sleep, Jose and I eat PB & J sandos for lunch, I also make some ginger tea.

2:00 PM - We all watch tv and play with animals

5:00 PM - I make a Peach, burrata and chicken salad , Opal has mac cheese

7:00 PM - We do some more potty training, Opal does an excellent job.

9:00 PM- Get ready for Opal’s bedtime, she falls asleep quickly.

10:00 PM -I stay up to read for workshops tomorrow and have snacks.

SUNDAY

5:40 AM -Opal up because she wants to potty but we also play and watch ms Rachel while doing more potty training.

7:00 AM- We have yogurt and berries for breakfast.

12:00 PM -I head to library for the workshop , the heat is opppressive

3:30 PM- After workshop , I go to Panera for lunch and then do grocery shopping and pick up Olive Garden for dinner.

5:30 PM -Finally home , drenched in sweat , I change into dry clothes and chill with Opal while she eats spaghetti.

7:00 PM -I am finally hungry, so I eat part of my pasta before getting full so I save it for later

9:30 PM- Opal gets ready for bed and goes down easily. I fall asleep soon after

Tune in next week to see how I deal with the midwest heat wave & how my next week off goes !

Well, friends, I have been rejected from yet another grant. This was the big one, the one that would have re-charted me towards a different path that promised more spaciousness for my creative self to finish the memoir, to write the poems, to turn the raindrops into a montage on being alive. But it hasn’t happened, as Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse would say, Yet! So I dug up some of my old journals to perculate in my personal archives of loss and joy. I was especially struck by the time I was in Seattle, applying for a new job that would take me back to Detroit. My memory from that time is a bit fleeting, it was after all almost 7 years ago, but when I read my words everything came back. The desire to follow my dreams. The audacity to believe they were reachable. The day I got the email that I didn’t get it. And the lightning that that rejection put in my body. I posted a poem on instagram that I was working on at the time both before and after the interview process to prove to myself that radical self-care and radical-self belief is possible. Even if I didn’t believe it myself-yet.

Today I am posting my answers to some of the questions from my grant application because I am still proud of what I said. I am still proud of my work. And I know I will find a way forward.

Discipline Statement

I am a poet and essayist who embodies hybrid forms as a way to mirror the multitudes of identity I hold as a Black queer transracial adoptee and mother.

Artistic Bio

Katelyn Rivas (she/they) is a poet and essayist who has worked in arts-based civic engagement, arts for community transformation and creative youth programming for over 10 years. She completed an MA from Eastern University in Urban Studies and Community Arts and a BA in English and Writing and Art and Design from Northern Michigan University. In 2019, she published “Radical Self-Care for Black Women” and founded the Detroit chapter of The Free Black Women’s Library. Katelyn’s work has been featured in Michigan Quarterly, Khöra, Tayo Literary Magazine and supported by Tin House, Fine Arts Work Center, Cave Canem, Anaphora Arts, Pocket MFA and Culture Source’s Arc Fund. Katelyn is currently at work on a memoir about their experience as a transracial adoptee composing their own definition of Blackness.

Artist Statement

I am a poet, essayist, researcher, teaching artist, cultural organizer and mother who examines themes of Black girlhood, transracial adoption, motherhood, abolition and care for Black bodies.

In my manuscript in-progress, Both Girl: A Manifesto for the Displaced, I write about my experience growing up as a transracial adoptee who is forced to compose her own definition of Blackness as the only Black girl in a rural midwestern town. Through collage, archive, poetry, and lyric essay, my project combines a coming-of-age story with crescendos of Black feminist theory and critique about the adoption industrial complex.

In an essay entitled “My Mother is a Good Witch” I recount the moment when I am reunited with my family of origin after decades of searching. While following the ups and downs of this journey, parallels are drawn to the film the Wizard of Oz, whose character Glinda the Good increasingly reminded me of my birth mother Glenda. Another essay in my project, “On Mothering,” chronicles the joys of becoming a mother and cementing the kind of bond with my baby daughter that had been denied to me by my birth mother and the adoption industrial complex. I hope these essays—and the larger manuscript that contains them— can become a manifesto for all displaced peoples who are building their own legacies and lineages despite the violence of colonization, incarceration, and erasure.

Among other things, my work is inspired by radically imaginative writings like Ross Gay’s A Small Needful Fact and Eve L. Ewing’s I saw Emmett Till this week at the grocery store. Like it is in these poems, imagination is also imperative to my voice as an adoptee because so much of the information I’ve gathered about my first family is speculative and incomplete (such as when I am channeling my words to become the archive of my identity in place of redacted government documents—like my original birth certificate).Literature helps me process what has happened while also giving me an opportunity to deepen my capacity for joy. For those of us who write and read often, literature can become a catalyst for radical change. I want my words to become the archive of my identity in place of government documents—like my original birth certificate—that were blacked out. More broadly, literature helps me process what has happened while also giving me an opportunity to deepen my capacity for joy. And I believe that for those of us who write and read often, literature can become a catalyst for radical change. For me, the act of writing helps me remember that there is more than pain and grief— that there is a vehicle to get me to the other side of sorrow; and the act of reading resilient stories and sharing the stories of my own life encourages belonging to bloom more abundantly than the dandelions whose yellow puffed faces interrupt winter with the promise of spring.

Community Impact Statement

I curate ecosystems where the arts are at the root of individual and collective liberation and equity. For me community building is the long work of coming alongside others and joining together to make space for all to experience freedom and transformation. I have been a master teaching artist in poetry for 15 years. I enjoy teaching from a therapeutic and anti-racist lens. I have taught poems in youth detention centers, homeless shelters, psychiatric hospitals, centers for asylum and in high school classrooms.

On Juneteenth of 2019, I founded the Detroit branch of The Free Black Women’s Library. Inspired by OlaRonke Akinmowo’s The Free Black Women's Library in Brooklyn, New York, The Free Black Women’s Library - Detroit is a feminist bicycle library and biblio installation. The Free Black Women's Library-Detroit seeks to center representation, education and liberation for Black femme voices through literature and community trading. The library has popped up at festivals, conferences, urban gardens, farmer’s markets and college campuses in Detroit and southeastern Michigan.

I would love to use the resources provided by this fellowship, to curate a more robust creative community for the Detroit adult adoptee community. One of the most transformational days of my life was attending the virtual Allied Media Conference in 2020 and participating in a Zoom room with over thirty adult adoptees. It was the first time in my life I had ever been around so many people with a similar life experience. Since then I have been dreaming about convening with BIPOC adoptees in Detroit on a creative liberation retreat. A creative liberation retreat for adult BIPOC adoptees would be a collaborative and immersive experience for organizing towards abolition from systems of mass incarceration and family separation through trauma-informed art experiences and zinemaking. Because many adoptees experience complex grief I imagine that together we could create new definitions of kinship and a deeper network of care for each other, by each other.

Fellowship Goals

In Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, Hong reinforces that the body of a person of color can never not be a canvas for political commentary and rage. In the same way that this message is supported by a juxtaposition of her personal experience with racism and her examinations of the wider societal structures of racism, my in-progress manuscript Both Girl: A Manifesto for the Displaced speaks to this same issue by comparing my own experiences as a transracial adoptee growing up in the midwest with an investigation into the history of violence, erasure, and forced separation against generations of Black individuals in the US and abroad. If selected as a Kresge fellow, my primary goal would be to complete a solid first draft of this project, and I would plan to use my fellowship funding to supplement my income in order to dedicate the majority of my time to conducting further research into the adoption industrial complex and child welfare system. Because the nature of my manuscript is part memoir, part collection of poems, and part cultural and social criticism, I aim to bring crucial research into my project to complement my personal narratives.The research I plan to excavate as part of this fellowship contains the parallels between the criminalization of Black birthing bodies and Black and brown children who are bought and sold by the adoption industrial complex to primarily white evangelical families and will be a case study heralding the need for absolute abolition of all carceral systems, including state mandated family separation. In building this research, I would strengthen the most vulnerable component of my work (the critical component) by filling in the gaps of knowledge that I’ve been unable to pursue on my own while working a full-time job and caring for my family. My final goal as a Kresge fellow would be to build community with other artists and receive mentorship from those who have come before me. As mentioned in my community impact statement, it’s my life’s mission to to build a safe haven for other transracial adoptees in the metro Detroit area to gather to tell our stories, create, weep, laugh and share meals. This fellowship would be the next crucial step to achieving this dream.

And now for some cute, dreamy events that I am part of this weekend

Radical Self Love

I steep my brown body in the womb of warm water

When I shut my sensitive eyes, I can barely remember the screams

I raged at the bones that were not my own but wanted to own me.

I light a lavender candle to memorialize the healing that has blossomed

In the swamp, like the lotus, I need to be buried in order to rise again

With pink petals and an undeniable proud look.

I smooth lotion over my callused feet, heels broken from the many times

I’ve forced myself to start over. The many times anxiety has thrown me

Over the cliff and told me to walk it off.

I wrap my curls in silk so that they can become the cloud of fire that guides my truest self.

In the transitions, its easier to grasp onto the ever changing, ever questioning winds then the flame always burning within.I thought I’d be used to starting over but I still can’t find an

Easier way to fall asleep at night.

I put music on and dance with my hands curving shadows in the darkest of rooms.

I always find the light in every cave; depression, suicide attempts , panic attacks

In the very way the heart beats, I have etched an exit plan and lit the last match to get out.

I water the plants; the cacti, the jade & the echeveria .Their ground grateful to make room for a blessing. Even when leaves have fallen ; they are still whole and still who they are. Even the cacti with its drooping arm, bravely shoots forward and claims the space she is in.

I breathe deep, both inhale and exhale. And I choose to remember the

Healing that has blossomed. No matter the circumstances.

And this is my offering to myself. And it is good. And it is kind.

And it is enough.

the poem that I architected in a time of deep depression, stopping to listen again & again.

SUNDAY

8:30 AM - Everyone sleeps in and we get ready for the day. I turn the oven on to make bacon and hashbrowns. Later, Jose comes down and makes eggs. We have breakfast together.

11:00 AM - I want to take a walk and Opal really wants to go with me, so I take her. I mostly stroll her through the Bird Island path at The Ford House. I point out baby geese, sail boats and purple flowers. A couple times she gets out of the stroller to frollick joyfully. Towards the end of our walk she asks where the playground is. I snap a picture of a trillium.

1:30 PM - We grab some snacks from the park cafe and drive back for nap.

2:00 PM - After dropping her off, I head back to go to the library to write and chill out awhile. I sit on the second floor so I can look out the windows at the flowering trees in the courtyard.

4:00 PM - I head to Trader Joe’s to pick up ingredients for dinners the first half of the week. So glad I don’t have to worry about breakfast and lunch because of a work retreat.

6:00 PM - I am home and we have leftovers, then we have some popcorn and watch Winnie the Pooh the rest of the night.

8:30 PM - Opal gets ready for bed and I read a bit of my saved articles and poems from my “reader sooner than later” bookmark section.

MONDAY

8:00- Opal and I get up. She eats baby yogurt while I pack Jose’s breakfast and lunch. I make a yogurt and berry covered chocolate rice cake for a snack.

9:00 AM -Opal’s grandparents come to pick her up for the day.

9:45 AM - We arrive at the office. I grab breakfast which is catered by Iggy’s, a hasbrown and egg sandwich place that I adore.

10:15 AM - The first half of the retreat day one starts, we do some goofy improv and begin with history setting and a few conversational activities.

1:00 PM - We have our lunch break , It’s Arabic food. I talk to my good friend and coworker Leila at lunch and learn she has gotten into an amazing PHD program.

2:00 PM - The retreat starts back up. I am activated by some folks so I go in emotional regulation room, which is lead by one of my project leads, to do some somatic exercises , play with kinetic sand & color a Mandala.

4:00 PM - I am sitting right by the snacks, by strategy, so I begin eating the dark chocolate covered raisins. They’re better than expected. I also grab my fourth sparkling water.

5:00 PM- Jose, Opal and I head home to have leftover pizza and mac and cheese for Opal.

7:00 PM - I am exhausted from the retreat but it was really good overall so I feel good about how it went. I go outside with Opal to play with bubbles and sidewalk chalk.

9:00 PM - Opal goes down for bed and I pass out.

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TUESDAY

8:30 AM - We head out for daycare so that I can get to the retreat on time for the good food.

9:30 AM - I get to the office and we’re doing Q’s for both breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is an incredibly season egg dish with beakfast meats and a few other sides like fruit and bread.

10:15 AM - retreat starts same as yesterday with improv and even more hilarity. We do an altar building activity, I get paired with Mackenzie and we make ancestor flowers. I talk to both Mackenzie and Kwaku about doing more work together and meeting up soon.

1:00 PM - Lunch break, it’s a pasta bar, which I had never heard of before but there’s gf option which is great and a vegan ginger-spiced pesto. It’s nice. I eat on the 5th floor and laugh with my team. Elysse calls to be let in so I go down the elevator to get her and then grab some pasta for Jose too.

2:00 PM - The retreat starts back up and we go to the Rooftop to see the best Detroit sights but its a little cold so we don’t last long.

4:00 PM- We close out with a dance party and talk all the best things Detroit: food, loved ones, places to go.

6:00 PM - We get home and Jose makes the pasta (that I thought was soup based on the recipe picture. It’s great and easy enough, pesto sauce with tomatoes and burrata.

7:00 PM- We snack on Trader Joe’s new crackers savory squares, they’re basically gf/df cheeze-its and I need three more boxes.

9:00 PM- After putting Opal down, I am absolutely exhausted. Part of me loved the retreat but the other part is so people-d out.

WEDNESDAY

9:00 AM - Opal’s grandparents arrive because Jose is in a conference all day.

10:00 AM - I watch Forever while I eat breakfast that I saw _ do : 1/3 oatmeal, 1/3 granola, 1/3 yogurt with dark chocolate raisins sprinkled on top. It’s incredible.

10:30 AM- I catch up on inbox , process my work PD and prepare for meetings later in the day.

12:30 PM - I decide to order Chipotle for lunch, it always hits and is the cheapest delivery with their app.

2:00 PM -I send off some contracts for approval and Slack a few folks about a few Asana tasks and funds.

5:00 PM - Jose and Opal come home, we have more pasta & sausages. It’s incredible and I feel rich because I have so much food.

7:00 PM - Opal wants to play in her room so I chase her around the crib. We also play hide and seek.

9:00 PM- Jose puts down Opal and I read some more poetry.

THURSDAY

8:30 AM - We head to daycare ( we’ve had childcare everyday this week & that’s what it should look like!)

9:00 AM - We go to Flytrap for breakfast and Forest bakery for favorite treats.

11:00 AM - I tackle some Asana tasks, have meetings with Char and a project that ended up canceling, then I conduct some contract management.

12:30 PM - Break for lunch and watch Forever. For lunch, I make a salad of quinoa, greens, oranges, avocados, chicken & truffle marcona almonds.

2:00 PM - I do some more meetings and then finish up remaining tasks for the week.

5:00 PM - We pick up Opal from daycare, she is covered in marker and sand ( which for the record is incredible) so I put her in the bathtub. I got her some new dinosaur bath toys. Opal and I make up stories about them and her rubber duckies and Bluey bath toys.

6:30 PM - I heat up our pasta leftovers and add some slow simmered cherry tomatoes, Tomatoes are in season and just incredible.

7:30 PM - Opal and I play outside with her strawberry bubble machine.

9:00 PM- We get Opal ready for bed, I read more of Patrycja’s book. I am almost done!

FRIDAY

8:00 AM - Today is a little cooler so I am excited to get up and make baked oatmeal. Opal helps me and is excited too—until she sees that we are adding peanut butter. I think she doesn’t like the texture. She cries, no, no peanut butter, no, no.

10:30 AM - Opal and Jose head out to give me sometime for my therapy. I bring a bunch of things that I am wanting for this space and that I am proud of.

12:00 PM - After therapy, I go downstairs and watch Your Friends & Neighbors on the couch while eating more Savory Squares.

1:00 PM - Opal and Jose come back home. Jose heads out. Opal and I go over to the playground for a little while and she sees her friend Zoe, the dog, so she pets her and squeals at her for awhile.

1:30 PM - We head back inside and have ice cold packs and cheesticks. After that she goes potty and I get her ready for nap time.

2:30 PM - After I get her down, I upload my writing info and materials for a writers retreat in June. I start watching Sirens and its so much better than I imagined. Shoutout Netflix for churning out so many bangers.

4:00 PM - Opal wakes up. We play with her gabby cats for awhile and then back across to the street to the playground, after about 20 minutes Jose picks up and we head to the big playground and Trader Joe’s.

5:30 PM - After grabbing groceries and playing, I do not feel like cooking so we order some arabic food for dinner.

7:00 PM - We get home and I make some spaghetti for Opal, can never get fully out of prepping food.

8:30 PM - Opal listens to stories on her play phone and I text with Katie.

9:30 PM- We head upstairs for bed, everyone potties and Opal falls asleep quickly after having a play-filled day.

SATURDAY

8:30 AM - We are up so I heat up baked oatmeal leftovers for me and give Opal some baby yogurts.

10:00 AM - It’s Movement weekend and a local daycare is honoring it with a Toddler Techno Dance Party. We arrive and its so much more low key than the one we went to a couple weeks ago. Because it’s at a daycare, the space already kid-friendly and I see my friends Cyrah and Siobahn, who I haven’t seen in awhile, with their children.

12:00 PM - After the dance party we go to the library. I have to admit that it is not the most fun for Opal’s age so we do not spend very much time there.

1:30 PM - We head home for nap time. After she goes down, I watch more sirens and eat chocolate rice cakes.

3:30 PM- Opal wakes up and we go back out to the big playground. We order pizza from a newer spot for dinner.

6:00 PM- We are finally home and eating the yummy pizza. The gluten free pizza is oblong shaped in flatbread style. I think it’s pretty good but the shape is strange.

8:00 PM - Opal and I read some of her books and play with stuffed animals before we go upstairs to take a bath before bedtime.

9:30 PM - Bedtime is upon us. It’s wild how many times I have to go up and down the stairs to get everything we need ( Opal’s sheepie, Opal’s penguin blanket, Jose water cup)

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SUNDAY

8:30 AM - I clean up the dishes and counter so that Opal and I can begin making waffles. We are doubling recipe which can be a gamble with a toddler who doesn’t know how to crack eggs but we are charting forward. The waffles are perfect and golden brown.

9:30 AM - After the waffles, we clean up this corner that has been collecting a lot of Opal’s toys, used bowls, art supplies and God knows what else. I start using my Pomo timer with 25 minutes but about two and half hours later, I am finally done.

1:00 PM- Jose puts down Opal and I head out for the day. I decide I want to do a self-care day. So I start by going to Beyond Juice for lunch and go shopping for fun at a few of my favorite local boutiques. I wrap my afternoon with a Panera smoothi and finish the last episode of Sirens. Woah!

4:00 PM- I work on my grocery list for next week and head back home to pick up Opal and Jose to take them to the big playground.

6:00 PM - After getting home, we eat the rest of our pizza leftovers and settle in for a groggy evening. We watch more Winnie the Pooh and just like that, the week ends the way it started.

Tune in next week to see how the first week of June treats us!