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The in the Middle Mama

just another mama doing her thing

November 12, 2018

every blog starts with a post

November 12, 2018

When I was (much) younger I always thought my life was going to be legendary. I believed this so fiercely, it resulted in many sleepless nights as I steadily drafted my autobiography in my head. I believe it goes without saying, but if I was going to be famous, I would obviously need to publish a borderline scandalous tell-all novel, divulging every true (and embellished detail) of my life.

By the age of 18, I realized I had done absolutely nothing in my pursuit of stardom, which led me to question why I put so much stock in being famous in the first place. When I really drilled down on this lingering goal of mine, I realized that I had no actual desire to be famous; I didn’t have any musical or theatrical talents, I didn’t even want to win the Nobel peace prize, or top Forbes Magazine. So what was it you ask?

  • I had an unreasonable belief that if everyone didn’t remember me, my life was a waste, and
  • I thought being famous was synonymous with having an easy life.

Truth be told, I probably realized that those two reasons were ridiculous long before I gave up on the idea of my name in stars. I honestly don’t even know when I truly let go of this notion that my life would somehow just end up on the cover of People magazine. Maybe it was when Rick Porcello never acknowledged my, “You’re my tiger, I’ll be your cougar” sign …

But at some point I realized I was waiting for my life to start while it was passing me by. I was wasting time doing work I hated, dating guys I shouldn’t have, spending money on meaningless things, and why? Because no singular event had catapulted my life to the “easy street” I believed I was entitled to?

Let me clarify something here, my parents are not to blame for me believing I was entitled to anything. Both my mom and dad were raised by parents who ran small businesses, and because of this my work-ethic is pretty solid. But like every other millennial, I grew up with a never-ending stream of content that showed me “peers” who were living with way more than I was, all while putting in no effort.

Now all of this said, I still have a lot of thoughts rattling around in my head – and while they may not be autobiography worthy, “I was born on a rainy Monday morning …” they just might be of interest to someone out there. And that right there is the great thing about blogging – you just put it out there! People can read it if they want and if they prefer to pass, that’s fine too! 

So if you’re still reading along, welcome to my story …

Posted by kate
Filed Under: lifestyle

About Me

 

Hey there! I’m Kate, an everyday Corporate America participant who started this blog as a creative outlet from my daily 9-5. Follow along to watch how I attempt to navigate motherhood in the Windy City, while being pulled in all directions!

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my life in squares

kate_and_crew

born-again wildcard ♠️

my ollie girl graduated pre-k today! 💚 my ollie girl graduated pre-k today! 💚
how it started ➡️ how it’s going - gall girl how it started ➡️ how it’s going - gall girl edition
From first pool splashes to perfected strokes - these little swimmers have really progressed. 

Living on the lake means water safety is not an option, and we’re so grateful to @goldfishswim_clarkston for giving our girls the skills (and confidence) they need. Our lessons have led to big progress for them and major peace of mind for me!

This year, our girls proudly took the Goldfish Swim School’s Safer Swimmer Pledge-a fun, interactive way to reinforce essential water safety habits. The pledge teaches kids to always swim with an adult, wear life jackets when needed, and never swim alone. It’s a simple yet powerful way to keep water safety practices top of mind! 

Take the pledge digitally today at https://goldfishswimschool.com/safer-swimmer-pledge/ for your chance to win! And keep an eye on my Instagram for an upcoming Safer Swimmer Swag Bag Giveaway! 

#howitstarted #howitsgoing #howitstartedversushowitsgoing #thenvsnow #skillbuilding #goldfishjourney #goldfishglowup #goldfishswimschool #goldfishpartner #watersafetyawarenessmonth #swimlessonssavelives #saferswimmerpledge #goldfishclarkston
been a minute - 2025 in concerts resumes 🎶 been a minute - 2025 in concerts resumes 🎶
last FRIDAY night! (low-quality pic of a bucket-li last FRIDAY night! (low-quality pic of a bucket-list show)

garth brooks exceeded expectations - and they were high. super nostalgic for me & even shawn (who isn’t very familiar with his music) loved it.
my heart in a square | volume 7 my heart in a square | volume 7
elephant juice 🩷 elephant juice 🩷
j ❄️ y ! j ❄️ y !
collins’ kissy face is the moment 😘 @shawner1 collins’ kissy face is the moment 😘 @shawner1124 #ultimategirldad
pay me no mind 🎶 pay me no mind 🎶
our kedzie ryan is s e v e n ! ✨🪩💕🪁 our kedzie ryan is s e v e n ! ✨🪩💕🪁
so much more than a lions game (and a quinn xcii s so much more than a lions game (and a quinn xcii set 😆).

I grew up going to the silverdome - My Uncle Kerry and Aunt Barb had season tickets and would take me and my brother regularly - they even let me tag along during the years I spent obsessed with Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins. (Although I’m yet to live down asking why they were throwing garbage [read: a flag] on the field at my first game.) 

As an adult, I really can’t come up with a reason why they’d willingly haul us kids to a stadium - but they did (they must have loved us!) and the memories are among my favorite. I’ll never forget riding to and from in their boat of a car and complaining whenever Kerry made us listen to “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” on the way home from the Thanksgiving games.

My uncle passed in July 2021. Being at this game, when the lions became champs of the NFC North for the second year in a row, was surprisingly emotional for me. I wish he could be here now to celebrate their success, and more importantly to meet my last baby, Tennyson Kerry. I hope wherever we go after this life, he knows I think of him often. And aunt barbie, I hope I did you proud by drinking Miller Lite & checking out all the butts! 😉
spent our last day in Florida at Busch Gardens … spent our last day in Florida at Busch Gardens … don’t meet your college heroes; getting rid of the beer tour tanked this place! 😆
last drop of 2024 photos! kedz crashed before I co last drop of 2024 photos! kedz crashed before I could get her pic, and the rest weren’t far behind her. shawn and i didn’t even make it to midnight. 😆 thanks for the perfect jams @chloe.k.arens! ✨
one more of my #goblue girlies 🕶️💙💛 one more of my #goblue girlies 🕶️💙💛
Me: Tampa? Them: Me: For the game! We can rent a k Me: Tampa?
Them:
Me: For the game! We can rent a knock-off sprinter van and drive straight through!
Them:
Me: There’s the zoo & Busch Gardens. Look, I found a house close to it all.
Them:
Me: We leave Friday. ✔️
our sand heart was a flop, but our day at st. pete our sand heart was a flop, but our day at st. pete was a success! 🏝️[not pictured my mom’s moonwalking 😆] oh & the 📽️ of tenny snoozing was on the way in!
ZooTampa was the real deal! (And am I the only one ZooTampa was the real deal! (And am I the only one who didn’t know being a Detroit Zoo member (or any major zoo really) puts you in a reciprocity program?! - showing our Detroit membership got us 50% off!)
christmas snaps for the memory book christmas snaps for the memory book
we’ll call this one, “she’s standing on my s we’ll call this one, “she’s standing on my stair!” 🙄
no tears = big success with the big guy 🎅 no tears = big success with the big guy 🎅
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