Once Upon a Time . . .
Like many parents, I’ve navigated the balance between motherhood & mental health. As my daughter began discovering emotions & language, I searched for a way to explain my own struggles in a way she could understand. When I couldn’t find a story that truly resonated, I decided to create one.
Mom’s Cloud and the Beach Adventure began as a bedtime story—using a gentle cloud metaphor to explore sadness & other big feelings, while teaching her, she wasn’t responsible for my cloudy days, but she can still love & support me.
Creating this story deepened the way my family talked about emotions. Through our nightly conversations, my daughter not only began to understand my feelings, but also started adding her own lines—many of which are now part of the book.
Ziggleoafing Books
*disclaimer: I’m not a licensed therapist- just a mom sharing a story about clouds & feelings. My hope is these pages resonate & encourage others to seek support if they need it, without guilt or shame.
I created Ziggleoafing Books, because children’s stories do so much more than “just entertain”. They help little hearts & minds explore, imagine, & feel.
I wanted to create a world of whimsical adventures, gentle lessons, & capture the magic moments that spark curiosity, empathy, & connection. While also encouraging pausing & emotional honesty.
Cloudy Day Chronicles
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My Oscar Speech—we all have one
I have to confess something: I love working on my Oscar speech. On long runs, music pumping, I imagine myself on stage. In my daydream, I’m married to Markie Mark (Matt knows), & I’m winning an Oscar for a movie I built entirely in my imagination – a retelling of Oliver Twist, based on a…
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The Hardest Thing to Write: the word sorry.
This post, though, isn’t really about the apologies I’m practicing. It’s about the years I spent waiting to hear them from others. I shared my own imperfections not to center myself—but to show that I’m doing the work on my impact, even as I navigate the hurt that came from theirs.
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Fighting My Brain: A Mom’s Real Battle
A raw, honest reflection on parenting with depression and anxiety. One mom shares how intrusive thoughts, mom guilt, and self-doubt nearly stole her joy—and how she learned that clouds don’t last forever.
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