Author: Mackayla Turley

It has taken me almost eight years of motherhood to stop saying “we should get together soon”. We’ve all done it, and I’m sure it still slips of my mouth from time to time out of polite habit, but I’d like to encourage you to stop. The next time you see a friend or acquaintance, wether it be in the back to school aisle or across the park playground, refrain from saying it. Instead, if you find yourself actually wanting to spend time with someone, act on it. This doesn’t have to be a big, planned out gathering. You don’t…

This is a week late & (I’m sure) a few mentions short, but I feel like it’s still worth putting out there. I want to take a moment to thank all the good dads out there for the big and little things. There are, of course, the big things that get frequently noticed and praised. Bringing home the bacon, doing the yard work, taking on endless “honey-do” lists, filing the taxes, dealing with the medical insurance options, etcetera. Remembering the car maintenance tasks, locking the doors at night, and roughhousing with the kids are all very important. Thank you for…

I’ve written before on how I decorate our home (google PVC mama’s musings making a house a home if you want a refresher!). If you don’t remember, and don’t want to do the work of finding a previous article to re-read – no offense taken, I get it – here’s the summary: I decorate with things that have meaning to our family. I try not to buy the latest “it” decor trends, and slowly build up our home’s furnishings through things we’ve made or thrifted. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to have a friend gift me something I adore and it…

It’s hot. As I’m typing this, we’re on day 6 of the daily maximum temperature being 100 degrees or higher. Not only does the heat crank up our A/C, it also lowers my desire to cook actual dinners. I don’t want to stand in front of the stove at 4pm. I want to be in the pool with the kiddos, sipping a diet coke, pretending someone else is going to make an actual dinner. Alas, I am the mama of the home, and thus, I am the one making the dinner. Here’s what I’ve been feeding my crew in this…

I’m 34 years old. I like being 34 years old & I don’t mind looking 34 years old. You know who does seem to mind the lines on my face? The internet. Every other ad is for a face cream, a sun blocking hat, botox, or some “magical” new product or procedure that “guarantees” to erase the lines from my face. And I’m offended. Why would I want to remove the lines the prove past joys? Those horizontal crinkles on my forehead? I got those from doing a bajillion surprised peek-a-boo faces for my babies. They were hard-earned, and I’ll…

“They’re so difficult.” You hear it sighed at playdates, grumbled at family outings, and lamented after bedtime. Instead of just accepting that, let’s try looking at it from a kid’s perspective – specifically my four year old’s perspective. I wake up excited about the day, as usual. Alongside that excitement is a grumbling tummy – the recent growth spurt is using as many nutrients and calories as I can shove down. Hustling to Mama’s room, I exclaim “Maaaamaaaa, its morning! Tet up, tet up! Moooorning!” Mama grumbles and rolls over. “Tet UP! Oatmeal pweeeease!!” Mama’s moving too slowly – who…

I’m going to be deactivating my Facebook account in less than a month. I’m only waiting for the next swap I’m hosting to pass so the event doesn’t get deleted. I already don’t have Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram. Full transparency – I’m keeping Pinterest. Facebook is the last standing social media I have, mainly because I have run a mothers group, Pahrump Mother’s Corner, on it for the past few years. If it weren’t for that group, I would have left Facebook months ago. Instead, I have struggled with this decision for the better part of a year. On…

Everyone is Screaming(sung to the tune of Lego’s Everything is Awesome) Everyone is screaminnnnng,Everyone is loud when you’re with family!Everyone is screamingwhen you’re living the dream! Everyone is louder when we are together,Side by side, you and I are gonna play forever!Let’s play foreverrrrrr.We’re the same,I’m like you, you’re like meyou & me we are playing in harmony. Everything is Awesome,Everything is cool when you’re with family,Everything is Awesome when you’re living the dream. The original song has randomly popped in my head daily since our trip to Legoland in October. These re-made lyrics are now what I hum to…

Before I wish the Mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day, let me first say thank you for the many, many roles y’all play when wearing your various hats. Thank you for the driving you do while wearing your family chauffeur cap. Thank you for the cooking you do while wearing your family chef toque. Thank you for the caring you do while wearing your family nurse cap. Thank you for the cleaning you do while wearing your family maid apron. Thank you for the educating you do while wearing your family teaching badge. Thank you for the encouraging you…

We followed up our Disneyland day with a day at California Adventure, and as usual, my planning personality took over. If you’re planning a trip soon, here’s the result of all my research. Get to the park 15 minutes before the turnstiles open, already eat breakfast before getting there. Bag packed with granola bars, apples, cuties, and uncrustables. Early Morning Attractions: Cars Land – start the morning in Cars Land; it gets packed as the day goes on. Start with Radiator Springs Racers. Follow that with Luigi’s Roadsters, then Mater’s Jamboree. The other must-do here for the morning is grabbing a family picture…