Here’s an email I didn’t expect to write, but I’m trying to listen carefully to what I’m meant to do in this next season of life.

I’m pausing Messy Home Mom here — possibly for good. Life has taken a few new paths lately, and I’ve been reassessing my values and commitments.

If you’ve been a paid subscriber, thank you. Your $8 a month helped more than you know, and I’m truly grateful. ❤️

If you’d like to cancel your subscription, you can do that by logging into Substack in your browser, clicking your profile icon, going to Settings, finding the Subscriptions section, and selecting Cancel Subscription.

If you’d still like to support me, the best way right now is by sharing about or hiring me for your creative marketing needs. You can find my website here.

You can also still find me on Instagram sometimes — off and on.

This is bittersweet, but know this is for the best for me and my family going forward!

Much love to you and yours,

Kelly

Firstly, let's start with…every brain is different. Even ADHD brains!

So not everyone's results are going to be the same and how it works for me may not be the same for you. But I do hope sharing my experience will be helpful to you and encouraging if you're navigating something similar.

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Like many late diagnosed folks…

I clued in that I probably/definitely had ADHD when one of my children got his diagnosis. Hunh. That sounds a whole lot like me, I thought.

Although my son’s ADHD was and is much more severe than mine, over time I realized how much I’ve masked (hidden many of my struggles) my whole life and a lot of my inner experience was clearly the good ol’ mind exhausting ADHD.

Why Did I Try Medication?

It took me a couple years to try medication from my diagnosis because of two reasons: pregnancy and breastfeeding.

I saw some effects of the meds on my son and knew about the positive effects through studies and my own friends’ experiences and so I was definitely open to trying them to see if they could help me.

Maybe I didn’t actually have to try so hard in life if the meds would work for me? I thought.

Maybe I wouldn’t be in a daydream state half the time or crazy spiraling brain the other half the time? I also thought.

Personally, I’d take daydreaming/not able to move to a spiraling brain that doesn’t shut off as that drives my anxiety up like crazy or unable to prioritize or meal plan or handle much noise at a certain point or my brain goes mush, but moving on..

What the First Few Days Were Like

The first couple days I had intense clarity and productivity. Like… I just knew how to tackle the day and things and just did it so much easily than normal. Without thinking. You know?

I noticed my brain seemed quieter and my thoughts weren't as all over the place.

I did notice I felt off mentally and so figured that would level off as the medication leveled out for me.

Within the first week, I did notice I crashed hard coming off the medication. Just suddenly very tiredl — like I would notice with my regular ADHD brain days lol. I've now countered that with a half cup of coffee as I notice the crash starting. Not sure if that'll last forever or if it's temporary or whatnot so have to figure that out!

It’s also affected my appetite during the daytime so have to make sure I’m eating enough so I don’t stuff my face in the evenings.

At the end of the day, I’ve noticed I’m still on fire in the evenings because the meds help my brain not get as overloaded or exhausted during the day, so it has more capacity in the evening. Win-win for me!

I actually ran out the last few days and wow, I notice my emotional regulation and anxiety creeping up..I’m more easily overstimulated by noise and quicker to get grumpy. Guess I’ll pickup some more and see how things go.

Questions for me? Drop them below!! I’m happy to share. :)

Kelly 🤗

Although I’m not promoting Messy Home Mom as a business anymore, there are still two ways you can support me if you choose to:

1. Becoming a paid subscriber here. I send a monthly email with goodies for subscribers plus you get to support me. :)

2. Sharing about or hiring me for your Creative Marketing dreams lol. My website is here.

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I want to offer some exclusive stories, tips, and beyond for my Insiders this month. You can upgrade at anytime to unlock this post and any others in the past will automatically unlock too. So many goodies and help that you'll find!!

Today, I'm going to give you some inside updates on:

• Um we’re doing WHAT now with our country property? I'm shocked honestly and can't wait to fill you in on the story..

• My real story of what happens when you confront a narcissist. It was beyond awful.

• What it actually is like with homeschooling a full house of ADHD (and one who has autism).

• And for your extra bonus, you get a FREE 15 minute voice chat with me! Either marketing support and suggestions for your business/work OR home management coaching…you pick.

Your $8 a month helps more than you know. ❤️🙏

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This is a lived experience of those affected by narcissism. Narcissistic people tend to target those who are kind, trusting, and willing to see the best in others. They certainly don't look for people who know better and who can stand up for themselves!

I remember when I was in my 20s and had a really uncomfortable experience. No matter what I did or said, she believed I was always in the wrong and that my intentions were always out to get her. When that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I was a daydreamy space cadet who forgot things and often got misread. She was trying to convince me that what I knew to be true about the situation and myself was completely different from my reality. Narcissists often try to convince you that reality is something different than what you know it to be. 🫠

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I didn't learn about narcissism when I was growing up. I mean, why would I? I was a kid. I think I liked to believe that everyone was good and well-meaning.Psychology wasn’t mainstream then, and it wasn’t something my friend circle or school ever talked about.

In my 30s, I had a time of intense learning about many things including neurodiverse brains (hai my whole family) and mental illness including narcissism.

PS: Someone can have narcissistic traits without being a full-blown narcissist. What I’m talking about here is long-term, consistent behavior patterns.

Some major signs that you're under the influence of a narcissist:

• There are always strings attached. They'll try to convince you otherwise, but there always will be. Being around this means that your trust becomes less and less of people and when genuine people help you, you feel nervous because you assume that the shoe will eventually drop. That's not love, dear reader. That's control.

• They will make you question yourself over and over and make you think you're the problem.

• Threats. Oftentimes empty. These are not healthy. Emotionally healthy people don’t use threats to control your decisions or your personhood.

• Love bombing. They did something unspeakable to you and then they blast you with lots of love and support. Gifts. Praise. It feels magical at the time and all is forgiven, but this is a part of the narcissistic cycle.

As someone who's been under the spell of narcissism, it was so eye opening and also relieving to me to learn about it and validate my experiences as being incredibly not normal. Once you see it, you can't unsee it and now I know when to run and not turn back. 😄

We all deserve love. Patience and kindness.

Control and manipulation.. no matter on what planet.. is not love. Patterned behaviour that cycles is also not normal. Stable, predictable, trustworthy behaviour is normal.

You don't have to stay in a relationship no matter the connection with the person if you feel you are not being loved in the way you deserve. Promise.

And if you know someone in this situation or you can relate, I encourage you to reach out and get support. There is freedom on the other side.

Kelly 🤗

Although I’m not promoting Messy Home Mom as a business anymore, there are still two ways you can support me if you choose to:

1. Becoming a paid subscriber here. I send a monthly email with goodies for subscribers plus you get to support me. :)

2. Sharing about or hiring me for your Creative Marketing dreams lol. My website is here.

👉 If you've ever broken free from a situation in your life or you're in the middle of one now, you may find my post today encouraging. I hope you read it and please feel free to personally contact me if you need any ear.

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I didn’t realize how controlled I was until my mid-30s.

Everything I believed about myself and even the world.. started to unravel.
The wool was pulled from my eyes, and I couldn’t unsee it.

The manipulation.
The pressure.
The control woven into the thread of my being.

For years, I thought some of my anxieties were just “who I was.”
But as I started to step back, I saw it more clearly. It never was fully mine.

And when I began to change things and get help and made boundaries, I was hit with heavy resistance.

Because when control is challenged, it doesn’t usually let go quietly.

But something had shifted and I couldn’t go back ever again.

As I took ownership of my life, everything surfaced:
years of buried emotions, stress, and experiences I hadn’t fully processed.

It showed up physically.

It showed up mentally.
It was messy… but it was real healing.

For so long, I felt misunderstood.

But here’s what I know now:

I’m not “too much.”

I don't “have problems.”

I was responding to something that wasn’t right.

And once I stepped out of it, I could finally hear my own voice again.

It’s been many years since that shift began.
And through years of support and intentional hard work, I’ve rebuilt a life that fully feels like mine. But. The healing will never stop.

The fear isn’t running the show anymore.
The constant suspicion isn’t there.
That “old voice” doesn’t heavily influence my thoughts.

And this I know now without question:
I am safe.
I am loved.
And I am allowed to live freely.

If any part of this feels familiar to you…

Hear me out.

You’re allowed to question things.
You’re allowed to set boundaries.
You’re allowed to choose a different path.

It might not be easy.
There may very well be pushback.

But you don’t have to do it alone.

And you don’t have to stay somewhere that takes away your peace.

Breaking the cycle is possible.
I’ve lived it.

And you can too.

Kelly 🤗

Although I’m not promoting Messy Home Mom as a business anymore, there are still two ways you can support me if you choose to:

1. Becoming a paid subscriber here. I send a monthly email with goodies for subscribers plus you get to support me. :)

2. Sharing about or hiring me for your Creative Marketing dreams lol. My website is here.

1. My doctor and naturopath are amazing.

2. Google Gemini has been my coach.

If you missed my last post on losing weight because I’m trying to reduce my cholesterol, go read it! But today I'm talking about what has made this successful for me. My best tricks.

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Finding your motivation.

I have ADHD and so unfortunately sheer willpower is nearly impossible for me. Having my cholesterol continue to climb was the thing my brain needed to fully click into gear. Maybe for you it's a health-related thing like that or watching the scale? You have to figure out what works for you.

Get a coach.

Whether that's Google Gemini, your doctor, a dietitian, a friend. Having someone help you make decisions around meals and food is SO important. I am pretty old hat at knowing the Mediterranean diet, but lowering my cholesterol and going crazy low carb has been a learning curve.

PSA

I'm not doing this forever… just until I see my cholesterol numbers are better. I'm also aiming for getting into the 140s, but that'll take some time.

Learn how to pivot when you get off track.

I'm human.

I've definitely gotten off track multiple times, but now because of my “coaches”, I know how to get back. The secret has really been:

• water, water, water

• fasting longer into the morning

• easier to process proteins like white fish

• no extra added fats (like olive oil)

These things really did help every time!! Our bodies hold onto water weight when we eat extra carbs, I've learned. They freak out.

Today I’m up a pound, so have a plan to flush out any extra water. Egg whites, lots of good veggies, water, fish, more veggies. ;)

If you’re on a journey to improve your health too, I’m here for you! Feel free to drop any questions below for me and I’d be happy to answer them. 🤗

Kelly

Although I’m not promoting Messy Home Mom as a business anymore, there are still two ways you can support me if you choose to:

1. Becoming a paid subscriber here. I send a monthly email with goodies for subscribers plus you get to support me. :)

2. Sharing about or hiring me for your Creative Marketing dreams lol. My website is here. I do project-based work: 🎨 Branding & Graphic Design 📱 Social Media Marketing 💻 Website Design & Copy ✉️ Email & Blog Writing

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I want to offer some exclusive stories, tips, and beyond for my Insiders this month. You can upgrade at anytime to unlock this post and any others in the past will automatically unlock too. So many goodies and help that you'll find!!

Today, I'm going to give you some inside updates on:

• Our property updates and the amazing news for my dad.

• What led me to decide on homeschooling and the (possible) shocking news for next year.

• How I'm intentionally decorating and organizing our home and some tips on how to start doing that for yourself.

And I wanted to share a large printable to say thank you for being here and supporting me. I'm gifting you my 80+ page Simple Planner that I used to sell on Etsy. 🤗

Your $8 a month helps more than you know. We just bought a huge amount of snacks for one of my son’s youth groups! Thank you. It paid for that.

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I started at 193 in the middle of January. Although weight has not been a focus of mine for many years, using this as a gauge to hopefully tell me my cholesterol is going down is reassuring.

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Did you know? Carbs can hold onto water weight (which can drive up cholesterol) and so what I was initially seeing was that water weight going down…. so removing as much carbs as possible has been the biggest help (by the way sugar = carbs too). Our bodies will burn up carbs first, THEN fat so if we eat less carbs, then more fat will be burned!

Dang. Being 40. Our bodies just process carbs much better when we’re younger. My doctor warned me..😅.

Anywho. Today I want to share a few meal ideas! I've been honestly using Google gemini to help me with meal planning to save my ADHD brain. Meal planning is hard for me. I input all of my requirements and foods on hand and bam. Ideas. It's been pretty similar most days with my proteins and veggies. I eat a lot of white fish and chicken.

For some visual inspiration, see my reel:

Day 1 ideas

• Breakfast: 4-5 egg whites scrambled with 2 cups of fresh spinach with hemp seeds on top.

• Lunch: white fish with steamed broccoli and lemon juice plus spice and DF cheese

• Dinner: 6 oz chicken breast sautéed with onions and “riced” cauliflower

Day 2 ideas

• Breakfast: 1 Whole Eggs + 2 Egg Whites with 1/2 cup Berries

• Lunch: 6 oz Chicken Breast over a massive bed of Spinach and sliced Cucumber

• Dinner: 6 oz White Fish baked with Garlic and a side of roasted Cauliflower

Day 3 ideas

• Breakfast: 4 Egg Whites with 1/2 cup Cauliflower

• Lunch: 6 oz White Fish with a “Double Green” side (1 cup Broccoli + 1 cup Spinach)

• Dinner: 6 oz Chicken “Stir-fry” with sliced Onions, Broccoli, carrot, and Cauliflower

If you're on a journey to improve your health too, if here for you! Feel free to drop any questions below for me and I'd be happy to answer them. 🤗

Kelly

Although I’m not promoting Messy Home Mom as a business anymore, there are still two ways you can support me if you choose to:

1. Becoming a paid subscriber here. I send a monthly email with goodies for subscribers plus you get to support me. :)

2. Sharing about or hiring me for your Creative Marketing dreams lol. My website is here.

Mic drop.

I wasn't actually trying to lose weight, but it's a secondary bonus to the changes I've been making.

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After having my fifth baby a couple years ago and then turning 40, things started to change. My body was holding onto weight, which was a new experience for me.

In the fall, my doctor told me some surprising news.

“Your cholesterol is high, Kel.”

She then went into a shpeel about heart health and exercise, which I was already mostly following and doing. I ate pretty balanced and exercised daily, hitting 10K or more steps most days. I certainly wasn't sendentaory. So I was at a loss already.

I made some tweaks in my diet going forward in hopes of reducing my cholesterol by the new year. Once again, I was met with a surprise.

“It’s even higher, Kel.”

Dang. Really?! It wasn’t just from the Christmas holidays, either.

I was already dairy free 95% of the time, low sugar and soy most of the time as in intolerant to them.

She then looks at me and says something like, “Well, you’re 40 now, see? I warned you! I eat low carb week days and have some carbs over the weekends to keep things stable for me.”

I trust my doctor. She’s healthy and around 50 and has navigated this before me. She's great.

I was alllll in. This was all my brain needed to fully commit to something intense. I wanted my cholesterol to lower as soon and as quick as possible. It sounded scary to me as I was thinking back to my father who had a heart attack and a quad bypass surgery when he was 44. Although he was a smoker and under extremely high stress… a story for another day.

So low carb…

I didn’t know what low carb actually meant.

I ASSUMED having high cholesterol was linked to red meat, butter, bags of chips. You know? Well, I didn’t eat butter, rarely had red meat, and had the odd bag of chips here and there.

I ate a daily salad wrap (and my doctor pointed out to remove that wrap!). Really??? I thought. Yea, our bodies process things differently as we get older, I found out.

Aw, man.

My doctor suggested taking Berberine so I started that. I removed most carbs from my diet. My naturopath told me to keep up with my apple cider vinegar with meals. I had a bunch of metamucil to use up, so continued that as well, although it didn't help with my cholesterol before.

And then…the changes started coming in the form of losing weight. I'm hoping it means that my cholesterol is lowering too. We'll find out in a few months.

In my next post, I will talk about what changes I made and what I was eating. Stay tuned!

Although I'm not promoting Messy Home Mom as a business anymore, there are still two ways you can support me if you choose to:

1. Becoming a paid subscriber here. I send a monthly email with goodies for subscribers plus you get to support me. :)

2. Sharing about or hiring me for your Creative Marketing dreams lol. My website is here.

I wanted to share a little life update and a shift happening in this space.

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Over the past year I moved from Simple Home Mom to Messy Home Mom… and lately I’ve felt called to simplify even more in many areas of my life.

As a busy homeschooling, work-from-home mom of five, I’ve learned how important it is to regularly reassess my values and goals. My oldest is now 15 (how did that happen?!), and it’s reminded me how quickly time moves and how easily it can slip by if I’m not being super intentional.

(Picture hint above… stay tuned for a pretty stellar update!).

When I started this space, I hoped it might grow into more part-time work. While I’m so grateful for my paid subscribers 💯, it hasn’t grown in the way I expected financially. And that's absolutely ok. It just means that I truly need to pivot.

At the same time, I’ve spent years working as a freelance Creative Marketing Specialist for small businesses and nonprofits. Helping with social media strategy, branding, website copy and design, and emails. I’ve felt a strong pull to lean fully into that work professionally, while keeping this space simply… me. 💗

I don’t want to feel pressure here anymore to hustle or create just to grow a business. I want this to be a place where I share what’s actually happening in my life.

So what will change?
You’ll see posts that reflect my real days… not just chores, but life as it unfolds.

Whether you’ve been here for years or just arrived, I’m so grateful you’re here. I hope you’ll stay for this next chapter.

Kelly 😊

Can you do me a quick favor? I'd be forever grateful if you let me know what you'd love to hear from me. Comment or below or email me back. I can't wait to hear from you!

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I have been around the block for many years now in the home management sphere, and I have seen so many routine systems and ideas here.

“This is how you’re going to keep your house perfect,” is what I’ve seen offered over and over. A promise that… finally… here is the ultimate answer to all your chore and home management problems!

Follow this perfect routine.

Follow this per perfect system.

I have it figured out.

Oh my gosh. I used to fall for that and I would try it and I would burn out and I would try another one and I would burn out.

It wasn’t until probably the last couple years of getting my ADHD diagnosis that I realized why routines and rhythm systems that are “meant to work” didn’t work for me. I have to do things differently. People with differently wired brains need to do things differently.

It’s a lot of systems and habits, and it’s a lot of pivoting… because some days even if we are in our crash mode (i.e. we can’t do much outside of feed the kids, get to work or, you know, just get the kids to bed), then we obviously can’t do what we’re supposed to be doing.

So instead, what I talk about are ways that make doing chores and taking care of the home easier and doable for you. Whether that’s a bare bones laundry routine (i.e. my baskets that I use for laundry or go back baskets when it’s really messy and you’re too overwhelmed to just even tidy up).

And this is why I am re-launching my 1:1 coaching. Because no one method is going to be for every. single. person. Having someone understanding your exact situation is so imporant in helping you find a way forward that’s doable!

Anyways, that’s my rant. I’m all for what works for you. And no one size fits all because none of us are the same. We’re all different!

Kelly

Hey Messy Home Mom Insiders!! And if you’re not one yet, I highly recommend it 🥳.

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The Next Whole Home Challenge Waitlist is Open!

I’m so excited because The Whole Home Reset Challenge round three is starting NEXT month. Get on the waitlist for the private mom accountability pod here (this is a paid pod). Plus I'm launching something very soon for everyone that I can't wait to share with you!

💌 Pro tip: Watch your email and check your spam as sometimes my Gmail emails go there. Face palm.

What’s Inside This month’s Dispatch:

• 🧹 Ultimate toilet gunk remover. If your toilet scrubbing causes you to break a sweat, you’re going to want to find out what I tested until I found something that wasn’t $30 a pop.

• 😮‍💨 What I’m doing less of right now and what I’m doing instead at home that’s lowered my stress.

• 📄 FREE PRINTABLE: The Less List — a simple reset for when everything feels like too much.

• 🧺 Coaching thread! Tell me your one big home struggle right now and I’ll respond with a personalized coaching response to help you move forward.

Ready to get the scoop every month?

👇 Join the Insiders and get chore help that doesn’t judge your laundry pile. 🧺

You’ll get access to The Dispatch, plus tons of other exclusive goodies that’ll unlock for you as soon as you upgrade below! See you inside.

Kelly :)

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Now, I'm in the stage of adulthood where…

I honestly don't care much anymore about the state of our home when people pop in. Sometimes it's sort of tidy… and sometimes. It's not.

That's life, right?

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Having people over can be a wonderful motivation to get stuff done, though. I love to tidy for friends or family.

So here's my lazy person's guide to tidying up for guests:

• Prioritize. Prioritize the areas your guests will be using most. For my son and his friends it's the kitchen and dining room, plus of course the main bathroom.

• Pickup. Pickup stuff off the floor or do what I do — and sweep things to the side in piles lol. They're out of the frame of my picture above on both sides of the room. 😄

• Wipe surfaces. Sticky counters and surfaces are gross. Make ‘em clean!

• Quick sweep or vacuum.

• Quick wipe down of the bathroom.

Done! I've also been known to hide clutter in the shower last minute lol…

How do you prep for guests? Let me know in the comments!

Messy home? Busy life? Same.😄
I coach moms through realistic home systems that fit real families, with support via email and voice chat so you’re never doing it alone. You can fill out my form here to get started!

Take it from a wonderful Messy Home Mom community member:

“Thank you Kelly for helping me be more realistic and less perfectionist. 🤗”

Find that perfect painting or paint that wall! Don’t know how to paint? Learn. You may end up loving it. I’m still learning myself, too.

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Don’t forget to have fun with your home!

Some things I’m doing to have fun lately:

• 🎨 Picking paint colors for rooms

• 🏠 Designing rooms

• 👩‍🔧 Fixing holes… lots of holes, lol

• 🖼️ Finding decor that actually feels like us (I found a fake plant to replace the ones I killed in one room!). Isn’t it cute?

Gah, it’s been so good leaning into this lately.

I mean, thank you, AI, for this bedroom inspiration below…

We’ve been working slowly on our bedroom.

The walls are almost all primed. It’s only taken me a few months? lol. Slow and steady! By the way, walls like the ones you see below are SO expensive, we found out. I found another idea that’ll be much more affordable and just as nice.

The ugly before (current):

What’s a fun home project you’ve been working on recently? Let me know in the comments!

To having more fun in your home,

Kelly, your home management coach 🏡

» DID YOU KNOW?

I offer simple 1:1 home management coaching that helps you keep your home running and make space for fun projects without perfectionism running the show.

If you want help with this (and everything else that goes into managing a home), I offer voice coaching and email coaching. You can contact me here to get started!

Take it from a wonderful Messy Home Mom community member:

“Thank you Kelly for helping me be more realistic and less perfectionist. 🤗”

To start them on building good habits.
To use all the strategies.
Praise and modeling. Teaching them how to do things like tie their shoes, load the dishwasher, or vacuum their bedroom. To remember xyz when they do it every day at the same time.

I honestly thought I wasn't being good enough at helping my children develop their habits for a long time.

It was hard and disheartening.

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They said it'd get easier as they got older.

It didn't.

In fact, it seemed like I was carrying more.

More chores. More “alarm clock” reminders that I had to keep track of. More telling them where their pencil was (right where it should be).

This is just one area of weight that a parent of neurodivergent children carries.

My work isn't done until the last child has gone through their bedtime routine and often that's getting close to midnight. Because I have older children.

Have you..

“Found your PJs? Fed the guinea pigs? Tick checked? Eye drops? Floss? Brush?”

No, visual reminders don't help. No, alarms don't help. Only my insistent support, one step. One tiny step at a time helps. If it's not there, it's not getting done.

And so, this is why I feel drawn to share my experiences outside of my home walls. I don't want others to feel alone in the weight that they carry.

It's not easy.

It’s exhausting, my friend.

This year, I’m outsourcing more for one of my children to work on these kinds of skills.

I see this as an act of care.

Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is ask for help and let ourselves rest for just a moment. ❤️

I see you if this is your life too. You're not alone!!

Kelly, your home management coach 🏡

If you’re carrying this too and it resonates with what I shared, I’m here. 🤍
I offer simple 1-1 support to help you figure out home management and chores in a way that works for your family, through voice chat or email.
Message me or comment below if you’d like to get started.

Take it from a wonderful Messy Home Mom community member:

“Thank you Kelly for helping me be more realistic and less perfectionist. 🤗”

I know that this time of year is always hard for us so knew to take it slow and give ourselves lots of grace. It was a good first week back overall, in the end.

I leaned into a lot of go back basket tidies so that the place looked tidy with little effort while we got our brains back in gear. Go back baskets are such a life saver sometimes. I highly recommend.

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At one point during the week, my nine year old decided to… mop the whole house. Because he wanted to. When you get the motivation, it's nice to just run with it. It got me thinking about the value of teaching kids chore and homemaking skills — even with neurodivergent brains and struggling with consistently getting chores done (myself included). Having the know-how makes a world of a difference. So they can mop when the mood strikes, right? Ha.

Some skills all kids should learn as soon as they’re able, in my opinion:

• Laundry: bringing it down, putting on the wash, transferring over to the dry and beyond are all steps to learn

• Dishes: unloading the dishwasher, bringing the dishes to the kitchen, handwashing dishes

• Mopping

• Wiping down things: walls, tables, all the things

• Teaching them how to do basic wiring like swapping out a light fixture (click the video to see below!!)

Maybe you have other good ideas too. Let me know in the comments if so!

I'm obsessed. I've been working on the main floor bathroom little by little and I'm so pleased with how it's turning out.

Before:

Goal inspiration. I have the mirror so just have to get that on the wall next!

LAST CHANCE! I’m starting another round of the Whole Home Reset Challenge (mom pod accoutability group) this Wednesday.

Inside the Mom Pod, we:

• follow simple daily reset prompts

• check in with tiny wins (no pressure, no perfection)

• encourage each other in real time

• keep momentum going together instead of starting over every Monday

It’s gentle. It’s realistic. And it’s designed for moms who want support without overwhelm. Joining the pod is paid ($49 for two weeks), and it includes high-touch 1:1 support that just can’t be offered through a newsletter.

If that sounds like something you want for January, you can join 👉 here! I’d love to help you tackle your home!

From your home management coach,

Kelly

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Here’s an excerpt from my January piece:

Finding Peace and Gratitude While Embracing the “What Is”

“The life God prepared for me wasn’t a picturesque family, with everyone gathered around the table sipping their tea and listening to beautiful poetry. There was a time when I had to let my iron-clad fist go of that vision and accept “what is” instead of what I thought “should be.” In a way, I went through a grieving process of acceptance. The life that God prepared for me was vastly different, but nonetheless wonderful.

I read about the importance of family dinners—to reconnect as a family and to find quiet from our busy days. Try as we might, it only worked on the rare occasion for us. I thought something was wrong with us. With me. Did I just need to try harder? Instead, what we found ourselves with were children who would throw fits because their food had small bits of onions in it, another child who buried their nose in a book because there was too much noise, and one other who kept running away because dinner was too “boring” for their brain. Did I need to invest in dinner seatbelts, I thought, mostly jokingly?”

….read more in this month’s publication! Find out more here as it's a subscription-based publication

My bio in the Magazine:

I’m Kelly, a neurodivergent homeschooling mom of 5, creative marketing freelancer, writer, and home management extraordinaire. I am an out-of-the-box thinker and find joy in sharing bits of my story knowing that I’m helping others like me feel less alone.

Hi Messy Home Mom community member. Happy new year!

This year, I want to get back to sharing more behind-the-scenes jobs and projects that I’m working on around here because honestly I need the accountability.

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Butttt first I really want to go through our home and do some touching up (i.e. decluttering etc) through the Whole Home Reset Challenge I’m hosting. Take a look at this five minute tidying job I did today:

What’s the Whole Home Reset Challenge, you ask?

It’s a simple challenge I created to address that “I JUST WANT TO THROW EVERYTHING OUT” feeling!

Using my full whole-home reset checklist (which is completely real-life and packed with everything from dusting fans to decluttering closets)…the challenge will take you through your whole home, leaning on that checklist to help guide you. Ready now? Save your spot here!

Here are the details:

• Mini Mom Pod (2 weeks/ $49 ) —A small, cozy group (max 5 moms) for deeper accountability. Here’s exactly what you get:

• Daily check-ins from me (short, easy-to-read updates)

• A private group chat for sharing progress + encouragement

• Real-time guidance as you go through your own checklist

• Light personalized coaching when you feel stuck

• Momentum from doing it together, not alone
  I’ll be working through my list too and sharing what’s helping me. We reset our homes side by side.

• You’ll have the option to continue together after the 14 days!

  

After the challenge, you’ll notice:

✨ Less clutter
✨ A real sense of accomplishment
✨ Less overwhelm when you look around your home
✨ That you now have a clear path forward and the confidence to get back on track when things get messy again.

Ready to feel lighter and more in control?

👉 Sign up for the Whole Home Reset Challenge waitlist HERE.
I’ll email you the moment it goes live. Payment is collected just before the challenge starts and joining the waitlist simply saves your spot.

The Whole Home Reset Challenge is designed for real life… because a little consistency makes a big impact. And also, I can’t do any crazy challenge with my busy life. I’m sure it’s the same for you too! 😅

Hope to see you inside! Let’s do this! ⬇️⬇️

I'm READY! Count me in!

Kelly :)

Hey Messy Home Mom Insiders!! And if you’re not one yet, I highly recommend it 🥳.

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The Next Whole Home Challenge Waitlist is Open!

I’m so excited because The Whole Home Reset Challenge round two is starting THIS month. Get on the waitlist for the private mom accountability pod here (this is a paid pod).

💌 Pro tip: Watch your email and check your spam as sometimes my emails from my gmail account goes there. Face palm.

What’s Inside This month’s Dispatch:

• 🧹 What I found (almost new!) on the side of the road that’s upped my cleaning game (newsflash — I’m a much better tidier than cleaner and this helps me so much).

• 😮‍💨 The top 3 chores to get your kids to do to simplify the mess and how I do it with my family.

• FREE PRINTABLE: The 10-Minute Family Reset — a simple way to involve your kids, reduce clutter friction, and stop the day from ending in overwhelm.

  

• 🧺 Coaching thread! Let’s talk about your goals for this year: what’s one thing you’d like to work on this year? I’ll respond with a personalized coaching response.

Ready to get the scoop every month?

👇 Join the Insiders and get chore help that doesn’t judge your laundry pile. 🧺

You’ll get access to The Dispatch, plus tons of other exclusive goodies that’ll unlock for you as soon as you upgrade below! See you inside.

Kelly :)

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Gosh, there were many months I spent thinking about gifts, making sure I had all of my ducks in a row. I mean.. everything down to the perfectly wrapped presents. At the time, I didn’t have near as much personal awareness of myself. I was holding anxiety around perfecting Christmas without realizing it.

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Now, don't get me wrong. I love giving gifts and find joy in the momentary happiness it brings someone!

But what I'm talking about here is doing Christmas my way and honoring my personhood.

Embracing my imperfect, but actually perfect Christmas tree. 💕👇

These days, Christmas looks much simpler.

I think part of that reason is because I have more children. But the biggest part is because I've truly embraced who I am.

My Christmas prep equals simple lists.

No wrapping (bags only that I reuse every year).

Money is fine to gift for those that would appreciate it and that makes my life easier too.

…

Maybe this season isn’t about doing Christmas right at all.
Maybe it’s about noticing what we’re carrying and choosing, slowly and kindly, to set some of it down. 💗

Wishing you and your family a lovely Christmas (or holiday) season!

Kelly 😊

PS I am really looking forward to working with the moms in the mom accountability pod in the new year. I hope it’s both fun.. and healing. 💗 Will you be joining us too? Save your spot here.

Here are the details again of the pod:

• Mini Mom Pod (2 weeks/ $49 ) —A small, cozy group (max 5 moms) for deeper accountability. Here’s exactly what you get:

• Daily check-ins from me (short, easy-to-read updates)

• A private group chat for sharing progress + encouragement

• Real-time guidance as you go through your own checklist

• Light personalized coaching when you feel stuck

• Momentum from doing it together, not alone
  I’ll be working through my list too and sharing what’s helping me. We reset our homes side by side.

• You’ll have the option to continue together after the 14 days!