In My 30s. With Kids. And Dating.

I am Danielle, an 80s baby, 90s kid. I grew up and I am still living in the midwest. As you can probably guess from the second sentence, I am in my mid, but approaching late 30s. Honestly, I am proud of that! I have reached the stage in life where I care little about what others think of me. I wish I had this confidence in my teens and early 20s.

I am mother to three beautiful children +1: 

• I have a son, J, who is right in the middle of his teens. (Yes, moms, I am in the thick of parenting a teenager. Some days it’s bliss, while other days it’s a battle, but you already know how it goes.) He is a great big brother. He is protective with a little bit of teasing, because you know, as a brother, you can’t be too nice. He is also reserved and likes to keep to himself.
• Next is my eldest daughter, L, is 10 years behind my son. (Now, if you have any large age gaps with your children, you may be like me and sometimes question why you did this. Try not to stay in that space too long.) She is my compassionate child. She can be very sweet and a social butterfly. Oh, and she is very much an artist. She is also my very honest child. She will tell on herself in a heartbeat. 
• Last, but not least is my youngest daughter, M. (Gulps) This girl is fire made in human form. She is confident, smart, and does not bend or break. She loves action and loves her older siblings very much. She is my shadow and she may (or may not) get some of the grit from me. 
• We also have a family dog, a standard poodle named, M. She has been rocking with us since 2021 when we picked her up at the tender age of 8 weeks. I fear my postpartum crazy idea of adding a puppy to our home of 2 under 2 and preteen is why she is here. But none the less, she fits right in. 

If you haven’t caught it yet, that is where the DJLMM comes into play. 

I am also single; never married. Sure, I have been in relationships, but none of which ended with us exchanging vows at the end of the isle. I have recently started dating again, and lets just say…I am in no rush to get married. It is rough out here. It is not for the weak. From time to time I will share some of these dating “events” with you. We can laugh, cry, and swoon together. 

In addition to all of that, I of course work corporate full time. I am been at the same employer for 10+ years. Hey, it pays the bills and has provided me a roof over my families heads. Is it my dream job? No. But what can you expect for someone who had a child that she needed to provide for? 

Does my story sound similar to yours? Perhaps not the all of it, but bits and pieces? Well, buckle up because I am going to share this insane ride called, My Life, with you. We are all going through it, so let’s exchange stories, dreams, ideas, and hacks to this thing called life.