I split time with my ex and our kids, and it seems to hit harder during holidays. There's a built-in coziness this time of year that calls to so many of us moms. Yes, there's pumpkin-flavored everything lining the shelves at Trader Joe's and Target.
Yes, there's the #PSL at Starbucks that probably funds a small nation or two every fall.. Fall stirs up a cozy craving in most of us, and it delivers. Tucked into this season is what my 7-year-old calls the "second best holiday." The one where you get to try on a new persona and be Batman or Taylor Swift for the night.
The one where candy is served for dinner, dessert, and breakfast the morning after. There's so much to love about fall. And as a co-parent who shares custody, there's also so much to feel and acknowledge.
I won't pretend it isn't there, but I can also sip my PSL and smile, because co-parenting gives me something I didn't expect: time. Time to pause and plan, and to map out exactly what I want this season to look like when my kids are with me. Fewer days doesn't mean less magic.
It means intentional magic. And it doesn't take much. With the weather showing off here in Utah, my husband and I take the kids to the nearby park with a picnic.
I tuck plastic spiders into the food containers and name the dinner "Arachnafoodia." In my tumbler? I call it "Bat Blood." I think I'm so clever. At 12, 10 and 7, my (step) kids do too.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
