Well, it has been almost 16 years since I started Half Crazy Mama, and I feel like it is time for a change. Because if there is one thing I know for sure, it is that life can change in ways you never saw coming.
When I first started this website, #LittleMonkey was actually little. I shared our Disney trips, running adventures, family memories, lots of recipes and all the fun and chaos that came with motherhood.
Now, somehow, #LittleMonkey is 16 years old. Sixteen! It is mind-blowing how quickly those years passed. She has grown into an incredible young woman, and motherhood looks completely different than it did when I first started sharing our lives here.
The biggest and hardest change is that my husband passed away last year. I am now a 45-year-old widow and a single mom—words I never imagined I would use to describe my life.
My world has been turned upside down. There is no handbook for losing your husband, raising a teenager through grief, or figuring out who you are when the future you planned suddenly disappears. Some days I feel strong and hopeful. Other days, grief sneaks up on me at the grocery store, in the car, or during an ordinary moment that reminds me how different life is now.
That is the strange thing about grief. It is messy, unpredictable, and incredibly personal. It can exist right alongside happiness. I can miss my “old life” while also laughing with friends, planning a trip, running a race, or feeling excited about something new. I am learning that finding joy again does not mean I have stopped grieving. Both things can be true at the same time.
So, Half Crazy Mama is changing along with me.
When Half Crazy Mama started, blogging was more like keeping an online diary. I shared our adventures, everyday moments, and whatever was on my mind. Then the Pinterest era arrived, and like so many bloggers, I shifted toward searchable, pinnable content. Somewhere along the way, my own voice became a little quieter. Now, I want to return to what made me love blogging in the first place—writing honestly, sharing my life, and making Half Crazy Mama feel like my diary again.
Don’t worry—there will still be Disney trips, running, travel, favorite finds, ridiculous products my daughter convinces me we need, and all the other fun things I have always loved sharing. Those things are still part of who I am.
But I also want to share more of real life, the life lessons, healthy living, motherhood with a teenager, starting over, navigating widowhood, and finding joy after loss. I want to talk honestly about the beautiful moments and the messy, sticky parts of grief that people do not always see.
This next chapter will not be perfectly curated because life is not perfectly curated. It will be honest, evolving, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, and hopefully helpful to anyone else navigating an unexpected chapter of their own.
Half Crazy Mama has always been about embracing the chaos, chasing adventures, and finding reasons to keep moving forward. That feels more meaningful now than ever.
One more honest note: the income I earn through affiliate links, social media, and this website helps me pay my bills and continue creating content. I never want you to feel like I’m being spammy, but Mama’s got bills to pay! I may share products from time to time, but I only recommend things I genuinely like, use, or think you may enjoy. When you shop through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Your support goes far beyond clicking a link. Every comment, message, share, and DM helps keep me going. I truly love hearing from you, reading your stories, and seeing the real connections that have grown through this community. It all means more to me than you know.
Thank you to everyone who has been here from the early days, when #LittleMonkey was tiny and our lives revolved around Disney trips and race weekends. And thank you to those who are joining me now.
Life looks very different these days, but I am still here. I am still running, still exploring, still learning, and still finding moments of joy wherever I can.
This is not the story I expected to be telling, but it is MY story and I am ready to share this next chapter with you.
Been a follower on SM since back in the day… been through it all with you. Happy to see you back and will continue to follow along on your next journey.
Thank you friend. So much.