50ish with a Full Nest has been a dream of mine for a long time. I actually started it a few years ago, but it died a death of slow neglect when paid writing gigs started piling up faster than I could write them. But then there was COVID, and making sure three teens were keeping up with their work from home slowly edged my content marketing business off the edge of my ad-hoc desk at kitchen island.
But now that one child has graduated and the other two will be back on campus full time in August, I finally have time to give 50ish with a Full nest another shot at life. The next question is, should you give it a shot?
After all, we’re all suffering from content overload. I recently realized that there were websites I used to visit daily that I haven’t been to in months. And I haven’t a single doubt that you have other content (not to mention husbands, kids, jobs … you know, real life) demanding your attention.
So why 50ish with a Full Nest?
Why should you visit my site just because I’ve been around the sun 50+ times? Because (hopefully) I’ve learned a few things that may make your life easier … or just more entertaining! Here’s what you can expect to find here:
I have a child on the autism spectrum, and I’ve learned a lot.
I’ve learned a lot about the importance of getting the right diagnosis. I’ve also learned a lot about IDEA and getting the IEP your child needs. I’m passionate about sharing what I’ve learned, because children whose parents don’t understand the law usually don’t get the accommodations they need. Special Ed services are expensive, especially when you’re talking about things like occupational, physical, or speech therapy, or an individual aide to accompany your child throughout the day. Schools have extremely tight budgets, and few will offer things you don’t ask for. I’m committed to helping parents of special needs children through this process.
I’m also a pretty darn good cook.
I plan on sharing some recipes, but that’s going to be a bit of a challenge since I don’t usually use recipes. So I’ll have to remember to write things down as I go. All in all, you can expect to see me sharing some recipes, but also how-to guides (DIY recipes, if you will). I also plan to write about things like when it’s important to make something from scratch and when it’s easier and cheaper to grab a mix!
I’ve been through the deaths of both of my parents, and I learned a lot from that, too.
Just as I’m an older parent, I was also the youngest child of older parents. My mom was 41 when I was born, which was unheard of back then. So just like I’m older than my kids’ friends’ parents, my parents were older than my friends’ parents. They lived long, full lives — married more than 50 years! — but they both suffered from dementia before they passed, and the things I wish I had known could fill a whole book, especially concerning finances. I plan to share those hard lessons so that those of you who haven’t been through this process yet can avoid my mistakes.
I had three kids in under three years.
And the younger two were born January and December of the same year. At one point I had a three-year-old who, from the time he was an infant, was never comfortable in his own skin (later attributed to autism), a one-year-old who had to have breathing treatments every four hours because he’d start wheezing every time he got a sniffle, and a newborn. By necessity, I came to some conclusions about what’s important and what to let go. And I also have some pretty hilarious stories to tell, names withheld to protect the now-teenagers.
Finally, we just moved into a new house, and it’s my first foray into decorating intentionally .
Let’s face it: There’s no point in investing in pretty decorations that are likely to be shattered by the end of the first day. (And remind me to tell you what happened when the brand-new flat screen TV in the bonus room had mysterious holes in it–which, of course, no one knew anything about. It’s now family lore and guaranteed to show up in a toast at my boys’ weddings.)
Anyway…I don’t have to go on. You know what I mean. We’re finally out of that stage, and I’m having a blast. So I’ll share some of my newbie adventures in trying to achieve an authentic French country/farmhouse style. And I’m not kidding when I say “adventure.” I’m notorious in our family for not noticing things. My husband and daughter think it’s tons of fun to change something around and see how long it takes me to notice. And sometimes I think something’s new and my husband swears it’s been there forever.
Anyway, the point is that, if I can learn to decorate with style, anyone can.
That’s enough about me. Like a good little content strategist, I developed an infographic to really help you nail down whether you’ll like my site:
