Parenthood Unpacked with Casey

Hi, I’m Casey! I’m a parent and part of the PlanetBox team, and I wanted to give you a peek at what life looks like on this side of things. 

In this monthly series, I’ll be sharing it all: the real life chaos, the small wins, what made it into the lunch box, and some recommendations on what works for my family. 

Anybody else completely blow up bedtime rules during the Olympics?

We usually run a pretty tight bedtime ship over here. Not in a militant way, more in a “everyone functions better tomorrow if we call it” way. Also, honestly, bedtime is when I finally get to be a person again. But for the past couple weeks? All bets were off. The Olympics took over our evenings and we leaned into skiing, luge, speed skating, and anything else involving icy danger at high speeds.

For a solid stretch, every night at “last call” our 9-year-old suddenly discovered a deep passion for curling. She couldn’t remember the name at first and kept calling it “stone scooting,” which honestly feels like a better name for it. I’m not convinced she loves curling as much as she loves staying up past bedtime, but the Olympics are short-lived, and the memories felt worth the extra yawns the next morning.

The Week in Real Life

Monday: Shockingly smooth morning. I was scheduled to volunteer in my daughter’s class, which automatically made her excited to get to school. She hopped out of bed and got ready without being asked twice. 

Tuesday: I decided, boldly, to take care of myself and pack breakfast and lunch for work. This required time. Time made us late. I accepted this tradeoff like a chill, easy going parent. Then I left both meals in a tote bag sitting by the front door. So she was late to school and I had to come up with a new plan to feed myself. Ugh, I was so close to having it together!

Wednesday: Sprint home from work to grab kiddo from after-school pickleball club. She’s starving, so I set her up with a snack and an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (the original one that we watched as kids). I grab the dog and hustle over to the dog park because he hasn’t been out in civilization for two days and I’m feeling like a bad dog-mom.

Thursday: Gymnastics from 5–7pm, which means it’s what we call “Wild West Dinner.” My husband coined this phrase and it stuck. Everyone fends for themselves. Momofuku noodles with a fried egg. Leftovers if you can find them. Snack plates made of cheese, crackers, blueberries that are one day from turning, and whatever vegetables are closest to eye level in the fridge.

Friday: Yay! No activities. No real plans. Just the promise of pizza and a movie or family game night. At some point we’ll get our kid to bed and then my husband and I will attempt to watch a more grown-up movie, but truthfully one or both of us will fall asleep on the couch halfway through. Cheers to the weekend!

What We Packed This Week

Lunches this week were a mix of creativity and just-get-it-done mode.

One day: canned dolmas from Trader Joe’s, carrot and celery sticks with hummus, big in-season strawberries, cubed raw tofu with salt (don’t ask- she loves it), Trader Joe’s crunchy curls (we call them pigtails), plus a tiny treat mix of slivered almonds and white chocolate chips.

Another day: whole-grain freezer waffle with a little container of chocolate peanut butter spread, my go-to when my brain hasn’t booted up yet, sliced apple, mini cucumbers, snap pea crisps, and a few chocolate chips in the treat spot.

Field trip day: Because field trips deserve something a little special tucked in a small square of chocolate cake I’d made earlier in the week, along with a chicken-and-cheese wrap, strawberries, cucumber rounds, pretzels, and a handful of nuts.

One Honest Takeaway

This week reminded me how much my child is like me, which is both delightful and inconvenient.

I’m writing this at the kitchen table, currently decorated with three half-finished friendship bracelets taped in place and a chaotic nest of embroidery thread in the center like a colorful pile of spaghetti. I was exactly this kind of kid. Starting projects or “inventions” at a furious pace. Finishing almost none of them. Leaving a trail of tape, string, paper scraps, and pipe cleaners for my poor mother to quietly collect behind me.

I finally get it now. Thanks, Mom. I owe you at least several finished bracelets.

Something We’re Loving

We’ve been listening to the Terrestrials podcast from Radiolab on car rides and it’s been a huge hit. Interesting, weird, science-y stories that somehow lead to great family conversations. Highly recommend if you need something that isn’t the same three songs on repeat.