Finding my Arrowhead: Our love story: Alyssa and Ryan

Most of you know that I married my high school sweetheart, and after a series of unfortunate events, divorced in 2019. I dated pretty intensely for about a year, enjoying meeting some wonderful (and some not so wonderful) men, excited to experience dating and romance as an adult. However, I was nearing the end of my fun with it and had put my Bumble app on hold for awhile, deciding to focus on the girls and work. But, as I…

Fossil Falls Poem

Beneath a rust-colored mountain, lava once raged Its molten core splashing violently Ready to erupt and destroy a desert plain In its wake It would dot the earth with porous black stone Carving canyons into the dirt Erasing scrub brush and sage Decimating creatures who had no choice but to either die or evolve. We set out on foot into these ruins, these landmarks, these fossils The taste of love on our lips but still slightly too sweet to be…

The Curly Girl Method: Two Months Review, 2C Hair Type Low Porosity

My hair has a mind of its own. It always has; from the wispy white Einstein locks I sported as a toddler, to the fine baby hair of a little girl, to the cowlicked, frizzy poof of preteen. Then, puberty struck, and my hair’s cowlicks got even more stubborn; with one particularly strong wave right at the crown of my forehead. I started to experiment with gel and mousse and discovered that I didn’t just had wavy hair, I had…

The Seed Lions

Inspired by Holly playing with dolls and repeating “Sea Lion” as “Seed Lion.” tumbling and slickglimmering and sleekThey dive in and out of the breezeeach slippery pinniped a hostfor today’s desired flora a victory gardenor a ragtag bouquet tucked in a child’s palmor maybe just a patch of weedsfor the annoyed green thumb to ponder the seed lions do it alleach day romancing the waves of the skya sea animal dance betweenpollen and windlight and lust. see them there frolicking,nose…

Corona Virus Neighbor

Hi! Wow, I haven’t written on here in over a year. Sad. Consider this my pledge to start putting words on digital paper here, semi-regularly, when I can. Starting with this quick little poem I wrote. ~xo lyssa Here we areEach of us a chasm in the earthA gap in communicationA distance in socializationFrom your six feet across (not under) You whisper a hello so quietly that it is almost nothingyet you do not lift your head. Each day we…

Three Non-Fiction Books You Should Read

I don’t get much time for reading these days; between a full time job and two toddlers, my “free time” in the evenings is spent sweeping Cheerios off the floor or mindlessly scrolling Facebook as I lie exhausted in bed. However, a luxurious week long vacation to Costa Rica with my sister and my mom afforded me the opportunity to devour three books; three incredibly different books that benefited me in unique ways.  First, the career bolstering book, recommended to…

Foodie Review: Master Inn Asian Fusion Restaurant in Valencia (Santa Clarita)

One of my favorite things to do is go out to lunch, and this week, I was treated to a yummy Asian Fusion lunch by the kind people of new Valencia restaurant, Master Inn. Master Inn has been in the Santa Clarita Valley for just about four months, and you can tell, because the restaurant itself is spotless, very clean and modern. My friend Kelly joined me for lunch and also noted how nice and clean the restrooms are — such…

Baby Power: What You Can Do to Protect Little Lungs and Demand Cleaner Air

Breathing. It’s something we all do, every day, thousands of times. Our lungs expand and shrink, our chests rise and fall, and we breathe 12 to 20 times a minute. Breathing is one of those things you don’t think about often; but when you realize you’ve taken it for granted, it suddenly becomes a gift. Every mother listens for their child’s first breath. My first daughter was delivered quietly into the world; she didn’t make a sound as they lifted…

Second Time Mom’s Must Have List for Babies & New Parents – Registry List & Gift Guide for New Moms & Baby Showers

***Updated with fresh links n’ styles in 2022. My kids are 4 and 6 now, WHAAAAT?! Added a few new reccos, too. Happy parenting, peeps! ♥️ I now have a 3.5 month old and a 2.5 year old, and somewhere, in the quiet hours of the night, I was pinned with my shiny pin of Veteran Parent. It means I have survived enough same-time meltdowns, spit up on shirt, hair pulling, public blowouts, charming coos, and gummy baby smiles to…

Life update: As You Wish Pottery, BABIES, and ShiftCon!

I blinked — and suddenly my newborn is two months old, I’ve become acclimated to sleeping about 6 broken hours each night and it seems to be sunset right after the sun rises. Such is life with two kids, haha! I’ve been wanting to write this blog post for a solid eight weeks but at the end of the night there are bottles to wash, bills to pay, and Reddit posts to catch up on — so it’s been waiting…