Author: The Relentless Motherhood

• Workplaces Celebrate ‘Family Culture’—Just Not Single Mothers

  Everyone loves the idea of “family-friendly work culture” until a woman becomes a single mother. Suddenly flexibility turns into quiet punishment, and motherhood becomes something you’re expected to manage invisibly. Companies celebrate family values in branding, but behind recruiting doors, single mothers are treated less like valuable hires—and more like scheduling risks.

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• 6’7 from Seattle…

  I thought we had chemistry — hours of late-night phone calls where everything flowed so easily. But when 6’7 from Seattle finally showed up, it turned into the weirdest, most disappointing first meeting of my life. From flaking on plans, to opening his laptop on my couch, to snoring for twelve hours straight — all…

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• Living in New Orleans as a Mother

  Living in New Orleans as a mom means sunscreen by the door, ponchos in the trunk, and a standing date with City Park, brass bands, and beignets. This is the honest, cozy guide to raising kids here—humid, joyful, practical, and yours.

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• Living in Portland as a Mother:

  Living in Portland as a mom means rain gear by the door, snacks in the car, and a standing date with parks, libraries, and green trails. This is the blunt, cozy, realistic guide to building a life here that’s grounded, kid-friendly, and still yours.

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• Therapy: Back on the couch (my couch that is)

  Going Back, back to Therapy, therapy. So, I went back to therapy. Not because I had a major breakdown (though, let’s be real, I’ve been this close a few times), but because I finally admitted to myself that I can’t do this whole “be everything to everyone and be me in the mix of it…

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• Edit the Room

  If it drains you, it’s too expensive. Mute the chat, unfollow the noise, cancel the guilt-yes, and add one energizing cue to your space. Proximity is power—sit near the life you want and watch your focus and peace come back.

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• When Life Crashes, Bake Bread.

  Life crashed, my therapist told me to find a hobby, and now I’m over here feeding a sourdough starter named Fernandough. I’m not good at it—but maybe that’s the point. Sourdough has become my messy little metaphor for life: slow, imperfect, but still rising.

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• Unsolicited Dick Pics IN PDX

  Unsolicited dick pics: still happening, still gross, and still not the flex men think it is. In this Relentlessly Single in PDX rant, I break down why random crotch shots aren’t cute, why they’re really about control (not attraction), and how to deal with them without letting some stranger’s poor lighting ruin your day.

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• September jt.

  Why You Need a Monthly “Me” Check-In… Let’s be real—life moves fast. One minute you’re paying bills and buying snacks for school, the next thing you know, three months have flown by and you can’t even remember the last time you did something just for you. That’s where a monthly “me” check-in comes in. Think…

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• Amazing Nonprofits in Portland Supporting Kids

  Raising kids isn’t easy — and for some Portland families, it’s downright overwhelming. That’s where our city’s nonprofits step in. From mentors who stay by a child’s side for 12 years, to diaper banks that keep babies healthy, to safe spaces for kids grieving big losses — these organizations are doing the quiet, relentless work…

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• Where to Actually Relax in Portland

  Relaxing in Portland isn’t just a luxury — it’s survival. Between work, kids, and the endless grind of everyday life, burnout can creep in fast. Sometimes the only way to breathe again is to step out of the chaos and into the spaces this city built for slowing down. From mossy trails in Forest Park…

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• Why Dating in Portland Feels Like a Never-Ending Thrift Store Hunt

  Dating in Portland isn’t just hard — it’s weird. It’s flannels at breweries, long talks about bike lanes, and more ghosting than a haunted house in October. For single moms (or really, anyone trying to date here), the scene feels less like a rom-com and more like a thrift store hunt: you might find a…

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• Podcasts That Feel Like Therapy for Burnt-Out Moms

  Burnout isn’t just about being tired — it’s about carrying too much, for too long, with no finish line in sight. For single moms, it’s working a full-time job and then clocking into the second shift at home without ever getting to clock out. It’s survival mode stacked on survival mode. That’s why I put…

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• Burnout & career life.

  When Survival Mode Becomes Your 9–5 Burnout doesn’t always look like collapsing in bed and sleeping for twelve hours. Sometimes it looks like showing up every day, on time, with a coffee in your hand and a smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes. For single moms, burnout is different. It’s not just about work…

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• From Beignets to black coffee.

  There’s no playbook for starting over. No Pinterest checklist or Target-run essentials for what it means to pack up your life, leave behind a broken marriage, and drive 2,500 miles toward a future that’s still blurry. But that’s exactly what I did. I left New Orleans—my home for the last few years, my comfort zone,…

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• the fucking audacity of: this man. He wants to be my man, but wants other women, but doesn’t want me to have another man.

  Read that again, twice. Do you have the same migraine I do? There’s something in the Portland air—and I don’t mean the rain or the smell of weed or body odor. I mean the audacity. So here’s the tea: I’ve was lowkey seeing this man. He’s cute. He’s charming. He says all the right things.…

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• Financial Friday:

  Ballin’ (Slightly) Bigger — A Toddler-Approved Weekend in Portland Under $75 I have been obsessed with making these little weekend plans for my son and I since I moved here from New Orleans, being able to be outside for the majority of the year is SUCH a game changer. So for this financial friday, because…

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• TRM’s ultimate toddler plane packing checklist

  Functional, Cute, and Ready for Takeoff (we are compiling an amazon list currently of all things we love – so standby for that) CARRY-ON BAG: SNACK PACK: TOYS + ENTERTAINMENT: MISCELLANEOUS LIFESAVERS: ocd (mine), MOM REMINDERS: You’ve got this! 💪 Safe travels and remember: if the plane lands and nobody is naked, crying, or banned…

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• PDX & the single life

  Hinge, Tinder, and the existential crisis of trying to find love/fun (or just someone with a job, showers, and owns a bed frame) in Portland, Oregon. Let’s just get one thing straight: dating in Portland is not for the weak or the impatient. It’s for the women who can carry a toddler on one hip,…

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• The corporate clapback

  & how to advocate for yourself at work as a single mama. Because your job title doesn’t even begin to cover what you do before 9AM. Let’s be honest — most workplaces say they support parents… until a child gets sick, a daycare closes, or your Teams status says “BRB: meltdown.” Corporate culture was built…

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