Let’s chat about life. ❤️ Mom anxiety, favorite TV right now, and the recipes that have been saving me lately.
A Coffee Date for Spring
Hi! Hello!
My vibes are a little weird this week, to be honest. Seems like a great time to write a bunch of words for the public to read!
I’m really here for two reasons:
- Lately I’ve found that the little side chats in my life have been extra life-giving. Usually I don’t even know that I need it, but after I have the chance to connect with someone – even just for a quick little text exchange or driveway chat, suddenly things start clicking again and I feel more like myself.
- I’ve been a little stuck lately, food wise and life wise. I’m blaming the weather – can we do that? I just kind of have the soft blahs, and one of the best ways I know to move through that is to just be real about it. It’s okay to have the blahs. I’ve been here before. The sun will shine again!
So, today let’s do the internet version of a side chat! You’re walking by my house, we stop to say hi, I’m petting your dog and asking you how your kids are and if you’re traveling anywhere for spring break and suddenly we’re talking about anxiety and Severance!
It’s a coffee date.
Sick Kids, Anxious Mom.
This week on Instagram I shared that our kids have been sick, and that it has taken a real toll on my nervous system. When they’re not doing well, I’m very anxious.
The sicknesses have been very regular. Run of the mill coughs, fevers, ear infections, and sleepless nights. But my nervous system is experiencing all these symptoms as if at any moment I might need to call the ambulance. Which, to be fair, I MIGHT! You just never know, and I mean this seriously, and this is the problem for me.
That hypervigilance, on top of being sick myself and sleeping half the night in my daughter’s tiny twin bed all week, has made me so weary lately.
And what really surprised me is that I heard from so many of you this week who said you feel this, too.
Not just the sick kids at home, but the anxiety that goes along with it. I’ve heard this from real life friends and internet friends. A summary of what I’ve heard from you:
- You feel anxious because your babies are crying but they can’t explain what’s wrong.
- You struggle to decide – is my kid okay? do we need to go to the clinic? ER? what to do?
- You don’t have kids but who feel a high level of anxiety with your pets, who also can’t explain what’s wrong.
- Your kids are grown but you still feel that same anxiety when your kids get sick in their 20s or 30s. Because once a mom, always a mom.
- You are medical professionals – heard this from several people! – and your job is to see sick kids all day, but you still get anxious about your own kids being sick. (Which, honestly, is a bit of a bubble-burster because I’d prefer to keep the thought in my mind that you’re all untouchable heroes who have no fears and know the answers to everything!)
In our story, I know that some of my personal anxieties are made worse from past medical trauma – having had experiences where things were supposed to be fine and then they were not fine at all. I know many of you have had similar experiences, too.
Is this a downer? It might be a downer! Welcome to my brain in March!
Maybe I’ll report back when I figure out how to not get the nervous shakes when the thermometer reads “103.5” or fighting for my life with an adrenaline surge at every middle of the night coughing spell. Or… maybe I’ll be making my way through this for the rest of my life. If you know the secret, feel free to pass it along.
It was really sweet for my heart to hear from many of you this week and it really made me feel less alone, and just less weird. Thank you.
What I’ve Been Cooking
I’ve made these chicken bowls almost once a week since January, because I’m in love with that cilantro pesto on there.
Also, a hefty amount of berry muffins and carrot cake cupcakes (coming soon – I want them to be just just just right), cottage cheese pizzas, this sweet potato soup many times over, and a lot of buffalo chicken burgers.
But Also, Kind Of In a Cooking Rut.
Meh. This has to be a pretty normal thing, even for people who like to cook.
I’m not lacking in ideas or interest; I have so many things that sound fun to try and hundreds of recipe ideas floating around in my head.
I think I’m just lacking in the time, space, and energy to execute them well.
The normal demands of life – laundry, school, doctor appointments, work, headlines, cleaning, eat enough protein and lift weights, etc. – have just felt a little more consuming in the last 2-3 months. There isn’t a perfectly tidy and serene little space in the day for me to make a beautiful dinner just the way I want, or, maybe I’m just tired and finding it challenging to create that space.
What I genuinely love about the rut, though, and that slight feeling of stuck-ness, is that I feel a new SOS series coming to life! I’m not just saying this to be positive – I truly love when my real life leads to me try to find solutions to problems that I think we all feel from time to time. And that’s where I’m working right now.
SOS recipes are my bread and butter. My favorites. My most real-lifey. I’ve been a little stuck, but it’s pushed me in a really good direction and I’m excited for what’s coming. I’ll probably roll this new set out in April / May! Stay tuned.
The Small Joy Of TV
Guys, I love TV right now. Especially when paired with a just-two-huge-cookies cookie.
Our girls are in a season of life where bedtime is fairly consistent, we don’t have nighttime sports or activities or events. Bjork and I almost always watch an hour of TV together at the end of the night, and sitting on the couch, in my jammies, at 9pm, ready to watch a show together is truly one of my happiest places to be.
I have a personal rule that I cannot watch intense or graphic shows – see previous chat about anxiety – so my favorite shows are right on the edge of interesting, catchy, a little thrilling, but nothing overly violent or scary that’s going to keep me up at night.
Current faves, in order of award-winning to most cheesy and lovable:
- Severance
- Survivor
- Amazing Race
- Occasional Bachelor
Honestly, Severance might be some of the best TV I’ve ever watched. It’s smart and complex and softly-creepy and weird in a great way. And so beautiful! The cinematography! I could talk about this show for a long time. (EDIT: since posting this a few days ago, I watched the Season 2 finale of Severance which has one graphic scene! but I still love the show.)
God bless entertaining TV and those who make it. It’s been one of my small joys lately.
Solvi Says
I usually do a Sage-says in these coffee date posts, but this month I’ve got a genuinely moving little lesson from my daughter Solvi. She wants us to know:
The way you are made is the way I like it.
You feel behind? Struggle bussing? Like you could be doing better? (ME!)
Guess what – the people who love you are so glad you’re in their lives. The way you are made is the way they like it. Your pets, your kids, your parents, your partners and spouse and friends. They aren’t thinking about your areas for improvement – they’re thinking about how much they love when you laugh, how much they want to go to play at the park with you, and how good they feel when they hug you. They love you just as you are right now.
Be nice to yourself. Being a human is hard. You’re doing great.
Thanks For Being Here.
If you’re here, you’re probably getting our emails or following on Instagram or just checking in from time to time. Thank you – your real, human touch on this corner of the internet is what makes this place joyful for me.
I hope you feel loved today!
And if you’re an anxious mom when your kids are sick… ME, TOO! Xo
Filed Under: Life
March 21, 2025
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
Thank you for sharing! This makes me feel less alone as a mom of two. We are in this together!
Also – your recipes bring me so much joy. Healthy, easy, DELICIOUS! Thank you for sharing them with us!!!
I hear you… the late February/March sickness in MN is no joke. My house was one snotty, disgusting place to be for 3 weeks and my anxiety was through the roof! Honestly, the only thing that kept me somewhat calm was a THC gummy after the kids went to bed. Otherwise I’m so cranked up from listening to the coughing all day I’ll never sleep. Not that every cough doesn’t wake me up anyway… you’re most definitely not alone!
Seriously. There is something specific about the sound of a cough that just pushes you right up to the mental edge. Oof.
Yes! I think so much of what feels weird is actually somewhat universal. Thank you Heidi! ❤️
So good to not feel alone. Even a “my stomach hurts” can send me into an anxiety spiral that can’t be stopped. It’s wild!
Yes. Totally. The hypervigilance!
I say this from a place of care, but have you ever thought about seeing someone for your anxiety? I think it is totally normal to feel sadness over someone you care deeply for when they aren’t feeling their best, but if it is interfering with your day to day life and putting you in a funk that feels kind of unshakeable, maybe it is worth talking to someone about that? Carrying around that underlying mental tension absolutely has ripple effects on our physical health if it goes untended to. Just a thought (and possibly one you’re already doing). Here’s to hoping that the spring sunshine and return of green growing things will help not only everyone’s coughs and colds, but also the spirit of all of us winter weary northeners too.
Thank you for your care! I do have a therapist. ❤️ Always helpful to have a voice of reason and someone to help me with strategies in seasons of higher anxiety. Xo
Solvi’s lesson is exactly what I needed to hear 3 days postpartum (even if it did make me shed a few happy tears.). ❤️
Oh man, postpartum is hard! And beautiful! You’re doing great! ❤️
Why am I about to cry after reading Solvi’s note? 🥹 ❤️ Probably picturing my 1-year-old daughter saying something like this to me one day!
I’m confident she thinks it already! ❤️ Solvi just putting words to how so many kiddos feel about their mamas. xo
Your daughter’s note is the BEST! And your encouraging words are just as sweet.
I’ve bookmarked your recipes for chicken bowls and cottage cheese pizza, and hope to make them soon. Thanks!
I’m sending a prayer your way for good health for you all!! 🙂
Thank you Christine! ❤️
Loved this post ♥️ I think what you are experiencing is SO on par for March!!! Bring on sunshine and flowers! You are amazing, keep on keeping on!
Thank you Sarah! ❤️
Just a quick note from a friend in Michigan. You are doing amazing things ! Raising beautiful humans is the real work and you have nailed it!
I see you and am so proud of you talking about your fears and your joys. Keep being you because you are the very very best !
“Raising beautiful humans is the real work” ❤️😭
They way you’re made is the way they like it, WOW I needed this today 💗💗
Thinking of you in this in – between season. Spring is coming 🌷
Same. It just hit me right in the heart ❤️
Mom anxiety is real. Right now, fot me it’s all about whether the baby is gaining enough weight. Am I too worried? Am I not worried enough?! Then I can worry about my worrying…
POY comfort food has been a huge help this week for me, as we lost my dad on Monday. Thanks for feeding my broken heart.
The baby weight anxiety! I remember that well. And wow, I’m so sorry about your dad. You’re juggling a lot right now. Sending you a lot of love!
This may not work for you because some people definitely find exact information to be reassuring but I don’t own a thermometer. My daughter is almost 15. I never had one. You will absolutely 100% know if your kiddo’s fever is a problem by their behavior. Knowing it’s 102 or 103 doesn’t change the course of action. I’m sharing this just on the off chance that you might find it a relief to know that it’s absolutely fine to not take their temp, to judge how they are based on their behavior, and to trust your instincts.
I also swear by asking myself what I would tell my best friend if she called worried about her kiddo. That little bit of remove from the situation really helps give me perspective.
I hope the illness season passes for you all soon. You’re doing a fantastic job loving your girls and that matters more than anything else. Hang in there!
My dad is a (now retired) doctor and he always tells me the exact same thing – it’s less about the number on the thermometer and more about how they are acting. ❤️ Our thermometer flashes either green, yellow, or red depending on the “severity” of the fever and honestly I think that is probably way more triggering for me than necessary. This is a really good thought.
Lindsay, you’re doing great. We’re all doing great. And if we’re not, we will be. Just keep swimming.
You’re sweet, thank you. I just said that to myself today: “just keep swimming” 🙂
When I was a teenager, my favorite aunt told me that she looked up to my mom as such an expert, because she had 3 kids by the time my aunt’s first child was born, and my mom always acted like, “oh, do this, it works” and it always worked. My mom is something of a superhero, always taking care of everyone else, with seemingly no effort. (Maybe with a bit of a sarcastic eye roll as we get older, but still :))My parents are nearing their 80s now, and my once healthy parents are having health issues. While it is worrying and stressful with all our other life struggles, I’ve been thinking in quiet moments what a privilege it is to help my parents now, to drop off leftovers so they don’t have to worry about cooking dinner, to sit with one while the other undergoes a procedure, or to help my mom hang up the holiday themed art we made when we were kids to decorate their house. I bet your kids will continue to see you as perfect, and hope it quiets your anxiety a tiny bit. Here’s hoping a little more daylight in the northern latitudes will brighten our days in every way!
This is really beautiful. I was thinking about that as I wrote this post, the idea that someday this flips into the kids caring for their parents. ❤️
I live in a state that gets the third least amount of sunshine in the U S. during the winter months and it definitely can affect your mood and spirit! A full UV spectrum light,used every morning for 15 minutes can really help. It mimics sunlight. I ordered mine on Amazon.I used it this winter and noticed a difference.Of course ,consult with your Dr first.And of course, baking, specifically chocolate desserts gets me through the long winter,lol. Better weather is coming ,hang in there!
This is great – I had a light and then… I don’t know where it went. I’m not using it. Good reminder to get that back out again!
Curious what you are using to organize art supplies. I need a new system.
LOL – nothing that’s working super well, unfortunately. Our stuff just ends up everywhere! 🙂
Another “me too” for anxiety with sick kids. As my son and I have both experienced medical trauma, too, I think it’s a special brand of feeling / thought spiral we face with the first sign of sneeze or cough. Thank you for the validation – I don’t have answers other than to practice gratitude in the tough and the good times to ward off the sense of dread. Lots of love from a follower of over 10 years!
Special brand of thought spiral. Yes to that. Thank you for the nice comment Kelsey ❤️
Hi!
Huge fan! Everything I’ve made from the blog has turned out so delicious 🙂
So appreciate the shout-out to pet owners! While nooowhere near the stress of being a mom, it can be stressful just caring for another being! It sometimes feels like there’s no place for me as a non-mom so, thank you thank you for leaving a spot for me 🥹
Hope things get better for your family soon!
Also, if you’re not listening to the Severance podcast w Adam Scott and Ben Stiller, you’ve gotta!
We care about those fur babies so much! ❤️ And I need to look up that podcast immediately! Thank you for the rec!
Um what? I need this podcast in my life!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. I get the pet anxiety… I wish all the time they could tell me what they’re feeling. I’ve been following your blog since… 2012? I love the way you share your experiences and remind us all that we’re not alone in how we feel. And you’re funny, even writing about difficult topics. In short, these posts make me feel better. Remind me that I’m happy to be human, even when it’s hard, and also that the sun will shine again. And a snack will cheer me up in the meantime. 🙂
Thank you for the nice comment Michelle. ❤️ I’m glad you’re here!
Having been raised by two doctors, including a pediatrician, has helped me stay calm when my kids are sick. It really took a lot (of blood/pus/screaming) for them to start worrying and I don’t recall any of us three kids ever going to the ER except for a broken limb. I also read a great book, unfortunately in French and not translated, written by an ER pediatrician who explains when you need to take your kid to the ER, and honestly, apart from trauma, there aren’t that many scenarios where a trip to the ER is needed rather than going to the doctor the following day. Maybe a similar book exists in English? I really feel for all the people who struggle with anxiety in that department, seeing your child suffer is already stressful enough…
Thanks for sharing Camille! Someone on Instagram actually did recommend a book (in English) that sounds similar! I am going to look it up.
I’ve been feeling the blahs too – I’m normally creative and full of life but I’ve been so flat these last few weeks. I honestly always breathe a sigh of relief when someone else comes forward and says, “me too”.
I’ve been trying for little dopamine hits – listening to my fav songs, doing quick calls to friends between work and kid pick ups (they start with, “hi, I only have ten minutes but I was thinking of you and wanted to say hi”), even laying down for a 20 minute nap midday when I WFH (shhh don’t tell my boss). I know the creativity will return, I know the joy and love is around, I just can’t access it in this moment. And having sick kids is *the worst*.
Hugs to you and all in this thread!
My anxiety has been mostly under control until this year. The sick kids, the animals have issues, I have to cook dinner again?!, sleepless nights. Add to that the state of current events and I just feel like screaming. Heading to Hawaii for spring break and I don’t even have the bandwidth to plan any activities, so saying F-it, just going to wing it. Hugs to all, we are just doing our best ❤️
I love Solvi’s words so much! Just wrote them on my department’s office mirror for all to see. Love that sweet little child wisdom!
Thank you for sharing this. I’m in MN too and I hope the sunshine today is helping – it definitely is for me. Just wanted to drop a thank you for all the great recipes. And hope your kiddos feel great soon. They are resilient!
Thank you for this super down to earth post. All the mamas needed this. It can feel so lonely in the day to day, but knowing that others are struggling with similar things is comforting. I’ve been feeling in a meal rut too. I’d be all for another SOS series. I haven’t watched much TV lately, but I’m going to make a note of Amazing Race. I used to love watching it. And your daughter’s note is the best. It doesn’t seem like they notice, but it melts my heart when they do and they draw you a cute picture with their sweet words. Thanks for this post!
You probably don’t need another “you’re normal”, but my kids are 36, 34 and 28. They all are married and either have several kids of their own, or have one on the way (yay!! another grand-baby!!). The “sick anxiety” doesn’t only not go away, but you get to have it for them, their spouses and HUGELY for your grandkids. I guess it comes down to the fact that you’re a 100% normal, caring mom!!