Having kids of any age can make you want to run from the room screaming but teens can be ten times more.

Stay up all night sleep all day even when they know there is jobs to be done. Which is what happened beginning on Tuesday night when David had a new Honey-Do job to do. Charlie was on his game and didn’t want to go even though its his and his dads company.

I throw on clothes and my shoes and socks and out the door we go. On Wednesday David gets up early to take C to his drivers ed appointment. They get home and because the appointment didn’t go the way C wanted he decided he would come home and sleep all day.

This left David to go and do more honey-do jobs on his own that he needed help with. I put my work on hold and go with David. Low and behold we are out all day doing what David needs done. Then we come home and go to the American Legion to meet Lisa because Charlie didn’t want to go.

Thursday comes and because I wasn’t able to work on Wednesday I have all kinds of plans for the site on Thursday. But we shouldn’t make plans because the LORD may have other plans for us. Low and behold Charlie is sleeping again and he and B didn’t want to get up.

I get dressed and what turned into my day to do things around the apartment turned into all of Davids honey-do’s and no, work for me. That is okay because I work from home and can get caught up today Godwilling because I may have to go and help David against his afternoon because C and Bradley are working today.

Thank the LORD for that and for Gerald who was cleaning the kitchen when I went down and now as you can see, I’m here working like crazy to catch up and if I do I do and if not, there is always tonight and tomorrow.

Even though Throwback Thursday is supposed to be the easy one. The fun one. The day where I grab an old photo, a sweet memory, or a funny story and toss it online like you planned I planned it all along. But if you’re a mom, a creator, or a human being living in a house full of children and teens, you already know nothing goes according to plan. Not even Throwback Thursday.

Today was one of those days where the universe woke up and chose chaos. I had a whole content plan ready. I had ideas. I had notes. I even had a title. But the moment my alarm went off, the day went straight to hell in a handbasket — and it never climbed back out.

Let me paint the picture.

The alarm rang. I got up. I did my part. But the teens? They acted like the alarm was a suggestion. Like the sun was optional. Like waking up was a hobby they were no longer interested in. I stood in the hallway with my water in one hand and my patience in the other, wondering how many years I’ve been doing this exact same dance.

Throwback to when mornings were hard… and today proved nothing has changed.

The only difference between then and now is the shoe sizes by the door and the number of missing socks and snacks in my room. Everything else? Same circus, different clowns.

I tried. Lord knows I tried. I nudged. I called out names. I clapped my hands. I opened blinds. I threatened consequences. I prayed. I negotiated. I bribed. I questioned my life choices. And still — nothing. Not a single teen in this house moved at a speed faster than a sleepy turtle.

By the time everyone finally got up, the morning was gone. The afternoon was slipping away. And my Throwback Thursday content? Still sitting untouched, unposted, unshared, and unbothered.

At 5:15 PM, I looked at the clock and thought, “Well, this day is a total waste.”

But then I remembered something important — something I preach to my readers all the time: real life is the content. Not the curated stuff. Not the perfect stuff. Not the “I planned this at 6 AM” stuff. The real, messy, chaotic, lived‑in stuff.

So here’s the real Throwback Thursday: Throwback to every morning I thought I wasn’t going to make it… and I still did. Throwback to every day that went sideways… and somehow still ended with grace. Throwback to every season where I thought I was failing… but I was actually learning how strong I really was.

Because here’s the truth nobody talks about: Real life doesn’t care about your content calendar. Real life doesn’t care about your SEO goals. Real life doesn’t care that you’re trying to build a brand, run a home, raise kids, and keep your sanity all at the same time.

Real life shows up messy. Real life shows up loud. Real life shows up late. Real life shows up uncooperative. Real life shows up with kids who won’t get out of bed and teens who act like the world is ending because it’s morning.

And that’s exactly why people follow me. Because I don’t pretend. I don’t sugarcoat. I don’t post the highlight reel. I post the real reel — the porch truth, the lived‑in truth, the “this is my life and I’m doing my best” truth.

So today, instead of pretending everything went according to plan, I’m sharing the Throwback Thursday that actually happened — the one that went completely off the rails.

Let’s talk about the guilt for a second. Moms carry guilt like it’s part of our wardrobe. Did I do enough? Did I post enough? Did I show up enough? Did I handle the morning right? Did I yell too much? Did I not yell enough? Did I forget something important? Did I drop the ball? I’m sure the answer to those questions is yes, but I am human and I just don’t care anymore I did the best I could.

But here’s the thing: even though we might have dropped the ball. We juggled flaming bowling pins while the house was on fire and still managed to keep everyone alive. That’s not failure — that’s motherhood.

Throwback Thursday isn’t about the perfect memory. It’s about remembering who you were, who you are, and who you’re becoming.

And today reminded me of something important: I’m still growing. I’m still learning. I’m still surviving. I’m still showing up — even when the day goes sideways.

So here’s what I’m throwing back to today:

I’m throwing back to the mornings when I used to think I was the only mom struggling. I’m throwing back to the days when I thought everyone else had it together. I’m throwing back to the seasons when I thought chaos meant I was doing something wrong. I’m throwing back to the moments when I didn’t realize that surviving the day was enough.

Because it is. It always has been.

If your Thursday went to hell in a handbasket too, pull up a chair. You’re not alone. You’re not behind. You’re not failing. You’re living real life — and real life is messy.

Tonight, I’m ending this day with humor, honesty, and whatever energy I’ve got left. Throwback Thursday didn’t start the way I planned, but it’s ending exactly the way it should: real, raw, and rooted in grace and faith that I survived today and will tomorrow as well thanks to the LORD.

And honestly? That’s the kind of content that actually connects. That’s the kind of content people share. That’s the kind of content Google loves — because it’s human.

So here’s to the Throwback Thursday that went off the rails. Here’s to the kids who wouldn’t get up. Here’s to the teens who acted like the sun was optional. Here’s to the chaos that tried to take me out. Here’s to the grace that carried me through. Here’s to the truth that even on the worst days, we’re still doing better than we think.

And here’s to tomorrow — because Lord knows we get to try again. Which is why the circle remains unbroken and this is my circus and these are my Monkes even on the bad days.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates