Kelly Vollmer
Kelly first moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane University, from which she earned a B.S. in Psychology and English and an M.A. in English. She quickly discovered New Orleans was the place where she had always belonged and her high school sweetheart, Jeff, soon followed her here. They have now been married for 14 year and have two beautiful girls, Emma Jane (9) and Hannah (5), and 2 year-old pup named Ember. Kelly is a lover of all things nerdy and a proud fangirl, and she is a passionate high school English teacher.
Bathroom Bonkers
When I became pregnant with my first child, I was TERRIFIED it would be a boy. I didn’t want a boy. I didn’t know what to do with boys. I had babysat from the...
6 Must-Have Summer Health and Beauty Products
Living in the South during the summer is not for the faint of heart. While sweet tea and air conditioning can bring much-needed relief, we have to find ways to protect ourselves and our...
The Art of Puttering
When I was growing up, my mom used to spend time on the weekends “puttering.” She’d do things like fold laundry while watching TV, organize toy bins that had gotten out of control, or...
Stronger Together: Support the HHMS Class of 2022 by Wearing Purple on Monday, May...
Stronger Together: Support the HHMS Class of 2022 by Wearing Purple on Monday, May 23rd
On Thursday evening, what had been a beautiful graduation ceremony for the Hammond High Magnet School Class of 2022 was...
Family, Food, Frustration
A few weeks ago, I had a minor breakdown at the dinner table. The dinner I had spent 30-40 minutes making was NOT good. In fact, it was inedible. When I apologized for the...
Memaw: My Virtual Assistant
My husband and I have spent most of our adult lives in and around New Orleans, but we are not natives, and as such, we do not have any family nearby. Raising our own...
Why Weren’t We Prepared for This?
As a teacher, I am all too familiar with complaints about how schools don’t prepare children for adulthood. While I could write a dissertation (someday!) on why we absolutely should teach literature in schools,...
Season of Blah
Recently, while struggling with some serious writer’s block, a friend asked me what I had done lately. She encouraged me to write about a recent experience, a great book I had read, or a...
We Don’t Say That
Recently, I purchased a Harry Potter-inspired t-shirt that says, “I solemnly swear … a lot.” The truth is, I’m a bit of a potty mouth, and while my girls know they aren’t supposed to...
The Battles Worth Picking
At the beginning of the pandemic, I wrote a post called “Pick Your Battles,” in which I reflected on learning to let go of some of the things that usually bother me for the...
Somebody That I Used to Know
This weekend I took a whirlwind trip out of town to support a very important event for my aunt. I left my husband and my two girls at home, hopped on a plane, and...
7 Non-Traditional Pies to Try This Holiday Season
This past Thanksgiving was far from traditional for my family, and the week before Thanksgiving found me perusing Whole Foods for ingredients for Chicken Corn Chowder rather than preparing for a turkey feast with...
Why Santa Doesn’t Make Special Trips
When my husband and I were first married, holidays were always exhausting. We were young, childless, and not responsible for hosting any gatherings, so they should have been easy, but at the time, our...
Holiday Humbug
Growing up, I loved the holiday season.
Fall was my favorite season in general, as it was always filled with hiking, bonfires, apple festivals, and craft shows, but Halloween really kicked off the fun. In...