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 16 years and have two beautiful girls, Emma Jane (11) and Hannah (6), and 4 year-old pup named Ember. Kelly is a lover of all things nerdy, a proud fangirl, and she is a passionate high school English teacher.
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...
Can’t Catch Up
Tonight is the first Friday night in a long time that I haven’t tried to conquer as much housework as I could before I crashed, but technically, I’m still working. I just finished making...
The Straw that Broke the Mommy’s Back
The old, familiar phrase “the straw that broke camel’s back” is an idiom used to express the idea that one small, extra thing can be the breaking point for someone who is already burdened...
On That Memorable Day
A girl’s sweet sixteen is supposed to be amazing. Sixteen is the age of the driver’s license and, with it, a sense of independence and the feeling of being one step closer to adulthood.
Like...
This Ain’t No Hurrication
I want to preface this post by saying that I know I am writing from a place of privilege. We had little damage, we have savings for events such as these, and we are...
On Trend, Off the Mark
After I graduated from college (thanks to the recession), I spent a couple of years working at my favorite retail store. While the job wasn’t great for my career advancement or my finances (it’s...
This Is Why We Can’t DO Nice Things
Taylor Swift has a song that goes, “This is why we can't have nice things, dar-ling/ Because you break them, I had to take them awaaaaaay/ This is why we can't have nice things,...
What Are Your Hobbies?
What are your hobbies?
It’s a question that is often asked on job applications and in social conversations, and lately, it seems to be a question that is tied to “self-care.” Usually, my answer is...
Merry Moosemas in June: Donating My Childhood Collection
When I was just 11 months old, my father attended a college reunion in upstate New York and brought me back a stuffed animal moose. The moose quickly became my constant companion, and like...
Admiring the Differences
Once, while talking to a neighbor about my kids, I mentioned that my oldest looks like my carbon copy but has her dad’s personality, while my youngest looks like her daddy but clearly inherited...