Cannonballs & Chaos: A Love Letter to Summer Birthdays and the Moms Who Make It Happen

There’s something magical—and mildly chaotic—about a 15-year-old’s birthday pool party.

It starts off innocent enough: you plan a laid-back celebration with snacks, some homemade red velvet cupcakes (that your husband ended up dumping ovr in the box the next day😅), maybe a Spotify playlist and a few pool floats. And then? Boom. The teens arrive. Suddenly, it sounds like a boy band reunion collided with a Spice Girls concert and got sponsored by Taki’s & The Coca Cola Company.

Laughter. Music. Splash fights. Someone definitely did a backflip off the side even though you specifically said no Olympic trials. But you know what?

I love it.

Somewhere between the squeal, singalongs and cannonballs, I caught myself just standing there—soaking it all in. My child’s smile stretched from ear to ear. Surrounded by friends. Radiating pure, teenage joy. And I realized: this noise? This chaos? This is the soundtrack of her growing up.

As a mom, I’m often the party planner, the snack fetcher, the lifeguard, the taxi driver, the bad cop who says “five more minutes”—and the one who’s also juggling work emails and making sure someone remembered to feed the dog. Oh, and I’m still trying to look alive in a swimsuit while yelling “Don't run on the wet concrete!” for the hundredth time.

I’m not just a mom—I’m a boss. A wife. A business owner. A referee, therapist, cook, scheduler, and occasionally, a human confetti cannon. I carry the weight of expectations on shoulders that sometimes need a massage.

But here’s what I’ve learned: joy is in the mess. Self-care doesn’t always look like bubble baths and silent retreats—it sometimes looks like sneaking a cupcake behind the patio door while watching your kid laugh so hard they snort. It’s choosing to be present, even when you’re tired. It’s letting the dishes wait so you can float beside your teen on an inflatable pizza slice.

If you’re reading this and you’re in your own season of cannonballs and chaos—maybe you’re running a business, raising kids, keeping the house somewhat livable, or just trying to remember what day it is—I see you. And I hope you know this: you’re doing enough. You are enough.

So go ahead, host the party. Take the photos. Be loud. Laugh with them. Cry later if you need to (probably in the laundry room, because that’s where all moms go to scream into towels). Then slap on some sunscreen OR tanning oil and jump back in. Wear that swim suit. Pick that loud nail polish color. Don’t worry about the mess. Don’t worry about that email you’ve forgot to reply to first thing in the morning. Enjoy the moment.

Because these are the golden years—messy, beautiful, loud as hell. And we’re lucky to be living them.

Soak up every second of this life. Even when your teen is driving you mad, even when your about to fall over from sleep deprivation, even when you promised yourself THIS would be the weekend you finally clean your closet out- soak it in. Our babies are only babies for a little while, & time is the greatest thief. It’s kind of heartbreaking, a lot stressful, yet oh so bittersweet.

Try to forget the pressures of everyday life, & just breathe. Enjoy it. Savor it.

But I see you Mama. We’re all out here, just doing our best, even when it doesn’t feel like it. We’re all our own version of a super-hero. And you’re killin’ it!