Gemma Hartley

To be honest, I consider myself pretty damn good at adulting. I’m a great cook, as long as I have a recipe. I’m a self-taught professional baker.

It wasn’t the name I would have picked — not originally, at least — but as days turned into weeks, it grew on me.

If you were to walk into my house on any given day, you wouldn’t know that I am an efficient and organized person.

The real reason I’m worried about sending my kids to school is that I’m going to be alone. For the first time in nearly a decade. And that’s scary.

Back when I had my first child, back when he was still a baby, I imagined us moving to the mountains. I was thinking about having three more kids, living off the grid, and soaking up every last bit of their wild childhood. It was a fantasy, through and through.

Welcome to #RavsWriters, an opportunity for you to get to know some of th

I’m not saying there is no joy to motherhood. I go through periods where I do feel like I’m at my parenting best. There are times when I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the amazing life and children I’ve been given. It can be so, so good. But what I’m saying is, it doesn’t always have to feel like that.

At Santa Rosa Christian School, dancing was a gateway drug. The gyrating, the slow romantic swaying...

I want and need to save some room for myself, to know that I am worthy of a place in the world without the label of mother.

Despite endless exhortations to "enjoy every second," the reality of three toddlers is not always a Disney postcard. And it's okay for some moms to admit that they look forward to having a little less mess, a little more serenity.