I used to make breakfast while my two kids, ages 8 and 11, debated the quickest route to school and the dog insisted on stealing raggedy toast crumbs. My forties have taught me the little things matter: a warm mug waiting on the counter, a neighbor dropping off leftover zucchini, or how wallpaper in the hall can transport you back to Sunday dinners at Grandma’s. I’m the mom who notices how a cabinet color can change the mood of weekday chaos into a calm place where homework gets done and pancakes are flipped without drama. When I started thinking about…


