I blinked, and she was grown... WTF

There she is. Sassy and Snoring.

Fast asleep in her car seat, pink barn coat zipped tight, those oversized flower sunglasses barely clinging to her sleepy little face. We were probably mid-flight in a long list of errands, the standard working mom weekend "to do" chaos - snacks in the cupholder, with more ground into the floor of the car, an empty sippy cup floating somewhere, and way past naptime.

Some of those days felt endless. The routines. The car seat. The Mom bag packed with snacks, wipes, band-aids, and a backup outfit, ya know, just in case. The constant hum of doing, fixing, planning, soothing. I thought it would last forever.
And yet here we are.

Final grades from her freshman year have just been posted. Summer job secured. We survived the first year of the empty nest.
No, that’s not accurate…we more than survived .. we thrived.
But how did we get here?

In the fall of 2024, in the weeks after dropping her at university, my mind whirled. She was off, navigating campus, friendships, new social situations, and the challenges of unfettered independence. And I was home reclaiming my lost silverware from her room, enjoying a clean kitchen, and hating how quiet it was…but enjoying it too. It was so confusing. Then I saw this picture, a moment I thought I’d never forget, but somehow hadn’t thought of in years.. It hit me then how quickly everything had happened and how far she had traveled from home for this new life. Her life.

The job I had poured my whole self into for 18 years had shifted. She didn’t need me in the same way anymore. Now, when she says, “I do it myself, Mommy,” she really does. And I was left wondering: Who am I now? Suddenly, the world felt huge for me, not just for her. And after a beat, I got excited! But also had no idea where to start.

Those moments became the spark behind Nest2Nxt.

This space is for all of us living in the messy in-between, where they still need us, but differently. Where we have more time, more quiet, and maybe more questions than answers about what is next for me, and how to get there.

It’s for the moms realizing: it’s our turn. We’re not done. We’re just getting started.
Whether you’re launching a side hustle, rediscovering an old passion, rethinking your career, or simply figuring out how to navigate a full fridge and fork section of your utensil drawer, you’re not alone. There are a lot of us!