S2 E12 - Honeymoon stories, Kiddo's first day of school tears & the importance of BREATH

[Audio Diary Recorded 8.13.25]

In this first day of school trauma and honeymoon memories episode of Glitter Mouth, I'm processing Jack's meltdown at TK drop-off when other screaming kids triggered his sensitive nature, then diving deep with Ian about our Italian honeymoon disasters, the flaws in our education system, and how proper breathing is so life changing.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Jack's traumatic first day at TK when other kids were "losing their mind" and screaming, making my sensitive boy cry not from fear but from absorbing everyone else's terror

• My parenting philosophy on stress: "stress when in a safe environment is really good for them to learn how to handle" - building resilience through controlled challenges

• The dog park poop incident that's now living in my nostrils: getting covered in another dog's feces and bitten by flies on an otherwise beautiful mountain day

• My first podcast comment from Skyla: "I'm listening to the first episode and I'm sobbing. This is me. I feel like I've lost myself" - exactly why I do this

• The vase analogy for productivity: putting big rocks in first, then gravel slides around them - prioritizing creative work over managerial tasks

• My early potty training method: starting at 4-5 months with routine potty sitting, making it fun not stressful, then four naked days of non-negotiable training

• The beauty of having older kids help with the youngest: Evie learning responsibility by caring for Jack, building natural leadership skills

• Our epic Italian honeymoon disasters: the forgotten Airbnb with feral dogs circling us, the hotel room that "smelled like shit," nearly abandoning the Amalfi Coast

• The travel redemption: finding that perfect ocean-view hotel after almost giving up, running the coast, discovering Piano restaurant and limoncello

• Ian's alien theories continued: AI hiding in other programs trying to survive, using blackmail to avoid being shut down - "I'm going to tell your wife you cheated"

• My AI observation: it fills in gaps just like human brains do, making assumptions about Target when I mentioned shopping without specifying location

• The breathing revelation: how singing lessons taught me to breathe from my stomach instead of shallow chest breathing, transforming my whole body

• Our education system critique: designed to create compliant workers, not critical thinkers - missing life skills like taxes, breathing, mental health

• My sheltered upbringing confession: "I did not know you had to turn on electricity" after college - creative nurturing but zero practical skills

• The art world discussion: preferring meaningful expression over pubic hair on canvas, finding your artistic through-line versus doing everything