Skip to main content

Hey You, It’s Been a While.

 

You know that moment when you run into an old friend you haven’t seen in forever, and instead of the usual small talk, you both just sigh? Like, “B*… where do I even begin?”

Yeah. That’s this post. That’s this moment. That’s me, showing up to The In-Betweens with one eye twitching from exhaustion, one hand cradling a cup of hot chocolate (that I may or may not finish while it’s still hot), and a heart that’s been quietly whispering, “Write. Say something. Let it out.”

So here I am.

Halfway through the year.
Somehow both crawling and flying.
Somehow laughing and crying.
Somehow functioning on equal parts fumes, faith, and fibre.

Motherhood Has Me by the Neck, Tits and the Heart

Let’s start there, shall we?

I am knee deep in the trenches of motherhood. Like, “wipe your tears with a wet wipe and keep it moving” deep. One child on my hip, one in my ears, asking questions faster than my brain can formulate answers. There are days I feel like a vending machine for snacks, hugs, and emotional support. And honestly? I don’t always have the range.

Silence is rare.
Alone time is mythical.
And my thoughts? They now come with a soundtrack of CoComelon and little feet running through the house.

But also-wow, Hey?

The love is loud. The growth is louder. And the stretching of self? It's gentle sometimes, mostly brutal, but oh so beautiful. Motherhood has softened me and sharpened me. I am both a sanctuary and a soldier. Drill Sergeant, if you will. 

Where Did the Time Go?

In the blur of pumps, bottles, nappies, school drop-offs, school, and existential questions like “What’s for dinner again?”, I somehow forgot about her - this blog. This sacred little space I created to hold the messiness between who I am and who I’m becoming.

I didn’t mean to leave.
Life just… lifed.
Hard and fast. Soft and slow. All at once. Like a rollercoaster that keep stopping mid-air for a couple of seconds. 

And in the in-betweens of it all, I kept hearing this internal nudge:

“Go back to the page. Tell the truth. Even if it’s messy.”

So here I am. Telling the truth, as best I can.

Let’s Call This a Mid-Year Coffee Date

If we were sitting across from each other right now, here’s what I’d tell you:

  • I’m almost 30. And wow… this new age comes with a strange mix of peace, pressure, and power.

  • I’m still lecturing, still creating, still dreaming. Some days feel crystal clear, others feel like swimming in mashed potatoes.

  • My body is healing from the inside out. My mind is quieter, but sharper. My spirit? She's watching. Calculating. Stretching.

  • I’ve launched new things, paused old things, and circled back to ideas I once shelved.

  • My relationship with time, productivity, and “enough-ness” is under revision. Daily.

I’m rebuilding. I am reimagining. And somehow resting in places that used to make me feel restless.

The In-Betweens: Still Home

This isn’t a rebrand. It’s not a “big announcement.”
It’s a gentle return. 

A soft “hey, stranger.”
A warm “I missed this.”
A tired, funny, still-standing “Let’s try this again.”

Because The In-Betweens was never meant to be polished.
It was always meant to be honest.

So if you’re here, reading, nodding, relating - thank you so much.
You’re my kind of person.

An Invitation

Let’s hold space for each other.
Let’s tell the truth, even if our voices shake or our posts come weeks or months late.
Let’s honour our evolution, even when it’s happening behind closed doors.

And if you’re in your own in-between right now - be it transitioning, tired, trying to find your rhythm again, consider this your gentle nudge: you’re allowed to start over. You’re allowed to be seen in progress. You’re allowed to be here, even if you’re not “back” the way people expect you to be.

We’re still here.
We’re still becoming.
And there’s something beautiful about that.

With love and laundry still waiting to be folded,
Nolo ☺

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome Aboard

  Deep Inhale...and EX-HAAAALE! Welcome to The In-Betweens! Hey, my lovely! 🌸 I’m so excited to have you here in my little corner of the internet. You might be wondering what  The In-Betweens  is all about. Well, it's where I get real about this crazy, wonderful, messy space between where I  dream  my life would be and where it  actually  is right now. You know what I mean, right? It’s that in-between space where you’re juggling everything, trying to live your best life, while sometimes just surviving the day. So, let me introduce myself. I’m a 29-year-old mom of two beautiful kiddos—a curious 4-year-old and a snuggly newborn—who keep me on my toes. I’m also a wife to my best friend and the absolute BEST dad in the world (he'll probably side-eye me after reading this, but oh well...) Oh, and when I’m not playing supermom or hunting for the last bit of caffeine, I’m a civil engineer and part-time lecturer. Yup, life is full, and sometimes a little chao...

To the Mom Who Feels Like She’s Doing It Alone: A Love Letter

From one mom to another, I see you, and you’re not alone. Hey there, Mama, I know you’re out there, and I know you’re feeling it—the exhaustion, the endless nights, the whispers of doubt creeping in. I know because I’ve been there, too. Right now, you might feel like you’re swimming upstream, barely keeping your head above water. And while it feels like the world is moving on around you, here you are, rocking, feeding, and soothing this little soul who relies on you for everything. First, let me say this: you are not alone. And more importantly, you’re doing so much better than you think. I know there are days when you wonder if you can keep going, days when it feels like you’re giving everything you have and it’s still not enough. You might feel invisible in the quiet hours of the night, questioning if anyone could ever truly understand how heavy the weight is on your shoulders. But from where I stand, all I see is strength. I see a woman showing up, time and time again, for a love de...

Balancing Motherhood and Career: Lessons from a Civil Engineer Mom

  Hey, lovely soul! 🌸 Welcome to my first post on The In-Betweens ! I thought there’d be no better way to kick things off than by diving into something that’s at the very heart of my life—balancing motherhood and career. If you’re anything like me, you know this balancing act feels more like a daily juggling show, with no shortage of dropped balls. But somehow, we keep it all in the air, right? For those of you meeting me for the first time, I’m Tshenolo—a mom to two little ones, a wife, and a civil engineer. Though I haven’t worked in the field since August 2022, I’ve transitioned to part-time lecturing, which means I spend most of my days at home. This shift came from a strong urge to be more available for my family while still staying connected to my passion for teaching and engineering. Between managing toddler tantrums, lecturing, and trying to sneak in some creativity through podcasting and video creation, I’ve learned a few things about how to keep my sanity intact while na...