I was laid off from my job last month.

When it first happened, those four words – I was laid off – were hard to think, let alone write or speak. How could I be laid off? I am a great employee, hard worker, and hell – I was even recruited for the role I was in. But, it happened anyway. My client just didn’t have the money to support keeping me on their business. So I was let go. Ugh, and that term “let go”, like I’m a kite or a piece of rope.

Part of my exit plan was to bestow all of my knowledge of the client and the business onto the remaining team members, as well as the senior team member who was going to take over my role. I showed up every day, gave them my best, and even traveled to manage a TV shoot for four days. Two weeks later, I mailed my laptop back.

In the days that followed my last day of work, I experienced all of the stages of unemployment: shock, anger, fear, grief, and then…a quiet acceptance. I would find a job, the right job, and I would fill my time in other ways. After all, I couldn’t just do nothing. I have always had a job, since I was 15 years old. I don’t know what it feels like to not have a job.

Here, in 2025, it’s easier to find Bigfoot than it is to find a job. Resumes being read by computers. Ghost posts of jobs that don’t even exist. Your application going into a black hole, your hopes and dreams along with it.

This is the actual applicant count for a job to which I applied.

The job market is so broken. 7,000 applicants? Sure, some of them are bots. Others are not qualified. But I have to think at least a few thousand of those 7700 have the chops to do the job. My LinkedIn feed is filled with hundreds of connections all looking for work right now. It’s scary. We’re all of a certain age, experience level, and salary. We’re all vying for the same roles. It’s bananas.

I can honestly say, I’ve been tremendously busy each day in the last month.

Of course I’m spending time networking and job searching for roles that I truly can see myself in. After two days of panic applying to every job in sight, I’ve calmed down. I don’t just want to “work anywhere”. I’m looking to work for a company or brand, not a creative agency again. Titles like “Creative Director, Copy” and “Senior Writer, Brand” excite me. I love to write, and I’m good at it.

I’m also taking care of things that I could never find time for. Organizing. Appointments. Crafting (more on this in another post!). I end each day with a sense of accomplishment; checking items of a to do list or making time for myself.

Lastly, I’m freelancing until the right permanent role comes along. It’s giving me the flexibility I need right now while life is…life-ing.

When I shared the news of my layoff on LinkedIn, I was humbled by how many people from my past life and jobs reached out to me. Some I knew well, others I had managed, and a few were coworkers who were at the same company at the same time, yet we didn’t even work together. But their messages were all alike: “I’m sorry” and “they are crazy to let you go!” and “let me know how I can help”. These messages boosted me up and reminded me that I know a lot of really amazing people.

At the same time, I was disheartened by people I DIDN’T hear from. The ones who I thought for sure would say something (even just a ‘it’s been great working with you! good luck!’ before I was shut off from Teams). In certain situations, people will surprise you. And not always in a good way.

It takes a village to land a job in 2025, and I’m truly grateful to those willing to make a connection, pass on a resume, send a referral link. I certainly didn’t have “Get Laid Off” on my 2025 BINGO card. But I’m ready to play a new game.

Gifts, Life, Mr. KK

I am the Octopus

November 2, 2025 littleshoeprincess

We’ve all been there: you’re mindlessly scrolling on Instagram and your finger slips, accidentally clicking on a sponsored post of a dog dressed up as a newscaster, and all of a sudden your entire feed is filled with talking dogs. Or kids who swear. Or the clogs that will haunt you until you buy them. Or whatever plagues your feed.

For me, it was a ring. A gold ring that looked like an octopus. Except I didn’t click on it by accident, I clicked on it purposefully.

I’m not a big jewelry wearer. I have a ‘kk’ necklace that I’ll wear. And my wedding rings. But that’s about it. No earrings. Nothing extra.

But there was something about this ring. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And then – because I clicked (or thought about it?) – it was everywhere in my socialsphere.

I showed it to Mr. KK one day casually. Like, ‘you know me, I’m not a jewelry girl, but this ring is pretty cool’. And then life went on, as it does.

In August, Mr. KK and I celebrated our 20-year wedding anniversary. I’m using the term “celebrated” loosely, because while the three of us had a nice dinner out on the actual day, we didn’t really do it up big. In the past, we likely would have gone away somewhere. But, because 2025 was such a bitch, our anniversary came and went quietly.

A few days after our anniversary, Mr. KK handed me a box. And inside was the octopus ring! (Mr. KK is always paying attention and listening! Even after 20 years!)

I love the ring! And not only is it a cool design, what it represents is so meaningful to me. My friend ChatGPT had this to say:

The significance of the octopus lies in its remarkable intelligence, adaptability, and regenerative abilities, which symbolize a range of concepts including versatility, creativity, resilience, and transformation….in contemporary culture, they represent problem-solving and innovation.

But that’s not all!

Octopus Symbolic Meaning

Intelligence and Creativity:

As one of the most intelligent invertebrates, the octopus represents problem-solving, creative thinking, and innovation.

Adaptability and Versatility:

Its ability to change its color, shape, and texture, along with its fluid movement, makes it a symbol of adaptability and the capacity to navigate complex situations.

Resilience and Regeneration:

The octopus’s power to regrow lost limbs symbolizes renewal, healing, growth, and the ability to overcome adversity.

Multitasking:

The eight limbs of the octopus are often seen as a representation of the human ability to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities.

This is me! Maybe I loved this ring subconsciously because of what it represents.

I am the Octopus!

Life, NaBloPoMo

2025 Can Go Suck It

November 1, 2025 littleshoeprincess

It’s November! That means I’m back for another full month of blogging.

Apologies for starting the month off on such a negative vibe, but the last 10 months have felt like a heaping pile of steamy shit.

First, our country is a disaster. I’m embarrassed to live here. We traveled outside of the United States in April, and while I was floating in gorgeous turquoise waters sipping on a frozen cocktail trying to forget real life, travelers nearby from Canada heard our American accents and dog paddled over to simply ask, “What is happening to your country?”

I don’t know, fellas. It’s falling apart?

Closer to home, 2025 has tested our resilience, emotional strength, and mental stability.

So far this year, we have endured:

Surgeries
Illness
Loss of a family member
Job loss
Hospitalizations

And that’s just the big stuff.

Doom and gloom aside, there have been some bright moments this year. I traveled to Europe for the first time. I prioritized my health, I joined a gym and stuck with it. Little Mister is thriving in his last year of elementary school.

But big picture, 2025, you have been lackluster at best.

You have set the bar very low for 2026.

Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.

Life, Photos

Crazy things you take photos of

November 25, 2024 littleshoeprincess

I was scrolling through my camera roll the other day looking for a specific photo, and I came across a photo I took of an Easter cake that make me laugh.

The cake:

After I laughed yet again at the photo, I thought about how jealous I am of people who organize their photos in albums so they don’t have to search 35,000 photos to try and find what they’re looking for. Whoever you are, you are #winning.

The further I scrolled, the more photos I saw that put a smile on my face. So I thought I’d share them with you here.

This is the dog poop that I stepped – and slid in – walking Bruno. See how it slides there? That’s my sneaker track. I was talking to Mr. KK on the phone and a little distracted, so I didn’t see the dog poop that was literally in the middle of the road that a dog owner didn’t bother to pick up. He heard my reaction to sliding in the poop (insert vulgarities here), so I had to snap a pic to send him so he could see the evidence.

This is Marty. (His real name). He’s our grocery store robot. On this particular day, he was dressed up like a chicken. Personally, I feel the robot is costume enough, but perhaps Marty was feeling a little frisky this day. Also? Marty is always in my effing way when I’m shopping.

Little Mister likes hot dogs, but I don’t make them for him very often. So I keep them in the freezer and use them periodically. This is how I defrost his hot dogs. Imagine if once the hot dog was out of the water, and the glass was accidentally left on the counter, someone mistakenly took a sip of hot dog water? Gross right. (Hypothetical question, I swear).

This photo tells the story of a morning after a party, and the glow necklace left behind as the evidence of a good time. The real story was that there was a type of creature (insect? I can’t remember) that was on the driveway and I put this necklace around it so no one would step on it. The next day, the creature was gone (a miracle!) and only the necklace remained.

Is there anything more disgusting than an airport bathroom? This particular stall looks like it should be submitted as evidence in a murder. WTF happened in this stall in the Charlotte airport? There was a struggle…with a toddler?

This card speaks for itself. It’s awesome.

This scene is from the movie Identity Thief, starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy (from 2013, I don’t see a lot of movies). I took this photo because I went to college with this guy in the movie, and had to send it to my college friends. Like, “WE KNOW HIM!” (Or at the very least, “WE GOT DRUNK WITH HIM!”)

Not funny, just a humble brag.

Me, voice texting to Google, “Skinnytaste Acini di Pepe soup”, and Google being funny.

(This is the recipe, btw, and it’s a staple in our house).

And lastly, me. During senior week in college, where 10 girls stayed in a 3 bedroom house on the Cape. This outfit is how we went out. If college girls could see this now, they would have heart attacks. The chunky heel white sneakers (perhaps from Payless?). Shirt from The Gap. Cuffed jeans because I’m so short. Oh yeah, total babe.

Anyone is welcome to organize photos for me. Not sure where I’d put these…

What’s the funniest thing in YOUR camera roll?

Christmas, Elf on the Shelf

Last Post: Trees, Wrap-Up and The BIG Year Ahead

December 4, 2023 littleshoeprincess

This last post is a few days late, thanks to the flu that took me down the week after Thanksgiving. I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but I’m slowly coming back to life.

It was hard to lose a week of my life in prime holiday time, but it wasn’t as awful as last year, when after avoiding Covid for two years both Mr. KK and I tested positive the beginning of the second week in December. And on top of Covid, I also had the flu (I have always been an over achiever), which was a super fun time. Miraculously we were able to keep Little Mister from getting sick (and inevitably missing Christmas), but we did miss out on quite a bit of festivities during the month because WE were sick. My goal was to test negative by Christmas Eve, and I did – on December 23 – when my Mom and I held our cookie making day (which had been cancelled from a week earlier). I was thankful to be able to have that day and then enjoy Christmas and Christmas Eve.

One Balsam and One Frasier Fir

Balsam on the left – check out the difference in color between the 2 trees.

We secured our trees this past weekend. I was still feeling pretty crappy so we didn’t venture too far from home, and the selection wasn’t huge, but we found two pretty great trees. We’re normally a Frasier Fir family, but this year we’re mixing it up and bringing a Balsam into the mix. Right now we have 2 naked trees up in our house and they smell amazing. And, in true kk fashion, I’m more in love with our second ‘kitchen’ tree than I am the tree in the big room. It’s just so round and fat and green.

The Elf Is Here

He arrived on Thursday, a nice surprise for Little Mister when he got home from school. He’s already up to his shenanigans.

The Year Ahead

2024 promises to be a big year. But before I look ahead let’s look back and see what your Unwrapped looks like when you only listen to Spotify when driving your 9 year old around. The fact that Imagine Dragons isn’t listed here is shocking. I remember when each of these songs became an obsession that we listened to on repeat throughout the year. Thanks, Spotify.

So, the year ahead.

First, it’s a milestone birthday year for me. And I have decided that we will celebrate all year long. We’re planning a long Birthday Weekend Spectacular (BSW) a few months after my actual birthday, and planning that will be almost as fun as going. If there’s ever been a time to reflect on life so far, next year will be it for me.

Second, next year is my 20 year cancer-versary! It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty years, the memories are so vivid it feels like yesterday. So thankful for my doctor and the amazing team of nurses at Dana Farber.

So that’s it – another month of blogging in the books. I missed a few days, but I’ve made peace with it! I hope you enjoyed reading…until next year!

Life, Mornings, Mr. KK, NaBloPoMo, Screen time

Why I’m proud of my excessive “screen time”

November 4, 2019November 4, 2019 littleshoeprincess

‘Screen time’ is a buzzword, most often used by professionals and websites telling people how they are bad parents when their children get too much of it. Little Mister does not do a ton of screen time at home, however I question whether these experts who pooh-pooh ipads for kids have ever tried to get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour, eat a meal at a restaurant while it was still hot, or just wanted 1 hour to get the grocery shopping done without having to answer the question, “Can we get this?” 3,728 times.

Now, adults are being judged on their screen time. It was either with one of the latest iPhones or one of the millions of updates that I started getting these weekly “Screen Time” alerts, where my phone would ~~scold me~~ tell me how much time I spent on my phone in the past week.

(by the way, that “5:41” at the top is AM folks, not PM)

I spend a lot of time on my phone.

I am an early riser. I mean EARLY. (Don’t even get me started on Daylight Savings Time, when for the past 2 days I’ve basically woken up in the middle of the night).

And when I wake up, I need something to do to occupy my mind and time that is not loud or disruptive. Sometimes I read. But most times, I’m on my phone, scrolling, researching, planning.

Sure, I’m catching up on social media and reading articles that Facebook thinks I’ll like, and mentally shopping all of the goodies I see on Insta with the #targetdoesitagain.

But these early morning hours, these are the hours I’m most productive.

Here are some of the things I accomplish while the world still sleeps:

Catch up on all my emails that came in the night before
Check my calendar and mentally plan out the morning, and my day at work
Sign up for exercise classes for the upcoming days/week
Organize my photos and upload them to Shutterfly
During the holidays, get inspiration for gifts and make lists
Shop! I’m Amazon’s best customer before the sun comes up
Peruse family vacation houses
Make a grocery list
Research anything that Mr. KK and I have been taking about in the last few days: recipes for Thanksgiving, activities for the Little Mister, the new brewery opening up
Secretly look up and price out beach vacations
Silently LOL at the funniest things parents tweeted for the week on HuffPo

Of course, when Mr. KK finally wakes up, it’s likely I’ve been on my phone for a few hours by that point, so he barely has an eye open when I start bombarding him with questions, showing him recipes and asking him to look at the 37 links I texted him while he was sleeping.

Hey, if I’m going to be awake, I’m going to be productive.

Life, NaBloPoMo

Hello! Let me catch you up!

November 2, 2019 littleshoeprincess

It’s Day 1 of NaBloPoMo – and I’m back blogging after almost a year off since last year’s month-long blogfest.

I always like to start the month off with a little recap of what I’ve been doing for the last year, besides sneaking off to Target and single-handedly keeping Amazon in business.

A year in review.

December

As always, it was a busy holiday season. We decided that we would indeed introduce the Elf on a Shelf into our home (more on that guy in another post). As predicted, I thoroughly enjoyed finding new and interesting places for his shenanigans. I’m looking forward to ~~threatening my child with no presents~~ spreading that holiday magic again this year!

In true Little Mister fashion, he SLEPT IN on Christmas morning! Bright side: it gave Mr. KK and I a chance to make tea and coffee and sit in quiet for a few moments before the craziness began.

We have never been big fans of going out on New Year’s Eve; I think we’ve stayed in the last 10 years. Mr. KK will mix up some adult bevvies, I’ll cook up a tasty meal and we’ll play games and watch my all-time favorite reviews of all the people who died in the last year. Since Little Mister joined us, we’ve had the same plan, except our gourmet dinner includes pigs in a blanket and faux countdown at 9pm. But…we still have fun!

January

I jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon. Mr. KK bought me one for Christmas (unlike some women I LOVE getting kitchen stuff for Christmas! Bring on the appliances and gadgets!)

I’ve mostly made soups (split pea, chicken, tortilla), artichokes (revolutionary!) and buffalo chicken.

February

We tried swim lessons, again.

And, once again, our child took swim lessons from land:

That was about as close to the pool as he got. Each week he would sit there and watch the class. One week he dared to put his feet in the water (!) and the swim instructor pulled him in the pool. The parents around me started to cheer and clap (as they, too, watched him watch swim lessons for weeks). Little Mister, however, was NOT having it. He started to scream and cry and when she put him back on the tile he looked directly at me and yelled: “I am so ANGRY right now!” Then he stomped off to the women’s locker room, with as much dignity as possible while wearing a rubber tube around his midsection.

Bonus points for him being able to express his feelings?

March

Perhaps the biggest news of the year, was that we added to our family! Meet: Rocco!

Rocco is a shelter dog, and we rescued him when he was just 3 1/2 months old. I was home alone one Friday night, throwing back cabernet and scrolling through Petfinder (like all the cool kids) when I came across his face. I immediately texted the link to Mr. KK who distractedly responded, “He’s cute!” Which I translated into, “YOU MUST GET THIS DOG RIGHT NOW.”

Fast forward two weeks from that fateful night, and I picked up this little 7-pound fur baby. And we haven’t looked back since.

You can follow his antics on Instagram @therealroccomars

April

Milestone birthday for me.

Moving on.

We also discovered the Little Mister’s love of roller coasters! Who would’ve thought this shy child who wouldn’t participate in swim lessons would become a coaster junkie??

I think Mr. KK and I squeezed our adult-sized bodies into this rickety kiddie roller coaster 5 times that night. My back still hasn’t recovered.

May

It was a good year for beer. Lots of new, high-octane hoppy releases from some of our favorite breweries. Now that I’m up in Boston so often, it’s easy for me to pop over to one of our favorite breweries and grab whatever’s new.

This was a Quadruple IPA.

Not double.

Not triple.

QUADRUPLE.

And it was delicious. Smooth, hoppy, no bitter after taste. And not to sound pretentious, but it drank like a double IPA.

Summer

We took our usual family vacation to Maine, where Max fall in love (that’s a post in itself!) There is just something about the southern coast of Maine in the summer. Between the food and beer scene in Portland, and the beaches in Cape Elizabeth, and that laid-back summer state of mind, it must may be the most amazing place on earth.

September

If you know me at all, you know that if it involves a trip to Target, I’m down. And if it doesn’t have anything at all to do with Target, I will force fit that sh*t.

Because LM’s Grandmothers ruined Target for me, I now have to have “the toy talk” before we head to the Happiest Place on Earth. Armed with the understanding that we were only getting a backpack and a lunchbox for school, we strutted around the store show off our Toy Story stuff:

And see that yellow price sticker? That’s CLEARANCE, kids.

BOOM.

October

The Little Mister turned 5! I’m not sure how that’s possible, because it feels like just yesterday we were given the side-eye in a Virginia hotel when we stopped for the night with a 3-day old baby.

If the objective of the day was to keep a big smile on Little Mister’s face, then mission accomplished. We rented a bouncy house, and Little Mister jumped in that thing from the minute it was inflated at 8:45am until they came to take it away at 5:45pm.

I spent a little time jumping in this thing, too. And I’m embarrassed to say that I was WINDED after a minute of jumping.

And that my legs were sore the next day.

****

There you have it – the year in review.

Get ready, folks. In the next 29 days I’ll write about my latest food obsession, college before technology, getting old and being told you’re old, and Little Mister’s thoughts on where babies come from.

Happy reading!

Tag: Life

The Job Market in 2025: 0/5 Stars