The NBA Draft Lottery is an incredibly stressful time for the league’s front offices. Having a seat at the table likely means your team wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs, and a series of ping pong balls might determine how good it could be in the future.
Part of the fun of the Lottery is that the teams have representatives there (or, in this case, there virtually) to celebrate if they get one of the top picks. The flip side of that is the disappointment when you don’t jump up, which happened the Pelicans leading to Swin Cash’s reaction stealing the show on Tuesday night.
Here’s how the New Orleans Pelicans vice president of basketball operations and team development reacted when she heard her franchise would pick 10th, rather than vaulting up the board into the Top 4.
The Pelicans had just a 4.5 percent chance of earning the No. 1 pick, and No. 10 was their most likely outcome, but clearly, Cash was hoping for some better luck. That happened in 2019 when New Orleans had just a 6.3 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick, but did, and earened the right to select their new franchise cornerstone, Zion Williamson.
Cash posted a picture on Twitter after the lottery, saying, “Forgive me NOLA I’m pretty competitive…The lords still working on me… See y’all draft night. Let’s go.”
When I think of Milan, Italy, thoughts of luxury couture and beautiful neoclassical architecture come to mind first. In addition to the city’s booming fashion industry (Fashion Week is traditionally held here twice a year), Milan is also home to a thriving music scene. In fact, this bustling metropolis is where Grammy-nominated electronic music act, Meduza — comprised of Luca de Gregorio, Mattia Vitale, and Simone Giani — were born and eventually started their careers as DJ-producers.
As was the case with many artists in 2020, the onslaught of COVID-19 forced the trio to push pause on performing live shows. With concerts on hiatus, Meduza locked themselves in the studio, then revealed their next global hit “Paradise” featuring Dermot Kennedy, which debuted last October.
Eight months later, the guys are back with a new euphoric earworm aptly called, “Headrush” featuring Elroii, which dips its toes in everything a house head like me loves about the genre: tantalizing deep basslines riddled with plenty of punchy synths. It’s a whole vibe that’s right on time for the return of the festival season.
As the Meduza crew gets ready to hit the road again, I called them up to learn about their beloved home city of Milan. Now that the EU has opened its borders to Americans officially, I am thrilled to take this guide to Milan along with me when I finally travel abroad again this year!
***
In what fun way is Milan different from any other city on the globe?
Milan is our home city and the place where we were born. It will always have a special meaning for us. It’s where the greatest football team in the world play, AC Milan. It’s the center for fashion with all the fashion houses and we have (what we think anyway) the best cathedral in the center of a city, Duomo di Milano.
Where is your favorite place to eat in Milan? What’s so unique about it?
Angolo D’Abruzzo da Giannino is our favorite Milanese restaurant ever. It’s an old little Italian trattoria with the typical red and white tablecloth. Here, you can live a real Italian atmosphere with some typical dishes like pasta, Italian appetizers like ham, olive and mozzarella and the king of the table: the arrosticino. Arrosticinis is a typical skewer with lamb. Delicious!
Usually, during the dinner, a fisa and trumpet duo [are] playing some Italian melodies like “O Sole Mio” and you can sing in a very funny and familiar vibe.
At the end of the dinner, the Angolo d’Abruzzo’s boss puts a free selection of Italian liquors on your table and you can drink what and how much you want…after this it’s better if you don’t try to drive a car. Remember to book your seat because it’s always almost full!
When I think of Milan, I immediately think of high fashion. What’s the street style like in Milan?
Via Montenapoleone and Via Della Spiga are the best streets of high fashion. There you can find all the best Italian and worldwide fashion brand shops and few times a year — during the Fashion Weeks — all the parties and fashion shows with the VIP guests.
Speaking of fashion, what are some shops you like to frequent for your wardrobe?
We like classic Italian fashion brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Moschino, and a real maestro of shoes, Giuseppe Zanotti.
Italy is absolutely beautiful. Each city has its own distinctive, noteworthy sites. What are a few of the hidden gems of Milan? Why do you appreciate those places?
One of our favorite places in Milan is the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi. It’s an old monastery in the center of Milan (near Duomo di Milano) that since 1900 became a music school and a venue for classical concerts. There’s a very intimate atmosphere and it’s a characteristic place because you can live in a moment of quiet listening to good music in a center of a chaotic city like Milan.
We spent a lot of time there in our past because it was one of our schools when we were children.
Another gem that we recommend is Idroscalo Lake. Unfortunately, Milan has not a sea but has this little artificial lake. Around it, there is a lot of greenery and you can do a lot of sports activities like kite surfing and more.
What is some advice you would give burgeoning DJs when it comes to touring the world?
We are lucky because our passion became a job and during this amazing job we can see [that] the world is beautiful. Sometimes it’s possible to see a few DJs living this dream with a lot of tension and the wrong spirit. Relax! You are doing one of the best jobs in the world! Have fun and live every second that life gives you.
With a top-10 album and multiple singles that have topped the R&B charts, Queen Naija is a star. There was a point not too long ago, though, where she was a YouTuber facing struggles while trying to make music work as her primary vocation. She speaks about that part of her life in the newest Backstage episode.
Opening up about how public perception of her was an issue initially, Naija reveals she had doubters who didn’t think she was capable of doing more than YouTube.
“My name is Queen. I look at my name as royal, I look at myself as powerful,” she says in the clip. “But as soon as you start to get a name for yourself, people dig up dirt about you. Saying very cruel things: I’m not built for the industry life, I need to get media training, I need to talk better.” Thankfully, she has found herself more and more able to deal with critics, saying, “In this industry, you can’t care about what people think, and it’s hard for me. I literally want everybody in the whole world to like me, but the truth is they won’t, and that’s something I’ve had to overcome.”
Naija has certainly persevered through a lot and proven she is able to adapt to different situations: Shortly after signing a record deal, she toured in support of her self-titled 2018 EP while she was eight months pregnant. It’s her level of dedication that is helping Naija make her way to the top.
Naija tells her story best, so watch her do just that in the video above, in which she also talks about scrapping what was originally going to be her debut album.
Over the past two weeks commitments for the USA Basketball men’s roster for the Tokyo Olympics have steadily been rolling in and on Wednesday morning, it seemed as if the full 12-man roster had been completed when Zach LaVine committed to play.
However, on Wednesday afternoon some surprising news came through the pipeline that Pistons forward Jerami Grant had committed to playing in Tokyo this summer, which would’ve made for 13 players. That was until clarification arrived that Grant was replacing James Harden, who after committing to play last week was withdrawing as he continues to rehab his hamstring strain.
Nets‘ James Harden has withdrawn from Team USA coming off his hamstring injury during the postseason, sources said. https://t.co/aQKSKqVIUo
James Harden will not be a part of Team USA this summer as he recovers from a hamstring injury according to USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo.
That should set the roster fully, barring any further withdrawals as some players could find themselves in the NBA Finals running all the way to the day before the Olympics — although Devin Booker has said he’s playing no matter what.
Kevin Durant
Damian Lillard
Bradley Beal
Jayson Tatum
Devin Booker
Zach LaVine
Draymond Green
Jrue Holiday
Khris Middleton
Bam Adebayo
Jerami Grant
Kevin Love
It is a guard and wing heavy group, so you can expect a fair amount of small-ball from Team USA in Tokyo, given the bigs are Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love — with Kevin Durant and Jerami Grant as power forward options. In any case, it is a star-studded roster which was in doubt for some time given the condensed NBA season, and they will go for their fourth straight gold medal in Tokyo this summer.
Indie-rock legends Modern Mouse have a rare new album, The Golden Casket, coming out at the end of this week. To help drum up some hype for the release, they took to The Tonight Show for their live debut of “We Are Between” with a pre-taped performance.
Technically, though, is it a “live debut” if the performance isn’t, well, live? It’s certainly a performance, but not one that was happening live as it was being broadcast on TV. Going further down the rabbit hole, this probably isn’t even their debut performance of the song, as they’ve certainly performed previously it in studio or during rehearsals. Whatever the case, this is the first time a broad audience has heard the band perform the track in a concert-like format, the song sounded great, and the group brought strong energy to this rendition.
Isaac Brock recently spoke with Uproxx’s Steven Hyden about the album, saying, “I wanted to make sure I didn’t accidentally make the same record again. It’s better to not put out many records and make them all feel a bit different. I try to be very aware of whether I’m doing the same thing, or doing something too close to another thing. My canon of information — what songs are out there, not just Modest Mouse songs, but just songs in the world — I know about a lot more songs. I just remembered a song I was super psyched on with Jacknife Lee last week. I was playing the kettle drum. And I get done and I’m listening to it and I’m like, ‘This is f*cking strange. It sounds like The Simpsons theme song.’ And so I’m aware that I can’t cover songs by accident. I’m also aware that I don’t want to accidentally cover my songs.”
Watch the band perform “We Are Between” on Fallon above and check out our interview with Brock here.
The Golden Casket is out 6/25 via Epic Records. Pre-order it here.
When Pop Smoke’s tragic death was confirmed in early 2020, the New York drill rapper left behind an extensive number of unreleased recordings. The rapper’s team was able to compile a number of tracks to make up his debut album Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon, which dropped five months after his death and was one of the most-streamed projects of the year. The rapper’s team has since teased the possibility of yet another posthumous album, which they’ve just now confirmed with an inspiring trailer.
Pop Smoke’s currently unnamed posthumous project, which was first hinted at by his manager Steven Victor earlier this month, is officially set to debut on July 16. The late rapper’s team made the announcement in a brief trailer which stitched together a number of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. “Never let anybody get in between you and your creations,” the rapper proclaims in the trailer. “Why you just trying to be cool? You gotta make history.”
Ahead of the upcoming album’s announcement, Migos rapper Quavo revealed that he had been planning a joint LP with Pop Smoke before his untimely passing. Though the project never panned out, Pop Smoke still has a feature on Migos’ upcoming Culture III release. “I had a relationship with Pop Smoke, we had a relationship with Pop Smoke, and it was just, important,” he said. “We had so many records, me and him was bout to make an album. So I just felt like I had to put Pop on there.”
Watch Pop Smoke’s album trailer above.
Pop Smoke’s posthumous album is set to drop 7/16. Pre-order it here.
Bottled-in-bond bourbon is often referred to as “the good stuff” in bourbon circles. This style of bourbon whiskey is simply more refined than your average bottle of bourbon. That makes it tastier, easier to drink, and a little more sought after.
Unlike certain bourbon designations, which can be a little murky (small batch, we’re looking at you), bottled-in-bond is easy to define. For starters, the bourbon needs to be aged for at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse. Next, it must be from one distillation season made by one distiller at one distillery. That doesn’t mean barrels of whiskey aren’t blended to make this. It just means the barrels available to make that final blend (or single barrel expression) are a lot narrower since they all have to come from the same season and distillery. Three, the whiskey needs to go in the bottle at 50 percent ABV, or 100 proof.
Now, we could get into the tax and duty implications behind a “bonded warehouse” and why this whole system exists in the first place, but we’ll leave that to the lawyers and accountants to explain. For now, we’re going to focus on the whiskey. The ten bourbons below are all bottled-in-bond classics with a couple of crafty bourbons thrown in for good measure. If you want to try a bottle, click on the prices and get it delivered to your door.
The juice is standard Evan Williams that’s barreled in a federally overseen warehouse. Then, after those barrels are blended, the juice is brought down to 100 proof, allowing a bit more of that Heaven Hill craft to shine in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a dry cornmeal base next to salted caramel, rich vanilla, and a touch of that oak. The palate adds in whiffs of black pepper next to musty cellar wood and a hint of spicy chewy tobacco. The end is short-ish while highlighting the sweet cornmeal, spicy tobacco, and rich vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is bourbon’s bottled-in-bond touchstone. It’s shocking when you taste this next to Evan Williams Black Label in how much more refined it is. It’s also the perfect end of the day on the rocks whiskey to take the edge off.
This bourbon is Jim Beam’s high watermark when it comes to Kentucky bourbon. The juice is aged in a bottled-in-bond facility for four years where it’s also bottled at 100 proof with no bullshit. This is the standard Beam bourbon mash bill but there’s just something extra happening that makes this expression shine.
Tasting Notes:
This bourbon beckons you in with notes of toasted oak, red cherry, and vanilla. That leads to fresh honey, sweet caramel corn, rich toffee, bold vanilla, crisp apple, more of that red cherry, peppery spice, and a note of fresh mint. With a little water, the dram edges towards bitter dark chocolate with a nice billow of pipe tobacco while holding onto the mint, toffee, and vanilla oakiness. The end is long, meandering, and full of warmth, fruit, spice, and bourbon goodness.
Bottom Line:
Not to sound like a broken record, but it’s kind of shocking how much of a step up this is from Beam’s standard White Label. It’s not going to be something that changes your life from the first sip. But this is a well-rounded mixer and sipper that always hits just right at a great price point.
Sazerac’s Early Times spent decades as the best-selling bourbon in the world. Their Bottled-in-Bond is a throwback to that heady era in the early to mid-1900s, when bourbon was king of the booze scene. Then this whiskey nearly died in the 1970s and 80s when bourbon took a massive hit in sales. This particular expression was reintroduced in 2017 as a limited release. It was such a huge hit so it turned into a standard release.
Tasting Notes:
The low-rye and longer aging create a dram where the orange oils, pancake syrup, and holiday spices mingle on the soft nose. The palate luxuriates in this rich and creamy vanilla next to a mildly spicy tobacco leaf and another hit of those orange oils. The end adds in a slight allspice pepperiness with more of that creamy vanilla, tobacco, and a final hint of buttery brown sugar syrup.
Bottom Line:
Easy is the word that comes to mind with this bottle. It’s just … easy. Easy to drink. Easy to like. Easy to mix. Easy.
This release from the fairly vast 1792 leans into the beauty of the juice coming out of Barton 1792 Distillery right now. The build of the blend of bonded barrels is crafted to have a throwback taste to over 100 years ago, when bonded bourbons were all the rage.
Tasting Notes:
This draws you in with a mix of cracked black pepper, caramel apples, menthol, and a hint of bitter charred wood. The taste holds onto the spiciness but merges it towards ginger, or allspice, with a creamy vanilla pudding foundation and a hint of wet cedar. The finish takes its time and lets the bitterness sneak in with a dark coffee bean vibe next to that creamy vanilla and peppery spiciness.
Bottom Line:
This is an interesting, high-rye bourbon that feels like it’s crafted more towards cocktails than sipping. That being said, there’s no downside to pouring this over a few rocks and enjoying a glass at the end of the day too.
Wilderness Trail’s black label Small Batch denotes a very high rye mash bill with 24 percent of the grain in the mix. That’s similar to Beam’s Old Grand-Dad Bonded which narrowly missed making this list. “Small batch” also means something to the folks at Wilderness Trail. This expression is made from only 12 barrels of bourbon that are masterfully vatted to create the signature flavor profile of this award-winning bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
The whiskey opens with notes of wet green grass, pear skins, and buttered popcorn next to a hint of dried flowers soaking in maple syrup. The palate drizzles that popcorn with salted caramel as the butteriness leans into toffee territory with a stewed pear with a cinnamon taste. The creaminess of the butter combines with a lush vanilla note as the taste fades away into a slight whisper of oak and apple tobacco.
Bottom Line:
It’s hard not to fall in love with a bottle of Wilderness Trail. They all offer something a little different but maintain a throughline of being amazingly palatable and approachable, even to a novice.
Heading back to Brown-Forman, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond is the brand’s throwback bottle that celebrates the 1897 act that brought the world bottled-in-bond whiskey. The juice in the bottle is a mid-rye bourbon mash that’s aged, proofed, and bottled in accordance with the bonded laws and regulations.
Tasting Notes:
This drips with caramel on the nose — the kind that’s a bit tacky and chewy — alongside a touch of orange blossom and maybe a vanilla latte. That vanilla and bitter espresso bean note carry on through the palate as a bowl of red and stone fruits soak in a bowl of brandy with plenty of cinnamon sticks and allspice berries thrown in too. The finish marries all those notes while leaning heavily into the caramel sweetness as it fades away at a good clip.
Bottom Line:
This is probably the best mixer on the list. There’s a sweetness at play that helps this one stand out in any cocktail.
Heaven Hill makes a lot of whiskeys. This expression has been a touchstone bottled-in-bond since 1939 and remains a go-to for many bourbon lovers. The juice is a very low rye (only ten percent) mash bill that’s left to age for an extra three years.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this is like a vanilla ice cream scoop that’s been drizzled with salted caramel and then dipped in dried honeysuckle petals inside an old leather pouch. That caramel and dried floral honey feel drive the taste towards a somewhat dry Graham cracker maltiness with a touch more of that leather and a whisper of toffee tobacco. The end leans into an eggnog spice mix with more of that sweet and buttery tobacco and a final note of sweet cherry and old cellar beams.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty damn fine whiskey to have around. It’s a great workhorse that drinks well over rocks or shines brightly in a cocktail coupe with a little sweet vermouth and bitters. You can’t go wrong.
Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon Bottled-in-Bond
This very affordable offering from Heaven Hill shines brightly. The juice utilizes a touch of rye in the mash bill and is then aged for ten long years in a bonded rickhouse. The best barrels are chosen by hand and the juice is bottled directly.
Tasting Notes:
Orange zest, caramel, vanilla, and Christmas spice are counterpointed by a flush of fresh mint. The vanilla and caramel carry through as the spices kick up the sharpness alongside a burnt orange feel. It all slowly fades out on the charred oak finish with a minor hint of smoke far in the background.
Bottom Line:
This is technically the same juice as the above that’s simply aged three more years and then bottled from a single barrel that hit just the right sweet spot during those extra years. All of that is to say, this is a fine dram of whiskey that’s just as good, if not better, than bourbons twice this price.
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bourbon Bottled-In-Bond
Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. line of whiskey hits on both classic and bold, innovative expressions under one shingle. Their Small Batch is an entry point to the 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a nice rush of freshly popped corn that’s been hit with some salt and butter before a touch of caramel arrives with a slight black licorice bent. The taste delivers on those promises with a butter toffee with a slight almond and dark cocoa note next to spicy tobacco leaves and hints of leather and cedar. The end doesn’t overstay its welcome and fades away, leaving you with an almost peppery spice and chewing tobacco buzz cut with salted caramel.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty beloved bottle of whiskey. It’s one of those bottles that’ll hook you in and take your palate to the next level of your journey through the world of bourbon. It also makes a hell of an old fashioned.
This crafty whiskey from New York is a grain-to-glass bourbon experience. The mash bill on this one eschews rye and wheat for 80 percent locally grown corn supported by 20 percent malted barley from England. The juice is then aged for four years in small 15-gallon barrels and treated according to the law and bottled in Kings County’s signature hip flask bottles.
Tasting Notes:
This draws you in with a strawberry shortcake with cornmeal base, topped with fresh berries, buttery vanilla whipped cream, and then dipped in a caramel sauce. The palate veers away from all of that and touches on bitter black coffee syrup with brown sugar and butter notes next to oatcakes and vanilla sauce with a hint of spice lingering in the background. The end is long and full of chocolate malts, leather, and more of that creamy and buttery vanilla whipped cream.
Bottom Line:
This is the true outlier on this list. The flavors of this one are pretty unique while still being 100 percent accessible (and tasty).
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
One of the most wonderful things about having a dog is how attached they become to their owners. I work from home and my Jack Russel terrier, Scout, lies next to me on his bed for most of the day. The only time he leaves my office is for a sip of water or to go outside and sun his belly on the porch.
That’s why whenever I leave the house and can’t take Scout with me, I wonder, “Does he miss me? Is he sad that he’s alone?”
Studies show that our dogs miss us the moment we leave the house and that feeling slowly intensifies until we are gone for about four hours and they have a “plateau of melancholy.” That’s why the longer you’re away, the more excited your dog is when you return home.
The moment I pull up in my car Scout begins to howl like a wolf trying to contact someone who’s miles away. It’s like, “Dude, I’m 30 feet away. Give me a second to grab the groceries out of the trunk.”
Researchers from the Universities of Pisa and Perugia, Italy have found that if you give your dog some affection before you leave the house they’ll have less anxiety while you’re away.
They conducted experiments with 10 dogs between the ages of one and 11 without attachment issues. The group was composed of seven mixed-breed dogs, one Labrador retriever, one Hovawart, and one Chihuahua.
Participants in the study walked their leashed dogs into a fenced area where they were greeted by a researcher who took their dog’s heart rate. In the first test, after the owners walked their dogs into the area, they talked with a researcher for one minute then left without giving the dog any special attention.
In the second test, the dog owners petted the dog during their interaction with the researcher.
In both tests, the owners left the fenced area and hid far enough away so that the dog couldn’t smell them.
After the owners left, the dogs looked for them for about three minutes on average. After the owners returned, the researchers measured the dogs’ levels of the stress hormone cortisol as well as their heart rates.
The researchers found that whether the dogs were petted or not, their cortisol levels were unchanged. But their heart rate showed a marked decrease if the owners petted them before leaving. Researchers later watched videos of the dogs and found that the ones that were petted showed ” behaviors indicative of calmness for a longer period while waiting for the owner’s return.”
Next time I’m ready to leave the house and Scout follows me to the front door after saying, “Sorry bud, you can’t go with me on this trip,” I’ll kneel down and give him a little extra love and attention.
Maybe that way he won’t howl like the house is on fire when I pull up in my car after a trip to the grocery store.
Despite the existence of thousands of parenting books and websites, no one can prepare you for the reality of raising human beings. I’ve often referred to motherhood as a roller coaster, in which you experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and there’s no map to show you what’s coming around the bend. And sometimes it’s excruciatingly difficult.
I love my children more than I can express, of course. That’s a caveat that shouldn’t need to be articulated. Unfortunately, it’s one that oddly requires defending any time a mom dares to share the hard parts of parenting in an honest, in-the-moment way.
Writer and mother Suka Nasrallah shared a heartfelt Facebook post about her morning shower and how it was interrupted 67 times by one of her children. The post has gone viral, as mothers everywhere see themselves in her words. She wrote:
67 times
He called for me 67 times while I was in the shower
Mind you I started counting half way in, as a way to keep myself calm and not scream back, so surely it was more than 67 times.
But for the sake of transparency, 67 times
67 times I listened to him yell ‘mama’ and bang on the bathroom door
While I stood under the hot water drowning in my tears because I couldn’t bear the sound of his voice anymore and I had no will to reply
I had no will to keep a conversation going while I was in the shower
I had no will to keep a conversation when I desperately needed a few minutes to myself
Because the coffee just didn’t do it and it was barely 9 am
Because they had been up since 6:45 that morning shouting demands at me
All I wanted was 10 minutes to myself, but clearly that was too much to ask
67 times
Mama
Mama
Mama
Mama
Mama
67 times that word rang in my ears
This is why mothers are so touched out
This is why we stay awake so late knowing we’re going to regret it in the morning
This is why we we are always quick to snap
This is why we are so sensitive
Because we are desensitized
We are numb
We are so beyond worn out
Burnt out
Drained
Struggling
Misunderstood
Being needed all the time is simply draining, and a mother never stops being needed
It has been many years since my own kids pounded on the door while I tried to get two minutes of peace in the bathroom. Now tweens and young adults, they’re all sound asleep when I shower, but I remember those early years well. The little kid stage is adorable, but it’s a LOT. And it’s totally okay for a mom to say, “This moment sucks, I feel like I’m drowning.”
And yet, even with many moms chiming in to say, “Yes! I’ve been there,” some Judgey McJudgersons showed up in the comments to rail on this mom for complaining. One gentleman (ahem) even went so far as to lecture her about how motherhood requires dedication, patience, sacrifice, and love as if this mother doesn’t know that and isn’t hip-deep in all of those things. Others flat out said she was bad at parenting. Some presumably well-meaning but clearly amnesiac parents told her she should enjoy this time because someday she’ll miss it.
I’m a parent of older kids and let me tell you I do not miss the shower interruptions and constant neediness of early childhood. I loved the toddler/preschool years for their wonder and innocence and sweetness, but there are parts that you couldn’t pay me to relive. It’s okay for two things to be true at once. Motherhood can be—and often is—magical and mind-blowingly hard at the same time.
And moms need to be able to vent during the hard times without people questioning their dedication to or love for their children. Nasrallah shared a follow-up post explaining that sharing the raw, real moments when motherhood is challenging doesn’t in any way means she doesn’t love being a mother.
I feel the need to “back-up” my recent post that has been circulating about my son calling me 67 times in the shower.
Motherhood is terrifying.
You’re giving yourself whole to another person; committing to a lifelong relationship.
But somewhere in that fear, somewhere in the exhaustion, somewhere between not having the will to listen to someone calling you mama for another second, and shouting demands at you, and needing you for their survival, you’ll catch a glimpse of your baby doing the sweetest thing.
You’ll notice how the profile of your baby’s face has become less chubby and more defined like that of a toddler.
Somewhere between the mental exhaustion and sleepless nights and these little glimpses, you’ll find your heart swelling with a love so deep and so powerful that it quite literally sweeps you off your feet.
And in that exact moment you’ll think to yourself, I’d do this 100 times over, just for this moment.
So yes, it’s worth every sleepless night, every teething baby, every fever they may spike, every time they holler mama at you until your head is pounding.
At the end of it all, it’s so very worth it.
Even when I complain and vent and say I just need to be alone, I still love my children with every ounce of my being, every bone in my body, every breath I take.
Saying I’m struggling does not, in ANY way, shape or form imply that I do not love my children. I adore them and would cross oceans for them in a heart beat.
The follow-up shouldn’t have been necessary, though. We’ve got to stop demanding that mothers either sugarcoat the hard work of raising kids or chase every honest account of difficulty with some version of “but I swear I really do love my kids!”
Motherhood is hella hard. It’s okay to say that and let it be a true statement all on its own. It’s okay to share the beauty and the difficulty in equal measure. It’s okay to let other mothers know they are not alone in their struggles and to let them know they are seen, even when they are staring at the shower wall, exhausted and overwhelmed and alone.
Thank you, Suka Nasrallah, for sharing that slice of truth about motherhood openly and honestly. And hang in there, mamas of little ones. It does get logistically easier. You will have time to yourself. You will sleep through the night. You will be able to use the bathroom uninterrupted.
And it’s totally okay to yearn for that time to come, even while holding onto your children’s childhoods as long as you can.
For more honest words about motherhood from Suka Nasrallah, check out her upcoming book, “Unfiltered Truths About Motherhood: Captive and Captivated.”
Instead, the proud Texan who once took a vacation to Cancun while his constituents froze during the worst blizzard the state has ever seen, is fully on his “mansplaining” sh*t once more, this time hogging the mic during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Cruz threw a bit of a temper tantrum after first-time committee chair Senator Jon Ossoff notified him that his time had expired during his questioning of District Court Judge Gustavo Gelpí. Gelpí was just nominated by President Biden to serve on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals and Cruz used his cross-examination time to misstate a question posed by fellow Senator Mazie Hirono before circling back to the GOP’s weird obsession with overturning Roe v. Wade.
Cruz wanted to know how Gelpí felt about originalism, which is the practice of interpreting the Constitution that aims to follow how it was intended when it was first written. Cruz, clearly, is all for originalism and he ended up mischaracterizing Hirono’s stance on the issue in an effort to chip away at support for the pro-choice ruling. But when Ossoff rightly cut him off after Cruz asked his final question, alerting him that his time was over, the Cancun travel guide threw a hissy fit.
“You know this is a committee where we’ve had a little bit of comity and I recognize that Sen. Ossoff is new, but generally we don’t have the chairman trying to jump in 30 seconds in,” Cruz said as Ossoff and others continued to remind him he no longer held the floor. He went on to claim that Ossoff “desperately does not want these questions answered” before Hirono, who’s had more experience sparring with the smirking possum, decided to definitely shut down his spotlight-hogging schtick.
“I would ask that Sen. Cruz not misstate what I’m saying and, you know what, all this mansplaining — please stop,” she chimed in. “The thing with my colleague is, he always has to get the last word in. That is a fact.”
You can watch the whole thing below:
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
