In My Mom Era

October had its ups and downs, like every month does.

And whether turning 40 was an up or a down?

An up. OBVIOUSLY!

I have the good fortune of having made it to 40 years old, and I was able to celebrate with the people who mean the most to me. Not everyone gets that privilege, and I don’t take it for granted.

Do I feel 40? Absolutely not. I feel 80! 🤣😅🤦‍♀️

But then again, I have a ten-year-old now, and I don’t particularly believe that either. So apparently, time and I are no longer on speaking terms.

My Little Corner of the Internet

October also marked the first full month of In My Mom Era. ❤️

I created this little corner of the internet to share my thoughts, our family adventures, books, travel, motherhood, and whatever other rabbit holes I happen to fall down.

And WHAT A WHIRLWIND it’s been!

I’ve received… oh gosh, 50 books? I’ve honestly lost count at this point. LOL.

There have been countless interview opportunities, requests, conversations, and introductions to people I probably never would have crossed paths with otherwise.

I’ve had the opportunity to examine and photograph a St. Louis World’s Fair poster! I’ve started building relationships with museums and hotels that are willing to collaborate on visits and media opportunities. I’ve even been trusted with albums before they’re released!

ME! Listening to music before the rest of the world gets to hear it!

How cool is THAT?!

And the people. My goodness, the people.

Authors, musicians, publicists, historians, artists, and so many others who have graciously taken the time to speak with me, answer my questions, share their stories, and welcome me into their worlds.

I don’t think I could have predicted any of this when I decided to give blogging a serious shot.

And the best part? We’re only getting started.

If I get my way, November will be even better!

Miles, Memories, and Mild Chaos

Of course, we spent plenty of time in the car, too.

Because what would life in the Gegg household be without a spontaneous road trip or two?

We made it to Paducah, Kentucky, just because. No grand reason. No elaborate plans. Just an adventure.

And you know what? Paducah is SO CUTE!

It’s officially earned itself a spot on a future bucket-list trip, because I absolutely want to go back and explore more.

We had a blast!

Well, when the kids weren’t throwing fits. But you can’t win them all. 🤣

And let’s talk about Garden of the Gods in Illinois.

I AM GOING BACK.

I refuse to be defeated by rocky paths and disappearing daylight.

Next time, we’ll go during the day. Which means I’ll apparently have to PLAN something instead of just showing up and hoping for the best.

How terribly unlike me. 😅

A Ten-Year-Old, Dinosaurs, and Pirates

We also spent an entire afternoon and evening at City Museum celebrating my now TEN-YEAR-OLD’S birthday!

TEN.

How on earth do I have a ten-year-old?!

I still don’t see myself as 40, so the fact that I’m the mother of a child who has officially entered double digits is just downright ridiculous.

But watching him grow, seeing the person he’s becoming, and getting to spend another birthday making memories together? That’s something I’ll never get tired of.

We also visited the St. Louis Science Center for some dinosaur fun, where we discovered something absolutely fascinating: a company that takes kids ages eight and up on actual dinosaur excavations in Wyoming!

EXCUSE ME?!

You mean to tell me my children could go out and help uncover real prehistoric fossils?!

Naturally, that has now found its way onto my ever-growing list of things we need to experience.

And then there was the St. Louis Aquarium’s Pirates & Pumpkins celebration, which was another fun family outing and another reminder of why I love taking the kids to experience new things.

Even when they’re loud. And chaotic. And somebody inevitably needs the bathroom five minutes after we leave one.

Forty, Fabulous, and a Little Tipsy

And then came October 24.

My 40th birthday!

And yes, I got fairly drunk. 🤣

Not my nose is numb drunk. But drunk.

We threw bags, listened to music, laughed, and enjoyed ourselves.

Britney Spears. Christina Aguilera. Chicago. Journey. And so many other fantastic songs that probably didn’t need to be played quite as loudly as I played them.

Much to my dad’s dismay, I’m sure.

He went inside early. LOL.

I even did shots of pineapple whiskey with my sister, Jenny, which was a brand-new experience for me!

And somewhere in all that music, laughter, and whiskey, we promised each other we’d get together for a proper sister night or weekend.

Just us. Talking, listening to music, laughing, and catching up.

I really hope we make that happen. ❤️

Because as much as I love the big adventures, sometimes the little moments with the people you love are the ones that stick with you.

Yo, Adrian! We’re Going to See Rocky!

Another wonderful October surprise?

I GOT TICKETS TO SEE ROCKY FOR ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY!

And not just anywhere. I’ll be watching it in a theater with my dad in early November.

The same dad who introduced me to Rocky, Sylvester Stallone, and a character and franchise I’ve loved for as long as I can remember.

I’ll forever be thankful to him for that.

There’s something incredibly special about getting to revisit a movie that means so much to you with the person who made you fall in love with it in the first place.

I cannot WAIT!

And yes, I’ll probably know every line. Sorry, Dad. 🤣❤️

Halloween: Candy, Chaos, and Three Tiny Escape Artists

And then, of course, came Halloween.

Oh. My. GOODNESS.

Mountains of candy. More trunk-or-treat events than I can remember. Costumes, excitement, sugar, and five children who have apparently never met a piece of candy they didn’t need.

The babies actually walked around this year!

Which sounds absolutely adorable, right?

WRONG.

Well, the trunk-or-treat events weren’t too terrible with the littles.

But actual, house-to-house trick-or-treating?

I think I’ll try again when they’re seven.

Because it was a NIGHTMARE. 🤣

Seriously, I’m sitting here writing this on Halloween night, and I am still recovering.

Trying to keep track of three little ones while trick-or-treating is apparently an Olympic sport for which I did NOT train.

Adaline wanted to go one direction.

Colton refused to hold hands while crossing streets.

And Nora was desperately trying to keep up with Declan and Tristan, who were several houses ahead with their friends.

Meanwhile, I’m just trying to make sure everyone survives the evening and nobody ends up wandering into another ZIP code.

Good grief.

But we have traditions, and traditions must be upheld!

Every Halloween, we make a point to visit our Aunt Lois, and this year was no different.

Except the babies would NOT cooperate for a picture.

Naturally.

We continued trick-or-treating around the neighborhood before stopping by a family friend’s house for chili and pumpkin dump cake.

Which was wonderful!

Except, of course, my children weren’t going to eat chili.

Because why would they eat actual food when they’ve been collecting candy all evening? 🤦‍♀️

Our final stop was Steak ‘n Shake, where they were also having trunk-or-treat festivities.

So we grabbed shakes for ourselves, some ACTUAL food for the kids, and finally headed home.

And let me tell you something.

This momma is EXHAUSTED.

The costumes, the candy, the walking, the chasing, the pictures that didn’t happen, the sugar highs, the endless negotiations…

I’m tired just typing about it.

But you know what?

We made memories.

And someday, when the kids are older, we’ll probably laugh about the Halloween when Mom nearly lost her mind trying to keep three toddlers moving in the same direction.

Probably.

Here’s to November

So, October.

You were busy. You were loud. You were sometimes frustrating, occasionally exhausting, and absolutely wonderful.

I turned 40.

I celebrated another year of life with people I love.

My oldest turned 10.

We traveled, explored, laughed, discovered new things, and ate far too much candy.

I watched this little corner of the internet begin growing into something I never imagined it could become.

I’ve met fascinating people, been given incredible opportunities, and discovered that there’s still so much I want to do, experience, learn, and share.

And I have absolutely no intention of slowing down.

Well, maybe tonight. Tonight I’m going to sit down and hopefully not move again until morning. 🤣

But after that?

Bring on November.

More books. More interviews. More adventures. More memories. More music. More unexpected opportunities.

More of whatever life happens to throw our way.

I’m 40 years old, and there is still SO MUCH I want to experience.

And I plan to enjoy as much of it as I possibly can.

So tell me, what was your best October 2026 moment?

Warmly,

Kelly

Our October stories

October included my thoughts on turning 40, our Pirates & Pumpkins adventure, and my feature on Drew Ryder Smith’s music and family history.