Mandi Castle's Blog

I knew it would happen eventually. We’ve ridden this twisty, terrifying, and unpredictable roller coaster of her health for the last ten years, and though we had our seatbelts on and were sitting at the top of the hill knowing the brakes would come loose any minute, none of us was prepared for that drop,... Read More in On Generosity and Kindness

There was an article that went around last year that my virtual writer friend Ashley Fuchs wrote called The Reason My Daughter May Punch Your Son. When I read the article, my daughter was in kindergarten. In my mind, she was years away from this kind of harassment, so I read it, and I shared... Read More in Why I Told My Daughter to Kick Your Son in the Balls

When I was in high school, every morning a group of guys gathered around their lockers conveniently located right by the front door of the school. As students walked through the door, their torment began. They weren’t too selective. Anyone could be their target. They made fun of shoes, bags, shirts, pants, faces, teeth, hair,... Read More in The Silent and the Not-So-Silent Bully

Suicide is painless. That’s what they say, right? In America alone, someone dies by suicide every thirteen minutes. Let that sink in for a second. Every thirteen minutes, someone in America takes his own life. We lost another celebrity this week. The world stood stunned at the news of Chris Cornell’s passing. Suicide. Again. Today... Read More in Suicide is Painless

I didn’t buy you a card this year. I always spend a lot of time looking through all of the cards, humor cards and sentimental cards alike, but this year I couldn’t find one that worked. Nothing quite put into words the impact you leave on this world, on my world. There wasn’t a card... Read More in Dear Mom

Dear Teachers, Can we talk about Teacher Appreciation Week? I promise I didn’t miss it. I saw the nine reminders in my children’s take home folders letting me know that in my town and across all of America, it’s Teacher (and Staff) Appreciation Week, and I think it’s great. I’m all for it. I appreciate... Read More in Can We Talk About Teacher Appreciation Week?

I don’t know if you know this, but I wrote a really kick ass book and published it in 2015. It took me about four years to finish it, which really is not accurate because I had two kids under five when I started. One of which was still attached to my breast, so my... Read More in Why Writing Book 2 is Harder than Writing Book 1

I have four older brothers. Some would say this makes me tough (which is true), but most would say this has affected my intellect (also true). The youngest is ten years older than I am, so my education growing up  was, to say the least, clouded with fibs my brothers told me that I believed... Read More in This is Us (We Might Be Confused)

The best thing about not having anything to write is when one of my fellow writers does have something to write. Please enjoy the following guest post by my friend, Nikki Mathis Thompson. ————————————————————————– The material of the shirt in her hands is soft. Humming a quiet tune, she inhales the floral fragrance, then folds... Read More in Coitus Interruptus

Parents, if you listen to nothing else today, please heed this warning. Peppa Pig can lead to very questionable content on the internet. Like most parents, my children enjoy watching videos on YouTube. My daughter has been a huge fan of Peppa Pig for years, and aside from the annoying random snorting, I’ve never had... Read More in Beware of Peppa Pig on YouTube