top of page

Search


Another week overwhelmed and it's only Wednesday!
I promised myself at the start of the year that I would take it easy but I have not stopped going yet. I have literally been going full throttle since I returned to work and now we are barely to the end of the month and I am exhausted and overwhelmed. I am desperately in need of a nap and my feet hurt from all of the walking that I do each day. I want to go on vacation and do nothing! Who signed me up for adulthood? This is hella ghetto! Nevertheless, I am making progress in

MichelleRena
1 hour ago1 min read


Kids can be joy thieves too!
I am going to say the thing that folks don't wanna say...sometimes it be your own kids! I had a really great day! It was productive, it was peaceful...I got to serve and highlight some amazing kids and I even got to take one of my kids on a tour of a school. The day was ending great but then... Shit went crazy! One kid made a mess of their shared bathroom and the other was pissed and had a meltdown because I didn't take their concern seriously. Me and the oldest ended up clea

MichelleRena
1 day ago1 min read


Love is an action word!
I told y'all that my pastor don’t miss and today was no different. As he continues his “Waiting to Excel” series, he focused specifically on excellence in serving and reminded us how Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as an act of service and as a reminder that there’s no service that is beneath us. Our willingness to serve is an act of love. This is where it hit me… Love is an action word…it’s a verb…LOVE is something you do! He broke down to the simplest form, you can’t lov

MichelleRena
3 days ago2 min read
Slow Day
As much as I would love to say I laid in bed and did nothing all day, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Today, I was more productive than I anticipated and I actually feel kinda good about it. From cleaning and organizing to finally packing up the Christmas trees and decor, helping my little one prep for an upcoming talent show, picking up my big girl from her first international trip, and finally sitting around the table and just chatting with my girls. Today was pict

MichelleRena
4 days ago1 min read


I wasn't sure I would make it...
This phrase has become a recurring theme so far in 2026. Whether I am referencing arrival time or my actual existence, each instance it becomes more and more applicable. I wasn't sure I would make it! Yet, here I am...at the close of another exhausting week and I have in fact made it. Despite, the many physical, mental, financial, and emotional obstacles this week offered...I made it! The funny thing is...in the past the more I declared my love for God and my faith in him, th

MichelleRena
5 days ago1 min read


Feeling stuck...but I am still alive!
Normally, I come home and I can't wait to write because I have had some strong epiphanic moments throughout the day. Well, today was no different but because my brain has been working overtime, I honestly can't remember what happened today and I don't like that. I literally feel like I'm stuck in quicksand and drowning slowly. Moving fast...to go nowhere and that level of stuck feels so frustrating. My hope is that I get the necessary nap/rest/whatever to push through because

MichelleRena
6 days ago1 min read


Bend...but don’t break!
Whew y’all! I felt like I was fighting for my life...ALL DAY LONG today! I held my own, but it was a real battle! Just when you think you’re ok, the enemy goes into overdrive to try to kill your joy and your momentum. The only way to defeat the enemy is with God! No matter what gets thrown your way, you have to trust and believe that all will be well, because it will be. You can bend, but don’t you dare break! In this life I have learned how to bend. I've bent schedules, expe

MichelleRena
Jan 142 min read


What are you budgeting for?
I won't hold y'all long! So I told y'all church was real good yesterday and I even shared the link (sharing it again because it was that good) so you could go see for yourself. Did you look? Be honest! If you did, great! If you didn't that's cool too! The way Pastor Jackson broke down the importance of having a budget resonated with me in a way that I never expected. I am all over the place when it comes to spending but that isn't the only currency that is being overextende

MichelleRena
Jan 122 min read


So about last night...
Y'all when I tell you there were some heavy hitters in the room, there were some HEAVY HITTERS in the ROOM! Let's start with thee incomparable DeBlair Tate !! DeBlair is everything y'all and I am not just saying that because she is my bestie. I am speaking this from the front row seat I have to this woman's excellence! She is committed to serving her community and ensuring high-achieving woman realize that they CAN in fact have it all. They just have to know how to balance it

MichelleRena
Jan 112 min read


We had a time tonight!!!
Y'all when I tell y'all I had a blast, I mean it was the absolute best time I have had in a while outside of a concert or music event. My bestie, DeBlair Tate put her all into her "Ladies Night Out" event and she DID NOT MISS! If you are ready to make some real changes in your life through structured coaching then you should reach out to my girl. This event was the result of a tremendous amount of thought and planning. I am so proud of what she accomplished tonight! I am exha

MichelleRena
Jan 101 min read


TGIF!! I ain't mad, I'm good!
How can I be mad, when I am so good!

MichelleRena
Jan 94 min read


So...apparently I just needed a nap!
Sleep deprivation will have you looking real crazy and acting real foolish! Yesterday, I was irritated because I have been running off adrenaline all week and the walls came tumbling down hard and fast. From working (like really working) the whole entire at work. Add in limited bathroom breaks and skipping lunch every day trying to complete all of the tasks, completing a therapy session, running errands, dropping off kids, picking up kids, and boom...down goes Frazier! Baybeh

MichelleRena
Jan 82 min read


What now?
Every day brings about its own challenges. Today, I was fighting a combo of decision fatigue with a side of intrusive thoughts wondering if simple things would be taken care of…whole time God and my mama were working in tandem to make sure their daughter was okay. Everyday I smile even when most days I really want to cry…not because I’m sad but because I’m overwhelmed with having to make decisions ALL the time. Decision fatigue is real and it can be crippling! But instead of

MichelleRena
Jan 71 min read


We Did It Joe... (Joy Over Everything!)
Instead of being sad that it’s over be grateful that you experienced it. That’s my outlook these days. I used to find myself getting upset over the smallest nuances throughout the days but now I refocus that energy into productivity and/or rest. No need in worrying yourself with things you can’t change or control. What I can control is what I spend my energy doing. Fast forward to yesterday when made this whole “get ready with me” video ( see here ) yesterday and it ended up

MichelleRena
Jan 61 min read


Monday almost took me through there…But I made it tho!
Y’all…when I tell you I woke up focused and ready for the world… Just know that I am lying through my teeth because baby I barely made it. I was dragging and not at all ready to return to the hustle and bustle of work. That bed had me in a crazy chokehold and I did not want to let go. When I did finally pull myself out of the bed, I was so unfocused I started a GRWM TikTok (I gotta get my baby to help me edit it…lol!), did a full face beat, packed my lunch, made coffee, folde

MichelleRena
Jan 52 min read


Happy First Sunday of 2026!
I don't know If I shared that I joined a church back in 2024. I probably started writing about it and forgot or felt like it wasn't worth sharing but me joining a church is really a big deal for a couple of reasons. 1) I have only been a member of three churches in my life: My home church, Paige Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Utica, MS. The church that I helped to plant with my forever brother and friend the late, great "Big John" Perkins, Common Ground Covenant Church in

MichelleRena
Jan 44 min read


I, MichelleRena, Unsubscribe...
So initially I was prepping to write a post about unsubscribing from all of the many unneeded shopping apps and text reminders that I receive daily encouraging poor financial stewardship. But as I typed the word “unsubscribe” something triggered me and I had to pause for a few moments… (hours) actually. Everybody who says “new year, new me” ain’t wrong. For some of us, the newness of the year is exactly the reset that we need to refocus our goals or even to unsubscribe from s

MichelleRena
Jan 33 min read


Through the Chaos
So I just finished a devotion called “Through the Chaos” it was only 10 days long but I started it on July 30th and literally just...

MichelleRena
Oct 9, 20253 min read


2024...where did you go, Mon?
I went a lot of places. If you follow me on IG or FB, you know I went to Greece, Turkey, London, and Paris. But for most of 2024, I went...
Monica Odom
Jan 6, 20253 min read


Drums Please....
Summer, summer, summer time! We are almost one month into summer break over here. As a child, I hated summer break. Mostly because I...
Monica Odom
Jul 1, 20242 min read


Another week overwhelmed and it's only Wednesday!
I promised myself at the start of the year that I would take it easy but I have not stopped going yet. I have literally been going full throttle since I returned to work and now we are barely to the end of the month and I am exhausted and overwhelmed. I am desperately in need of a nap and my feet hurt from all of the walking that I do each day. I want to go on vacation and do nothing! Who signed me up for adulthood? This is hella ghetto! Nevertheless, I am making progress in

MichelleRena
1 hour ago1 min read


Kids can be joy thieves too!
I am going to say the thing that folks don't wanna say...sometimes it be your own kids! I had a really great day! It was productive, it was peaceful...I got to serve and highlight some amazing kids and I even got to take one of my kids on a tour of a school. The day was ending great but then... Shit went crazy! One kid made a mess of their shared bathroom and the other was pissed and had a meltdown because I didn't take their concern seriously. Me and the oldest ended up clea

MichelleRena
1 day ago1 min read


Book Review: Bleu by Masterpiece
Every woman deserves a Bleu.
Monica Odom
2 days ago2 min read


Only light, only love!
I can remember my first teaching job at the now closed French Elementary in Mississippi. I started my first official teaching job in January 2008. As I was thrust into a new position as an elementary gifted teacher, I was also able to witness the first of many MLK Day Oratorical competition preps. Our school counselor at the time worked hard to ensure all of the students and their submissions were well prepared. The theme each year was "Only Light, Only Love" taken from Dr. M

MichelleRena
2 days ago2 min read
bottom of page





