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This is where we share what we're learning about making life easier—home systems, asking for help, navigating chronic illness, and everything in between. You'll find blog posts and free resources here. Take what's useful, leave what's not.

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HME x JSM: Greater than the sum of the parts

|Lacey Tomlinson
I've always loved the expression "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts". It feels like magic that one thing can be more than the elements that were...

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Getting Things Done Home Management Mental Health Sara Self Care Support Lacey Motivation Seasonal Parenting Mindset The Mddl
Dear House
|Lacey
I cried for the first time about leaving this house this weekend. Looking at the rooms, seeing them emptier, it hit me. It isn't our home anymore. Yes, we still own it and will be listing it this week for new owners, but as our belongings decrease, I realize that the home we knew is behind us. Writing helps me process things... so here I am, writing to this house. It's a mixture of a goodbye and a love letter. Dear House, Thank you. I cannot thank you enough for... Read more...
On the Precipice of Change
|Lacey
I am a person who gets excited by change. Maybe it is the fact that it offers new possibilities or I just seem to be blessed with a positive outlook. Being on the precipice of change is a different story. I want to be able to take action, talk about what is happening openly, and make the change work for me. I've been on the precipice of a huge life change just waiting for months now. Finally, I can talk about it. The logistics and specifics are the least interesting... Read more...
Grief is Weird
|Lacey
It has been a few months since my grandmother passed away and I am still experiencing serious grief. I keep thinking about the quote from Wandavision (how silly is it that I'm quoting a Marvel TV show in a very personal writing): "But What Is Grief If Not Love Persevering?" Wandavision In these months of grief, I have felt this to my core. The moments I feel grief the most are the moments where I felt love the most. That's where I get the very deep and eloquent thought, "grief... Read more...
Failing Out Loud and... Proud?
|Lacey
It's not new to hear me talk about the parts of myself that I am learning to embrace through my Human Design. I have talked extensively about what it means to be a manifestor and how this has changed my approach to work, life, and coping with my chronic illness. But another aspect of my human design is something I struggle to come to terms with. I am a 3/5 profile. According to Google's AI: The 3/5 profile in Human Design is made up of two energies: the 3rd line... Read more...
Good Beginnings and Happy Endings… and an Okay Middle?
|Lacey
Over the past few weeks, I have been catching up on the AppleTV+ show Schmigadoon. As a musical lover, I enjoyed the first season, and the second season comes in with a similar concept, parodying musicals from the 70s and 80s such as Chicago, Sweeney Todd, and Jesus Christ Superstar. If you're into musicals, I highly recommend it, as you can easily hear and pick out the tunes and concepts you know and love. I just finished watching it, and the final song (spoiler alert below if you don't want... Read more...
Who Gets our Empathy?
|Lacey
Publicly sharing about your health can be challenging. There are a host of issues and problems that can come with it. In the past week, I witnessed what I considered a lack of empathy for someone being truthful and an excess of empathy for someone who was lying. It started me thinking about who we deem worthy of our empathy. It seems to me that there is some kind of invisible hierarchy or checklist of what you need to earn empathy. I feel a need to preface that I am... Read more...
Creation Fixation
|Lacey
When I first started The Mddl and created its content, it consumed me. I ate, drank, and breathed it. But now, I don't want to do that anymore. I still love The Mddl and all that it has done and become for me. It has shifted for me. I look at it like my job that I happily do every week. It gives me a space to create consistently in a box, make connections, and someday make money. Look, I'm Fickle I'm fickle with my creativity. I was able to... Read more...
Threads: Joyful, Chaotic Community Building in Action
|Lacey
I want to write about what is on my mind - and today that is Instagram’s new app Threads. I am an early adopter of technology. New gadget - yes please. New productivity software - absolutely, what can it do. New app - lets try it. New social media - YES. Last night Instagram (well Meta) released Threads, a social media app to fill the void that Twitter’s awful new policies are creating. Basically it takes your Instagram, you import over all of the stuff, and have the ability to... Read more...
Ending of a Comfortable Middle
|Lacey
At the beginning of The Mddl, I skirted around talking about my symptoms and potential diagnoses. I never wanted to have to go back and have to say, “just kidding, I’m fine and this was all me being dramatic.” I was going to doctors weekly, new diagnoses thrown out as possibilities, only to be eliminated about a week or two later with another “normal” test result. It was overwhelming, confusing, and overall just far too much. I scheduled out a few more of the more difficult to get into appointments,... Read more...
Gentle Spring Cleaning
|Lacey
There is something about springtime that makes me want to throw everything away and start anew. This also seems to be the time of year when intensive cleaning schedules make their way into my world. I typically imagine the type of person I would be with clear counters, spotless floors, and a minimalist lifestyle. While this is a fun thought, it is neither realistic nor helpful. This isn't going to happen for me because of ability, time, and resources. This doesn't mean that I can't make progress towards a fresh... Read more...
The Joy of Not Being Cool
|Lacey
I wish I could pinpoint when I stopped caring about being cool. Don’t get me wrong, I spent much of my early life desperately trying to be cool, doing the things that cool kids did, such as having plans every weekend, going to parties or events, and liking certain music or movies. Being cool is complicated. Being Cool Here is the thing about being cool - you’re supposed to like the right popular things, but also like the right amount of obscure things. Generally, the type of media can make... Read more...
The Struggle between Consistency and Self-Acceptance
|Lacey
There are two truths that I am currently struggling with. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but in the way that I see them, they are. The Mddl is all about figuring out how to hold more truths at once, finding the grey area, and getting cozy there. So here we are, friend, with the question: How can I be consistent and reliable while also accepting and honoring my own energy? Let's break it down. Consistency and Reliability This weekend, I told my husband I was scared to do almost... Read more...