04/30/2026
Harper (now 16!) loves to bake and cook (I’m so blessed!) but last night she mis-read a recipe for queso and instead of using American cheese, she used Cheddar…which didn’t work out so well.
While trying to manage the mess by adding different kinds of cheeses and flour to thicken it up, she kept saying to herself, “everything’s an experiment” with a sweet little innocent—yet guilt-ridden—giggle.
I felt bad for her as she repeated apologized for purchasing the wrong kind of cheese (because she can drive herself to the grocery now!) so I just kept echoing what she was saying…”Yep, everything’s an experiment!”
Then I added, “If nothing goes wrong you won’t remember it:)”
Throughout the process, she came to the realization different cheeses have different melting points and vowed to “never make that mistake again” because she’d “remember this the next time.”
The two phrases said during our exchange—“everything’s an experiment” and “if nothing goes wrong you won’t remember it”—get repeated OFTEN in our house.
In fact, they’ve become our family’s mottos!
I wrote about that in a recent email, and am sharing it again now in case you missed it:
My family and I recently returned from a 14-hr spring break road trip that quickly turned into a trip down memory lane once we started reminiscing about all the “bad” travel moments we’ve experienced in the past—like the flat tires and wrong turns.
Within seconds we found ourselves laughing, however, because it is those unexpected “adventures” that made for some of our BEST memories and, ultimately, helped us form our family's mottos.
Our 1st family motto is: “Everything's an experiment.”
Saying this before doing something new—like going on an adventure!—feels inspiring because it's an invitation to keep going, even when things don’t go as planned.
It’s as forgiving as the sound your GPS makes when you miss an exit: “Recalculating.”
Our 2nd family motto is: “If nothing goes wrong, you won’t remember it.”
Sometimes we think things are “wrong” when—in reality—the information we gained from whatever went “wrong” was exactly what we needed to get closer to what's “right.”
Is it fun to change a tire on the side of the road? No, but if your kids can help—AND see you stay cool in the midst of an unexpected challenge—it’s a WIN, right?!?
Pairing these two statements together many times over the years has proven to be pretty powerful for my family, getting us through some really sticky situations. (Plus, they’re just fun to say. Kind of like when you say, “Sorry!” to an opponent while playing the board game, Sorry. 🙂)
I found myself repeating these two simple sentences more than I'd hoped to throughout the month of March as I attempted to relaunch Good Mail—but I’m excited to keep going because I learned a lot of lessons that will be very helpful in the future!
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I’m still learning and growing, too, so I repeat these phrases often as a way of encouraging myself when things don’t go as planned.
That said, I’d love to hear about your experiences with Good Mail so I can grow it into something of value to you and your family. If you received adventures in March and/or April, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you!!!
You can send me a DM, complete this brief survey, or send me a text to schedule a time to talk over coffee (if your local to Cincy, of course…my most recent email includes my phone number:)
I look forward to hearing from you!
Fondly,
Beth
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