Binkies and Briefcases

It’s finally here, in my hands. It has been a loooong time in the making, but our book, All I Never Knowed: Mental Illness, a Mother’s Love, and a Broken System, is available now. The official launch date is next Tuesday, Oct. 5th. But starting now, you can order from all major retailers.

Here’s where to find our book on

Amazon

Target

and Barnes & Noble

I say “our” book because my oldest son, Nicholas, asked me to write this book. It is the story of his struggle with his mental health and our family’s ten-year fight to get him the help he needs. Nicholas has always been an outgoing, friendly, and talkative kid and he has always been extremely open about his challenges. He knew his mom was a writer, so for years he asked me to write a book about him. It is a story he has always wanted to share. Finally, when he was old enough to truly understand what he was asking and participate in the process, I did.

I had quite a few goals when I was writing this story, such as helping other families feel less alone and getting people better access to community support, but one of the most important aspects of writing the book for me was to make sure to tell a story in which Nicholas was not the bad guy. So often, the children who are subjects of books and media in this genre are painted in a negative way. This is not that kind of book. I believe we need more stories that spur empathy and compassion for the suffering, and I was very careful to be as honest and vulnerable as I possibly could while preserving the dignity of the people in this story (who also happen to be my family.)

I am proud of the final product and so excited to be able to share it with you. Yes, this is our story. But the book also contains sections on resources and coping strategies and ways to get practical support. From the prologue: May it serve as a love letter to each family struggling through mental illness, each child battling the scars of trauma, and each mother questioning her worth.

Don’t just take my word for it.

What the reviews are saying:

“Incredible and insightful don’t even begin to describe this book. As a parent who has recently gone through mental health struggles with their own child, this book did something that is so critical: it made me feel less alone and isolated.Giese writes in a way that is honest, candid and soothing. She makes the reader feel empathy in the difficult moments, and celebratory in the wins.This book is an absolute must read for any parent, grandparent or caregiver who has ever felt alone, confused or scared during the dark days of parenting. I want to give this book to everyone I know” -Rene, GoodReads

“I can’t even begin to describe how I feel about this book. Equal parts awe, gratitude and pride for Stephanie and her son balanced against shock and upset with the current mental health situation for children in our country. All I Never Knowed is a strong, beautiful, important voice and one that must be heard.” -Meredith Spidel, blogger at Mom of the Year

We are excited (and nervous) to share our story. Thank you for all of your support!!

I am also available for Zoom author chats with book clubs, healthcare providers, and educators. Please contact me through my email in the “about” section above.

Check out my Facebook Live interview about the book with Mom of the Year (chat starts at the 1:25 mark).

I was excited to receive a box of products to try from Splendid Spoon this summer! They invited me to try their line of plant-based, ready-to-eat foods and delivered them right to my door.

Check one in the pro column for convenience.

I did receive these products free of charge in order to rate them for you, but all opinions are my own.

Splendid Spoon sent me several smoothies and health shots as well as a few prepared meals to try. Here’s what they sent and what I thought:

Pros:

I loved that the foods were already prepared and easy to grab and go. With Splendid Spoon, you don’t have to cook at all. I think these would be great options if you work full-time out of the house, don’t like to cook, or don’t have access to a full kitchen, like if you are in a dorm or only have a microwave at work. I have tried two other vegan mail-delivery food companies, and both of those required quite a bit of food prep on my end. I liked that with Splendid Spoon all I had to do was open the products and they were ready to go! Plus, they come right to your door. You can’t beat the convenience. No waiting, no cooking, and super healthy ingredients.

This was especially great for the smoothies. I didn’t have to wake up my kids by running the blender first thing in the morning. All of the food they sent arrived frozen, but could go either in the refrigerator to be eaten right away or be stored the freezer, which was great because I could save what I didn’t eat immediately.

Once they thawed, the smoothies themselves weren’t quite as thick as I was expecting. I would almost classify them as juices, but the ones I tried were good. I definitely prefer the Splendid Spoon Mint Chip flavor over the same flavor offered by their competitor (plus, with Splendid Spoon, I didn’t have to do any work).

Be aware that each 16 oz smoothie bottle contains two servings. I liked that three bottles could last me almost an entire week.

As far as the meals, the Green Tomatillo Chili Soup was my favorite. It didn’t look super appetizing, but I really liked it and so did two of my daughters.

In the words of my third grader, “I mean, this kind of looks a little bit like throw up, but it tastes really good. It’s confusing.”

My husband said I should have made a video doing blind taste tests of these products, because I have to admit, that was sort of a running theme throughout the week: they all tasted better than they looked, and better than I expected. We were pleasantly surprised every time!

The Cons:

Every mail-delivery food company has the same biggest con, so let’s get it out of the way. Yes, the food is expensive. You do have to pay for the convenience of having healthy, mostly organic, readily prepared food sent right to your doorstep. In our area, I can buy very similar products at our local grocery store for about half the price.

But if you don’t live in an area with that option, place a monetary value on your time, or if you just find it easier to have healthy foods sent straight to you rather than meal planning in advance or being tempted to go into the store and walk past aisles of junk food, then Splendid Spoon could be a great choice!

I would say the other major con of Splendid Spoon, more so than similar companies I’ve tried, was all the single use plastic. I do expect companies that cater to a vegan lifestyle to be more environmentally friendly. Every single item they sent me was packaged in a plastic bottle or container, which was a bit disappointing. I hope in the future they might be able to transition to more sustainable packaging.

Overall:

In terms of taste, convenience, and quality ingredients, I have to say that Splendid Spoon is my favorite mail-delivery vegan food company so far! I would rate them 8/10, docking one point for the price and one for all the plastic.

The good news is that right now they are having a 4th of July sale, so you can try Splendid Spoon at a lower price. New customers can receive $60 off your first three boxes if you order here.