<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Simply Eileen]]></title><description><![CDATA[Simply Eileen]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 25 Apr 2026 08:55:05 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Funniest Show About Grief You Didn’t Know You Needed (or why I’m obsessed with Apple TV’s Shrinking)]]></title><description><![CDATA[There are shows you watch, and then there are shows that quietly rearrange something inside you. At its surface, Shrinking  follows a grieving therapist who begins to bend the rules a bit with his patients. That premise alone could veer into gimmick territory, but instead, the show unfolds into something far more tender, layered, and unexpectedly honest. It’s not about fixing people. It’s about what happens when we stop pretending we’re fine. What struck me most is how deeply the show...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/the-funniest-show-about-grief-you-didn-t-know-you-needed-or-why-i-m-obsessed-with-apple-tv-s-shrink</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d133cbf59112f11d9f20cd</guid><pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 15:59:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_1afde7b155ea4a059d1cffda3f1cade0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Cried During Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show (And Now I Know Why)]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve been asked my whole life where my accent is from. In English. In Spanish. Ni de aqui, ni de allá. Muy de aqui, muy de allá. Sometimes the question is genuine curiosity. Sometimes it carries the quiet expectation of translation. Where are you from? Why do you sound like that? For a long time, that question carried weight. Assimilation tucked inside curiosity. Translation tucked inside belonging. So when I watched Bad Bunny take the halftime stage, fully Spanish, fully Puerto Rican, fully...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/i-cried-during-bad-bunny-s-halftime-show-and-now-i-know-why</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69adbf92b9582c4b5c8e59d6</guid><pubDate>Sun, 08 Mar 2026 18:54:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_fd1bdd61d6c94ceba395190a27500e87~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Milk, Honey, and Texts at 6:42 a.m.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I always thought the Promised Land would feel more spacious .  You know? Flowing robes. Harp music. Maybe a charcuterie board of milk and honey waiting on a marble countertop while a gentle breeze carries the scent of spiritual victory. Instead, mine looks like unmatched socks, a lukewarm cup of coffee I’ve reheated three times, and a text from my husband that reads like a devotional, a pep talk, and a gentle spiritual elbow to the ribs, all before 7 a.m. Which is especially impressive...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/milk-honey-and-texts-at-6-42-a-m</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69876611224842e16d37a4e2</guid><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 16:36:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7612f70253724f86a5795c3aeca31b5d.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I Love a Job Most People Don’t Understand (or The Cost of Caring)]]></title><description><![CDATA[As I wrap up my very first semester as a high school assistant principal, I’ve been asked a lot of well-meaning questions. “Do you love it?” “Is it what you expected?” “Are the kids really that bad?” (For the record: no… and also yes… and also they are some of the most remarkable humans I’ve ever known.) What I’ve realized most isn’t about the job itself and more about how misunderstood it is. From the outside, educational leadership can look like rules, discipline, meetings, and emails sent...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/why-i-love-a-job-most-people-don-t-understand-or-the-cost-of-caring</link><guid isPermaLink="false">693d810a27f06ae0642110d2</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 15:19:51 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Defying Gravity: The Enduring Power of Elphaba and Glinda’s Friendship]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first time I saw Wicked  was on a date with my husband, back when we were both so young and when everything felt like possibility. We sat in the theater, hand in hand, watching Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth bring Elphaba and Glinda to life. I didn’t know it then, but that night would become one of those rare touchstones that lingers, a story that grows with you and teaches you something new each time you return to it. Now that the film adaptation is introducing Wicked  to a new...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/defying-gravity-the-enduring-power-of-elphaba-and-glinda-s-friendship</link><guid isPermaLink="false">690f61781d01e1b5e068c7be</guid><pubDate>Sat, 08 Nov 2025 15:33:45 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Learning to Rest: When God Says “Be Still” (and You’re Terrible at It)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Miami is loud. Vibrant. Non-stop. I love it here. The energy, the sunshine, the cafecitos that keep this city running. But if I’m honest,...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/learning-to-rest-when-god-says-be-still-and-you-re-terrible-at-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68d9ad95d6d3667fa1680132</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 21:54:11 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Thing About Forever by Eileen Olmedo]]></title><description><![CDATA[Chapter One: The Glasses Here’s the thing no one tells you about falling in love at eighteen and staying in love into your forties: you...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/the-thing-about-forever-by-eileen-olmedo</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68c751295faff3270f8ac6a6</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 23:45:39 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Made to Marvel: In Defense of Girlhood]]></title><description><![CDATA[The other night we were deep into family TV time. One of those perfect, lazy evenings where everyone’s limbs are tangled in blankets,...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/made-to-marvel-in-defense-of-girlhood</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68601ab06d1c6845c2932000</guid><pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2025 16:52:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_58cafc16e0ef4efda383508d9f33b031~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[“I Can’t. My Kids Have Rehearsal”: or, Why I Love Being in the Supporting Role of a Theater Kid Mom]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some parents spend their weekends at soccer tournaments. Others are up at 4 a.m. for swim meets. Me? I’m on the phone with my husband,...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/i-can-t-my-kids-have-rehearsal-or-why-i-love-being-in-the-supporting-role-of-a-theater-kid-mom</link><guid isPermaLink="false">682d332c7d7e1977531c80f2</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2025 02:09:24 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Out of the Woods? Trusting God Through Our Teen’s Journey]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a mom, I have prayed countless prayers for miraculous healing. For the pain to end, for the right friends to come, for the weight of...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/out-of-the-woods-trusting-god-through-our-teen-s-journey</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67ce225cacd704b88b1b2266</guid><pubDate>Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:29:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_73702d7037757554307477~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Classroom to Leadership to Administration: A Journey Full of Lessons, Laughter, and Love for Education]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I started my career as a teacher in 2007, I was like a starry-eyed protagonist in an education-themed rom-com. I loved everything...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/from-classroom-to-leadership-to-administration-a-journey-full-of-lessons-laughter-and-love-for-ed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6783f72583c09aa17c5c3cee</guid><pubDate>Sun, 12 Jan 2025 17:20:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_18d17cde4f9748529fb24c98eb107ec8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Parenting with Grace: Navigating the Challenges of Raising a Teen with ADHD and Depression]]></title><description><![CDATA[Let me start by saying that one of the hardest things I’ve had to face on this journey is acceptance. For a while, I was stuck in a cycle...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/parenting-with-grace-navigating-the-challenges-of-raising-a-teen-with-adhd-and-depression</link><guid isPermaLink="false">677b49e102be392c92648e68</guid><pubDate>Mon, 06 Jan 2025 03:22:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_00f9d3a5e33049878284a6a6817e11a0~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Teaching is my love language]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why teach? Why pursue a career that’s incredibly demanding, yet not financially lucrative? Why stay being “just a teacher” when it seems...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/teaching-is-my-love-language</link><guid isPermaLink="false">63d5350fab708131589a6d12</guid><pubDate>Sat, 28 Jan 2023 14:59:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_0e501885f5b344b1bf00f6842f1f741f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Just Need a Faith Lift: Finding hope in the midst of pandemic teaching]]></title><description><![CDATA[On March 13, 2020 we were called in to an emergency staff meeting that changed everything. We thought we would close for a few weeks...]]></description><link>https://olmedoeileen.wixsite.com/simplyeileen/post/i-just-need-a-faith-lift-finding-hope-in-the-midst-of-pandemic-teaching</link><guid isPermaLink="false">603bde7feed1bc001711175e</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Feb 2021 18:46:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_c98ab0ac6a9b4e3c867c61607b2c9fe0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Olmedo</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>