iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Teachers don't just automatically love and understand all kids. We have grade bands we specialize in. It has a lot to do with personality, not just training. Ask any teacher what grade they teach, and what grade they would never, ever teach. They'll have an answer ready immediately. #teachersky

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Happy Friday! New Mess & Magic is up. I hope you have weekend plans that fill your cup. Do you need to be surrounded by the people you love or just a fluffy blanket and endless episodes of your comfort show? #momsky #substack Either way I hope the mess is always balanced by the magic 🪄💙

margaretcioffe.substack.com

Books Are Magic

Raising a reader before she knows how to read.

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Reading my rehab journals for the first time. First impression: petulant, whiny. I complained about losing my TV and private bathroom. Then I found the complaint that actually stuck: I asked to skip one thing to protect my sleep. Working on that essay now. #recovery #memoir #amwriting

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"I thought I would feel like I was being put into a prison or punished for what I had done. But I was being cared for. Comforted." Last Friday's essay, "Rehab was a Relief," is the start of Part 3. In case you missed it. 👇 #recovery #memoir #substack

margaretcioffe.substack.com

Rehab Was A Relief

Everything is Gray: Part III: Everything Turns White

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

New Everything is Gray essay! This is the first essay in Part 3: Everything Turns White. The beginning of recovery in earnest. #recovery #substack #memoir

margaretcioffe.substack.com

Rehab Was A Relief

Everything is Gray: Part III: Everything Turns White

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Part 1 ans this essay are free — end of Part 2, my final bender, start of what comes next. Everything after it — the rehab essays, recovery, rebuilding — is paid. If it resonated, that's where your support helps. #recovery #Substack

margaretcioffe.substack.com

I Thought I Was Going To The Pantry

Everything is Gray: Part II: Everything Went Dark

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"I thought I would feel like I was being put into a prison or punished for what I had done. But I was being cared for. Comforted." Friday's essay is about that unexpected relief when I went to rehab. #recovery #memoir #substack

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This newsletter started as "here's an issue I faced, oh and a recipe." It's become a therapeutic exercise in appreciation. This week's essay is proof — a whole list that turned into a mirror. In case you missed it. #momlife #Substack

margaretcioffe.substack.com

Time is an Asshole

Make a list, notice the life you’re building.

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

"In my mind rehab was a luxury. Something actors and musicians did while the rest of us met in church basements and white-knuckled our way through." This Friday: the next Everything is Gray essay, "Rehab was a Relief." Start of Part 3. #recovery #memoir

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

"You MIGHT get 10 Christmases where they believe in Santa." This week's Mess & Magic started as a blank cursor and turned into a full reckoning with time. In case you missed it. #momlife #Substack 🔗 💙

margaretcioffe.substack.com

Time is an Asshole

Make a list, notice the life you’re building.

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

New Mess & Magic newsletter is up on my #substack. I hope you enjoy these New York City homeschool adventures as much as we did.

margaretcioffe.substack.com

Time is an Asshole

Make a list, notice the life you’re building.

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This week’s Mess & Magic song choice: I remember watching Mamma Mia! with my mom and how emotional she got at this scene. It caught me by surprise when it popped up on my Spotify one day and I felt my throat tighten. 💙 🧵

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Tomorrow at 10am: this week's Mess & Magic. So much happened — somehow nothing felt squeezed in. Constantly amazed at how much you can do in a day with a toddler. See you tomorrow. #momlife #Substack

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

New Mess & Magic is Friday — two date days, a final beach day, a new homeschool group, too many farm box vegetables, and somehow still actual rest in between all of it. Free for everyone. #momlife #Substack

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

We're deep into our weekly farm box and I keep buying things I don't know how to use — husk cherries, Ives grapes, pickling cucumbers with no plan. Turns out "just try it and figure it out" is a pretty good policy, for vegetables and most things. More Friday. #momlife #Substack

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

These past 2 weeks held so much adventure: The zoo, beach, a cat lounge, French bakery. Indoor playspace. A homeschool "Not Back to School" party in an apartment turned art studio, woodshop, and library above a bar. montessori homeschool group. 🧵

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

"I had stopped eating because drinking was easier." That's the line I almost cut. I'm glad I didn't. The essay that marks the end of Part 2 — and the beginning of healing. Free for everyone. #recovery #memoir

margaretcioffe.substack.com

I Thought I Was Going To The Pantry

Everything is Gray: Part II: Everything Went Dark

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Ten days of my life are just gone. Not hazy — gone. My brain decided I don't get them back. But it's what kickstarted my recovery. Last Friday's essay was about those ten days, and the pantry. Free, for everyone. In case you missed it. #recovery #memoir

margaretcioffe.substack.com

I Thought I Was Going To The Pantry

Everything is Gray: Part II: Everything Went Dark

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

A morning indoor playspace/cafe all to ourselves this afternoon. Quiet last play for her, coffee and reading for me. A free post for anyone who needs it this weekend 💙 #substack #memoir #momsky

margaretcioffe.substack.com

I Thought I Was Going To The Pantry

Everything is Gray: Part II: Everything Went Dark

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

New essay is up. It is free, the end of Part 2, my personal rock bottom and beginning of my recovery. Read it, share it, glance at it, please just make sure you are taking care of your safety first. **Trigger warning below 🧵🔗

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Last one before tomorrow: this essay is free because it marks something real — the end of the hardest part, the beginning of healing. If you've been meaning to upgrade to paid, tomorrow's a good place to see what you'd be joining. #recovery #Substack

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Tomorrow at 10am: "I Thought I Was Going to the Pantry." The end of Part 2. My final bender. The start of what comes next. Free, for everyone. See you tomorrow. #recovery #memoir #sobriety

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

A question before Friday: is there a "before" moment in your own life — right before everything changed — that you still can't fully explain, even to yourself? I have one. It's what Friday's essay is about. Tell me yours. #recovery #memoir

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

A common misunderstanding about reading books like this: you're not looking for more blame to place. I'm deep in "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents" — naming what I felt as a kid, then seeing how it evolved into my own defenses. That's the cycle-breaking part. #recovery #therapy

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Friday's essay is free. Everything after Part 2 — the rehab essays, the recovery, the actual rebuilding — is paid. If this story has resonated with you, that's where your support would really help. Just a heads up before Friday. #Substack #amwriting

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Ten days of my life are just gone. Not hazy — gone. My brain decided I don't get them back. This Friday's essay is about those ten days, and the pantry. Free, for anyone who's wondered what rock bottom actually looks like before the after-photo version. #recovery #sobriety

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

This Friday: the next Everything is Gray essay, "I Thought I Was Going to the Pantry." My final bender. Rock bottom. The end of Part 2. It'll be free — because some things deserve to be, and because it marks the beginning of healing. #recovery #sobriety #memoir

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

New here? I'm Margaret. I write Mess & Magic (motherhood, food, chaos) and Everything is Gray (a memoir on addiction and recovery). It started with this: being the "sad lost puppy" in middle school who never knew the unspoken rules. Turned out that was the head start. Start here. 👇 #memoir #recovery

margaretcioffe.substack.com

They were just winging it too

A preface and a first essay from Everything is Gray

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Bill Lawrence has this frustratingly cocky motto: "everything works out for me." I used to hate that line. Last week's Mess & Magic was about the week I had to grudgingly admit he might be right — mud, tantrums, a website back from the dead. In case you missed it. 👇 #momlife #Substack

margaretcioffe.substack.com

Everything Works Out For Me

A frustratingly cocky motto, that’s also true.

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

New Mess & Magic newsletter up on my #substack! I hope you feel happy and safe in your body going into this weekend. 😍💙

margaretcioffe.substack.com

Everything Works Out For Me

A frustratingly cocky motto, that’s also true.

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I hate that I'm getting so much joy out of deep cleaning my house while I have it to myself and thinking shit my mom used to say. (No I don't) #momsky

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Realizing that Mom's don't only eat quickly because they are short on time but also because your tiny human will steal your food. #momsky

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

In case you are a millenial, like me, and would like to try wearing low rise jeans again (because Old Navy’s new ones are awesome). Gentle warning: none of the underwear that you wear now is low rise. You should prep for that. #momsky

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"I’m sorry for the very late response, we were away for the summer and are just getting back on track. We are back in session Sept 8th." That's the message I got back. People do completely disconnect from work sometimes. I didn't know that was allowed. New essay is up tomorrow 🖤 #momsky #substack

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

New Mess & Magic tomorrow — chasing down community for a kid who just started asking for it, a website that came back from the dead, and a fall lineup of playgroups, art, and forest school. Free for everyone. #momsky #memoir #substack

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Has your kid ever suddenly wanted something they never used to want (more friends, more independence, etc.)? — Yes, out of nowhere — Slowly, over time — Not yet — Constantly, it's exhausting 😅 #momsky #parentingsky #poll

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

On a whim, mid-yoga on a Sunday (I'm terrible at meditating, for the record), I typed in a website I'd given up on months ago. It had been completely rebuilt. Sometimes the thing you gave up on is just waiting for you to check again. #momsky #parenting #mentalhealth

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

A parenting realization from this week: Your kid's frustration with you isn't always a personality flaw to worry about. Sometimes it's just a signal — she needs peers, not just us. Constantly zooming out to look at the bigger picture instead of only the smaller behaviors. #momsky #parentingsky

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Weekly reintroduction 😊 This is a memoir about recovery and addiction, but it starts with childhood: Middle school. A friend group that stopped speaking to me overnight. Being the "sad lost puppy" who never knew the unspoken rules everyone else understood. Part 1 is free 🖤👇 #memoir #recovery

substack.com

They were just winging it too

A preface and a first essay from Everything is Gray

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

We've been a little chaotic lately. My husband and I are homebodies — planning playdates is genuinely work for us. But our daughter has started asking for other kids to play with, brand new for her. New Mess & Magic is about chasing that down. #momsky #substack #homeschool #writing #memoir

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Something that infuriated me writing this essay: the biggest obstacle to my recovery in one specific moment wasn't withdrawal — it was shame, specifically the fear of leaving the house without makeup on. In case you missed it. 👇 #substack #recovery #memoir #writing #womenshealth

substack.com

The Shame of Looking Broken

Everything is Gray, Part II: Everything Went Dark

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

New Everything is Gray essay is up! About getting out of a really bad bender and how we make it that much harder for people to ask for help by insisting that we always appear outwardly put together. #recovery #womenshealth #addiction #memoir #substack #writing

margaretcioffe.substack.com

The Shame of Looking Broken

Everything is Gray, Part II: Everything Went Dark

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Oops, I mean new essay goes out tomorrow. Friday 10am

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

If you haven't read David Foster Wallace's "This is Water," this week's essay is a good excuse to. It's about assuming good faith for strangers — that the person who looks undone in the grocery line might just be having a hard day and still showing up. New essay is live now. #substack #memoir

fs.blog

This is Water by David Foster Wallace (Full Transcript and Audio)

David Foster Wallace's remarkable 2005 commencement speech, This is Water, is a timeless trove of wisdom for living a meaningful life. Here is a full transcript along with audio.

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Have you ever avoided asking for help because of how you'd look asking for it? — Yes, more than once — Once, and I regret it — No, never — Didn't realize that was a thing until now #substack #addiction #recovery #memoir #writing

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

New Everything is Gray essay is up Friday: "The Shame of Looking Broken." Sbout withdrawal, agoraphobia, and the specific shame of being seen without makeup on — even when you've almost died. Part 1 is always free if you want to catch up. 🔗 in bio. #memoir #recovery #substack #writing

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I haven't opened my rehab journals since 2021. I'm now at the point in my memoir where I need to write about rehab itself — and realized I never actually have. Pages about the before, pages about the after, but never about actually being there. Opening them this week. #recovery #meoir #writing

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

There's a scene in the new essay where all I can think about, mid-withdrawal crisis, is whether people could tell I wasn’t wearing a bra. Something that should not even be a on the list of things for me to worry about right then. #recovery #womenshealth #substack #memoir #writing 🖤

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Margaret Cioffe @margaretcioffe.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Something that hit me writing this essay: the biggest obstacle to my recovery in one specific moment wasn't withdrawal — it was shame, the fear of leaving the house without makeup on. We teach women that being "undone" makes you an embarrassment. Even mid-crisis. #memoir #recovery #womenshealth

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