Kali J Desautels

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Originally intended to simply focus on book reviews, over time, KaliDesautelsReads has morphed into its own entity. I write about issues that are near to my heart, be they political, feminist, motherhood, mental health, or, as the title holds, books. A thirty-something Canadian woman in my mid-thirties, I have been “super married” to my high school sweetheart since 2006, and together we have two crazy, clever, kind, hilarious, wonderful kids. My first book – How Not To Blog: Finding Myself, One Post at a Time is available on Amazon (in eBook formats for you clever tech readers, and paperback for those of us who love that new book smell!) I have tried a podcast – it’s still on Apple and Google Podcasts – but writing is where my heart is. My life changed dramatically when my husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2018, and I am now a writer for a leading Canadian Cancer Non-Profit. I am lucky enough to have a family that loves me and pushes me to be my best, even if it is outside of my cushiony comfort zone. I have a village of friends that nourish me, mentally, and spiritually. Welcome to my thoughts. Sit down. Stay a while. Enjoy a cup of coffee!

Tag: fibromyalgia

  • Sick – A Memoir

    When you are chronically ill, or in chronic pain, it can feel extraordinarily lonesome. It can feel like no one understands and you spend a lot of time in your own head. This book, though, Sick by Porochista Khakpour makes me feel understood. It’s the sort of book that has me nodding my head and…

  • Fibro Flare Friday – 2nd edition

    Welcome back to another exciting edition of Fibro Flare Friday! Today we are looking at how and why my body hates me! For those who are new, Fibro Flare Friday is the day of the week when my brain and/or my body takes it upon itself to remind me that I have fibromyalgia! This reminder…

  • Melon Head

    Day 6078937 of COVID-19 The wheels have come off. My son who hates attention told me to post this. He decided he wanted melon balls today, so he made some. As he scraped the bottom of the rind, he turned to me with a grin and said “Mom, I will take a shower after, but…”…

  • Anxiety feels like…

    Anxiety. The feeling of dread in that moment before your alarm sounds and you open your eyes. The moment you wake up 4 hours before your alarm and then obsessively check your phone for some reason why you woke up with less than half a night’s sleep. The feeling that getting out of bed is…

  • DoTheWork Challenge Day 5 – Examining Privilege

    In today’s session of Rachel Cargle’s Do The Work 30 Day Challenge, we examined our privilege and how we no winglet and unknowingly perpetuate the racist society that benefits whiteness. In particular, coincidentally aligning with yesterday’s post about white feminism, we are asked to make not of intersectionality and how white feminism is a further…

  • My Son and My Brother

    My son. My gifted son. My funny son. My son who has ADHD. My son with the sarcastic wit of a much older human. My son who is so much like my brother. My son challenges me, and then turns around and is the sweetest, cuddliest child in the universe. My brother is gifted. My…

  • Women’s Rights Mean Nothing If They Are Not Intersectional

    Let’s talk for a minute about why white women need to get on board with fixing the white supremacist society that we live in – white women were granted suffrage on the backs of BIPOC. In the USA, Susan B. Anthony sided with white supremacists and took funding from them, fighting for an English-literate, educated…

  • Four Sigmatic – Morning Routine

    Mornings can be hard. Coffee helps! I am so excited that my Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane mushroom coffee Think showed up in time to start my day. Ground Coffee with Lion’s Mane and Chaga (16 servings) – Get your brain going without leaving your body behind. Lion’s Mane and Chaga keeps the caffeine under control…

  • Do The Work Challenge – Day 2

    Day 2 of Rachel Cargle’s 30 Day #DoTheWork Challenge. It is not her job as a WOC to teach me how to be a good person; how to care about the foundations of white supremacy; how to face the advantages that people like me – people who present as white – enjoy simply because people…

  • Back In Self-Isolation

    Back in self-isolation tools: 1) Hamilton on Disney+ 2) Anti-Racist reading (with a shameless plug for Indigenous Peoples for BlackLivesMatter) 3) A sparkly bin of Shopkins that my girl thought I would enjoy 4) Fresh air and my plants 5) the complete lack of desire to tidy up #hamilton #hamiltonmusical #hamilfilm #indigenouscanada #indigenouspeoples #policingblacklives #peaceandgoodorder…