Red Stick Mom

Kids are awesome and draining and fun and tiring, but so are vacations and parties and a million other things. The recent hurricane reinforced a lot of things for me and provided some enlightenment, too. I know daycare/work are right for our family and I know that I sometimes envy that toddler mentality. Toddlers have it made. They get to go to bed early and have someone else do all of their cooking and cleaning. They can spend hours reading books and playing, but what I've really grown to notice and appreciate is the toddler's view of the world and their place in it. During our recent extended time at home, and without power, I witnessed so much joy and imagination....

My husband and I glamorously rang in 2021 by watching TV in bed as our children slept. Like many people, we were hoping to put the challenges of 2020 behind us, but things were off to a rocky start. I was running a 101 fever and felt like I had the flu. It wasn’t the flu, however, it was the dreaded mastitis. Despite having breastfed my older daughters until they were each two years old, ten months into breastfeeding our baby, this was my first run in with mastitis and things were not pretty. Thankfully, however, I managed to get over it pretty quickly by using every home remedy possible.  I truly believe that God used mastitis to save my...

Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by Ochsner Health.  Symptoms of Breast Cancer in Women Breast cancer symptoms vary from person to person, as no two diagnoses are exactly the same. Knowing your risk can help you be proactive with your care. Risk factors include family history and age. If you are at a higher risk, it is especially important to be alert for typical signs of breast cancer. The most important thing you can do is pay attention to changes in your breasts. If you notice any of the following symptoms, you should get your breasts examined. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are several symptoms of breast cancer, including the following: New lump in the breast or underarm...

Daughter-in-law/mother-in-law relationships aren’t always the best relationships. I find that there is a lack of communication and a need for control in the relationship with mine. It is a constant struggle to establish my place as the wife and mother of my family. She constantly undermines me and passive-aggressively makes her opinions heard. Here are some things that I feel would help have a better, working relationship. Don’t come into my house and read the things on my counter! Just because it is on our counter does not make it public reading material. We do not have an office to keep mail, so I keep it in the corner of a mostly unused counter in our kitchen and most of our...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Red Stick Mom has partnered with the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence to help bring awareness to this important topic. Resources for getting help or reporting domestic violence can be found at the bottom of this page. Amidst the pandemic and families being stuck in their homes over the last couple of years, domestic violence is thriving. East Baton Rouge Parish reported its highest number of domestic violence fatalities in 2020 than in the ten years prior. Additionally, we are in the midst of hurricane season. Domestic violence increases following a natural disaster. New Orleans saw a 45% increase in domestic violence calls following Hurricane Katrina. 1 in 3 women in the United States have experienced some form...