Red Stick Mom

It’s 2021 ... why are moms still judging other moms?? Newsflash ... motherhood is hard!!!! Being a working mom, being a stay at home mom, being a mom to a special needs child, being a single mom, being a married mom .... IT’S ALL HARD!!! Stop judging other moms!!!! I have been judged as a mother a lot ... I have four kids (do I know how that happens?), I have twins (Gosh, your hands are full!), I have a child that doesn’t eat (If you made him eat what you ate), I have an impulsive/obstinate child (maybe if you disciplined him better) .... all of these things suck to hear. They are not encouraging and they don’t help me...

Recently I started listening to true crime podcasts. Now I know that I’m late to the podcast scene, but I have quickly become addicted and can’t stop binge-listening to them. I was never a fan of audiobooks, so the idea of listening to a podcast didn’t seem like something for me. Boy was I wrong! A friend suggested I give it a try. My first podcast was Dr. Death (Season 1). It didn’t take long for me to be hooked! The main reason I enjoy podcasts is that I can pop in my AirPods and continue doing various other things while listening. I can work on my laptop, fold clothes, or prepare dinner for my family. Below are four binge-worthy true crime...

Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by Baton Rouge General.  Is it a Cold or RSV? For most healthy babies and young children, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is pretty much like a cold. But, because it may lead to bronchiolitis or pneumonia in those younger than one year old, some children get very sick with RSV. For parents, it’s common to mistake symptoms of RSV for symptoms of a cold, like coughing, sneezing and a fever. So how can you tell if those sniffles are something more than a cold? If your child has RSV, they may experience other symptoms too, including: Wheezing noise when they breathe Refusing to breastfeed or bottle-feed Unusually irritable Lethargic Trouble breathing or pauses in their breathing Signs...

If you are looking for road trip ideas from Baton Rouge, there are dozens of family-friendly road trip suggestions here. If you are interested in camping near Baton Rouge, Louisiana has several kid-friendly campsites listed here (many do offer cabins). Ideas for weekend travel within Louisiana are included here. Why Orlando {But Not Disney} Should Be Your Next Family Vacation Chances are if you have traveled to Orlando, it was to visit the magical world of Disney.  When at Disney World, one most likely does not leave the grounds. I have recently discovered that Orlando has a lot to offer outside the gates of Disney. On two separate occasions, I have tagged along with my husband for business conferences in Orlando....

A little over a year ago, I was sitting in the living room of my sister's Seagrove beach house (good lord, the privilege and pretension in that comment makes me cringe) on what I thought was just a quick spring break trip before rounding out the school year and preparing for our usual summer travels. On our last night there, we were discussing the outbreak of the coronavirus with my sister (a doctor) and her husband; they commented that they thought their European trips that summer would be postponed. We were all confused and concerned. We were still hopeful. Three weeks later, the world as we knew it came to a screeching halt.  As a public school teacher, I'd worriedly...