Red Stick Mom

Let’s be honest … moms are not perfect. We aren’t superheroes. We don’t have all the right answers. We all make mistakes. I don’t care if you can pack the most colorful, healthy, Pinterest award-winning bento box for your kid’s lunch or if you’ve hosted the best play date filled with learning activities and paint, you have done something on your motherhood journey that makes you hang your head in shame and hope that no one was paying attention. Confession: I hide it well, but truthfully, I feel this way quite often. They don’t tell you about this in books or movies. No one mentions the ugly truth: you are going to make mistakes and feel like your kids will end...

I am always looking for ways that our family can connect and intentionally grow closer to each other. I want our kiddos to have the opportunity to process life with us and also to hear from mom and dad in an age-appropriate way about what is going on in our lives. At 6, 3.5, and 1, I can’t say my kids have the best table manners, but I do feel like our mealtimes are a way we check-in and share. I first experienced a family sharing the highs and lows of their day at dinner with a family I spent time with in college. As they were eating, even with guests present, the dad asked everyone to share their...

If you look at my book of life, the cover is bright and vibrant, full of smiling faces that show no problems. And truly our life is good. We are blessed, but we have our problems too. Inside you will find that we have several issues that we deal with on the regular. We just choose not to show you those things in the highlight reels. We have a child who hates to eat and sleep. First thing people assume is that my husband and I just aren’t in control of our child. Tell him to eat, and if he doesn’t? Well, he will eat when he gets hungry. I’m here to tell you that’s a big fat LIE! When...

We've all had a rough year. Some of us more than others, but it's safe to say we're all looking for a little luxury in the mundane. I'm here to tell you I've found it and it's all under $10 on Amazon! I will not insult you by calling this self-care, unless you purchase all these and check into a hotel for a weekend alone. However, it adds a level of luxury to things you're likely already doing. Taking mundane tasks and elevating them to queen. Shampoo Scalp Massager - if I'm being honest, this gal inspired this whole post. This was an impulse buy, but for $6 I was okay if it turned out to be a flop....

Mother’s Day is upon us. That one day a year when children, husbands, fathers, and families nationwide sing well-deserved praises to mothers. Mothering most days is filled with taking care of everyone else often setting aside one's own wants, needs, and desires. However, for one Sunday in May, we can, hopefully, kick back, relax and enjoy being pampered by our beloved family. For some of us, Mother’s Day brings with it a reminder of the absence of our own mom. Whether it be death, illness, or choice, not everyone has a mother here to celebrate. The weeks leading up to Mother’s day can be filled with both joy and sadness for those mourning the absence of their mother. Joy for...