Red Stick Mom

Life has been hard these last two years. Besides the obvious pandemic and its effects, life has crashed time and time again. And I’m left holding broken pieces. Trying to keep it all together for the people in my life. My husband is my harbor. He’s where I land, he’s safe. As our life has crumbled, we’ve clung together. But because we’re simultaneously crashing and burning, it’s hard to feel completely free to fall apart--to add more to his already overwhelmed plate. These are the moments that make me jealous. I have friends whose mothers are their best friends. She’s their go-to advice giver. She’s strong for them; she’s a respite. And I mourn that relationship or lack thereof for myself. My...

Navigating sibling squabbles is part of my daily life. Like many siblings, our three and six-year-old daughters are often playing happily and often fighting. And as often happens, the process of parenting our girls through hard moments reveals a lot of what is going on in my own heart as well. Learning what to say and when to say it feels like an unending journey as a mama, with plenty of opportunities to do it right and make mistakes.  The other day, we were in the backyard and our older neighbor came to say hi. This woman is precious and gentle and a bit dignified. As we chatted and caught up, the girls were playing nearby. Suddenly there was some...

As a mom with really short arms and driving a minivan, I have run into my fair share of complications. One being the constant need for napkins or passing food on road trips. So I dreamed up the Minivan Zip Line. It's just as amazing as it sounds and we're always getting comments about it. We've even had people leave notes on our window in parking lots. We've been repping the Zip Line for years now and I can't imagine road tripping without it! Here’s what you need for the Minivan Zip Line: - 2 heavyweight command hooks - 2 pulleys (Lowe’s/Homedepot) - nylon cord/paracord - carabiner - lots of trial and error on baskets/bags - one of those live strong style bracelets The command hook on...

"Mom, I need new shoes!" my daughter screeched as she skidded through the front door Kramer-from-Seinfeld style. Those shoes were only three months old, a Christmas gift. She held up one foot, pointing to her big toe busting out of the hole in the front of her athletic shoe. Still, I wasn't surprised in the least- the girl plays ROUGH. Make no mistake, my girl is a FORCE, even if she doesn't check all of the boxes of the female stereotype. She's far more likely to be found running with the boys, playing tackle football, than pretending to be a ballerina (though you can sometimes catch her practicing pirouettes). Her long hair is probably matted and hiding a host of...

The journey to parenthood looks different for everyone. For some it is an unexpected surprise for others it is the culmination of years of struggle.  No matter which side of the spectrum you’re on there are a lot of unexpected emotions. For those dealing with infertility, it’s up and down, positive and negative. Infertility steals joy, sparks fear, and stokes feelings of failure and resentment. It crushes self-esteem and makes you question yourself, it pushes you down. It also teaches you to fight, and compassion and empathy, and gratitude. You feel so isolated. You feel like you’re the only one when really you’re 1 in 8. This is how I felt. Hope to Hopeless If you look at birth control statistics...