Red Stick Mom

In February 2018 I just landed an amazing job, bought my own house, just turned 23, felt the most comfortable I ever had in my own skin, and recently retired from competing for Miss Louisiana. I felt like things had fallen into place until I found out I was pregnant. I was scared, but not for the typical reasons someone young and not married would be scared about having a baby. I had supportive family and friends. That was no issue. It felt like a death sentence. I was scared because of everyone telling me “just wait”. Everything I was told and read made being pregnant feel like a death sentence. I was generally advised to hurry up and get married, quit...

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Ochsner Health.  How To Treat Pregnancy Acne When you find out you're pregnant, there are many things to celebrate. You will be welcoming a new bundle of joy into your life, and you will start a chapter, unlike any other. However, there may be some side effects of pregnancy that you are not aware of, like pregnancy acne. Many women experience acne during their pregnancy, particularly in the first and second trimesters. When treating acne for pregnant women, it is essential to take in many considerations, as certain medications can have adverse effects on both mom and baby. What causes pregnancy acne? During pregnancy, you will experience hormone surges, including increased amounts of progesterone. These higher progesterone...

At the end of one year, and start of a new one, you often see post after post, story after story, of best of lists and resolution ideas. There are stories about why resolutions are a good idea or a bad idea or why bother. I’m not a resolution person; it just doesn’t fit with my personality. I don’t like to set myself up for failure. Resolution Alternatives In the past, I’ve been a word of the year person. At the beginning of the year I would choose a word or phrase, and throughout the year, I would remind myself of that word and reflect on it when I needed it. One year I choose “calm.” It was what I needed...

"I came in like a wrecking ball" I feel like if the year 2020 liked karaoke, he / she / they would sing this Miley Cyrus hit. I had so many plans in 2020 that totally didn't happen. I imagine many of you are feeling the same way! So, now that this year has FINALLY come to a close, let's talk about how I'm planning to take all the lessons I learned in 2020 and use them to make 2021 a MUCH better year. PIVOT! Going into 2020, I had a "timeline" of how I thought things in my life would go. There was talk of travel and certain personal things my family wanted to do before considering having baby number two....

This past year certainly brought challenges no one could have predicted and it's certainly a year that will be talked about for a long time to come. As this year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to say how much we truly value, appreciate and respect each and every one of you. We also wanted to share the 10 most popular blog posts of 2020, determined by page views. They are stories of faith, humor, loss, marriage, motherhood and so much more. We hope you enjoy re-visiting them as much as we did. Top 10 Posts of 2020 1. Dear High School Senior, Your Mom is Grieving Too "There are probably a lot of emotions running through you right...