Red Stick Mom

People always tell you that nothing can truly prepare you to become a parent and the longer I'm a mom the more I know that to be completely true. Becoming a mother has been the greatest blessing in my life.  To watch my two children grow and learn everyday is what I live for.  My children have taught me more life lessons in their few short years than I had ever learned before becoming their mother.  Just the other day I was thinking how completely boring and lonely my life would be without kids.  With the daily ups and downs that come along with parenting, I have also learned that motherhood is not always glamorous.  I'm sure every mom...

*All opinions below are uniquely my own. And if you disagree, well that’s ok, too. Remember that Similac commercial? You know the one that had us all wanting to hold hands around a fire and sing Bob Marley songs? Well, I’m not buying what Similac is selling. Why, you ask? Because I don’t believe in the mommy wars. Fact: Women always have and always will judge each other (GASP!). We used to judge each other for things like letting our kids eat candy before dinner and wearing white after Labor Day. We gossiped to our girlfriends and our mothers on our corded phones about the local drama. The Internet, bless her heart, has simply given us a new platform to judge....

Right now I am drinking a glass of wine and eating Goldfish. Yes. Goldfish. My son's snack. And, I'm home alone. So no one can stop me.  My current situation prompted me to think about all of the other things that are supposed to be for my one-year-old son, but I find myself enjoying instead. Goldfish. As I just mentioned, I'm eating them now. Aren't they the best? I have been known to take an entire bag of (my son's) goldfish to work and eat the entire thing. Let's be honest, one of the best parts of being a mom is always having snacks. Besides being a wife and mom, I love eating. And let's not leave out the other...

I have written a few times previously about my struggle with my son’s sleeping. I don’t think he is the worst sleeper ever, but he’s certainly not the best. Now that he’s over a year old, I’ve been reflecting on our journey toward a full night’s sleep and I’ve found that I can break it up into a few different stages. Every baby is different, but I bet a lot of parents can relate to these: Stage 1: You are in the shiny new baby phase: you are in awe of this life you and your partner have brought into the world. You can’t believe what you’ve created and they are so. freaking. cute and they smell SO good. And you...

When I was pregnant with my first child my husband and I eagerly prepared and anticipated my pregnancy ending with labor and delivery.  I read countless books, articles and blogs, and we even attended an extensive labor and delivery class to become knowledgeable.   Much to our surprise (and a little disappointment on my part) our 36 week ultrasound revealed that our daughter was in the breech position and the safest delivery option would be a scheduled cesarean section.  So, I delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl via scheduled c-section without ever having a contraction, feeling my water break or going into labor.  I was overjoyed to finally meet my baby but felt like I had missed out on...