Red Stick Mom

It wasn't until I became a mom that I realized how outrageously expensive disposable diaper really are!  I now realize that when you receive diapers as a baby gift, you are really getting the BEST GIFT EVER!  Like putting gas in your car, diapers become a necessary item that can quickly put a big dent in your families budget. When my oldest child was in diapers I thought I had a pretty good idea of where to purchase the cheapest diapers.  Turns out...I was wrong! So I set out on a mission to help find the best deals in (disposable) diapering.  Hopefully, this thorough comparison, will help to cut down on some of the foot work and research (that most...

Loving a Child that's Dyslexic {What You Need to Know} As a special education teacher, I get attached to many students, especially those who have dyslexia. These children hold a very special place in my heart because they are not like typical children. They can't just pick up a book and start reading with great fluency and accuracy, BUT they can pick up some Legos and make something extremely creative and tell you all about it. They can't write you a full paragraph with correct spellings, punctuation, and perfect handwriting, BUT they can tell you a story straight from their amazing imagination. Their brain works much different than ours. Let me explain dyslexia.... Dys= difficulty             Lexia = with words     ...

Ok ladies!  Let's all admit that being a mom is exhausting.  That sometimes there are priorities and getting your kids dressed and presentable usually comes before yourself.  We can also say that every now and then if feels so good to get all dolled up for date night and feel amazing about yourself!  So what makes date night even better aside from freshly washed hair and an outfit other than mom jeans and a v-neck?....some ah-mazing makeup for that added touch! I recently started playing around with contouring.  You know, all the fabulous-ness you see all over Pinterest that looks way easier than it actually is?  I mean really, Kim K makes it look effortless and with Pinterest to help...

Dear 3 month postpartum self, I know you saw the pictures of Scarlett Johansson's tiny little bod at her movie premiere like two months after giving birth. I know it made you want to curl up in a ball and never put clothes on or go out in public again. It sucks, because being a new mom in our media obsessed world is hard enough; there are a million and one things you can compare to and nit-pick and worry about. And then these celebs (and other real life moms around you) basically walk out of the hospital looking like they never carried a child around in their abdomen for 9 months. And there's nothing wrong with that. More power to...

When I moved to the south as a ten-year-old, one of the things that stood out to me the most was the use of the words "sir" and "ma'am".  This was a huge culture shock for me and took a very long time for me to get used to because NOBODY talked like that in California, where I grew up.  Nobody talked like that in Montana or Connecticut (where my parents grew up) either, so this was very foreign to my whole family.  Fast forward twenty-something years, and I actually love the mannerly way here.  Or so I thought I did.  That was until I transitioned from someone who said, "yes, ma'am" to someone who hears it.  I get...