Red Stick Mom

I work full time. My kid goes to daycare. More often than not when people ask who is watching Sam during the day, and I tell them he’s in daycare, they give me this weird look that is mixed with sadness, pity, disappointment, skepticism. I’m serious. It’s uncomfortable. We put Sam in daycare when he was 7 months old (my teacher husband kept him during summer break). I dreaded it. Everyone made it sound like daycare would be awful, expensive, full of germs, and cause severe separation anxiety (on my part). And the waiting lists! I’d be lucky to get a spot—but, ultimately, unlucky to be a working mom. Against my expectations, Sam did great in daycare his first week. He...

Our grocery trips, or any trip to the store for that matter, are completely toy free. No toys, almost ever. Let me start by saying that I never set out to be the mom that didn't buy toys.  I didn't make a vow to myself pre-motherhood.  I just simply didn't see a need.  I find that I raise my kids based on my own childhood.  I think about the times that stood out most to me, the things that truly left an impact.  When I'm staring off into space thinking about those days, there aren't many toys involved in my thoughts, just lots and lots of happy times.  Lots of laughter, LOTS of time spent together. Our kids have toys and we do actually buy toys for them...

I am not crafty.  My degree is in Finance and Insurance (read: boring stuff). I don't do creative. So when I told my husband I was going to restore an old kids' table I found on Craigslist, he probably wondered what I had been mixing with my lemonade. Luckily, it was fairly quick and painless, and I'm probably way too proud of myself.  Here is a step by step of my toddler table transformation: 1. Buy super awesome Care Bears table on Craigslist for $20.  I'd been looking for a little table for Etta Mae for awhile, and I couldn't pass this one up.  To be honest, I was a little partial to the Care Bears (Etta Mae kept talking...

I'm a researcher and planner by nature. I genuinely enjoy it! I like being prepared and informed and knowing as much as I can before something comes my way. So of course when I found I was pregnant, it was ON. I consumed every article and blog post I could get my hands on like a crazy person. "How to Survive Your First Trimester" turned into "Breastfeeding Basics" and then to "What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag" and "What You Need to Know About Labor & Delivery". I was ready and waiting for labor. I knew that there were things I couldn't prepare for, but I honestly felt like there wasn't much that was going to be able...

In March of 2006, we planned an impromptu trip to Disney to meet up with the in-laws who were already vacationing there. Before leaving for the trip, I decided to take a pregnancy test just in case because I was a few days late and didn’t want to chance getting on any rides should I be pregnant. Sure enough, I was! This was our very first pregnancy, and it hit me like a ton of bricks that I’d now have to tell my husband. I was excited to tell him, but so nervous at the same time over how he’d react. Should I tell him before we left? Or wait till we got going on the trip? I was...