Red Stick Mom

It hit me while I was laying in bed one night, my baby girl doing what felt like cartwheels in my belly, my sleepy thoughts wandered until they landed on: uh, I’m going to be responsible for this little life in a matter of weeks. Maybe that should’ve sunk in earlier than 7 1/2 months pregnant, but y’know, everyone moves at their own pace. Initially responsibility brings to mind things like breastfeeding and colic and trying not to obsess too much over every little breath she takes. But after some time thinking (falling asleep is hard), I started to venture past the first few months of her life, on to the more substantial things that Jeremy and I will be responsible for as...

I’ve never been a competitive person. It’s actually a running joke in my family that I never really cared if I won a board game, or a softball game. This isn’t to say I didn’t want to do well in school, or in other endeavors, but I was never someone who really compared herself to others. Until I had a baby. When I was pregnant, reading about “What to Expect” and listening to people’s advice, I heard a lot of, “every baby goes at their own pace” and “don’t get caught up in numbers.” But when you are focusing on your baby’s development, there are a lot of numbers: height and weight percentiles, sitting up by this age, crawling by that...

I was really in no hurry to move my son out of the crib. I liked knowing that he was safe and secure and planned to keep him there as long as I could. As he got closer to two, though, he became more and more interested in climbing and after seeing him put his foot on top of the crib rail a few times, I started to think about transitioning him. I was nervous that I'd come in after naptime to find him playing on the floor one day, or that I'd hear a thump followed by wailing instead! Every kid is different and there’s no magic age to move them out of the crib–you just have to use your judgement...

  This series is brought to you by Indie Plate, Fresh.Groceries.Delivered.  Here at Red Stick Moms Blog, we know how important it is to get healthy and delicious meals to our families, but we also know how difficult and time-consuming it can be as well.  We are so excited to bring you this sponsored series by Indie Plate, a company that truly “gets it” when it comes to getting healthy and delicious foods to your door with just the click of a button! We hope you enjoy this week’s recipe! Baked Penne Casserole   We're featuring a casserole recipe this week that allows a busy mom to cook a gourmet meal in bulk, without much chopping prepping or cleaning, and the meal can then...

I must admit that I am not a huge fan of the chalkboard craze.  As a photographer, I see it EVERYWHERE and the "I'd rather be a leader over a follower" in me was completely withdrawn from the idea.  When we started our outdoor living project a few months ago, a move of the swing set to the corner of our newly fenced in yard was all it took.  That move had created the perfect little nook for the boys and I had SO many plans for their sweet little play area, their own corner of the yard overflowing with outside fun just for them and this chalkboard was on the top of my list!  After a quick trip to...