Red Stick Mom

This post is part of our special, Red Stick Moms Blog CONNECTS series, where we focus on connecting with our kids, family and friends, and community during the holiday season. One of my family values is "neighbors not strangers." What does that mean and how does that look? Like this... Often times you see your neighbors and give them the friendly wave or nod and smile. Why not make it really awkward and walk up to them and actually say, "Hello!" Not as easy as it sounds... believe me. I mean, I'm no Betty Crocker in the kitchen which narrows the chance of me taking them a shady, tin-covered, casserole dish with random directions. However, I do enjoy crafting and all things...

Our team is back again this month with a collection of our favorite things.  For December, we wanted to share a little more about ourselves and our families and describe one of our favorite traditions.  As you know, Red Stick Moms Blog is all about connecting during the holidays and what better way than starting or continuing a tradition with your family.    "I love doing Elf on the Shelf. I know some people think it's a lot of work, but the look on my kids' faces in the morning is so magical. I don't go over the top but just a little something each morning. Also, my husband and I write letters to each other. We try to open them...

I am not a fancy photographer. I used a basic point-and-shoot camera for a long time, and even now that I have a DSLR I shoot in auto mode 99.99% of the time. If I'm away from home, I use my iPhone--no way am I gonna be lugging around a bulky camera and worrying about it getting broken the whole time. I snap a few photos and move on with my life. But I do like to think that thanks to my blog my photography skills have improved measurably, and I'm pretty confident these days that I can take a decent picture of my kid or my house. I thought it'd be fun to share some really accessible and...

A few days ago, I was nursing my son, Judah, while browsing online—then all of a sudden, he slowly put his hand to my cheek and moved my face towards him.  I was smack dab staring into my sweet boy’s eyes, and quickly realized that I was missing out on a moment that is fleeting—a moment that I fought so hard for 17 months ago. In my head I know I should cherish every ounce of time with Judah and Joel because I’m not guaranteed any of it.  So why do I dive deep into my phone at the first moment of silence and allow a device notorious for wasting time to hijack a nursing session with my son or...