Red Stick Mom

This post is a part of our Red Stick Moms Blog CONNECTS series for the 2013 Holiday Season.  This post is all about CONNECTing with your favorite person. Read more about our CONNECT series here. Not to be confused with Play Dates, “Day Dates” don’t actually involve kids at all.  They are what we grown ups like to refer to as “QT” or quality time together.  Recently, my hubs and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary, and after 6+ years with kids, our quality time together is few and far between.  Why? Because at the end of the day we are just spent.  After a long day of work, followed by homework, meals, bath, & bedtime, we love nothing more than...

About a year ago, I decided to attempt to teach Matthew, my oldest son, some thematic lessons.  You know…D is for Doggie or P is for Pumpkin (or W is for What Was I Thinking?)  I kid.  However, as a former teacher to much older children, I quickly realized that I was seriously lacking in Early Childhood Education skills.  I decided to do our first thematic unit on A is for Apple.  This was pretty basic and I knew there were resources everywhere. We quickly discovered the lovely book Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington.  This sweet story chronicles the duties of an apple farmer while highlighting the many uses for apples.  The story depicts Annie as honest, hardworking, and...

This Saturday, December 7th from 12 Noon to 3PM, the Mall of Louisiana will be bringing "Reindeer Games" to life!  Join us at the Mall of Louisiana for a holly jolly afternoon of Free Family Fun! Kids ages 2 - 10 are invited to take part in holiday-themed, family friendly activities including make-and-take crafts, games, prizes, face-painting, music and dancing! It's a first-time event for the Mall of Louisiana, and we've got a behind-the-scenes look at what to expect. Kids can create their own snowflake photo-frame magnets, as well as color and wear their own Rudolph® antler ears.  They'll play a game called "Reindeer Flight School" where Rudolph® and friends will soar through the air and aim for "targeted" locations.  The first...

My journey to become a mom hasn't been the easiest. The most painful moment so far was on April 4, 2011. I was being prepped for emergency surgery to remove a ruptured ectopic pregnancy (also know as tubal although mine was not in the tube). Not realizing I was going to need surgery, we brought our only living child with us to the hospital. The nurse asking me questions said, “So, this is your second pregnancy?” It was a knife to my heart when I had to answer, “No…sixth.” When Daniel and I got married, we wanted to wait 3-5 years before having kids, so we could just enjoy married life. Well, one thing lead to another, and we knew...

Mothers throughout the world have been wearing their children for thousands of years.  What mom doesn’t want her sweet baby snuggled close to her heart? But, the benefits of babywearing extend far beyond the joy of inhaling that newborn smell with every step. For parents, wearing a baby makes life much more convenient. It frees up both hands to help with all of that multi-tasking you’re doing.  It’s much easier to do chores, chase your toddler, and walk the dog when you aren’t using one arm to support a baby. Babywearing is also great for situations that aren’t ideal for pushing a bulky stroller.  I love being able to navigate a Mardis Gras parade or walk around while tailgating at...