Ages & Stages

Here at Red Stick Mom, we offer dozens of ideas from diverse perspectives in our mom hacks, tips and tricks category. From taking road trips from Baton Rouge to meatless meals to natural cold remedies, we’ve written about it. Curious how to freshen up your skin routine? We suggest you try slugging. Looking for a faster way to fix your hair? Try the lazy mom’s guide to hair. Wondering if there’s a better way to cook bacon? Try this mom hack for cooking the best bacon ever and thank us later. What’s motherhood without perfecting your bacon, are we right? That’s the kind of content our Mom hacks, tips and tricks section highlights. Let's see how we are preparing for that...

It’s Back to School Time I always feel a little anxiety as school begins for the fall. My oldest starts first grade!! He was just a baby. A new teacher, a new grade, and so many hopes and dreams. Will the teacher like my son? Will my son like his teacher? Will he enjoy his classes? Am I prepared for the fall? Is my son ready to go? I always have to sit down and make a checklist. I’ll share my list with you. School Uniforms: How many do I have? Do I have enough for the fall and winter? (There will be spaghetti day.) What’s the jacket situation like? Do we need new shoes and a new book bag?...

It seems like I was JUST “100% that cheer mom.” You know the one with the big bag, big bows, decorated cowbells, and signs yelling “that’s my cheer star.” Yes, we were hitting highways and catching flights to competitions. And then one day it happened ... my kiddo said “Mom, it’s not fun for me anymore.” And just like that, we retired the tucks and pyramids for bars, beams, and vaults. BUT ... is she ready to compete? We did two years of competitive cheer and my little one loves the stage. She is literally that kid that has an alter ego when she hits the stage. My usually shy kid instantly transforms into a performer. But is she ready...

I spent my four years of college exploring every philosopher of early childhood education. The methods and ideas behind children's development and the ways educators can aid this development. We learned the most amazing things such as the zone of proximal development, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, differentiation, etc. One type of education still fascinated me to this day - The Montessori way. In 1907, Maria Montessori opened her own school in Italy to provide education for low-income children. She did not use the traditional classroom approach. Instead, she believed in child-directed learning. To keep it simple:“Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play.”This method fascinates me. This method is affordable, simple, and easy...

Here at Red Stick Mom, we offer dozens of ideas from diverse perspectives in our mom hacks, tips and tricks category. From taking road trips from Baton Rouge to meatless meals to natural cold remedies, we’ve written about it. We are here to help everyone as we navigate through this wild ride through motherhood. When it come to battling the mommy wars. About a year ago, I woke up to a beautiful fall morning and toted my kids to our favorite Baton Rouge outdoor play area, Leeward Park.  While snuggling my then five-month-old Ben, another mommy of a young baby approached me.  We began with small talk, but eventually our conversation moved to our birth stories.  She told me with much enthusiasm...