Around BR

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...

I absolutely love to be outdoors! Whenever I have a free moment sans kids, I like to take advantage of the chance to run off the frustrations I face each day as a single, stay-at-home, homeschooling momma -because there are many. The free time to think, breathe, enjoy peace and quiet, get fresh air and sunshine, as well as get your blood pumping...it just makes you feel good about yourself! I don't think I ever appreciated Baton Rouge until I began running. I lived in Houston as a child (one of the many places I have lived) and have always wanted to get back to a "big city". I associated "downtowns" with high-rise offices and a beautiful skyline. I just couldn't...

This Halloween was a little extra special for Baton Rouge.  The long wait for Trader Joe’s is finally over.  Being the curious mama that I am, I had to check it out to see if it lives up to the hype.  It didn’t hurt that the store is only a short drive from our house (win!). So, I loaded up Etta Mae, and we braved the rain.  I had never been to a Trader Joe’s, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. All I knew was that cookie butter is supposed to be the yummiest stuff on Earth. We walked up to live music and a flurry of shoppers.  The first thing I noticed after walking in was...

It seems like once you have children, all your days, weeks, and months just run together.  Thankfully, we have holidays.  Here and there throughout the year, these days are cherished and make time stand still for just a little while.  Halloween is the jumping off point for the big end-of-year holidays, and I think that is why it has become so popular and celebrated.  Everyone wants another day they can get excited about, build up to, and throw a party for. Who wouldn't love it!? This year, the Red Stick Moms had an opportunity to get a practice run on Halloween by joining in on the Mall of LA Fall Fest on the Boulevard on October 18!  We had the...