Mental Health

Wobbling Toward Grace, Part 2 :: The Days of Beautiful Chaos *This is a Part 2 of a series. Read Part 1 here. I was old when I became a new mom, and maybe that was what isolated me from the colleagues I had called friends. Also what made me overly protective and what motivated me to take 58,000 photos of my baby every week. I am also an introvert who found myself pregnant at 43, filled with a delight I had never expected I would, or could, experience, and which I had talked myself out of believing would ever be part of my life, talked myself into believing I, for some reason, didn't deserve. And, like many new moms, I kept...

You Snooze, You Win! :: Life Hacks For The Time-Management-Challenged I was once given an art assignment that consisted of a blank sheet of paper with the word “TIME” at the top in bold letters. Our only instruction was to draw in the space below based on the word prompt. I stared at the paper and felt a flood of mixed emotions - both positive and negative. When it comes to four-letter words, this one might be the most sensational. I have many positive memories regarding the word time; the way my Cajun Granny would always say, “Well, y’all got time ...” when we’d announce we were about to head home after Sunday lunch. She’d start a pot of coffee or get...

Magic Does Exist :: Work-Life Balance As we enter into the new school year, I am acutely aware of my ability to support my kids in a way that I was not able to previously as a working mom. As a full-time businesswoman, I’ve always had to juggle home life and work life, and up until about two years ago, I dreaded the constant battle between priorities. The struggle caused stress and mom-guilt galore. I didn’t realize how much control I had in doing something about my career when it came to prioritizing my family. I have two kiddos, ages ten and seven, and they have attended two different schools for several years now. Their summer schedules did not grace my...

September Is Suicide Prevention Month :: Sharing Traeh Thyssen’s Story September is Suicide Prevention Month. It’s a time to raise awareness and discuss this tough topic that we simply don’t talk about enough. It’s a month to remember those who have died by suicide and to spread hope and information to those who are facing battles now or may in the future. Many of my photography clients become like family, but none more quickly than the Thyssens. They were one of the first families to book my services when I started my business and oh the fun we had during their first session wandering around downtown Baton Rouge together for hours! We were planning our second session for the fall....

I Don't Have Time For Picky Eaters It’s dinner time, the plates are set and the meal is hot and ready. “I don’t like that!”, “It’s yucky!!”, “Can you fix me something else?”  You spent time, money, and exhausted efforts on fixing a meal, no matter how fancy or just boxed meals, and your kids simply won’t eat it. Sound familiar? I’ve been there, and it’s not pretty. Being a working parent with kids in school, extracurriculars, obligations, and everything in between, it’s nearly impossible to be ahead of the game with food that all the family likes. Kids go through stages, and what they loved one minute, they hate the next. My seven-year-old ate breakfast burritos like they were a coveted...