Holiday

For five solid years, I was strong. For five years, I didn’t cave. I said I wasn’t doing it and I kept my foot down. I had some really good reasons for my anti-elf stance. Mainly, I didn’t want any unnecessary responsibility and I viewed Elf on the Shelf as one more chore that clogged up the couple of peaceful hours after my kids' bedtime. My to do list is already a mile long and steadily not getting accomplished, I would be crazy to add anything else.   For five years, I watched other parents create so much magic and so many fun memories with their elves. I watched via Facebook as all of my parent friends created some really magical times...

It’s that time of year again. Whether you’re the family that waits to put up the Christmas tree after Thanksgiving or immediately after Halloween, the warmth of the holiday season is certainly in the air! Here’s a list of things my family does to delight in some Christmas cheer. Twinkling Lights There’s a brief window of time with the weather before the cold snap hits in the month of December where it’s pleasant to be outside. One of the first things we do is visit the lights at the Baton Rouge General Hospital on Bluebonnet. It’s about a 10-20 minute visit. If we go early enough, we like to drive around the neighborhoods afterwards and find the best decorated home while...

Disclosure :: A very special thank you to the sponsors that have made this giveaway possible and to our loyal readers. We wish you all a very happy and healthy holiday season and we cannot wait to see who WINS this awesome giveaway package.  The Great Holiday Giveaway 2022: A $5,000+ Tri-City Holiday Giveaway Extravaganza! Happiest of holidays to YOU ... our readers from across Louisiana! New Orleans Mom, Red Stick Mom & Lafayette Mom are thrilled to share with you an awesome line up of holiday gifts - many of which are from local companies! Even better, ONE lucky reader will win ALL the prizes (valued at over $5,500)! We are overjoyed that we are able to spoil one lucky winner...

Toddlers are adorable, toddlers are magical, and toddlers love everything. They also tend to be destructive to themselves, their siblings, and the homes they reside in. So here are some ideas for toddlers that are not a passive-aggressive message of revenge to their tired, hardworking parents. Tonies Happy Nappers (They are Cringey COLORFUL, but kids do appreciate an infomercial they have memorized. Marketing works, Disney Jr.) Kitchen Doll Changing Table Station Garden center Arcade Tent Kids Lounge Chair Bike Folding Wagon Squishies Costumes Fishing Pole Educational Toy Rocket Launcher Light-up Tracing Pad Dinosaur Eggs Mess-free Markers Magnetic Tiles Spill-proof sippy cups (preferably the brand they already use. You can never have enough sippy cups.) Non-glitter Bath Bombs  Ask toddlers. They will tell...

A Hijacked Holiday Cookie Recipe: Hello Dollies If all of your family - your mama and them, back and back and back for generations - are from south Louisiana, you've probably got your own well-used version of this cookbook somewhere in your kitchen: It's my go-to "I can't remember how to make this classic Louisiana dish because I haven't made it in so long" resource, second only to calling up my mama. Sometimes, even she says, "Did you check Talk About Good?" There is one recipe in there that became a family holiday cult classic: THE HELLO DOLLY Think gooey, chocolatey, nutty goodness on top of a buttery graham cracker crust. I'm not sure when my family first started making this cookie bar, but I...