Mom Hacks, Tips & Tricks

Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health and written by Dr. Derek Baumbouree. 5 Storm Season Tips for Parents My sweet schnauzer Beckham may not be able to put on a brave face when the weather’s bad. But, that just may be what children in the home are doing, especially in the wake of last year’s active hurricane season. Hurricane season runs June 1st through November 30th. Talk to your little ones about their feelings. Have them play an active role in preparing a family storm plan. Include how far in advance to begin preparations, decide what to prepare now and what to pack. An ounce of preparation may go a long way to easing some...

The news that we needed to baby and pamper our eyebrows hit us about six years ago. Now, we’re onto eyelashes. Being a former pageant girl, I’m no newbie to the world of fake lashes. I was wearing them at 16 every weekend for various events when people I went to school with thought that meant you were “trying too hard.” I’m glad we’re past that. I love that anything goes these days: messy hair, bright lips, bell bottoms, crop tops, bodycon dresses, etc. I love that the days of being criticized for “trying too hard" are past us. I mean, girls were spending 30 minutes on a messy bun in 2013 to make it look like they weren’t even trying...

Mommy, I'm hungry! Mommy, what's for dinner? I'm Not a Chef! I can admit that I’m not the best cook. Some nights, I just don’t even feel like trying to come up with a meal. That doesn’t stop my family from being hungry though! With the kids growing tired of macaroni, grilled cheese sandwiches, or cereal, I had to come up with a new dinner idea. Lazy Mom = Best Dinner Ever! Introducing weekly charcuterie board nights! This has quickly become my kids’ favorite meal, and for me, it is one of the easiest. My family thinks that charcuterie board nights are special and fun when in reality I’ve just put whatever I could find in the fridge and pantry onto a wooden tray....

I know you’re here for the recipe, I get it! But aren’t I obligated to tell you about how I came about this recipe while traipsing through the humid, muggy, swamps of South Louisiana? Nah, I’ll tell you this amazing breakfast crowd pleaser came straight from my mother-in-law and I will never look back! Grabbits 1 - lb ground sausage (mild or spicy) 1 - 5oz jar Old English cheese spread* 1 - pack English muffins 2 - half sheet cookie pans Optional: Fried egg Sautéed mushrooms Caramelized onions Salsa In a pan cook your sausage. No patties, mix it up, cook it through. While sausage is cooking, fork open those English Muffins. You heard me, gently open up the muffins and lay them open faced on your cookie sheets. Now ,...

We love to travel. We’ve gone places near and far; exploring new places, cultures, and food is our idea of fun.  The downside to travel is the challenge of packing, being away from your creature comforts, and finding yourself needing something that you have at home. In the last 15 years of traveling with my husband, and now a toddler, I’ve found these five things to be essentials whether we’re going 500 miles or 5000.  Packing Cubes- I am, in a word, obsessed with packing cubes. I first used them for a big international trip and they were a lifesaver.  Now, each family member has their own color. It makes it easy to grab red for the baby or...