Mom Hacks, Tips & Tricks

Mondays Are Made For (Instant Pot) Red Beans As a transplant, one of the things I appreciate most about living in Louisiana is the culture. It’s something I really wanted my kids to grow up with. For just about everything that’s done in the Bayou, there is sure to be a story behind it. A good example of this is the Louisiana tradition of eating red beans and rice on Mondays. Red beans are traditionally made on Mondays down here, but do you know why? As the story goes, back in the day, Monday was typically wash day and since all the laundry was done by hand little time was left for preparing an elaborate meal. Red kidney beans soaked overnight and...

Fall Favorite :: Taco Soup For The Soul This is my absolute favorite time of the year. Sure, it's not 60 degrees yet, but the fall is among us, can you feel it??? The days are getting shorter, the festivities are beginning, and the stores have decked out their shelves with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and everything "It's Fall Y'all!" And one of the best parts about the autumn season? You guessed it: Football! We absolutely love to host football get togethers, where our friends bust out their purple and gold, pop a cold drink, and cheer until we are hoarse! Game day finger foods are fun, but at the first bite of cold weather, we want some soup to warm our...

Game Day Dips Who’s ready for some football? When I think about football, I immediately think of all the game-day party food! Are you headed to a friend's house for a football viewing party and need a quick appetizer to bring? Below are our top four go-to dips that will be a hit. Cold Corn Dip. This dip is a crowd-pleaser and has quickly become my favorite appetizer. Your friends will keep coming back for seconds and thirds. This recipe requires only a few ingredients and can be whipped up in a few minutes. Captain Rodney’s Cheesy Baked Dip. This dip is a creamy, cheesy, bacon-topped, sweet with a hint of spice dip. This can be prepped and baked in the oven right...

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...

Celebrating Big On A Budget :: Tips From A Mom Of Four I’m a mom of four. That means four birthdays, four times the Christmas gifts, four times the Easter basket stuffers, etc. You get where I’m going with this? It’s A LOT. If I were to have my way, I’d be super extravagant and holidays would be filled to the brim with every gift and experience imaginable but alas, in today’s economy expenses add up really fast and no matter how you look at it, four kids is EXPENSIVE. So in the spirit of keeping up with a somewhat manageable budget, here are some of my tips and tricks to keep cost at a minimum while still holding onto that...