As a mother of both boys and a girl, I write this a little torn. I want my boys to be strong men and rise to the occasion as providers and protectors. Primitive thoughts I know, but anti-feminist, I think not. You see I also want my daughter to be strong and able to provide, and protect herself and her future children (as any mama bear would.) These thoughts began to flood my mind as I listened to my wonderful sweet children argue with each other in their room one day. My boys would shout something then my daughter would cleverly reply. Then suddenly I heard her sing in a loud voice, “anything you can do I can better,...
On one very special, expertly coordinated night each month a very important event occurs. I get to have dinner with some of my very best girlfriends. We’ve been friends for 20+ years which makes me feel old, but we still value our relationship just as we did as young girls in college. We all have children, husbands and jobs and it only takes a string of about 200 texts messages to get it planned, but we make it a priority to meet. We pick a nice restaurant, leave our kids at home and talk, laugh, vent and support each other for several hours. Our husbands have stopped asking when we will be home.
These nights are one of the most...
Even before I was pregnant with my first child, I knew I wanted a natural birth. I watched The Business of Being Born and I was hooked. I wanted to experience all the sensations of labor and childbirth, and I was willing to forgo any and all pain relief.
So when I finally did become pregnant, I did what any natural birth pregnant mama would do. I read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and was inspired by all the birth stories. I took a totally hippie natural childbirth class (we lived in San Francisco at the time, so when I say it was "hippie" I mean it was h-i-p-p-i-e!). I told everybody that I was going natural. I meditated. I did yoga. I hired...
For me a new year brings the urge to get healthy and fit not only for myself but for my family. With it came bootcamp three days a week, extra workouts in the evenings, and the desire to give our nutrition a serious edit. You see, this health and fitness driven desire I get usually gets into full swing right around Lent, and this year all liquid calories made the cut. So there I was, with the grand idea to consume water and nothing else -- and a long 40 days and 40 nights ahead of me.
A little back story on how much of a soda addict I am not: growing up, we never had sodas in the house....
You know what they say about the word never. "Never say never!" These were the lyrics sung by a cartoon mouse and bird in one of my favorite childhood movies, "An American Tail" but the irony of the statement escaped me until I was older. There were plenty of things I said I'd NEVER do, especially with regard to parenthood. These NEVER statements began early. "I would NEVER have a c-section." I'm now the proud bearer of a c-scar. "My kid would NEVER use a pacifier" was amended to "past age 1" and then again to "except at night." NEVER would I allow my children to watch more than a certain amount of TV. You can read about how well...
Around Baton Rouge
The Best Coffee in BR is Actually in Ascension
The Best Coffee in BR is Actually in Ascension
Like a lot of moms I'm often in need of caffeine on a regular basis and...
