Hello. My name is Kristen and I have a problem: my phone is filled with pictures.
Filled.
I'm the default family historian and I love my job. It is a slippery slope though - it's dangerously easy to let the cataloguing of my life get in the way of living it (or to let the "I'm taking the picture" get in the way of being in the picture). Before my phone became my primary camera, I had memory cards upon memory cards of photos... just sitting there or uploaded in the back-up hard drive, in some file...waiting.
Every now and then, a coupon from some photo site would catch my eye and it would prompt a momentary (and fleeting) resolve to PRINT...
Motherhood is hard enough without life throwing you a curve ball. When something unexpected happens, it can be hard to see past the chaos and you may lay your head down at night feeling defeated and discouraged and not enough. I know because I've been that mom, and I'll be that mom again someday since life is full of unfortunate surprises and unavoidable tough experiences. Maybe you are learning how to be a single parent or navigating a divorce, maybe you are are caring for a sick or differently able child, maybe you recently lost somebody close to you, maybe you are making a big decision that will impact your child, maybe you are processing a trauma, maybe things are just hard right now...
My four-year-old daughter Elliot and I have quite a few things "in common." For instance, we both like shopping, wearing new shoes, going to gym meets, dancing, and singing Taylor Swift songs very loudly in the car. The things we enjoy together are 90% from what I have introduced to her. However, we have our differences. She is a lot more outgoing than I am. She is a better dancer than I ever was, even at four. I never liked makeup as a kid, but she can’t see me put on lipstick without begging me to put some on her. I don’t ever remember being any age and insisting on a bow the way she does. She loves playing basketball and getting...
"Mama, can I go to Nanny's house?"
It's a simple request from my seven-year-old. Her Nanny, my sister-in-law, lives in our neighborhood only three blocks away. Her cousins are also homeschooled, and a quick text to my sis-in-law confirms that they are finished with lessons for the day, and it'd be okay for her to come play. But today I can't escort her there because her younger sister is napping. I have two options. 1. I could keep her home. 2. I could allow her to ride her bike the three blocks by herself.
We live in a safe neighborhood. She knows the way. She knows our safety rules for riding bikes in the neighborhood. Ride on the edge. Get in...
I know it’s a bit hypocritical to say what I’m about to because I write for a mom blog, but just hear me out when I tell you, “Stop reading so many parenting blogs!”
Wait, what?
Let me explain. As a typical new mom trying to figure out this whole parenting thing, I was usually up late (and early!) nursing my son and would sometimes see a parenting article pop up on my Facebook feed that seemed interesting. Over time, I couldn’t NOT at least scan them to see what they were saying. I thought that if I didn’t read one that applied to me that I would miss something important. In the early months, I devoured them and took them...
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...
