Perspectives in Parenting

I have such a treat for you with this month's Heart & Home post.  Bethany Riggs is artist-turned-mother of two, who truly uses her home as one giant canvas.  You will be blown away by her use of color and textures, her skillful DIY trickery, and her elements of kid-friendly decor all throughout her home.  What's even more special, is getting to know this mom.  She will give you a good laugh but also knows how to seriously talk about decorating your home. I know you will love this interview and this gorgeous Baton Rouge home. Enjoy!   Q: Tell us a little about you and the family who lives here. I'm a stay-at-home mom with a B.F.A. in Fine Art, with...

My birth story started the night before our first wedding anniversary. I was walking around downtown Baton Rouge, 36 weeks and 3 days pregnant with twins, heading to eat sushi for our anniversary dinner. I had made it this far along in the pregnancy about as comfortably as one nearly full-term with twins possibly could. After a nice dinner, we went to bed that night with everything quite normal and no idea that we were going to meet our babies so soon! Around 4:45 am, I made one of my usual late night trips to the bathroom and felt a small cramp. I was really hopeful that it was a contraction; because up to this point in my pregnancy, I had made...

So you've faced the big question in Part 1, you've faced all of the emotions in Part 2 , and you've decided to stay at home! Congratulations! You have joined in with a group of awesome women who love their families, who are hard-working, who are not afraid of challenges! Life from here on out will never be the same! But, how do you actually make it happen? Being a stay at home mom will be easy right? No planning required, it will just all come naturally and flow smoothly, won't it? If it does, then I need YOU to be the one writing this post instead of me (and to email me all your secrets)! I truly don't believe there is a...

So you've faced the big question, you've faced all of the emotions , you've decided to work! Congratulations! You have joined in with a group of awesome women who love their families, who are hard-working, who are not afraid of challenges! Life from here on out will never be the same! But, how do you actually make it happen? Childcare. The absolute number one necessity for every working mother hands down. This is not a decision to make on a whim or in a hurry. Research, talk to your local mommy friends, and go with your gut. Always go with your gut. If something feels bad, walk away. The one aspect of childcare that may be hard to say/hear, but needs to...

So we've talked about the big "question" in Part 1. But more than priorities and finances, what about our emotions? I feel like this aspect gets ignored in most discussions about working because we're too busy fighting about which is better and which is worse and where the "super mom" lies in the mix. But let's set aside the competition and be honest. Any decision is going to be a tough one. Any decision is going to have its challenges. Any decision is going to have opposition. So what is the decision that we want to make? This past week I had to work a 50hr week at a job I absolutely love for a company that I adore. It was way...