Perspectives in Parenting

Let's talk about immigration... The USCIS (U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services) has been the third person in my relationship from the get-go. And let me tell you, it can feel scary even when you've done nothing wrong. I know this seems crazy! But the sensation of giving your life's fate over to a government entity to decide on whether or not it's worth validating is nerve-wracking as all get out. Not to mention, you're not even people. You're just words on paper. It feels like they try to do all they can to avoid actually meeting you. Now, we're no strangers to the anxiety-inducing encounters that the USCIS can cause. In fact, we've dealt with this 3-4 times over the course of...

I recently got back from my very first beach vacation as a mom … without the help of my parents. That’s right. No grandparents to foot the bill, hold the baby or enthusiastically respond to those constant “play with me!” demands from the toddler.  Honestly, I was nervous. It’s almost like the day you realize no one else is going to take the initiative to schedule your dentist appointments anymore. It’s…up…to…me now? I thought about all my parents have handled over the years when it came to our beach trips. I thought about all they packed. All they carried back and forth from beach to condo. I thought about the cleverly packed cooler and the perfectly stocked beach bags. My anxiety was...

After 10 years with the Louisiana Department of Health, the time came for me to make a career change. However, we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. My current contract was ending on June 30th, and we had not yet made it beyond Phase II of Governor Edward’s Executive Order. Add to that my husband who had been the Sous Chef for L’Auberge saw the news right along with you. So, here we were, both of us, transitioning financially during a pandemic. Fortunately for my husband, his talents were easily transferable to our catering business, Odom’s Kitchen. So, we began posting to all social media platforms and promoting our business harder than we ever had. To say that,...

I guess I have it backwards, right? We’re always harping on the pressure mothers feel to breastfeed their babies. That was the case with my first daughter, but not my second. With my first daughter, breastfeeding was a battle from the beginning. Lots of pain, a tongue-tie and major oversupply that kept each feeding from being anything but relaxing. It was because of my oversupply that I felt I had to keep going. Women dream of having this much milk, I’d think. I had no “valid” reason to quit.  I promised myself I would make it to 6 months and wean. That’s exactly what I did, and I never looked back.  Spit Happens Breastfeeding has come naturally and without any pain since the...

Confession: It's summertime during a worldwide pandemic and I had no idea what to write for this blog post. It has been eating away at me this entire week. I cannot tell you how many times I stared at my blank screen, cursor judgmentally blinking away at me. "You've got nothing interesting to say, Heather. You go to work, wait tables, change diapers, keep up with your weekly chore chart, school's out and the kids go from video games to trampoline, to asking what's for dinner, to eating anything but ground beef (it's expensive right now!) for dinner, then it's off to bed at 9 pm, where maybe they'll go to sleep without asking for water, maybe you'll take a...