Real Talk

I’m 2 months away from turning the big 40. You know, the official “over the hill” and entrance into that new phase of “feeling old.” By now, I’ve had high-school classmates pass away and parents of some friends pass away. I am reminded daily by younger demographics that I may be completely out of touch with what’s “cool,” and I don’t expect that to miraculously change after I turn 40. My body hurts. My finances are ok, but my taste has gotten more expensive. My friend circle is pretty defined, and my kids are well on their way to growing up as little know-it-alls. If you can’t tell, I am super stoked for this upcoming birthday. That being said, I’ve...

Here at Red Stick Mom, we offer dozens of ideas from diverse perspectives in our mom hacks, tips and tricks category. From taking road trips from Baton Rouge to meatless meals to natural cold remedies, we’ve written about it.  Not all of Red Stick Mom’s mom hacks, tips and tricks include easy recipes or mom’s self-care. Maybe you are looking for a better way to store your family’s precious photo memories. Maybe a DIY home project like a Home Workout Corner is something you want to do. We even get intimate with other topics like why every mom should try period panties and the value of a nursing cart when there’s a newborn in your home. Then there are the...

“I’m kind of an absent friend, like I will love you with my whole heart, and go out of my way to give you any help you need, but I tend to live in my own world, and suck at keeping up communication, and I’m really sorry to anyone who takes that personally” — The Minds Journal Reading that line hits me in the core. I’m sorry that I have been an absent friend. To my friends… I am lonely, and I need you. I typically stretch myself thin, way too thin to the point that I let my friendship and family interactions fall by the wayside. Even though I work several jobs, and go in several different directions every day,...

No screens before 24 months. Thereafter, children should have a maximum of 1 hour of screens until age 5. Why is this? We have all heard the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, but does it really matter? Is that just for television time or does that include educational content as well? What our family has learned from heeding screen recommendations. Some of the reasons for the recommendations of no screen time until 24 months is because research has shown that there are zero benefits to screens, educational or not. What studies have shown are that screens before 18 months of age affect children’s speech and language skills including reading skills and attention in the long-term. What do we do in place...

When my sisters and I were young girls, my family watched the mini-series, The Thorn Birds, almost religiously every time it was broadcast on network television. We were raised in a strict Catholic home, as evidenced by our family of five female siblings. None of us ever questioned how this tale of a conflicted Catholic priest became family canon, or even why we were allowed to watch such a film in the first place, but in hindsight (particularly in the wake of a much more aware cultural and moral battleground) has led to many questions that I think are worthy of exploration. If you are unfamiliar with the 1983 mini-series based on Colleen McCollough's novel of the same name, a...