Real Talk

I knew I was pregnant on my twenty-seventh birthday. I had wanted a baby for so long, though, that I didn't want to spoil my birthday if I took a test and it was negative. So the day after my birthday, I took a test and sure enough two pink lines confirmed what I already knew. My friend was one of the first people that I told about the pregnancy. I was in her van, and we pulled over onto the side of the road so she could give me a hug and then we, well, squealed together with excitement. I was a little queasy for a few days, and then it stopped. I thought I had just gotten lucky...

It's dinner time, and the decision has been made to order takeout. What a relief, right? One less thing for this tired mama to worry about. But, wait. They want me to tell them what I want to order and from where. Yeah, I can't do that, and here's why. 1. 50% of my time away from work is spent coordinating the food in my family. I am in charge of creating the menu, making the lists, choosing which fruits and vegetables that I want to rot in the bottom drawers of the fridge, etc. I have officially depleted my food-related decision making capabilities for the week. 2. I just spent two hours scouring apps for coupons and setting my Target...

Disclosure :: our Breast Cancer Awareness series is sponsored by Baton Rouge General.  My Mom Has Breast Cancer and I Feel Helpless This is one of those posts that you dread writing - because you know you're going to have to unpack a lot of the feelings you're uncomfortable feeling because there's someone else out there that will relate. It's also a pretty selfish perspective so putting it ON THE INTERNET feels a little raw and gross but YOU'LL KNOW that I know so ... we'll all agree to start there. My parents have been married for 43 years. They've lived in the same house for 39 of them. Not super-big on change, my folks. Last year, their house flooded with almost six...

Disclosure :: our Breast Cancer Awareness series is sponsored by Baton Rouge General.  Hidden Scar Surgery {Changing the Lives of Breast Cancer Patients} Body image is something women struggle with all their lives - which is why a breast cancer diagnosis is so devastating. Breasts are symbolic of beauty, fertility, motherhood, femininity. For some women, the thought of losing them is inconceivable. Surgical scarring can make recovery even more difficult.  A new procedure called “hidden scar surgery” is changing the lives of breast cancer patients, and Baton Rouge General is one of the first hospitals to offer it. Dr. Everett Bonner, surgical oncologist and Chair of the hospital’s Breast Committee, is one of just a handful of physicians qualified to perform the...

I was recently watching one of my Friday guilty pleasures, "What Would You Do?" when John Quinones presented a conundrum that was near to my heart: should parents decide what sports their children play? Here was the scenario: a kid would plead with his parent, begging to play football. The parent wouldn't allow it, citing safety reasons. The social scenario, then, was whether strangers would intervene, and, if so, whose side they would support. Although the show presents its scenes somewhat objectively, there is usually a response they're hoping to solicit. The shocker for me, though, was that they seemed to be in support of the pleading child, no matter how scientific or well-founded the parent's logic was. I was frustrated...