Real Talk

Dear Single Moms in Baton Rouge, We are a little over a month into the new year, and reflecting on life seasons and growth is often helpful in motivating ourselves for what the year has to offer. I was a single mom for three years, and when I think back to my moments as a single mom, several words come to mind that describe me at that time: survivor, warrior, worrier, depleted, and lonely. I had the most wonderful gift in the world, my baby girl, but with the blessing came immense challenges. At the time, I was the only single mother at the job that I worked, so my work ethic and performance had to rival those with much more resources,...

Unresolutions {Part 1} My family lived a ludicrous year 2023. We dealt with 11 months of recurrent-boil-raising MRSA in both our kids (and the attendant dozens of doctors' appointments). Our older son was bullied at school, and we spent almost the entire academic year battling an administration that refused to address the problem, file the appropriate (and legally required) paperwork, or change his classroom environment. We had put our mortgage in forbearance, not knowing that would mean having to pay back a 5-digit amount all at once at the end of that period despite the mortgage company's casual assurances. A child brought a weapon to our older son's school, and the school administration neglected to inform the parents for over 2...

February Is CHD Awareness Month :: Know The Signs February is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Month. Here are some statistics: - There are 40 types of congenital heart defects. - 40,000 babies are born in the USA with CHD every year, that equates to 1 in 100 children. One child every 15 minutes will receive a diagnosis. - Around 25% of children who have CHD will need heart surgery or other types of interventions to survive. - CHD is a leading cause of death in infants and children, twice as many children will die from CHD as they will from all forms of childhood cancer combined. Yet childhood cancer research funding is five times higher than CHD research funding - Baton Rouge does NOT have a...

Banned Books I Encourage My Teen To Read By definition, book banning is the act of removing materials from a school or library as a result of objections from groups or individuals who say they need to protect others from the difficult information or ideas contained in the books. These controversial topics include everything from sexuality and religious views to information on racial and social injustices. I am a strong believer that for the most part, reading should not be censored. Growing up, I gained a wealth of knowledge and empathy through books. Learning about different views, experiences, and life paths from books has shaped me into a woman and mom who is able to spread my empathy to others around...

Setting Your 2024 Goals - and Keeping Them! If you close your eyes and reflect on 2023, or the many years before, can you recall making resolutions at the start of a new year? Did you keep them? Were they life-changing, achievable, and worth the effort put in? Did they require sufficient sacrifice, altering of annoying habits, and financial investments for the betterment of self? New Year's goals are nothing new, and roughly 4/10 of us set goals every year. And with that said, most of us have historically set similar goals. According to Forbes' New Year's Resolution Statistics, the top goals set for the new year include some form of fitness goals, finance goals, and goals for improving mental health....