Raising Readers One Book at a Time
by Mari Walker on
A recent Baby Center email for my seven year old (yes, I still open them to read about her development!) had the headline, “How to Encourage Reading.” I laughed and read along, knowing the advice doesn’t apply to me just now.... Read full article
Play! Create! Imagine! (and then Clean. It. Up.)
by Ellen Mecholsky on
I walk a very fine line between wanting my children to play and create and imagine...and wanting/NEEDING a tidy house to function at my best. I need order around me to feel relaxed and productive. If I wake up in the morning and I am greeted by a tra... Read full article
For the Love of the Arts
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When Jenny Ballard was 11 years old, her parents took her to see a play. It was Shakespeare’s As You Like It–an experience that she’s never forgotten. “I remember the way it transformed the way I thought about the world,” she says. “From the lights g... Read full article
Finished, But Not Done (Making the Decision to Complete Our Family)
by Ellen Mecholsky on
As parents, we all ask each other similar questions about parenthood: “How is your baby sleeping? How do you handle tantrums? Are you getting your kid a cell phone?” But the question I get most often these days, as a mother of three children who are ... Read full article
The Remembering: Reflections on My Pregnancy Loss
by Ellen Mecholsky on
It starts the first week of December, the remembering. I had felt her move for the first time in the car driving home from a Thanksgiving trip to Florida, which is why I suspect my anniversary grief stress begins so early. I subsequently gave birth t... Read full article
Just Another Pinterest Fail
by Tommie Loftin on
Ok, I admit it. I am not a Pinterest mom. I’ve tried and failed and tried again. It’s just not in the cards for me. My cupcakes are not organic, and my sandwiches still have the crusts on, and I’m lucky if I match when I walk out the door every morni... Read full article
Reading to Bump and Baby
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“My four year old reads at a third-grade level,” proudly beams Isaiah F.A. “Yesh” Cohen, Ph.D., a young father of three girls. “As we read certain words Rachel doesn’t know, I write them down so that she can learn them later. We’re working on the low... Read full article
Rolling with the Good Times: Navigating Baton Rouge’s Mardi Gras with Kids
by Ellen Mecholsky on
When my husband and I moved to Baton Rouge, we had absolutely no idea about Mardi Gras. I mean, sure, we had heard of “Fat Tuesday” and had the vague sense that beads were involved, but the Louisiana Mardi Gras EXPERIENCE was a complete unknown. That... Read full article
7 Fun Things To Do After Thanksgiving Dinner
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Since quality time with friends and family can be hard to come by these days, consider using that after-dinner time to create a new family tradition. ... Read full article
Rich in Blessings
by Toby Comeaux on
My life is busy. Not just a little busy, but seriously jammed from start to finish. It didn’t always seem so wild, and up until recently, I thought we had a pretty firm handle on our time as a family. Recently, almost every single extra moment is com... Read full article