The Best of New Orleans Moms Blog :: The Top 10 Posts of 2016

1. 17 Mardi Gras Problems Only Kids Can Understand

“Oh sure, Mardi Gras is all fun and games if you’re a grown up. But have you ever stopped to think about the children? Those poor kids, they have Mardi Gras problems, you know.”

2. On Food Stamps & Designer Jeans

“Have you ever seen that mom wearing designer jeans and heels in front of you at the grocery store with two tiny kids in tow? The one who you don’t look twice at, until she pulls out a Food Stamp card? Now suddenly you find yourself questioning how she can afford that purse, those shoes, that makeup, those tattoos? It makes you feel a little guilty, but kind of angry and very confused.”

3. Dear Husband, I Am Not Mad at You

“When I seem frustrated with you and short with you, it is hardly ever about YOU. It is about me, and this age and stage we are in.

When I am completely spent at the end of the day, and I don’t have it in me to give you the attention you deserve, it is not because I’m mad at you. I am giving of myself all day, every day, and by 6:30, I sometimes have nothing left to give.”

4. Children Not Allowed to Attend Mardi Gras 2017

“Happy April Fool’s Day! There’s no way this great city would try to take away the magic of Mardi Gras from our children!!”

5. The Day My Son Almost Drowned :: A Lesson in Pool Safety

“My husband and I took our kids to my parents’ house to go swimming, like we do almost every Friday afternoon in the summer. My mom changed my son into his bathing suit, and I told him to wait a minute for me to put on his puddle jumper. I started giving my husband instructions for the baby – when to feed her and put her down for a nap – before I went outside. And then I realized I didn’t know where Ben was. It had been less than a minute. I called his name a couple of times. Then I called it again, panicking. My stomach sank as I ran towards the pool. My baby boy was on the far end of the pool with just his forehead peeking out from the water.”

6. How to Catch a Muses Shoe (and Other Elusive Carnival Throws) 

“A shoe, a shoe, please lady a shoe!! As a Muses rider, this is the anthem we hear for almost six miles. It’s the sing songy backdrop to our parade from the heart of Uptown to the depths of the Warehouse District. As I enter my tenth year of riding, I still find the enormity and intensity of the crowds a little overwhelming. When you look out into the sea of revelers, there will inevitably be those who stand out. After seeking counsel from my fellow contributors, and members of the other amazing ladies’ Krewes of Cleopatra, Iris, and Nyx, I’ve pulled together our best tips on how to catch a Muses shoe (and other elusive Carnival throws).”

7. I Don’t Like My Mother-in-law

“I don’t like my mother- in-law.

Really, I don’t. After ten years of marriage, a year or so of therapy, and many choice words and tears, I can finally admit it. I don’t like my mother-in-law. I am okay with that.”

8. Why My Daughter Never Wears a Puddle Jumper

“Her second rule was no puddle jumpers or floaties. Yes, you read that correctly. Her reasoning with regards to this advice is that puddle jumpers and floaties give kids a false sense of security because they sit higher up in the water. Then, when they don’t have the puddle jumper or floaties on, like when learning to swim, they are uncomfortable and scared because it feels unfamiliar and not as secure.“

9. 5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Preventing Child Sexual Abuse

“Life was different before entering the world of forensic interviewing. I was naïve to the prevalence of child sexual abuse in the United States. Currently, research suggests one out of ten children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. This is entirely too many. So here are 5 tips on how to help prevent child sexual abuse.”

10. How to Make Shoe Box Floats {A Mardi Gras Tradition for NOLA Kids}

“It’s Carnival time! And for some reason, Carnival always means craft time at my house. Whether it’s turning a wagon into a float or constructing some kind of costume, my glue gun is always HOT on King’s Day!

This time, I turned to a craft that’s a tradition for many a New Orleans kid – the shoe box float!”