Mari Walker

We may be “over” coronavirus, but it’s clear this pandemic is not over for us. Summer has looked a lot different for our family, and we’re certainly living a smaller life.I wouldn’t have called us an on-the-go, big-life family necessarily, but in hindsight, we definitely were! Last summer, my now-eight-year-old attended her first sleepaway camp with the Girl Scouts. We took a trip to the beach with my in-laws. Other day camps and church events were consistently on our calendar last year. Regular trips to the library for summer reading activities and overflowing bags of checked-out books have been features of every summer of my girls’ childhoods.Until now.Read the rest on Baton Rouge Parents magazine's website.

I haven’t been able to write a post for this blog in more than a month. I could blame being busy–I have taken on a temporarily bigger volunteer role with my church (ask me about video editing or live streaming!)–but that’s not it, or at least not entirely. Writing is normally my oxygen.  For blogging, I typically turn to my life and my daughters’ lives, but there’s much less to mine from life right now. Because of the pandemic, my family and I are living a much smaller life.
Read the rest on Baton Rouge Parents Magazine's website.

Once upon a time, in a life not so long ago, I got a chance to play the role of a lifetime: the “yes” Mom.In my normal life, I find myself saying “no” or some variation to my girls a lot. “Not right now,” or “We can talk about it later,” or “Let me finish this email (or blog post!)” or my favorite, “Ask your grandparents for that giant, expensive present you want.” Basically, there are many ways to say no even though I would certainly prefer to give them everything their hearts desire exactly when they want it!Read the rest on Baton Rouge Parents magazine's website.

“Does your house always look like this? Like, so messy?”My daughter’s friend asked innocently enough. I’ve pondered this question in the months since it was asked during that one-and-only sleepover we hosted. I was knee-jerk offended in the moment, of course, especially because the mess at hand was from the girls pulling out loads of toys to play with. But the more I sat with the question, I realized part of what she meant was: “Do you always keep toys out and easily accessible?” And the answer is yes, we do, and our house does always look like this: messy and overflowing with kid ephemera! That isn’t to say I don’t make an effort to corral the mess; I just know my family’s limitations and lifestyle.
Read the rest on Baton Rouge Parents magazine's website.

Looking at Maddee Helaire, you wouldn’t know anything is wrong. Although her struggle isn’t apparent, the 12 year old has been through a lot, starting in infancy.

The Helaire family didn’t have any time to prepare for the medical issues Maddee would face. Her mom, Tongé Helaire, had a normal, full-term pregnancy, but once Maddee was born, no one was sure what was going on.

Read the rest on the Baton Rouge Parents magazine website.

Matthew Bui can solve a Rubik’s Cube in 40 seconds, although his best time ever is 17 seconds. His older cousin taught him just last year, so Matthew’s progress on solving the 3-D puzzle is dazzling.

“It took me awhile, like two hours sitting with him to learn,” Matthew says. “I still solve it today because I find it to be a good hobby and a good way to pass the time.”

Read the rest on the Baton Rouge Parents magazine website.

As Education and Community sections editor, I wrote pages 16-23 and page 26 of the May 2020 issue of Baton Rouge Parents magazine. See the web layout on the magazine's website.