Houston Moms Top Posts {2021}

Well. That wasn’t quite the year we expected, was it? I know we all went into 2021 hoping for all great things and less pivots but Covid had other plans. Still, we hope that you managed to have great joy, create some incredible memories with your family and dear ones, and got out to enjoy this wonderful city of ours.

You may not know that Houston Moms is made up of 35+ contributing writers, all of whom selflessly volunteer to write organic content for YOU monthly. It is my great honor and privilege to publish these pieces from these talented mommas. And we hope that you’ve been as equally inspired, encouraged, or just had a good laugh from the material we publish 6 to 7 days a week for 51 weeks. We are proud of what we put into this space and it’s our goal to continue to bring you the best of the best in 2022 as well.

But before we can officially say hello to the new year, we want to celebrate the top 12 posts that you, our readership, enjoyed this year. And from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for faithfully reading {and sharing!} our content. It really is the heart of what we do at Houston Moms.

Let the countdown of Top 12 Posts from 2021 begin…

 

12. Three Things I Learned from Road Tripping Solo with My Kids {Rebecca Slocum}

“I fully expected to just grit my teeth and push through the 3.5 days of driving, and that all the fun would occur when we got to my friend’s home. I did not expect the travel time spent with my kids to be just as fun and exciting. As moms, I think we can agree that it’s pretty magical to see the world through your children’s eyes, especially something you might normally take for granted…”

11. What I Learned about Motherhood from a Mother of a Trans Child {Mary B}

“Then one day, L was Ellie.
You could visibly see how much tension had left her small body.
She blushed and thanked me when I complimented her outfit. Her smile reached her eyes.
I am so proud of Ellie. And I am so, so proud of my friend Shannon.
Shannon showed Ellie that home is a safe space by living that acceptance for years before it became their reality. Shannon is the most incredible example on how to raise a young transgender child. My greatest wish would be that every child {and especially every trans child} could grow up so secure and loved.
For me, our friendship has been like a master class on parenting. As a lifelong ally to the queer community, I was able to witness with fresh eyes how critical it is that we support parents of LGBTQIA+ children. Here are some of the big lessons in a nutshell…”

10. Meghan Markle and the Lies We’ve Been Told {Joi Bailey Green}

“This statement exists only to pacify the uncomfortable majority. I don’t know much – but I can tell you one thing with 100% certainty. People of color do not bring attention to racism because we like it and wish to share our happy experiences with discrimination. We do not make these things up in some wicked deep-seated desire to shame others. Without awareness, nothing changes. Had behaviors of the past not ever been publicized and challenged, my kids and I might be drinking from the “colored” water fountain today…”

9. Lost in Texas: Favorite Escapes from Around the State {Britany B}

“We’ve done the BIG Texas showstoppers: Austin, San Antonio, Dallas. I wanted to see the ones no one is yelling about. The ones you can get lost in and not mind.

I have found that part of the fun of traveling is in the place you rest your head. For me, home rentals {airbnb, vrbo, homeaway} are the first places I look. They often end up being more affordable and family-friendly {helllllo extra bedroom and kitchen table} than most hotels.

And they allow me to find gems. Quirky, fantastic places that are sometimes even more fun than the actual destination…”

8. Holy Grail of Hair: A Round Up of Must Haves {Meagan Clanahan}

“I am also not a beauty blogger or anything close to the sort. But I follow a lot of them and I’ve picked up a few things along the way. Basically, I am a copycat and I’ve been #influenced so here are my top products and styling tools for maintaining my hair health AND making it look semi decent. #Fingerscrossed…”

7. The Hidden Dangers of Promposals {Vicki}

“Also, can we just take a beat and talk about the pressure this puts on the parents who get pulled into these shenanigans? One of the most common themes that came out of my crowdsourcing was just how little involvement the teens actually have in these promposals and how much time, energy, effort and straight-up cash is required of the parents. And like it or not, most of that was being provided by the moms. Ladies, WHY DO WE KEEP DOING THIS TO OURSELVES?! It’s bananas! Don’t we have enough to juggle in 2021 without pouring over Pinterest boards and Facebook groups to help our kids come up marriage proposal-level ways to ask friends to school dances?”

6. Halfway: A Letter to My Son on his 9th Birthday {Sarah High}

“You don’t want to ride your bike home from school with me anymore, and beg me to not yell, “Have a great day at school!” when I drop you off. But in the rare times we get a quiet minute just the two of us, you will ask me questions about things you don’t understand. Oftentimes, these are heavy conversations about race, class, and morality, and I’m amazed and proud that you are considering these subjects. You will talk to me about what is bothering you and admit to things you have done that you wish you had handled differently. I hope that I respond to these conversations in a way that encourages you to keep having them with me…”

5. A Houston Moms Guide to Katy Asian Town {Anne R}

“There are so many things to love about Houston. At the top of many Houstonian’s lists is how beautify diverse our city is in terms of cultures, languages and flavors. We are so lucky to live in a city where you can connect with people from all over the country and world, often times within your own neighborhood. One such destination is Katy Asian Town.”

4. 25 Elf on the Shelf Ideas to Delight Your Kids in December {Ann Herlocher}

“Whether you go big or go small, remember to have fun. As with so many things throughout motherhood, my kids’ reaction is the reason I do this year after year. They love it, talk about it throughout the year leading up to Christmas and I know it is a tradition they will remember for years to come.

So without further adieu, here is what our Elf on the Shelf has been up to during Decembers past…”

3. The Hypocrisy: Sexism in the Evangelical Church {Bethany Dufilho}

“All of these messages of complementarianism about who, what, and how women should exist in the world are sexist and damaging. Period. Saying that men are the heads of the household, the spiritual leaders, and that only men can be ordained pastors pull from the same thread of patriarchy and sexism that says women should be trophy wives and maintain their appearance to keep their husbands faithful. This ideology contributes to and perpetuates rape culture by saying men are incapable of control and women should submit to them and never tell them no. It perpetuates victim-shaming by constantly teaching women that we alone control men’s behavior by our clothing and behavior rather than men being accountable for their own actions. It silences and devalues the unique voices and gifts of half the population.”

2. About That Skinny Jeans Thing: To My Fellow Millennials {Bethany Dufilho}

“My real disappointment in this whole skinny jeans debacle is how my generation is responding to these youngins’. We’ve snapped back with a lot of hot takes, “sit-downs,” and “listen-ups” rather than with a “you look cute!” or maybe even “where can I get jeans like that?” It seems our defensiveness is another sign of our age along with our skinny jeans and side parts. If we’re so confident in our current look, why not let that speak for itself? Let’s wear what we want, let the Gen Zers do the same, and pass off the judgment we may be feeling with a little “bless your heart” and a reminder to ourselves that one day they’ll get old too…”

  1. Girl, You are Doing Enough: Rachel Hollis and Toxic Hustle Culture {Elizabeth Baker}

“The part of Rachel Hollis’ latest rant that I want to address here, however, is her belief in and marketing of toxic hustle culture. This is the idea that hard work= financial success, and if you aren’t financially successful, it simply means you aren’t working hard enough.

Hollis’ book, Girl, Wash Your Face is a runaway bestseller because it sucks women in to the false belief that they aren’t achieving their dreams or aren’t rich because they aren’t hustling enough. And while this is sometimes true, it is far from a complete picture of what defines success and how people actually become rich in this country. What this idea ignores for the most part is socioeconomic and racial privilege {the point Hollis completely missed}, income disparity, and frankly, luck.”


We hope you enjoyed this recap and doing a deep dive on some of our top posts of the year! Houston Moms is so grateful for every single one of you. Wishing you all the best in 2022 and another fantastic year of one of our favorite things, words.

Looking for the things to do the remainder of the holiday season? We have you covered with our Ultimate Guide to Houston Holiday Events! There’s still time to revel in holiday lights and events until that ball drops.

And if you are looking for other December ideas, of course we have you covered there as well!

And if you have friends or family in town or you just want to visit the biggest and best Houston has to offer, we highly recommend checking out this Family Guide to Houston as well!

 

{Psssttt: We are so thankful to Lifetime of Clicks Photography for our amazing team headshots, all of which are featured in the bios above. She brought everyone to life this past spring and Houston Moms is incredibly grateful to have her as part of our team. If you are considering pregnancy, newborn, or family photographs, you want to go see Kelly!}


 

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Meagan Clanahan
Meagan is a Dallas native who has lived in the Katy area for over a decade. She kicked a soccer ball all the way to Louisiana to attend college at her family’s alma mater of LSU, where she promptly fell in love with a Texas Aggie in Baton Rouge for an internship. After swimming back to Texas following Hurricane Katrina, Matt and Meagan fell in love with the Houston area and now couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Following several years of infertility, their miracle twins Ryan and Quinn were born in June of 2010. She believes there is nothing better than a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio, a large Sonic Diet Coke, sushi take-out, Girls Nights Out, and a mindless book to curl up with. Besides playing chauffeur and catering to the whims of her children, Meagan also is the Co-Owner of Houston Moms Blog. You can keep up with Meagan at The Clanahan Fam and on Instagram @meaganclanahan!

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