As loyal readers will know, my family of five is currently on a six week road trip around the United States before we begin our new life in Texas. We’re in week three and it’s been 90% wonderful and 10% sibling bickering, unexpected traffic, and unreasonable requests for snacks. We’ve camped, been hosted by friends, and stayed in hotels over the past 17 days. We’ve visited national parks, big … [Read more...]
NFP Should Be a Part of Parish Life
I have a proposal. It’s about bringing NFP out of the shadows and into parish life. Because as young Catholic married folk, we need help. We love and embrace the teachings of the Church on marriage, fertility, and openness to life. We desire to be faithful to these teachings by choosing not to contracept and acknowledging the truth that sex and babies are designed to go together. And we are … [Read more...]
NFP Post Extravaganza
We're one week into our crazy 6 week family road trip, folks! And it's going great. We hit Atlanta, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Grandfather Mountain, NC, and Beech Mountain, NC. But I haven't had much time with an internet connection so I didn't realize it was NFP Awareness Week this week. There's been a good many posts about NFP at Carrots over the years, so I thought I'd link … [Read more...]
That Time I Cut Gwen’s Hair (!)
So I did something this morning. Kind of on a whim. I cut my baby girl's hair. First hair cuts are always a pretty big deal but not everyone's barely 2-year-old has hair down to her hips. So it was a SUPER big deal. I've been pulling for a cute summer bob for awhile but Daniel wasn't ready to say goodbye to her baby curls. So I put him on hair washing/conditioning/detangling duty which he … [Read more...]
What Don Draper Could Learn from Pa Ingalls and Wendell Berry
I love Mad Men. The writing, the aesthetic, everything. It’s a brilliant show and it gave me a sense of what it must have been like to live in that era. One of the fascinating themes of the show is the rise of the women in the workplace. Whether it’s the working mom like Joan Harris or the ambitious career woman, Peggy Olson, we see the struggles and challenges of balancing family, work, and … [Read more...]
20 States + 6 Weeks + 3 Kids + One Van = Our Next Crazy Idea
Give a warm welcome to my husband Daniel, known on the internets as Daniel Bearman. I don't even know why anymore. But folks call him that. He's spilling the beans on what we're up to after we move out of our house in Florida but before we arrive in TX. And it's either one of the best ideas we've ever had or a nightmare of epic proportions. - Haley By now, most of you have heard the news … [Read more...]
8 Ways to Help a Mom Struggling with Severe Morning Sickness
Give a warm welcome to Rachel of Efficient Mama who's sharing about supporting women with severe morning sickness or hyperemisis gravidarum. Since I've had HG for two out of three pregnancies, I say YES to all of Rachel's advice! - Haley I've gone through two pregnancies now that had pretty severe morning sickness, the first being the worst. When I tell you it was severe, I'm talking puking … [Read more...]
Five Favorites: Household Supplies (and a Gift for You!)
I'm linking up with Rachel today for #5Faves on this fine Wednesday. I almost never am on top of things enough to do link ups on the right day but here I am sharing my five favorite household products that I order from ePantry every month! Last fall as we were getting the house ready to put on the market, I was trying to figure out how to make my life easier and part of that meant not having to … [Read more...]
5 Saints Every Nursing Mom Should Know
We know that Pope Francis has supported breastfeeding women (even in church) and Our Lady offers a beautiful example of motherly love when she's depicted nursing in the tradition of Christian art. There is wonderful encouragement for nursing mothers in our faith, but some of us still face difficult challenges when we try to breastfeed. As a mama who has struggled with breastfeeding, I was … [Read more...]
Our Homeschooling Plans (with a 1st Grader, a Preschooler, a Toddler, and a Cross Country Move)
My inbox has been filling up with questions about homeschooling lately, so it must be that time of year to start thinking about curriculum for the fall! Just Starting Out? If you are thinking about homeschooling or just getting your feet wet, I highly recommend two lovely books: Teaching in Your Tiara: A Homeschooling Book for the Rest of Us by Rebecca Frech Teaching from Rest: A … [Read more...]
