If all goes as planned, on Christmas Day my mother and I will show up at the movie theatre with my six-year-old and eight-year-old daughters to see Greta Gerwig’s new adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel Little Women. It will be exactly twenty-five years (to the day) since I watched the 1994 film with my mom when it opened in theatres. This upcoming cinematic rite of passage has … [Read more...]
When God Loves You Through Your Kids
It was three months after my fourth baby was born and I had been feeling like I was going to have a panic attack all morning. On the verge of tears, lump in my throat, brain whirring through all the things that needed to get done. On repeat: “You’ll never get it all done. You’re terrible at everything. You’re failing at everything in your life. Mothering? Homeschooling? Writing? Housekeeping? … [Read more...]
What Bakonzo Naming Conventions Taught Me about the Gift of Siblings
Give a warm Carrots welcome to one of my favorite people in the universe, my dear friend of 18 years and fellow writer, Katherine Grimm Bowers! I twisted her arm into writing a post for you for National Sibling Day.-Haley We were gathered around the bonfire, and our hosts had detected a trend. They couldn't believe it. We were, one and all, Brits and Americans alike, firstborn or maybe … [Read more...]
The Glorious Pro-Family Anti-Capitalism of My Neighborhood Mexican Restaurant
My favorite Instagram account to follow is that of the family-owned Mexican restaurant just down the road from my house. And it’s not because of carefully-curated, professional quality photos or excellent marketing material. There is none of that. In fact, this account is the opposite of everything “They” tell you to do to promote a business on social media. It’s primarily pictures of … [Read more...]
How We Share the “Mental Load” of Homemaking
I was recently intrigued by this visual depiction of women's workload and this related article that describes the "mental load" that is carried by most women who are homemakers. While I'm not crazy about the underlying tones in these pieces of that infer mothering and maintaining the home are insignificant drudgery or that all men are clueless when it comes to homemaking, I think there are … [Read more...]
Earning My Grey Hair (And Feeling Weird/Great About My 30s)
This month I turned 31 and birthdays always make me want to pause and reflect on life. Last year in the midst of moving across the country I was too busy to think, so I’m doing my reflecting this year. Here’s a true confession: I was NOT expecting turning 30 last year to be a big deal. But honestly, it kinda was. My identity is shifting. I’m no longer the super young mom that gets asked if … [Read more...]
It’s OK to Skip Your “20s” and Start Your Life
image source I turned 30 today. My 20s are officially over. Oh the 20s. Carefree years between college and the era of serious responsibility. Years to find yourself, travel the world, change your major, dabble in internships, and experiment with romance! At least that’s what the expectation seems to be, right? And popular advice would say that whatever you do, don’t tie yourself down too … [Read more...]
Our Secret Weapons to Keeping Young Kids Happy on Long Car Trips
We just wrapped up a 6.5 week road trip around the United States with three kids ages 6, 3, and 2. The almost 8,000 miles of driving was definitely an education in what works and what doesn’t work for keeping young children happy on a long trip! I thought I'd share a few ways we made it easy on ourselves and held onto our sanity. Planning the Trip For our trip of visiting friends, cities, … [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...]
5 Tips for Pursuing Your Dream When You Can’t Pursue Your Dream…Yet
I recently shared about the crazy life-changing adventure we’re going on next year. But I also want to address a few things that have come up in talking about it with you in the comments or social media about pursuing passions. There are different seasons to life. There are times when opportunity strikes and when it doesn’t. There are times when either the budget or your time cannot be … [Read more...]
