My older brother likes to do this bit from a comedian whenever I tell him how tired I am from parenting. It’s about idea that being a mom is the hardest job in the world. The comedian lists off occupations requiring backbreaking and dangerous labor and then says, “Do Moms REALLY have the most difficult job on the planet? Bending at the waist to put those DVDs in DVD trays?” So when I plop in a … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2016
Learning to Embrace My Strong-Willed Child’s Temperament
When my oldest kid was a newborn, he was extremely colicky. He cried for most of his first year and even when he wasn’t crying, he was still very high needs. His intensity startled me. Daniel and I are both pretty easy going, but our child was the opposite. I remember spending so much of that exhausting year trying to change my baby. If only I could turn him into the kind of baby that sleeps! … [Read more...]
What Lady Mary and the Proverbs 31 Woman Have That I Don’t
I grew up in the Bible belt. I heard a LOT about the Proverbs 31 Woman--the wife of noble character. I attended whole bible studies about this woman described in Proverbs that we should all model our lives after! She’s busily working for her family and brings honor to her spouse. And we have her to thank for that whole “charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the Lord, she … [Read more...]
Finding Great Audiobooks for Kids (Including free options and a list of our favorites!)
Audiobooks are one of our family’s secrets to happy road trips AND peaceful afternoon rest time. For some reason, having to pay attention to the story of an audiobook keeps everyone so much quieter and happier than trying to play a movie in the car. As a homeschooling work-at-home mom, I desperately need my kids to have a consistent afternoon quiet time or else I lose my sanity (and it's not … [Read more...]
This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 155 (“Name That Saint” Edition)
We are having an awesome weekend with some of our best friends who made the long trek from Florida to stay on the farm with us for a couple of days. We live....ahem...simply out here and since our apartment is tiny, the only place we have to put people up is what's called "The Nicaragua House" which is modeled after one room homes in third world countries. The farm has a third world poverty … [Read more...]
The Story of Us (Who we are and what we’re doing)
photo source In the past few years Carrots has grown from one reader (my mom) to thousands and yet I often forget that not everyone reading today has been with us from the beginning of this blogging journey. So for all of you who are new and might not know our story, here’s a little post about who we are and what we’re doing. I’m Haley Stewart, a Catholic convert, and wife to Daniel … [Read more...]
Do You Miss Downton Abbey? Watch Poldark. Just Trust Me.
Downton Abbey is wrapped up with a bow (perhaps a little too perfectly, but I’m not going to complain about how happy the series finale made me). Obviously we all need SOMETHING British with fancy gowns and drama to watch, yes? Let me assure you that Poldark is that something. Here's why it's worth watching: 1. The costuming. I am convinced that this is the era for me. Sure, there’s no … [Read more...]
We’re All Screwing Up Our Kids
The other day I was telling a friend about some parenting challenges I was facing and how overwhelmed and inadequate I felt about mothering one of my kids. He said, “You know, I realized the other day that there is absolutely no way I won’t screw up my kids to some degree. It’s just going to happen. My parents are fantastic and I still have issues because of their parenting choices. My kids will … [Read more...]
This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 154 (First Holy Communion Edition!)
photo by Andrea Dahm The big news around these parts is that this handsome dude received his First Holy Communion last Saturday night. It was one of the best days of my life and definitely a red letter day in parenthood. Since I'm a convert, it's all new to me to go through this process with a child, but oh so special! Seven has been a great age so far. Benjamin has always been a … [Read more...]
Good Music Monday: Spring 2016
It's been ages and ages since Good Music Monday has shown up at Carrots! So, here's a Spotify playlist just for you to enjoy on this beautiful spring Monday whether you're making the morning drive, cleaning up the breakfast dishes, or whatever your day requires. Here's a mix of what I've been listening to lately when I need a boost. It's a pretty eclectic mix with some old songs and some new. I … [Read more...]
