My family has lived in Waco a total of 9 years (5 in the college years and then 4 years since our return to Texas!). Since we first moved here in 2004, so much has changed. Waco has recovered from decades of struggle and grown by leaps and bounds during our time here. It has become a destination town! I get asked all the time for recommendations of what to do during a trip to Waco and now with … [Read more...]
What to Do on a Whirlwind Trip to Albuquerque (with Kids in Tow!)
So many stops on our 6.5 week road trip around the U.S. deserve their own posts. I'm not sure if we'll ever get a chance to cover all our travels, but today we're spilling about Albuquerque, NM! As a Florida girl through and through, I was surprised how much I loved experiencing the Southwest. I've never spent any extended time on that side of the country and it really is amazing. It's fierce … [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...]
Why I Could Live in Boise
While we were planning our six week road trip around the U.S. we knew we needed to make a stop to recover from several nights of camping at Grand Tetons and Yellowstone before driving on to Bend, Oregon and Crater Lake National Park. Boise was the perfect distance. But we'd never been to Boise or knew much about it at all. We definitely weren't expecting to absolutely love it. After five … [Read more...]
Things to Love About Louisville, KY
I've wanted to visit Louisville for a long time and the stars finally aligned when we were planning our six week road trip around the country. We knew we were stopping at Mammoth Cave National Park and the Abbey of Gethsemani (because we believe in taking children all kinds of places). The Abbey is just over an hour away and we couldn't pass up the chance to spend some time in Louisville before … [Read more...]
Why You Should Take Your Kids to Caves, Monasteries, and Fancy Hotels
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...]
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...]
Saints and Pirates! A Travel Guide to St. Augustine for Young Families
Daniel and I went to St. Augustine for our honeymoon, so it holds a special place in our hearts. I immediately fell in love with the rich history of the Old City, but it wasn’t until after we converted that I realized what an amazing Catholic heritage it has! The first Mass in the New World was celebrated on September 8, 1565 on the shores of St. Augustine and the oldest devotional site in the New … [Read more...]
Why New Orleans Has My Heart and How to Visit with Young Kids and Have a Blast
We have some history in New Orleans. Daniel grew up there and I think that's where he picked up his appreciation for good food--something I'm really glad he brought into our family culture. NOLA's also about halfway between Waco, TX (where I went to college) and our hometown, Tallahassee, FL. Daniel and I met in New Orleans one weekend when I was a freshman and we were "just friends" before … [Read more...]
A Trip to the Ancient City
Last weekend my husband swept me away for a weekend in St. Augustine to celebrate our sixth anniversary (we went there for our honeymoon). After a scramble to pack with two little ones underfoot (note to self: next time pack when they’re sleeping) including tears when I couldn’t figure out how to fold up the maddening pack n’play (why do they make them so impossible?), we were off with this … [Read more...]
