The Beautiful Chaos of Motherhood

Most mornings in our home begin before the sun has fully risen.

Our four-year-old wakes up like clockwork right at sunrise — like a little rooster announcing the start of the day. My husband is usually the first one up with him, quietly slipping out of bed to start the coffee and keep the kids entertained while the baby and I slowly wake up.

Those early moments of the morning are often the calmest part of the day.

Before we let our dog out into the backyard, we always do a quick “gator check.” Living in Florida means even the smallest daily routines look a little different than they used to in Oregon.

Once everyone is awake and breakfast is finished, we try to head outside for our morning walk as a family. These walks have become one of my favorite parts of the day. The Florida sunshine, the quiet neighborhood, and the time together before the day fully begins always help ground our family.

After that, we usually settle into our homeschool routine.

Starting the Day with Faith

We begin our school day with Gospel reading and then move into math.

It’s a simple routine, but starting our day rooted in Scripture helps set the tone for everything that follows.

Of course, homeschooling with four young children rarely unfolds in a peaceful, orderly way.

More often than not, the most chaotic moment of the day comes right when the baby is ready for a nap.

That’s when the little ones suddenly decide that what they really want to do is run around the house pretending to be dinosaurs and wrestling each other — all while I’m trying to keep the homeschool day moving forward.

There are many moments where I feel pulled in every direction at once.

But somehow, even in the middle of the noise and chaos, there are small moments of grace.

Small Moments of Tenderness

Almost every day, I catch a glimpse of something that stops me in my tracks.

My boys can be wild, energetic, and loud — but they are also incredibly tender with their baby sister.

Watching them gently talk to her, hold her hand, or try to make her laugh is one of the sweetest parts of this season of life.

Those moments remind me just how beautiful family life truly is.

Looking to the Saints

During difficult days of motherhood, I often find myself thinking about the saints.

One that comes to mind frequently is St. Felicity, who courageously raised seven sons in the faith. I can only imagine the strength and patience that must have required.

I also reflect often on our Blessed Mother.

Mary raised and taught Jesus as a toddler. She cared for Him through all the ordinary moments of childhood — feeding Him, comforting Him, guiding Him.

When motherhood feels overwhelming, I often ask for her guidance and patience throughout the day.

A Strong Family

One of the greatest blessings in this season of life is my husband’s support.

Since moving to Ave Maria, his relationship with our children has grown even stronger.

He is a powerful influence in the lives of our sons, especially our oldest. And when the baby needs my attention during homeschool, he steps in without hesitation and continues the lesson right where I left off.

Watching him guide and teach our children reminds me how important the presence of a strong father is in family life.

What I Hope My Children Remember

Motherhood at this stage of life is loud, messy, exhausting, and beautiful all at once.

There are toys on the floor, dishes in the sink, and children asking for snacks at the exact moment the baby wakes up from her nap.

But underneath all of that is something deeply meaningful.

When my children look back on these years, I hope what they remember most is not the chaos.

I hope they remember the strength of our family.

I hope they remember the love that filled our home.

And I hope they remember that through every ordinary moment of childhood, our family was always rooted in faith and in one another.

From Lent to Easter: Welcoming the Joy of the Resurrection

As Holy Week draws to a close, there is a quiet anticipation in our home.

Lent is a season we take seriously as a family. It is slower, more reflective, and intentionally simple. Our home even looks different during these forty days. Purple decorations replace the brighter colors of ordinary time, a small reminder that we are walking through a season of preparation.

But as we approach Easter, everything begins to shift.

The purple will soon come down.
White will take its place.
And our home will begin to reflect the joy of the Resurrection.

How Our Family Observes Lent

Lent with four young children looks a little different than it might in other seasons of life.

Our children are still small — ages seven, four, two, and eight months — so our focus is less on strict sacrifices and more on creating habits that draw our family closer to Christ.

This year, we observed Lent by increasing our family prayer time and adding morning reflection walks together. Those quiet walks have become one of my favorite parts of the season. Walking together as a family in the morning light gives us space to talk, reflect, and simply be together.

We also observed the traditional Friday abstinence from meat and made a special effort to attend Mass during the week whenever we could.

These small rhythms help anchor our family in the meaning of the season.

Holy Week with Young Children

Holy Week is always a powerful time in the Church, but with very young children it can require a little creativity.

Our family attends Mass on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday each year. Eventually, I hope we’ll reach the stage where our toddlers can sit through the Stations of the Cross and the Easter Vigil as well.

But we’re not quite there yet.

For now, my husband and I simply trade off so each of us can participate when the other needs to step out with the younger children.

It may not look perfect, but it’s the season of life we’re in — and it’s a beautiful one.

Preparing Our Home for Easter

One tradition I’ve come to love is preparing our home during the final week of Lent.

I spend those days cleaning everything from top to bottom. Closets, floors, kitchens — every corner of the house gets attention.

Even the dog gets a bath.

There is something deeply satisfying about entering Easter with a home that feels fresh, clean, and renewed. It feels symbolic in a way — as if the house itself is preparing for the new season.

During Lent our home is decorated in purple, but for Easter I bring out white.

White flowers.
White linens.
And my favorite — a small collection of white bunnies that make their appearance every Easter season.

These small details help our children see that something special is happening.

Helping Children Understand Easter

One of the challenges of raising young children in the faith is finding ways to help them understand such profound mysteries.

One simple tradition our children love is watching The King of Kings. It’s become one of their favorite movies, and it does a beautiful job telling the story of the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ in a way they can understand.

Children absorb so much through stories, and it’s been a wonderful way to help them grasp the meaning of Holy Week.

The Joy of Easter

After forty days of Lent, Easter always feels like a deep breath of fresh air.

The sacrifices of Lent give way to celebration.

The quiet reflection turns to joy.

And the Church proclaims the most hopeful truth in the history of the world:

Christ is risen.

For our family, Easter is a reminder that even in the middle of busy days, sleepless nights with babies, homeschooling challenges, and the beautiful chaos of family life, hope is always present.

The Resurrection reminds us that new life is always possible.

And that hope is something worth celebrating.

Traveling with Young Children: What Our Family Has Learned

Traveling with children is one of those things that sounds simple in theory and much more complicated in practice.

As a family of six with four young children — ages seven, four, two, and eight months — traveling has become a regular part of our life.

All of our extended family still lives in Oregon, so even after moving to Ave Maria, we expect to continue traveling back and forth several times each year.

Over time, we’ve learned that traveling with children requires a different mindset. It isn’t always easy, but it can be incredibly rewarding.

Starting Early

One thing that has helped our family tremendously is that we started traveling with our children when they were very young.

Our babies have taken their first flights at just two months old, and since then we’ve continued flying regularly — usually at least three times each year.

Because of that, flying has simply become a normal part of life for our kids.

In fact, they absolutely love it.

Airports feel like an adventure to them, and airplanes are endlessly fascinating. Watching their excitement when we board a flight is one of my favorite parts of traveling together.

Choosing the Right Way to Travel

When we moved across the country to Florida, we decided to try something different.

Instead of flying, we rented a Class C motorhome and made the cross-country journey by road.

It was certainly an adventure and a memorable experience for our family. Traveling slowly, seeing different parts of the country, and sharing that time together created some wonderful memories.

But if I’m being honest, I still prefer flying.

It’s the way we’re used to traveling as a family, and it allows us to reach our destination much more quickly — which can be a gift when traveling with small children.

Going forward, flying will likely remain our primary way of visiting family.

Learning to Travel Light

One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned over the years is the importance of traveling as lightly as possible.

When you have young children, the list of things you could bring feels endless.

Car seats.
Strollers.
Pack and plays.
Diaper bags.
Snacks.
Extra clothes.
Comfort items.

It’s very easy to feel like you need to bring half your house with you.

But over time we’ve learned to prioritize functionality over quantity.

We focus on bringing only what we truly need and letting go of the idea that we must be prepared for every possible situation.

Traveling lighter makes everything easier — from navigating the airport to settling into our destination.

The Joy of Family Visits

Despite the logistics and occasional chaos, traveling with children has always felt worth it to our family.

Being able to visit grandparents, cousins, and extended family members is something we deeply value.

Those relationships matter, and the memories created during those visits are something our children will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Traveling with young children might require a little extra patience and flexibility, but the time spent together with family makes it meaningful.

Making Visits Easier for Families

Our experiences traveling with young children have also shaped something new for our family since moving to Ave Maria.

When families come to visit grandparents here, they often face the same challenge we’ve experienced while traveling: bringing everything a baby or toddler might need.

Strollers, pack and plays, high chairs, and other baby gear can quickly become overwhelming to transport.

That’s one of the reasons we started Her Mantle Baby Co.

Our goal is simply to make visits with grandchildren a little easier by providing clean, safe baby gear delivered right to the home.

It’s a small way we hope to serve families in the Ave Maria community and help them focus on what matters most — spending time together.

Learning to Homeschool with Four Young Children

When our family moved to Ave Maria a few months ago, we stepped into several new adventures all at once.

We moved across the country from the Pacific Northwest, unpacked our home, adjusted to life in Florida, and began homeschooling our children.

To be honest, homeschooling was something we had thought about for a long time, but we were still very new to it.

Since we moved in the middle of the school year, one of the greatest blessings was that the Catholic school our children attended in Oregon sent us home with their workbooks and learning materials. That made a huge difference for us, because it helped ensure that we could finish the school year on track even while transitioning into homeschooling.

Those resources gave us a wonderful starting point as we began finding our own rhythm at home.

Finding Our Homeschool Rhythm

When I first began homeschooling, I tried to recreate something very similar to the traditional school schedule our children were used to.

We had structured times.
We had specific subjects scheduled at specific hours.
I tried to run our homeschool day much like a classroom.

But over time I realized something important: homeschooling doesn’t have to look like school.

Instead of holding tightly to a rigid schedule, I’ve slowly shifted toward a more child-led rhythm.

Now, at the beginning of each day, I give my oldest a list of about half a dozen things that need to be accomplished — math, writing, reading, and a few other subjects. He gets to choose the order he completes them and the pace at which he works through them.

Some days move quickly.
Some days move slowly.

But the freedom has made learning feel much more natural.

Every Week Looks Different

There are still a few things we hold to regularly during the week.

We attend homeschool meetups with other families, and we try to make regular trips to the library.

But beyond that, every week tends to look a little different.

One of the biggest blessings of homeschooling has been the flexibility it offers our family.

Recently, my parents came to visit us for an entire week. Instead of feeling tied to a strict school schedule, we were able to spend time exploring Southwest Florida together.

We went on nature adventures.
We spent time at the beach.
We explored new parks.

Those kinds of days remind me that learning doesn’t always happen at a desk.

Teaching Three Children (and Holding a Baby)

Of course, homeschooling with four young children is rarely calm or quiet.

My oldest is very ambitious and tends to pick things up naturally. Sometimes it feels like he learns things faster than I can even teach them.

My younger children are still too young for structured lessons, but they desperately want to be involved in whatever their older brother is doing. Most days I can keep them busy with a simple worksheet or coloring page while I work with him.

But if I’m being honest, many homeschool moments look something like this:

Trying to explain a math problem while handing out snacks.

Helping with handwriting while consoling the baby.

Hoping for a nap so I can finally have two hands free to fold laundry or start dinner.

School can move slowly some days.

And that’s okay.

Learning Alongside My Children

One interesting discovery I’ve made is that some subjects come more naturally to me than others.

I personally gravitate toward math and writing, so those are the subjects I enjoy teaching the most.

Art and history, on the other hand, are more of a stretch for me. Those subjects are definitely areas where I’m learning and growing alongside my children.

Homeschooling has reminded me that education isn’t just for the kids.

It’s a journey for the parents too.

Learning Outside the Classroom

One of our favorite parts of living in Florida has been the ability to explore so many beautiful natural spaces.

We’ve especially loved visiting places like the Florida Panther Conservancy and the many old cypress parks scattered throughout Southwest Florida.

These places have become some of our favorite “classrooms.”

Our family has always tried to live a fairly tech-free lifestyle, so being outdoors together is something we value deeply.

The Florida sunshine has made that easier than ever.

The Blessing of Time Together

Homeschooling can certainly be difficult in the day-to-day moments.

There are messy days.

There are loud days.

There are days where it feels like everyone needs something from me at the exact same time.

But when I step back and look at the bigger picture, I can see something beautiful happening in our family.

My children’s relationships with one another are growing stronger.

Their relationship with me and with their dad has deepened.

We spend our days learning, praying, exploring, and growing together.

And that time together is something I will always treasure.

For any moms who might be considering homeschooling, I would simply say this:

It isn’t always easy.

But it has been an incredible blessing for our family.

Why Our Family Moved to Ave Maria

A few months ago, our family packed up our lives in the Pacific Northwest and moved across the country to a small town in Southwest Florida called Ave Maria.

When people hear that we moved with four young children — ages seven, four, two, and eight months — the first question is usually:

“Why Ave Maria?”

The answer really began over two years ago.

Searching for a Place to Raise Our Family

My husband and I both grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Our extended families are still there, and Oregon will always hold a special place in our hearts. It’s where we met, where we went to college together, and where we began our life as a young married couple.

But as our family grew, we started asking deeper questions about the kind of environment we wanted to raise our children in.

We wanted a place where faith wasn’t something that had to stay hidden or quietly practiced. We wanted our children to grow up surrounded by families who shared our values — families who believed in faith, family life, and the importance of community.

So we started researching strong Catholic communities around the country.

Again and again, one name kept coming up.

Ave Maria.

Discovering Ave Maria

At first it almost felt too good to be true — a town intentionally built around the Catholic faith, centered around a beautiful church, where families were raising children with a shared commitment to faith and community.

But the more we researched, the more intrigued we became.

For over two years we talked about it, prayed about it, and wondered if such a big move was really possible for our family.

Moving across the country is never a small decision. It meant leaving our extended family behind in Oregon, stepping away from everything familiar, and starting over somewhere completely new.

But as our fourth child arrived and the cultural climate around us continued to change, the desire to raise our children in a place like Ave Maria grew stronger and stronger.

Eventually we realized something.

If we truly believed this was the kind of place we wanted to raise our children… we had to be willing to take the leap.

So we did.

A Leap of Faith

Moving across the country with four young children was not exactly a quiet or peaceful process.

Our house was filled with boxes, toys, baby gear, and a level of chaos that only families with small children truly understand.

But underneath all of that chaos was a deep sense of peace that we were making the right decision for our family.

When we finally arrived in Ave Maria, it felt like the beginning of a completely new chapter.

Life in Ave Maria

We’ve only been here a few months, but already we’ve noticed something special about this community.

Families here genuinely care about one another.

Children fill the parks and sidewalks.

Faith isn’t something that happens only on Sundays — it’s woven into everyday life.

Our family has also begun a new adventure: homeschooling.

We’re still very new to it, but I’m already seeing something beautiful happening in our home. The relationships between our children are growing stronger. Our days feel more intentional. And we’re finding ways to weave prayer and the Gospels naturally into daily life.

Of course, motherhood with four young children is rarely calm or quiet.

Most days I feel like I’m being pulled in four directions at once. Someone needs help with schoolwork, someone else needs a snack, the toddler wants to be outside, and the baby is ready for a nap.

It’s a beautiful chaos.

But in the middle of it all, I’m deeply grateful that our children are growing up in a place where faith, family, and community are valued.

A Life Rooted in Faith and Family

As a family, we try to live intentionally around the rhythms of our faith.

We pray together.
We read Scripture together, often focusing on the Gospels.
We celebrate feast days and the lives of the saints.

We’ve also made a conscious decision to keep our home mostly tech-free. Instead, we spend a lot of time outdoors — enjoying the Florida sunshine, exploring, and simply being together.

These are the moments that make up childhood.

And they are the moments we want our children to remember.

Building Something to Serve Families

Our experience traveling with children — especially flying back and forth to visit family in Oregon — also inspired something new for our family.

Traveling with babies and young children often means packing what feels like half your house.

Cribs, strollers, high chairs, baby monitors… the list never seems to end.

That experience is part of what inspired us to start Her Mantle Baby Co. — a small local service here in Ave Maria that helps families prepare when grandchildren or visiting relatives come to town.

It’s our small way of serving the community we’re so grateful to now be a part of.

A New Chapter

Leaving Oregon wasn’t easy.

Our families are still there, and we miss them often.

But we also believe deeply that God sometimes calls families into new seasons — seasons that require courage, trust, and a willingness to step into the unknown.

For our family, Ave Maria feels like the beginning of that new chapter.

And we’re excited to see what God has in store for our family here.