about with quiet hands

I had well-formulated plans for how I was going to parent, plans influenced by people who “knew best.” But the moment my precious baby was put in my arms, my instincts and my plans conflicted. Two roads diverged in the wood, and I was completely stumped as to which way to go.

I decided to ditch my plans and go with my intuition. This was terrifying. I saw parenting as a huge responsibility, and I wanted to do it right. My husband, Kevin, completely trusted me and encouraged me to go with my gut. So we chose the road less traveled.

By no means has it been an easy journey. It has taken countless hours of research, trial and error, countless deliberations, and a lot of grace. It’s difficult enough to raise a small human, but to do it with the world watching is unnerving. Our belief in attachment theory and decisions to have a natural childbirth, use cloth-diapers, breastfeed our toddler, and co-sleep have raised a few eyebrows. But as we’ve watched our children grow, we can already see evidence that we have chosen a good path.

I’m not writing this blog because we have it all figured out. I’m a flawed parent. I’m a flawed human. But I figure that there are people out there that are like us, parents who are trying to figure out what’s best for their child(ren), and need a little reassurance that they’re not the only ones alone on the road.

Well, you’re not alone.

We’d love to share the journey with you.

about us

I’m Kristin. This is how I look 90% of the time: un-showered, hair in messy bun, fruit snacks in my pocket, baby pee on me. When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a wife and a mom and writing the world’s best Christian romance novel. I’m happy to say that 2 of the 3 dreams have actualized!

Kevin is my husband and best friend. (He’s really the reason this blog exists.) We met in college and got married in 2011. We are classic opposites in some ways: he’s the youngest of four, an extroverted doer, spontaneous and spirited. I’m the oldest of four, an introverted thinker, scheduled and reflective. We drive each other nuts at times, but we need each other. We both follow Jesus, need people, enjoy a rousing discussion, appreciate the great outdoors, binge on food television, and are equally stubborn and opinionated. We love each other and our kids.

Our children are Levi , age 4, and Lucy, age 2. They’re awesome.

I am a stay at home mom and now a homeschool mom, and I can honestly say I LOVE IT. Before we had kids, I taught ninth grade English in Philadelphia. I learned a lot and valued my time there, but I’m not a career woman; I love being a SAHM.

I have an insatiable appetite for learning. I have my B.S. in Bible and Secondary English Education and my M.S. in English. Kevin graciously tells people I also have an honorary counseling degree because of how much I worked with him while he earned his Masters in it.

We live a simple life. We like bike rides and hosting get-togethers and going to the beach and eating good food and snuggling. We laugh and cry and talk and argue and sing and dance together. It’s not a perfect life, but boy is it good.

I love theorizing about and pursuing parenting ideals, but I value the art of keeping it real. Marriage, parenting, life in general is messy, and that’s ok. I’m going to do my best to be transparent as I write this blog. Call me out on it if I’m not. Seriously.

Thank you, Emily Rush, for these beautiful photos!