• Podcast

    New Podcast Episode: Book Awards

    Our topic today is a conversation about some of our favorite books. Katherine was busy getting ready for her trip to Mexico, so Anissa from Mama Goes Beyond joined us as a co-host. We start with our current Highs and Lows (i.e., saying goodbye to friends, launching Camp Happy Mama, and preparing for solo-parenting). Then we shift into Today’s Topic. Next we share a couple of Tips & Tricks (using separate specific glasses for your children all summer long and the Briar Patch Road Trip Scavenger Hunt). Finally, we close out with Facing Forward to share what we want to make true in our lives in the next … Read More

  • Travel-n-Trips

    Family Gap Year Post #15: The Final Month of Preparation (May)

    I wish I could say that the month leading up to our departure was smooth. Spoiler Alert: It wasn’t!

    Even though we had been planning the trip for a very long time, there were many things that had to get done at the last-minute. And the last-minute things were pretty major things, such as finding someone to rent out our home and moving the entire contents of our home into a storage unit.

    To make matters worse, we agreed to let our tenants move in a day after school got out. As it is, the end of the school year is a very busy time. So we were attending graduations … Read More

  • Travel-n-Trips

    Family Gap Year Post #14: The Budgeting Process

    One of the hardest parts about planning a Family Gap Year was getting our house rented. It was hard because it was 1) scary and 2) uncertain and 3) a non-negotiable. We absolutely had to rent out our house in order to pay for our mortgage or else we wouldn’t be able to afford a Family Gap Year.

    And it’s not something you can reliably do far in advance! We listed our house on Zillow at the beginning of April for a June 1 move-in date. We got a signed lease on May 7th. Phew! I’m glad that stress is behind us.

    We increased the stress for ourselves because we … Read More