Kathleen Ann Harper - The Well-Crafted Mom: A Do-It-Yourself Guide for Making a Life You Love

Praise

Kathleen has a knack for gathering souls in the shelter of common stories, simple answers, and loving supportthe things we mothers always need and yet so seldom ask for. I have been a grateful guest in Kathleens home. Now, in this book, you can be her guest too. Invite yourself in to a well-crafted life.

Karen Maezen Miller,

author of Momma Zen, Hand Wash Cold and Paradise in Plain Sight

Kathleen Ann Harper weaves poignant stories from her experience as a mother of young children into a book that will mesmerize and inspire you. The Well-Crafted Mom takes us beyond artfully written vignettes on the challenges of motherhood and reveals great ideas, practical tools, and easy mind shifts that can change a frenzied moms life. The fun and meaningful craft projects at the end of every chapter are like balm for a stressed out spirit. This is a unique and powerful book every mother should read.

Jill Farmer,

author of Theres Not Enough Time and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

A part of every mother I know is in this book. I laughed and I cried like I would having an honest conversation with a good friend. Harper reminds us we are not alone on this journey of modern motherhood and, like a good friend does, Harper guides the reader through that tunnel to discover the light at the other end. Along the way are thoughtful soul-nourishing craft ideas that provide something often not found in western culture: ritual, as a symbolic marker for each transition. Written with exceptional honesty, and with each point so well cited, The Well-Crafted Mom weaves the past, present, and future of motherhood into an inspiring, encouraging, and hopeful path that every mother deserves.

Suzanne P. Reese, IAIMT,

author of Baby Massage: Soothing Strokes for Healthy Growth ,

and singer/songwriter of Talk to Me: Happy Tunes for Healthy Growth

A shot in the arm of inspiration, Kathleen Ann Harpers The Well-Crafted Mom will help you feel so much more capable of holding onto your soul in the midst of relentless day-to-day parenting. A spiritual tune-up, this practical guide and the craft projects that end each chapter provide calming antidotes to the stress that often accompanies motherhood. This book is a beautiful resource for any mom.

Elisa Fisher, Director of The Ultimate Womens Expo

They say parenting doesnt come with an instruction manual. Well now, it does! The Well-Crafted Mom is an empowering guide to better parenting, explained by a true master of nurturing creative and vibrant families. Amidst a field of parenting experts, Kathleen Ann Harper shines.

Evan Zislis,

author of ClutterFree Revolution: Simplify Your Stuff,

Organize Your Life & Save the World

A Do-It-Yourself Guide for Making a Life You Love

Kathleen Ann Harper

NEW YORK

LONDONNASHVILLEMELBOURNEVANCOUVER

The Well-Crafted Mom

A Do-It-Yourself Guide for Making a Life You Love

2018 Kathleen Ann Harper

Editing: Grace Kerina

Authors photo courtesy of Christopher White, littlebluemarblegallery.com

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

The Morgan James Speakers Group can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event visit The Morgan James Speakers Group at www.TheMorganJamesSpeakersGroup.com.

ISBN 9781683508267 paperback

ISBN 9781683508274 eBook

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017916966

Cover Design by:

Rachel Lopez

Interior Design by:

Paul Curtis

In an effort to support local communities, raise awareness and funds, Morgan James Publishing donates a percentage of all book sales for the life of each book to Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg.

Get involved today! Visit
www.MorganJamesBuilds.com

For my husband and children, who helped me craft my wings.

The craft of questions, the craft of stories, the craft of the handsall these are the making of something, and that something is soul.

Clarissa Pinkola Ests

Having a baby can be like being thrown into the deep end of the ocean. Some mothers do fine. They figure out how to dog paddle to shore, or maybe they have family and friends who throw lifelines, pulling them to safety. You may have a strong support system in place, like relatives who live nearby and a network of close friends, or you may have paid assistance, like a nanny or sleep consultant who helps you to stay afloat.

Or maybe motherhood is a daily struggle of trying to keep your head above water.

Thats what motherhood used to be like for me. I had wanted children for years, but was waiting for the right man, the right time. Before I had kids, I was so sure I would be the very best mom. And after my two boys camealthough there were moments when I could see I was doing okay as a parentmost of the time I felt like a failure. I saw other moms at the co-op preschool, in the grocery store, at the park, and they looked happy, well-rested, showered. What was I missing?

In my professional career, I had managed a busy Starbucks store, coordinated special events for the San Francisco Zoo, managed a human resources department for a medium-sized company, and built my own massage therapy business. Why was managing two small children and a household so much harder? I heard it will get better from my friends and family, even from strangers, but I didnt want to wait for my kids to be older, out of diapers, and all the way in elementary school to start enjoying motherhood more completely.

Theres a time for many moms when they come up for air. The timing depends on what kind of child you have (temperamental or mellow), how many children you care for, how much support is available to you, the ages of your children, and how well you cope with chaos and change.

My mom came up for air when I was 12 and she decided (with six kids between the ages of four and 14) to go back to college, where she finished her undergraduate degree and then earned a masters degree in public health. For me, it was when my youngest was 18 months old and I felt like I was unraveling, like something precious was being pulled from me every day, strand by strand. I knew that if I didnt take steps to make my life different, there wouldnt be anything left for me to give.

I went to parenting workshops, read a mountain of books, and saw a couples counselor with my husband to mend my marriage when my unravelling threatened to pull apart the loose threads of our relationship. During the early years of motherhood, I felt like I was reweaving the fabric of me, using whatever I could find to repair the holes, to feel whole and mended. It was a slow, patchwork process, but I eventually developed tools to feel more capable, calm, and confident.

The only stability is our trust in the process and our intuitive awareness that Loves very nature is to consume and call us home, writes Sera Beak in Red, Hot and Holy.

I found my way home and, once there, I was able to see so many other mothers adrift. I studied to become a certified life coach to help moms, not only with tools and ideas to make day-to-day problems more manageable, but by creating a community of support and providing a wealth of resources, a life raft for moms who want to find a way to their own safe shore.