My Montessori journey

Veronica

My Background

Hi! I’m Veronica, I’m very excited to share about my Montessori journey. I am an Austin, Texas native and still live here! I absolutely love this city and how much it’s grown! I have a background in Accounting and Finance and worked in the corporate world until a year into motherhood.

My Motherhood, Montessori and Outdoor story

I came across Montessori during my maternity leave and quickly fell in love with it. I had no idea what kind of mom I wanted to be… I just knew I wanted to respect her and love her, but I had no idea how to do anything else.

I was the first of my close friends to have a child and there was no family nearby to help guide me. Montessori quickly became my passion and it taught me to trust myself and most importantly trust my child.

For the first year of her life, I balanced motherhood and learning about Montessori as much as possible. Due to the pandemic, we started to spend so much time outdoors and I started to realize the impact it was having on my daughter. I’ve always been an avid lover of the outdoors but spending time with my daughter outdoors taught me to truly slow down and see how beneficial it was.

Instagram and the HikingwithHarps Community

When Harper was 18 months, I created an Instagram page to share my story and meet other like-minded parents. I quickly realized how many parents felt the same way.

It was at that moment I decided I wanted to match my life with my passion for uniting parents and helping parents and children thrive in their homes and outdoors. If you’re looking for another way to meet other parents I’ve started V’s Book Finds (my book club!) which you can join and meet with me once a month via zoom just to chat and meet other parents!

I hope you find the community you need here with us! Thank you for being here and learning with us. I hope you found my Montessori journey helpful for you, what is your Montessori journey?

@hikingwithharps

  • As a generation we’ve moved past this belief. At least I don’t hear it as often. But the belief that a kid is “bad” is so terrible to hear. I was listening to @drbeckyatgoodinside and she pushes so much on how kids are good inside and they’re just having a hard time. And I think it should be talked about more. I always remind myself how I struggle with my days and I’ve lived so much longer and understand more and yet it’s still hard. So if you catch yourself thinking or saying this- I hope this is a good reminder that all kids are good inside. Let’s move away from the guilt of being a bad kid. A kid should not have to live with that belief or burden of our words and thoughts. #montessorioutdoors #justtwomamas #montessorioutside #puddleparenting #optoutside #toddlerlife #toddler #respectfulparenting #toddlers #montessoriinspired #montessori #motherhoodunplugged #austinblogger
  • their confidence and independence is great too but I didn’t realize my increase in steps would be so much 😂 To everyone who always sees me running behind her just know I’m doing my best. #montessorioutdoors #justtwomamas #montessorioutside #puddleparenting #optoutside #toddlerlife #toddler #respectfulparenting #toddlers #montessoriinspired #montessori #motherhoodunplugged #austinblogger
  • When you become a mom they say it’s a rebirth of a different person. Both you and your child are born that day. This is something that I have experienced myself and continue to work through it. By “working through it” I’m not implying that it’s a bad thing- but instead, my brain wants to pull back to the person I was before. My brain wants to do it all. My brain wants to be able to make everyone happy and put myself last. My brain is fast-paced and needs constant to-do lists. My brain sprints and never truly enjoys the journey. But with parenting my heart loves the slowness, my heart wants to learn everything and anything my child has to share, my heart needs rest. So the rebirth is as magical as people make it sound but it’s also very hard to accept. It’s something I continue to work through and I’m thankful to have this opportunity as a parent. In conclusion, you can choose to slow down with them and it won’t be easy but it’s extremely rewarding. #montessorioutdoors #justtwomamas #montessorioutside #puddleparenting #optoutside #toddlerlife #toddler #respectfulparenting #toddlers #montessoriinspired #montessori #motherhoodunplugged #austinblogger
  • nothing quite like these first friendships 🥹 I invited her bestie to our family shoot to capture their friendship and it is the sweetest thing. Photoshoots for kids (and adults!) can feel very awkward and hard to manage. But when you invite you’re 4 and your bestie is there too as a surprise then it’s the best day ever. Modeling for H on how to include others and build a community is my life long goal and this was so great. Special shoutout to @whatdaddid @ashtonjeanpierre for taking these gems for us. They’re all so great 😍 We took them at @peasepark which is always a great spot to spend an afternoon at. #montessorioutdoors #justtwomamas #montessorioutside #puddleparenting #optoutside #toddlerlife #toddler #respectfulparenting #toddlers #montessoriinspired #montessori #motherhoodunplugged #austinblogger Are family shoots stressful??
@hikingwithharps
@hikingwithharps
•
Follow
As a generation we’ve moved past this belief. At least I don’t hear it as often. But the belief that a kid is “bad” is so terrible to hear. I was listening to @drbeckyatgoodinside and she pushes so much on how kids are good inside and they’re just having a hard time. And I think it should be talked about more. I always remind myself how I struggle with my days and I’ve lived so much longer and understand more and yet it’s still hard. So if you catch yourself thinking or saying this- I hope this is a good reminder that all kids are good inside. Let’s move away from the guilt of being a bad kid. A kid should not have to live with that belief or burden of our words and thoughts. #montessorioutdoors #justtwomamas #montessorioutside #puddleparenting #optoutside #toddlerlife #toddler #respectfulparenting #toddlers #montessoriinspired #montessori #motherhoodunplugged #austinblogger
2 days ago
View on Instagram |
1/4
@hikingwithharps
@hikingwithharps
•
Follow
their confidence and independence is great too but I didn’t realize my increase in steps would be so much 😂 To everyone who always sees me running behind her just know I’m doing my best. #montessorioutdoors #justtwomamas #montessorioutside #puddleparenting #optoutside #toddlerlife #toddler #respectfulparenting #toddlers #montessoriinspired #montessori #motherhoodunplugged #austinblogger
2 days ago
View on Instagram |
2/4
@hikingwithharps
@hikingwithharps
•
Follow
When you become a mom they say it’s a rebirth of a different person. Both you and your child are born that day. This is something that I have experienced myself and continue to work through it. By “working through it” I’m not implying that it’s a bad thing- but instead, my brain wants to pull back to the person I was before. My brain wants to do it all. My brain wants to be able to make everyone happy and put myself last. My brain is fast-paced and needs constant to-do lists. My brain sprints and never truly enjoys the journey. But with parenting my heart loves the slowness, my heart wants to learn everything and anything my child has to share, my heart needs rest. So the rebirth is as magical as people make it sound but it’s also very hard to accept. It’s something I continue to work through and I’m thankful to have this opportunity as a parent. In conclusion, you can choose to slow down with them and it won’t be easy but it’s extremely rewarding. #montessorioutdoors #justtwomamas #montessorioutside #puddleparenting #optoutside #toddlerlife #toddler #respectfulparenting #toddlers #montessoriinspired #montessori #motherhoodunplugged #austinblogger
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
3/4
@hikingwithharps
@hikingwithharps
•
Follow
nothing quite like these first friendships 🥹 I invited her bestie to our family shoot to capture their friendship and it is the sweetest thing. Photoshoots for kids (and adults!) can feel very awkward and hard to manage. But when you invite you’re 4 and your bestie is there too as a surprise then it’s the best day ever. Modeling for H on how to include others and build a community is my life long goal and this was so great. Special shoutout to @whatdaddid @ashtonjeanpierre for taking these gems for us. They’re all so great 😍 We took them at @peasepark which is always a great spot to spend an afternoon at. #montessorioutdoors #justtwomamas #montessorioutside #puddleparenting #optoutside #toddlerlife #toddler #respectfulparenting #toddlers #montessoriinspired #montessori #motherhoodunplugged #austinblogger Are family shoots stressful??
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/4