Kathleen Ann Harper's Books
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Described as a “Motherhood Survival Kit,” The Well-Crafted Mom: A Do-it-Yourself Guide for Making a Life You Love helps both new and experienced moms find fresh ideas to help them work through the daily struggles of motherhood. Author Kathleen Ann Harper blends been-in-your-shoes stories and smart self-care solutions with inspirational craft projects so moms can bring meaningful reminders of what they’ve learned into their day-to-day routines. In each chapter, moms discover new ways to manage motherhood, such as:
• How to grapple with mommy guilt and win
• Ways to tell the difference between having a mess and being a mess, and why it matters
• How to know when expectations are stealing happiness
• What moms can do to reclaim joy
Kathleen Ann Harper provides compassion, creative insights, and well-researched advice on how to take small steps toward big change, even in the midst of temper tantrums, diaper blow-outs, and the exhaustion, disappointment, and resentment that often accompanies parenthood. Within the pages of The Well-Crafted Mom, mothers find reassurance that they’re not alone, see themselves in familiar stories, and discover new ways to craft their beautiful lives.
• How to grapple with mommy guilt and win
• Ways to tell the difference between having a mess and being a mess, and why it matters
• How to know when expectations are stealing happiness
• What moms can do to reclaim joy
Kathleen Ann Harper provides compassion, creative insights, and well-researched advice on how to take small steps toward big change, even in the midst of temper tantrums, diaper blow-outs, and the exhaustion, disappointment, and resentment that often accompanies parenthood. Within the pages of The Well-Crafted Mom, mothers find reassurance that they’re not alone, see themselves in familiar stories, and discover new ways to craft their beautiful lives.
Praise for The Well-Crafted Mom
"Kathleen has a knack for gathering souls in the shelter of common stories, simple answers, and loving support — the things we mothers always need and yet so seldom ask for. I have been a grateful guest in Kathleen's 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 
A shot in the arm of inspiration, Kathleen Ann Harper’s 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. The Well-Crafted Mom is a beautiful resource for any mom.
Elisa Fisher, Director of The Ultimate Women's Expo |
"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 mom's 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 There's Not Enough Time... and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves 
"They say parenting doesn't 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, bestselling author of ClutterFree Revolution: Simplify Your Stuff, Organize Your Life & Save the World |
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 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 |
Signs of a Happy Baby: The Baby Sign Language Book is a collaboration between Kathleen Ann Harper and her husband, William Paul White. The result is a beautiful blend of the couple's very best skills: Kathleen's writing, research, and storytelling abilities with Bill's ten plus years of inspiring thousands of families to sign with their babies in interactive and fun baby sign language classes.
What does your baby want to tell you? You can find out – even before your baby can verbally speak – by using baby sign language. Signs of a Happy Baby: The Baby Sign Language Book gives you everything you need to start signing with your baby:
• How to link signs into your everyday activities so you can discover why your baby is crying, whether it’s because something hurts, she’s hungry, or wants her diaper changed.
• What to do when your baby is frustrated and you don’t know why. Signing gives pre-verbal babies a way to communicate and can later ease the tantrums of the “terrible twos.”
• Inspiration from stories from parents on how baby sign language eased mealtime battles because children could sign what they wanted to eat and when they were all done; built bridges in bilingual families; and created early signing conversations about what the child was fascinated by, like trains, balloons, dogs, and more.
• An extensive photo dictionary of more than 100 American Sign Language (ASL) signs.
Plus, each chapter includes a bit of parent coaching so you can discover how signing with your children helps to build better communication, better understanding, and better bonds between you all.
It’s super easy to learn baby sign language and Kathleen and Bill show you the way in the book, Signs of a Happy Baby. What your baby has to say will blow you away!
What does your baby want to tell you? You can find out – even before your baby can verbally speak – by using baby sign language. Signs of a Happy Baby: The Baby Sign Language Book gives you everything you need to start signing with your baby:
• How to link signs into your everyday activities so you can discover why your baby is crying, whether it’s because something hurts, she’s hungry, or wants her diaper changed.
• What to do when your baby is frustrated and you don’t know why. Signing gives pre-verbal babies a way to communicate and can later ease the tantrums of the “terrible twos.”
• Inspiration from stories from parents on how baby sign language eased mealtime battles because children could sign what they wanted to eat and when they were all done; built bridges in bilingual families; and created early signing conversations about what the child was fascinated by, like trains, balloons, dogs, and more.
• An extensive photo dictionary of more than 100 American Sign Language (ASL) signs.
Plus, each chapter includes a bit of parent coaching so you can discover how signing with your children helps to build better communication, better understanding, and better bonds between you all.
It’s super easy to learn baby sign language and Kathleen and Bill show you the way in the book, Signs of a Happy Baby. What your baby has to say will blow you away!
Praise for Signs of a Happy Baby
“I really enjoyed signing with my first baby very early on. When she was just four months old we started with the basics, and by around seven months she was signing back to me. Baby sign language made it so much easier to communicate with my daughter before she started speaking verbally, especially around meal time, and I really got to know my daughter’s likes and dislikes, interests and ideas. Signs of a Happy Baby places everything you need to know about signing with your baby neatly in one place, including great tips, a comprehensive photo dictionary of signs, and lots of ideas on how to include baby sign language into your everyday routines. It’s a great resource to have on hand and I’m looking forward to using it with my next child as well!”
Leah Busque, Executive Chairwoman and Founder, TaskRabbit |
“Being a new parent means you’re anxious. You might fall more to the left or right of the anxiety continuum, but make no mistake – you’re there. Learning infant sign language greatly helped ease my wife’s and my anxiety as new parents – and it was fun! I was fortunate enough to take Bill White’s class and started signing with my daughter, Haley, when she was about six months old. I taught my wife what I was learning (while she wisely chose to sleep in while I went to class). The benefit for us was we could much better understand what our daughter was communicating to us in very garbled sounds. Signed words such as ‘all done’ and ‘pain’ became immeasurably valuable. For that reason, I encourage all expectant and new parents to considering learning infant sign language. What Bill and Kathleen have created with this book provides a deep context for understanding why signing is so important to your infant. Additionally, they map out what to expect, when to expect it, and everything else in between with this new skill. Their personal story and advice are entertaining, fun to read, and very useful. Enjoy this book.”
Scott Brown, MPH RD, Health Education Director at Kaiser Permanente, Redwood City |
“Brimming with tips and tools for getting started with baby sign language, Signs of a Happy Baby is a practical resource for any parent who wants to know what’s going on in their baby’s mind. Learning how to sign with your baby will create a wide-open window to what fascinates your baby, months and months before your baby will be able to tell you verbally. I’ve seen first-hand how Bill’s baby sign language classes build parents’ signing skills so they can better communicate with their babies, which deepens the bonds between parents and their children. Baby sign language is not only a fun activity for families but a valuable tool for children’s language development. Bill and Kathleen’s book is the perfect way to start.”
Mora Oommen, Executive Director, Blossom Birth Services in Palo Alto |