Spring Break sounded like a dream… until reality packed its bags too. In this episode of This Is Why We’re Late, we’re taking you along for the wild ride of traveling across the country with four kids in tow. From packing for a family of six (how is it possible to need this much stuff for one week?!) to navigating time zone changes and keeping a one-year-old entertained on a five-hour flight—we’re in the thick of it.

We also share the surprisingly sweet side of the trip: a place where kids run free until sunset, neighbors actually say hello, and life feels just a little bit slower (and kinder). But don’t worry—it wouldn’t be our story without a little chaos. We’re talking about the flight home from hell, complete with a sick toddler and two very tired parents just trying to survive the day.

At the end of it all, we love traveling with our kids… but let’s be honest—calling it a “vacation” feels like a stretch. This was a full-on work trip. Tune in for the laughs, the real talk, and the reminder that sometimes just making it home is the biggest win. ✈️

Podcast: This Is Why We’re Late
Episode Title: Keeping the Spark Alive (Even When the Kids Won’t Go to Bed)

In this episode of This Is Why We’re Late, we’re diving into one of the biggest challenges couples face after kids enter the picture—how to keep the romance alive when life is busy, loud, and exhausting. Between school drop-offs, bedtime routines, and everything in between, it can be easy for marriage to move to the back burner. But we believe it doesn’t have to.

We talk about taking the Five Love Languages test and how the way we give and receive love can shift over time—especially as seasons of life change. What made you feel loved when you were newly married might look completely different after years of parenting together.

We also get real about what it means to show up for each other when you’re tired. Marriage after kids isn’t always candlelight dinners and grand gestures—it’s often the small, intentional moments that keep the connection strong.

One of the practical things that has helped us is our 2-2-2 rule:

• A date night every 2 weeks

• A quick getaway every 2 months

• A longer vacation every 2 years

We share how we try to make this work in real life, why prioritizing time together matters, and how scheduling connection can actually protect spontaneity in the long run.

Most importantly, we talk about how marriage isn’t meant to stay the same—it’s meant to grow, evolve, and deepen over time. The goal isn’t just to survive the busy seasons of parenting, but to keep discovering new ways to love and support each other along the way.

If you’ve ever wondered how to keep your relationship strong while raising kids, this conversation is for you. Because sometimes the reason we’re late… is that we’re still figuring out life, love, and marriage together. ❤️

In this episode of This is Why We’re Late, we dive into the messy, humbling, and sometimes hilarious world of disciplining our kids—without all the extra drama. We share a bit about the homes we grew up in: loud, busy households full of sibling fights, questionable decisions, and the occasional time we got away with things we probably shouldn’t have. Those experiences shaped the way we parent today, for better or worse.

We talk honestly about the challenge of staying calm and keeping your cool—even when your kids definitely aren’t. From the differences in parenting boys vs. girls to the daily need for forgiveness and repair in our own home, this conversation is a reminder that parenting rarely goes perfectly. We discuss the grace parents need for their kids—and for themselves—because every parent misses the mark sometimes.

But at the heart of it all, we come back to this: disciplining our children is a vital and loving part of parenting and childhood. It doesn’t have to be loud or dramatic, but it does have to be intentional.

Going from one child to two doesn’t just add a baby — it changes everything.

In this episode, we’re talking about the jump no one fully prepares you for. The logistics double. The noise multiplies. The guilt gets louder. The patience gets thinner. And somehow… so does your margin.

We’re diving into the real, unfiltered side of becoming a parent of two:

• The emotional whiplash of loving a new baby while missing your first.

• The mental load that suddenly feels heavier than expected.

• The shift in your identity — again.

• The sibling dynamics that start from day one.

• And why this transition can feel harder than becoming a parent the first time.

If you’ve ever thought, “Why does this feel so much harder than I expected?” — this episode is for you.

Because you’re not failing. You’re not crazy. And no, it’s not just you.

Welcome to the beautiful, stretching, chaotic leap from one to two.

In Episode 2 of This is Why We’re Late, we rewind to where it all began—saying “I do” at just 21 and 23. We share what it really looked like to build a marriage in the middle of our twenties while we were still figuring out who we were individually.

From navigating personal hardships in the early stages of our relationship to learning how to have the hard conversations most couples avoid, we talk honestly about the foundations that carried us through the ups and downs. We explore what it means to grow alongside your partner without losing yourself—and why placing unrealistic expectations on each other can quietly erode even the strongest love.

Seventeen years together and nearly twelve years married, we’re grateful for every lesson, failure, and growing pain. This episode is about building something that lasts—on purpose, through honesty, and with the courage to grow together.

In our very first official episode of This Is Why We’re Late, we’re diving into that first born feeling. We share what it was like becoming parents for the first time as a young couple—completely in love, slightly clueless, and honestly not as ready as we thought we were.

From the shock of those first few days to the overwhelming mix of fear, joy, pressure, and wonder, we talk about the emotions no one fully prepares you for. The weight of responsibility. The instinct to protect. The quiet moments of awe. And yes—the mistakes, the overthinking, and the learning curve that comes with doing everything for the very first time.

This episode is a reflection on how that first baby changes everything—your relationship, your identity, and your understanding of what it means to grow up overnight. If you’ve ever looked at your firstborn and thought, “We have no idea what we’re doing… but we’re doing it anyway,” this one’s for you.

Welcome to the very first episode of This Is Why We’re Late! Meet your hosts, Grace and Daniel Hoke—parents of four, professional jugglers of chaos, and firm believers that real life rarely runs on schedule. In this debut episode, we share how the idea for this podcast was born: a desire to document and discuss our unfiltered parenting journey as it’s actually happening. We talk about life with our four kids, the beautiful mess of daily family rhythms, and why we’re choosing to loosen our grip and not take everything so seriously. If you’ve ever shown up late with a good story to tell, you’re in the right place.