Month: January 2026

Falling in Love with Motherhood

Falling in Love with Motherhood

by Rebecca Grace || Earnest Mom ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

An invitation to fall in love with motherhood and free journal.

Motherhood has a way of holding both beauty and heaviness at the same time.

It can be filled with deep love and meaningful moments, while also carrying exhaustion, doubt, and seasons that feel far from joyful. Many moms quietly wonder if it’s normal to love their children deeply while struggling to love the experience of motherhood itself.

The truth is, falling in love with motherhood doesn’t always happen once. For many of us, it’s something we return to again and again. Especially after hard seasons, transitions, or long stretches of simply getting through the day.

Falling in Love with Motherhood Journal is a 28-day journal created as a gentle invitation for moms in all walks of life. It’s not meant to add another task or expectation, but to offer a quiet place to pause and reflect. Through Scripture, short reflections, and gratitude-focused prompts, this journal encourages moms to notice joy where it already exists, often in ordinary moments made meaningful by God’s presence.

This journal is for:

  • Moms who feel tired but still hopeful
  • Moms who feel distant from joy and want to rediscover it
  • Moms navigating full days, quiet doubts, and unseen work
  • Moms who want encouragement rooted in faith and real life

You don’t need to show up perfectly. You don’t need to complete every page. Even small moments of reflection matter.

Motherhood is not something we master, it’s something we grow into. Love deepens through faithfulness, presence, and grace over time. This journal is simply an invitation to notice that love again, gently and honestly.

You are not alone in this journey. And you are always welcome here.

We are in this together, one earnest MOMent at a time.

– Earnest Mom

Digital Safety: Parents are Worried. Teens are Too.

Digital Safety: Parents are Worried. Teens are Too.

by Rebecca Grace || Earnest Mom ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Digital Safety is on the minds of moms, dads and our teens.

As a mom to a 15-year-old with a mobile phone, I know the digital worry all too well. We live in an age where screens are part of nearly every moment of our kids’ day. From schoolwork to socializing and yes, sometimes even distraction. Even if we try to navigate digital life with love, calm conversations, and practical tools, that nagging concern never fully goes away.

But we’re not alone. Not surprisingly, and increasingly, our kids are feeling it too.

Real Teens, Real Perspectives

A January 2026 Pew Research Center survey reveals something striking:

About 4 in 10 teens (41%) support banning cellphones during class time. Fewer, only about 17% support banning phones for the entire school day.  

These numbers may not surprise us, teens naturally want autonomy, but what’s powerful is that many teens are now willing to say that less phone use at school might be a good thing. They’re noticing, too, that constant connection isn’t always healthy. Not just disruptive to teachers or parents, but to their own focus, wellbeing, and friendships.

Why This Matters to Moms

For years, parents have worried about:

    •    digital distractions in school

    •    social media pressures

    •    unsafe texting or interactions

    •    the role of AI and online privacy

Turns out, our kids are not entirely dismissive of these concerns. They understand that phones can be both helpful and harmful, a tool for safety and connection, yes – but also one that can pull them away from attention, calm, and meaning.

This alignment, where parents and teens both see the digital tension, opens up a beautiful space for deeper conversations, mutual understanding, and intentional boundaries.

How I’m Navigating It at Home

In our family, we don’t just talk about digital safety, we practice it together.

We use the Aura Digital Safety app to help set healthy boundaries, protect privacy, and reduce anxiety around online interactions (Aura lets you monitor your kid’s phone use without prying too much or reading through their activity on the phone).

We talk openly about:

    •    texting with respect and safety

    •    online interactions and digital consent

    •    being thoughtful with AI and screen time

No fear. No shaming. Just honest heart-to-heart conversations that respect my teen’s voice, and my role as a parent.

Our Teen’s Next Step

My 15-year-old is taking this a step further, he has been writing to our state representative to advocate for better digital safety awareness for teens. That’s courage, and it’s something every mom can be inspired by.

If you’ve ever wondered how to channel your concern into positive action, there’s a simple step you can take right now. Write your lawmakers about digital safety policies. Whether it’s school phone guidelines, online protections, or support for digital wellbeing resources. You can find your state representatives here:

Find Your State Representatives

You’re Not Alone

If you wake up some days feeling unsure, wondering if you’re doing enough, saying the right things, or building the right digital habits (me too), take heart. You are present. You are talking about the hard stuff, and that matters more than perfection.

We are in this together — one earnest MOMent at a time.

Let’s keep talking, keep encouraging our teens, and keep shaping a digital future that protects their hearts as much as their minds. 

x. Earnest Mom

Why We Chose Faith Based Homeschool (And what it really looks like)

Why We Chose Faith Based Homeschool (And what it really looks like)

by Rebecca Grace || Earnest Mom ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

We did not choose to homeschool because we had it all figured out. To be honest, I am 6 years in and still learning. But we did choose it anyway, knowing it was what we wanted for our family.

It started off subtly, a quiet tug. The kind of tug that shows up in late night prayers, car conversations, and the ache of sending kids back to school after summer and holiday breaks. We wanted our children to know truth, not just facts. To grow in wisdom, not just information.

Faith-based homeschooling, for us, is not about having perfect lessons, or Instagram worthy days. It is about inviting God into the ordinary. Reading scripture at the homeschool table, pausing math to talk through big feelings and frustrations. Learning history through the lens of God’s goodness and plans, not human achievement alone.

Some days are quiet and full, others feel scattered and unfinished. But what we are learning is this: faithfulness is not loud. It is often found in the small, unseen moments and unspoken choices.

Homeschool has given us space. Space to slow down, to notice our children, and to trust that God is at work even when the days feel incomplete.

If you are standing on the edge of this decision, unsure and prayerful, please know that you are not behind. You do not need all of the answers. Sometimes obedience looks like taking the next soft step toward what God is calling you to.

We are learning as we go – one earnest MOMent at a time.

If you are discerning homeschool with prayer, you are welcome here. You can find weekly encouragement and gentle reflections linked below.

Earnest Mom || Substack