Author: Rebecca Grace || Earnest Mom

Earnest Mom follows our journey from a school based system into home learning with my wild and free three - and regular momming life. S (15), E (10) and J (7) are my three who make me want to be a better person every single day. We love God, reading aloud, sharing stories, building blocks, nature hikes, family suppers, and trying to be kind caring humans to those around us. Home learning is a whole new world to us and we are so thankful that you have stopped in to join the ride. Follow us on Instagram @earnestmomblog Bless, Rebecca
Earnest Echoes:We Are a Read Aloud Family.

Earnest Echoes:We Are a Read Aloud Family.

by Rebecca Grace || Earnest Mom ♥ 1 Comment

Originally published 10/25/2020

What is a read aloud family you ask? Just as it sounds, we read aloud together. Every morning as a part of our daily rhythm we read aloud while the kids do handicrafts. We have scripture reading then we read a chapter book. Last month was the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, this month we are reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (of course to be followed by their very first viewing of The Chronicles of Narnia movie). They love read aloud time, in so much that they often request it goes longer or happens again later in the day. They even like the voices that I do, even though I feel silly, they only feel the magic of a character’s voice speaking to them.

I have always been a sucker for literature. I remember loving storytime in early elememtary grades, and with a sixth grade teacher who was obsessed with William Shakespeare (shout out to Mrs Matheson of Amherstburg Public School, you literally changed my life) I had read the entire works of Shakespeare by the time I was 13.

Every year at Christmas Little Women is a book I consume, and every January I follow Little Women with Jane Eyre. It is incredible how I can read these books over and over and I still cry in all the same places; marriages devistated on the alter, hidden secrets, and the death of a beloved. The aches from the first times my tears fell turning page after page ripples back up like an old friend that I had forgotten about until the sting of the words reveal the emotion again.

I love being read to; in full disclosure I have to admit that the last two years both of my favortie books listed previous have been read in audiobook form. No wonder I love sharing read aloud time with my children, I have it all the time for myself. While I fold laundry, wash the dishes, go for walks and even traveling – I am constantly being read to. This year is the 100th Anniversary of Agatha Christies’s Hercule Poirot and I am slowly making my way through the whole series. During the past COVID quarantine, I had been more on a self improvement book kick with an occasional “Agatha break” but as of June, I began The Mysterious Affair at Styles in honor of Poirot’s 100 years I have stuck to this egg-headed detective.

When I think of the adventures I have been on, the people I have met and the countries I have been. Through literature I have experienced life and death, marriages and ruin, love and loss; never having to leave the pages before me. I get so excited watching my children head out on those same adventures to the sound of my own voice. Reading aloud has been something we did informally all the time, but with home learning we now make it a part of our day. It is a daily family adventure that often leads to the hope of “just one more chapter before we start school.” We love it.

Earnest Echoes: How We Plan Our Summer as a Homeschool Family

Earnest Echoes: How We Plan Our Summer as a Homeschool Family

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

Originally posted 07/02/2022

Anyone else hit summer and look for ways to have some structure but not over-structure? Me. I am anyone else. Homeschool ends, and then I feel overwhelmed – “What do I do for summer?!” I want my children to feel like they are more relaxed, and to be able to differentiate from homeschool. We will not do any formal full lessons and I will give them time to be bored because boredom is not a bad thing. I do not want the summer to pass and also feel like we have done nothing.

I have three children, 12, 7 and 4. I included them in the planning and set specific goals for each day. Now these goals will not rule our whole schedule as vacations, summer camps and other events will definitely happen but we will have a loose plan for each day. I am not sure about you but by breakfast each day my kids are asking “what are we doing today?” and they are typically not satisfied with “nothing.”

Here is what our summer schedule looks like for the months of July and August. Mondays are zoo mornings (we get a membership to the local one each year), Tuesdays are pool afternoons (we have a small pop up one otherwise it would be dedicated water play outside). Wednesdays are mornings the the museum (again we have a membership to the local children’s museum but we will also explore our other museums as well). Thursdays we will visit the library and a park nearby hosts picnics in the park with family entertainment for free. Fridays are our adventure day, we will be checking a new local park or two (we will also blog and rate our experience for those local to Erie County Pennsylvania).

Using the Notability app on my iPhone I created these fun color coded calendars (I also use similar ones for our homeschool year), I then took advantage of the $0.99 magnet deal on the Shutterfly app to create magnets as a reminder for the fridge.

This helps us have an intentional and focused summer not being limited by what we plan, but if we feel like we have nothing to do it helps to have a plan already! Let me know your tricks to keep summer fun and easy for your kiddos.

x. earnest mom

Family Meetings: Creating Safe & Earnest Spaces in Your Home

Family Meetings: Creating Safe & Earnest Spaces in Your Home

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

Free Family Meeting Plan Below.

Family meetings have earnestly changed us – for the better. Over a year ago we began a practice of ‘Family Meeting’ in our home. The first Friday evening of every month is reserved for this special time together. They have become one of the most cherished and sacred rhythms of our family life.

Why family meetings matter? Children crave connection with their parents and siblings. Family meetings allow every child to have a voice. They foster unity, trust and mutual respect. Creating a safe space where your child can share their heart with you is priceless.

We have three simple goals we aim for at each family meeting. These are informal. I have not told the kids this is the goal. However, they are the main reasons why we started in the first place. First, we need to hear one another – no interrupting and each voice matters. Next, we help one another – we problem solve and support each other. Lastly, we hold safe space – use I statements (no blame), and share your heart. Tears and laughter are welcome. What we make sure we agree is that respect and kindness have to be maintained by everyone. There is nothing that we cannot get through together.

We always end the meeting with something fun. We have surprised the kids with a marshmallow shooter, sour straw roulette, and freeze dried candies. Currently, we have been trying snacks from around the world from Universal Yums – so FUN!! You get a different country every month. It comes with history, trivia, and snacks from that country. We learn and have a blast. Want to try Universal Yum? Get $5 off your first box here – not sponsored. Keeping joy and playfulness helps us grow closer, it is light and enjoyable. We find this helpful, especially if we have had a particularly heavier meeting that day. Here are some pictures of our last box, Greece.

Looking to start family meetings in your home – wonderful! Talk with your husband and children, share your heart on why family meetings are important and set the date. For your first family meeting, I highly recommend setting “ground rules” for your meetings. What is allowed, what is not and what the goal is for meeting together. Be sure to establish that it is a safe space for all, arguing and fighting not welcome. Stay honest, respectful and supportive of what each other are feeling. I like to have a notebook and take notes. At the start of the next meeting, we review the notes and make sure we are all still working together to help one another. The first few meeting may be a bit messy, and that is okay! Maybe kids are a bit resistant, that is okay too. Staying positive and consistent, keep it light and inviting. Do not hit all the heavy things in one go. We try to limit to a positive and a negative that each of us are dealing with, feeling or experiencing. That helps us stay within an hour of meeting time.

Need help getting started? Try this FREE Family Meeting Guide!

Family meetings can be more than a tool mama – they are a space for love, learning and growing bonds that will reach beyond your living room into the future relationships within your family. Try it out, use the free guide above and feel free to share what works for you guys! Already on the family meeting train? Help us with your tips and tricks in the comment below.

Remember mama, we are all in this together, one Earnest MOMent at a time.

Love, Earnest Mom.