Tag: Earnest Mom Life

Gaming, Attention, and the Earnest Impact on our Children’s Hearts

Gaming, Attention, and the Earnest Impact on our Children’s Hearts

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

Gaming is one of the most emotionally charged topics in modern parenting.

For some families, it feels harmless; a hobby, a way to relax, even a way to connect with friends. For others, it feels overwhelming; hours lost, attitudes shifted, tension rising. The truth is often somewhere in the middle.

Games are not just entertainment. They are environments.

  • They train attention.
  • They shape emotional responses.
  • They reward certain behaviors.
  • They create social hierarchies.
  • They build, or erode, patience.

Philippians 4:8 encourages us to dwell on what is true, noble, and worthy of attention. That verse isn’t about banning fun. It’s about recognizing that what fills the mind shapes the heart. When it comes to gaming, the most helpful question may not be, “Is this good or bad?”

It may be: What is this forming?

  • After gaming, does my child seem calmer or more agitated?
  • More cooperative or more irritable?
  • More connected or more withdrawn?

Not all games are harmful, some build creativity and teamwork. However, all games are formative in some way, formation requires awareness.

One of the quiet challenges of gaming is that it rarely exists alone. It often comes layered on top of already full digital lives: school screens, phones, messaging, social media, streaming. The cumulative effect can leave both children and parents overstimulated or simply overwhelmed.

Sometimes what’s needed isn’t a ban.

It’s a reset.

That’s part of why I created the 10-Day Digital Detox that release March 10th for our Earnest Momsies community on Substack. It includes realistic options – minimal adjustments, fuller unplug rhythms, and weekend-friendly plans – so families can step back and notice what changes.

When screens quiet down, we often see more clearly.

If you’d like to walk through the detox with us, I’d love for you to subscribe (for free) and join the conversation there. We’ll be moving gently, not dramatically, just intentionally.

We are not raising children who avoid the world, we are raising children whose inner lives are shaped with care. That shaping happens in small, steady choices, one earnest MOMent at a time.

– Rebecca Grace, Earnest Mom

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

Planning a Homeschool Year with Prayer. (+ Free Printable Planner Pages and Editable 2025-26 Calendar)

Planning a Homeschool Year with Prayer. (+ Free Printable Planner Pages and Editable 2025-26 Calendar)

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

When we first began homeschooling, I earnestly believed the most important thing was finding the perfect curriculum. I spent hours and hours researching lesson plans, charts, posters, planners, etc. Overwhelming at best! But the truth is – what my homeschool really needed was not a flawless plan. It was prayer.

Prayer reminds us that God is the one leading our homeschool, not us. It shifts the focus from getting all the things done, to walking with Him and letting Him lead.

That is why this year instead of simply mapping mathematics or history timelines, I am starting with prayer and I want to remind you mama, you can start here too.

Start with praying before the planning. Before you open your planner, open your heart and ask the Lord to guide you in the process. You can ask Him:

  • What do my children need this year – not only academically but spiritually and emotionally too?
  • Where do we need to slow down? Where can we grow deeper?
  • How can our homeschool point to You, in every lesson and every day?

Next, plan with purpose and not pressure. Planning with prayer means shifting from rigid checklists to purposeful rhythms. Instead of asking, “What do we need to get through?” ask:

  • How do I want the days to feel?
  • What values do I want to weave into our learning?
  • Where can we create space for joy, rest and connection?

Be willing to change your plans. Homeschool is full of surprises. Sickness, field trips, life interruptions – God uses them all. When you plan with prayer, you give yourself freedom to adjust and trust that detours can be divine. Instead of trying to control the year, commit it to God and hold your plans loosely. (I am telling myself this daily while planning – I need to let God more than I let me!)

Dedicate your year to the Lord. Once your planner or calendar is filled – pray over them. Lay your homeschool, and the hearts of you and your children at the feet of the saviour. Ask him to lead you, teach you and let the whole year be His. Pray together before your year starts – as a whole school household. Ask him to bless your learning, conversations and growth.

Our homeschool year officially starts next week with a back to school party with fellow homeschool friends. However we always launch in August with a mini unit to get back in the school day rhythm. In planning these last few weeks, I have created a 2025-26 calendar, daily planning sheet (that I will laminate and use daily), our read aloud booklist (we are a read aloud family – curious? Check out my previous article), and a booklist sheet for each of my children.

Calendar
Daily Planner
Read Aloud Booklist
Child Booklist
Child Booklist
Child Booklist

Like what you see? You are welcome to access the Earnest Mom Homeschool Planner Bundle – FREE! Click the link, then select ‘Use template’ to open and edit your own copy in Canva. That’s it!

Remember mama, we are in this together, one Earnest (and prayerful) MOMent at a time!

Love, Earnest Mom