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Home Within Yourself

You are your child’s sense of home. There’s a reason the saying “Home is where your mom is” is plastered all over tea towels and coffee mugs. You absolutely carry a sense of home in you just by being a mother.

Good on you for taking steps to then create that sense of home outside yourself, too, for making it tangible with meals and comfortable spaces. Do you feel that sense of home within yourself? Write about it…the pressure, the pride, the responsibility, and the emotions surrounding all of it.

Screens

Write about how screens—our phones, tvs, and computers—can keep you inside your house or even keep you from taking care of your house and the people in it. Does this happen to you? How often?

We live in a world where many people are addicted to their screens. Take a look at your screen time and do an honest evaluation of yourself as it relates to your sense of home. Do your screens keep you inside more? Do they keep you from cleaning your home? Does your computer sit out on the table and call you to work? Could you set your phone down more to focus on creating a sense of home? Could you turn them off and enjoy your home more? What kind of screen use are you modeling for your children? It’s uncomfortable for some, but an important question we should ask ourselves often. Do a self-check and write about it. Create goals as needed.

Toys

Motherhood involves toys. It just does. It’s important we think about and get comfortable with that idea. What season of toys are you in? Infant? Toddler? Legos? Books? Video games? Phones? How do you feel about your current toy situation? Are you happy with it? Could you pass some toys along? Clean out closets? Acquire the next developmental level up? Make some more available or visible? Put some away? Rotate them out? Throw them all out and start over? (Just kidding…kind of…depending on the day). Toys are supposed to be fun. Write about what you can do to keep the toy situation fun and manageable in your home.

Sounds and Smells

Today we’re going to get a bit poetic. How do sounds and smells play into your sense of home? Do you love certain scents? How would you describe the smell of your home? What fragrance, oils, or cleaners do you use that create your family’s unique smell of home? Write about them.

What about the sounds of your home? What does your home sound like? Is it filled with the pitter patter of small feet? The squeals and squabbles of siblings? Dogs? Birds? The ocean? The city? What sounds make up the unique orchestra of your home.

What’s Your Style?

What is your home style now? Can you identify the design and style you’re drawn to when shopping, pinning, or browsing? Is it what you want it to be? Have you been thinking about changing your color scheme or vision? Write about what styles, eras, color, designs, etc. you’re drawn to most. Dream big on this one and write about what your ideal home looks like.

Bought & Sold

How much of your sense of home is bought? Do you find yourself buying “things” to fill your home in the hopes of creating a sense of comfort? Do those objects do that? Do the items in your home bring you joy? When you go to the store, do you think about how items do or don’t create a sense of home? What inspires you to buy household décor? Are you comfortable with your relationship with your interior design choices? How much of that do you feel is cultural? How much is it a trend? Are there items in your house that you’d like to get rid of? Start by answering the questions and then make lists, if you feel so inspired.

Sacred Space

Do you have a sacred space in your home? A space that holds meaningful objects or photos that you cherish or that motivate you? If you have one, write about what it looks like, what you love about it, what you could do to enhance it, or look to it more often. If you don’t, have you considered creating a space in your home that holds spiritual meaning for you or inspiration? Write about the what, where, feelings, etc. that this idea brings up for you.

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I wouldn’t trade all of these extra moments with I wouldn’t trade all of these extra moments with my children for anything in the world. Homeschool has allowed us to learn and grow together. Right now we have the joy of traveling together on our own schedule. This time with these beautiful children is the greatest gift. 💙 

This audio is perfect for this memory. Staying at campgrounds you run into a lot of retired people. They light up around babies and children. You can see memories of their own children and grandchildren twinkle in their eyes. They “get it” in ways those of us in the thick of young seasons can’t sometimes. 🥰

We stayed at the KOA in Billings, Montana (the very first KOA ever, 10/10 recommend). There was an older couple playing mini golf behind us. The older woman said, “Your children are wonderful. You obviously spend a lot of time with them…it shows.” (Oh, my heart 🥰) I told her we homeschool. “Good for you,” she said. “A lot of people are taking that route…I think it’s good.”

For all the naysayers out there, there are others who are cheering for you, Mama. 💙 I’m cheering you on, too. We are allowed to enjoy our children without pressure and criticism. If you find yourself feeling pressured or discouraged today (from the outside or inside), do something to release that pressure valve and return to just enjoying being a mother to your beautiful children. Look in their eyes. Give them a hug. Tell them something you admire about them. Tell them you love being their mom. Maybe do something fun together just because. 💗
I found my laminator & binding machine after almos I found my laminator & binding machine after almost 2 years of being packed away in boxes. 🤩 I’m ready to laminate everything! 😂

We are on an RV trip…part homeschool, part work, part fun 🥰 I found a whole bunch of free road trip printables for kids, printed them, laminated them, and now we are enjoying them in our RV! 🥳

There are soooooooooo many free homeschool resources on Pinterest 🥰 The trick is to search for exactly what you are looking for. For this I searched “road trip printables for kids.” You can type in “learning the A printables,” “Little House on the Prairie curriculum,” etc. Be specific (or general). Play around with it. 🙂 You’ll either find what you need or be inspired to create what you need.
First Grade is one of my FAVORITE grades to teach! First Grade is one of my FAVORITE grades to teach! 🤩 Most 1st graders are going through “the 7 year change”…so between their maturing notions of life and the pleasant topics of first grade lessons and stories, it is just so, so fun! 🥰

@oakmeadowschool first grade curriculum is lovely. I lean into it for first grade and beyond. 🙂 Their curriculum comes to you already bound and organized. It’s pretty easy to follow & easy to either follow as is or pick and choose what works for your family. 🙂
Reasons Why We Homeschool: Things worth observing Reasons Why We Homeschool: Things worth observing are found outside the classroom. They are found in beautiful books. And in daydreams. And in our backyard. And in observing others in our hometown. And in our travels. For us, they are not found in an environment where “learning” is dictated and judged against what others believe. It’s not found in grading our performance. We’re not here to perform. We’re not here to be judged. We’re here to learn—for our whole life! Learning never stops…but the passion for learning can. 

Homeschool is amazing in that way…it gives you the space to provide your children with the opportunity to be put in the way of things worth observing. 🌺 Want to homeschool? I can help.
I read once that mothers promise to love our kids I read once that mothers promise to love our kids when they are babies. How we treat our children then becomes their personal definition of love. This notion really gave me pause. What am I communicating to my children? What is their definition of love based on my words and actions? What am I bringing to the table as a mom and keeper of our home? Am I falling for the cultural messaging of “cool” moms who make fun of their kids constantly? Am I acting like they are in my way? That they annoy me? Am I giving in to the victim and martyrdom messages about modern motherhood? Or are my values and actions aligned…? 

It starts with figuring out what I value and what I believe:

I love my kids. 
They are not in my way.
Convenience is not important.
I am not a martyr.
I can be brave and honest about how I’m showing up as a mom.
I can apologize.
I can do better.
I can be gracious with them…and me.

Opt out of the messages about motherhood that divide you from the deep connection you have with your children. 😘
Pour into yourself, too, mama. 💙 Add books that Pour into yourself, too, mama. 💙 Add books that bring hope to your heart and light to your life. @ruthchousimons new book Pilgrim is phenomenal! It’s gorgeous, it’s thoughtful, & filled with biblical wisdom. 10/10 recommend this stunning book!

Bonus: Ruth is going to be on the podcast! 🥳 One of the next episodes of Elevating Motherhood will feature Ruth talking about this book! 🥰
My bestie published a children’s book! 🎃 My k My bestie published a children’s book! 🎃 My kids have been reading it and singing the words all day 😄 It’s a cute book for Fall & Halloween! Available on Amazon! 

Way to go @afconsultingteam 🥳
Take first day of school photos. Include yourself, Take first day of school photos. Include yourself, mama. 🍎 This marks the beginning of a year of growth for you, too. 😘

#homeschool #homeschoolmomsbelike #homeschoolmom #homeschoolmama #homeschoolexplained #homeschoolfun #firstdayofschool #homeschool2023 #homeschooling #homeschoolidaho
You guys, I fought this book. I fought this method You guys, I fought this book. I fought this method of teaching my kid to read. 🙈 I scoffed at the layout. I talked myself out of using it because I knew there were ”more beautiful” ways to teach reading. (Ugh…how embarrassing…)

I almost missed out on this helpful tool that helped my oldest daughter learn how to read and style that she understood well. And that’s just what it is…a tool. It is not the only way I teach my children how to read. It is one piece to a big, beautiful puzzle. 

Using this book + waiting until they are developmentally old enough to learn + exposure to great literature + reading to them daily since they were babies + a million others things is how I teach my kids to read 🥰

#homeschool #homeschoolmomsbelike #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschoolexplained #homeschoolfun #learntoread #teachyourchildtoreadin100easylessons #teachyourchildtoread #homeschoolidaho #homeschoollife

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