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Family System

Do you have a family system in place for donating to charity? Is it a family value that is not only intellectual, but actual? You know in your mind and heart that you want to give…do you take action as well? Do you have a jar, piggy bank, savings account, or % of income that is designated for charitable giving? Is your current system more spur of the moment and you donate as causes cross your path? Do you donate out of guilt? Do you pre-plan? What guidelines do you use for giving? When you give, do you point it out to your children? (Not to be bragging, of course, but just to normalize what/how/when giving takes place).

Write about how and when your family currently donates and how you feel it is serving your family and others.

Creativity

Yesterday you identified your hurdles, today is all about coming up with creative ways to work around them. Short on time: could you make a donation instead? Short of money: could you donate time? Short on time and money: could you collect unused items in your home to donate? Can’t make a donation: could you ask for a donation to a favorite cause as a gift? Could you spend time simply spreading the word about a favorite cause?

Brainstorm as a family. Look online or start a conversation with friends & family—find creative ways to benefit your community and causes. Keep your generosity goals in mind when coming up with creative solutions: does your solution promote connection, community, generosity, support, & kindness?

Another thought is to consider is how & where you spend your money…do you support local stores and small businesses? Do you eat out on nights when restaurants are hosting fundraisers? Do you support your friends’ businesses for basic needs or gifts? Do you search small shops on sites like Etsy? Or gift products that make a difference (like The Obakki Foundation’s Scarves for Water program—the sale of 500 scarves raises enough money to drill a water well for a village in Africa. The scarf makes a beautiful gift with a purpose).

For some families, it’s not about giving their money away, but spending it creatively to support small businesses or make purchases that make an obvious impact…just a thought to consider when coming up with creative ideas to help your money (& family!) make a positive difference.

Hurdles

Identify what hurdles keep you from practicing philanthropy. Are you too busy? Do you forget that donating to charities is an option? Is money tight? Write about them. No shame…we can’t work around something until we know what that something is. We all have hurdles, mama.

Causes that are Important to Your Family

What causes are important to each member of your family? Your partner? Each child? What interests them?

If your child is still tiny and can’t articulate a cause, what do they like? Dogs? Food? Mommy? If your baby loves dogs, perhaps a cause you could associate with that interest would be a dog rescue. If they like food, a food pantry. If they are into mommy, a shelter or program that helps mothers.

Come up with a family list of what causes or ideas are important to your family (even if they don’t align with your own).

Causes that are Important to You

What causes call to your heart? List them by theme or be specific and list charities. Include why they speak to you and what about them makes you want to help.

Challenge Your Beliefs

When I asked mamas to define philanthropy, many of them answered, “philanthropy is for rich people.”

Why do you think people believe that? Do you believe only rich people can be philanthropic? Do you believe YOU are philanthropic? Do you believe your children can be, even at a young age?

Switch out the word philanthropy for one of the words that spoke to you from the description above. Do you believe only rich people can [your word]? Do you believe you are [your word]? Do you believe your children can be [your word]?

Do your beliefs about [your word] and philanthropy match up? Do you feel like something as simple as word choice can keep people from giving? What word or words compel you to feel empowered to help others? Write about it.

What is Philanthropy?

Write about what philanthropy means to you. Have you heard the word before? How would you describe a philanthropist? Do you fit that description?

Look at the list of alternative words for philanthropy (listed above). Which of those words speaks to you most? Why?

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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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