About Cardboard Mom
Welcome! I’m Natalie, aka Cardboard Mom. I taught Pre-K for 10 years before deciding to stay home with our first child. Now my life has evolved and I get the privilege of homeschooling and caring for our 2 children. It may not be the easiest or lowest stress job out there, but it definitely is one of the most rewarding and I wouldn’t trade this time with them for anything.
I initially wanted to start this site as a place to share recipes, homeschooling lessons and resources, and our various crafts and cardboard creations. But before I even started creating any content or a template for the site, a new idea evolved.
One of the benefits of homeschooling to me is the ability to be more aware of who my children are hanging out with and what they are hearing and learning so I can address problematic situations - such as tackling something really hard or dealing with mean talk - as they arise. I have always loved using children's books to help introduce and reinforce topics of all sorts, including problem solving and countering negativity. Then it hit me that I had the ability to share these books with more than just my own children! I could use this page to share books with children around the country and even the world! And so, the Read and Rise Book Club was born.
Our mission at Read and Rise is to share enriching stories and meaningful activities which will help create a generation of children who love themselves, are full of self-confidence, and know their worth is not tied to the opinions of others so that they can rise up and be warriors for kindness, acceptance, equality, community, the earth, and change for the better.
Please feel free to browse the archives, comment, share, and come back again! I hope you will be inspired by our crazy little family and encouraged to spend some quality time with yours, whether it be reading our featured books, trying one of our crafts, or cooking a new recipe together.
Thank you so much for visiting!
Love Natalie
You can contact me at cardboardmom@gmail.com
