Mother Culturing: Fourth Quarter 2022

What we need is a habit of taking our minds out of what one is tempted to call “the domestic rag-bag” of perplexities, and giving it a good airing in something which keeps it “growing”… Is there, then, not need for more “Mother Culture”?

“MOTHER CULTURE” PARENTS’ REVIEW – VOLUME 3

LIFE has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children’s faces looking up,
Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit’s still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.

~ Barter by Sara Teasdale ~

And so we’ve arrived at another new year. It’s really very hard for me to believe that the turn of the century was 23 years ago. That there are people who are adults who don’t remember what it was like to start your year with the number 1. I read something a few years ago in which the author “reminded” people that the 1990s were 30 years ago, not the 20 that I had stuck in my head (and apparently was not alone in that). It feels like such a cliche to get stuck in this disbelief in the passage of time and yet, it’s happening. I wonder at it at least a few times a week. It’s acutely true when it comes to the growth of my children, and I’m expecting B to skyrocket above me any day now.

Life goes on.

I’ve said often in the last many Mother Culturing posts that life is frantic and crazy, but it actually didn’t feel that way this last quarter, thankfully. I’m still dealing with health issues that have proven to be pretty stubborn, which I feel is just another sign of the passage of time. My body getting older and not correcting itself as quickly as it used to. But it has caused me to slow down a bit, which I know is a good thing, though I don’t necessarily feel that it is.

The only real event, other than holiday happenings, was our 18th wedding anniversary, which we celebrated on November 6th. As is our usual custom, we made our yearly trek to the golf course where we tied the knot in 2004. Parts of it have changed, but it’s mostly the same. Kind of like us.

Over the course of a few Saturdays in October, we took advantage of our county’s slash and mulch program and picked up many, many truckloads of free mulch. My husband cleared out all of the rocks in our side yard, and we replaced it all with mulch in the hope that we might be able to do some kind of Back to Eden garden there in the spring (specifically, a pumpkin patch). If nothing else, we’ll spread grass and wildflower seeds which should look better than the desolate area of weeds and rocks that it has been the last few years.

We spent Thanksgiving with a family that used to be like family to me and it was so nice. We haven’t been to a “big” family holiday event in many, many years and I’ve really been missing it, so I was so thankful to be able to do it this year. Christmas was quiet and at home. Last year, I discovered the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóði in which each member of the family is given a book and chocolate on Christmas Eve, and then they can spend the evening reading and eating chocolate. I opted to surprise my kids with their version of it in the morning, and we did actually spend the day reading and eating chocolate, which was very relaxing.

On the school front, we finished Term 1 at the end of November and got a few weeks into Term 2 before we took two weeks off for Christmas break. Last year in the 2021 version of this post, I wrote that we struggled through those last few weeks before our holiday break. However, this year, the changes I made to our schedule have made things flow so much more peacefully and smoothly, and I’m so glad we made them.

Going into this new year, I have the same goals that I have most years, but I still like to refresh them. Here are a few at the top of my list:

• Food – One of my goals this last year was to start making more freezer meals. I started strong in the first quarter but then fell off the bandwagon as the year progressed. I’m refreshing that goal, and I’d also like to try making sourdough bread again. Because we are gluten-free, this has proved to be extremely challenging, but I’ve been doing research and have a few things I’d like to try. One positive change I made last year related to food was that we were eating out a whole lot less toward the end of the year. This was good because we saved that money and were eating things that were better for us at home, but bad in that it was challenging for me to consistently get supper on the table every.single.day. That’s another reason why I want to stock up on freezer meals. Plan To Eat has a handy feature where I can keep track of what freezer meals I have when I make them, and add them to the meal plan wherever I want, so I definitely want to use that.
• Cleaning/Organization/Chores – I’m re-setting our filing system for the year this month, and that’s always an inspiration to me to be more organized. I mentioned on Instagram in October that I came up with my own little block schedule for chores and household tasks and it has worked extremely well for the last few months. I’d like to continue that into the new year and refine it as needed. I find a lot of peace in an organized, clean, and simple environment and this new system has been giving me that more and more.
• Exercise – I got myself a simple pedometer in June and have been carrying it around in my pocket almost every day since. It doesn’t connect to my phone, but I record the number of steps I had the previous day each morning on my phone so I have a record of what I’m doing. I have a theory that it motivates me to move just having it in my pocket because I know I’m going to have to record a number in the morning and I want it to be high. I was walking quite a bit during the summer, but it has definitely proven to be more challenging during the cold months. I’d like to maintain a goal of 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.
• Finances – I’m finally starting to see our food budget line in our budgeting program go down because of the bulk purchases, but I’m still not as good about following the limits I’ve set for myself. I’d like to be more disciplined with that in the coming year. One of my goals is to possibly have a month in which we live mostly off of what’s in the pantry or the freezers and only have a very small amount to spend at the grocery store. Ideally that would be every month, but I think beginning with one as a goal for now is a good start.

And now on to the fourth quarter…

Read

For Me

I didn’t read a whole lot just for myself this quarter, but honestly, as B gets older, the books I’m pre-reading for him or reading with him feel like they’re also for me, so it’s a win-win all around!

Miss. Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson. I’ve had this one in my TBR for a while. I keep hoping to find a classic that re-creates the magic of Miss. Pettigrew Lives for a Day as it was such a pleasant surprise. This one wasn’t quite as good, but still an enjoyable little read. I might continue with the series.

Persuasion by Jane Austen. This was chosen for the book discussion at our upcoming Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat, so I dug into it again. Anne Elliot will always be my favorite of the Austen protagonists.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I read this aloud with the kids over Christmas, my first time ever going through this little book. Dickens has grown on me recently, and this book was no exception to that. I don’t know that we’ll read it every year at Christmas, but I’m very glad we read it this year.

John Constable: A Kingdom of his Own by Anthony Bailey. This is my second Anthony Bailey artist biography (the first was on Vermeer). His books are well-researched and interesting but can be a tiny bit dry at times. Still, I learned a lot about Constable, and despite the fact that I’ve never been a huge fan of his style, I do have more appreciation for his work.

For the Kids

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. This was the first Jules Verne novel I’ve ever read, and I can see why he was so popular. The descriptions of the different kinds of sea life went on a little too long for me at times, but B very much enjoyed this book.

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. C loved this book!

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli. This was one that all three of us enjoyed. Another pleasant surprise recommendation from the AmblesdieOnline free reads lists.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. When I was in fifth grade, one of the other teachers in my grade read this aloud to her class and cried through the last chapter. That really stuck with me, so when I read it on my own later on, I knew to expect a sad ending. It still doesn’t make it any easier. B enjoyed this one as well.

More of Milly-Molly-Mandy by Joyce Lankester Brisley. C really likes this series, and I think it’s just about perfect for her.

Man of the Family by Ralph Moody. I’m putting this under “For the Kids,” and I did pre-read it for B, but I also really, really enjoyed this book. The first book in the Little Britches series, Father and I were Ranchers, took place mainly in the Bear Creek (Lakewood/Littleton) part of the Denver area. I lived in Littleton for close to 20 years and in Lakewood for a few years before that, so I was very familiar with that part of town. However, this book mainly took place in downtown Littleton, an area where I attended a community college for two years, lived about 10 minutes from for 15 years, and often visited when my son was an infant (the free living history museum is excellent if you ever have a chance to visit!). It also talked about his travels down through Castle Rock, where we currently live, through Monument, and into north Colorado Springs, an area we travel two at least a few times per month for various homeschooling events (and where many of our friends live). It was a lot of fun reading this book and hearing the very familiar names of different places in Littleton especially. I kept the Littleton Chamber of Commerce website handy and was able to look up the different people he spoke about often. One thing I found touching about this family’s story is that his father was buried in Denver in 1910 and, even though his mother left Littleton in 1911, when she died in 1974 in Massachusetts at the ripe old age of 98, she was buried next to him in Denver. The language is definitely “cowboy” language and can be rough at times, but they are just such good books.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. This was a read-aloud with B and my second time reading it. We finished The Adventures of Tom Sawyer earlier this year, and when I asked B which book he wanted to read next, he quickly chose this one. I think it’s safe to say that he’s a Twain fan (which is good because one of his books is on the list for next school year!), though he said he felt the ending of this one was “abrupt.” For anyone who might be curious (like I was!), before I started reading it to him, we talked about why we don’t use the “n-word,” and I replaced it with “slave” whenever it came up in the text.

For School

Henry V by William Shakespeare. We read this for our Term 1 Shakespeare play, and both of us liked it. The Arkangel recording works so well for us to listen to together.

Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity by Robert Cwiklik. This was very interesting and gave me a better understanding of the theory of relativity.

The Modern Age: From Victoria’s Empire to the End of the USSR By Susan Wise Bauer. I really enjoyed this book, especially as I can remember quite a few of the events that it covers.

Currently

I am currently reading This Beautiful Truth: How God’s Goodness Breaks Into Our Darkness by Sarah Clarkson, Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst-Case Scenarios by Lisa Bedford, Educated by Tara Westover (audiobook), The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Dallas Willard (for my morning reading time), and The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. (You can follow along with my reading adventures on Goodreads.)

For B, I am pre-reading A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry, and reading aloud to him Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling.

For C, I am pre-reading The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit, and reading aloud to her By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Made

As we go into the new year, I want to include in my mother culture not only things I’ve read and done to culture my mind, but also things I’ve learned to do with my hands. In the past, I’ve really only pictured this as some kind of traditional handicraft, like embroidery or knitting. However, it’s been challenging for me to maintain those as a habit (though I haven’t given up!), so I’m focusing on other things I do with my hands. Right now, this mostly consists of food-related things that I’ve been wanting to teach myself and get into the habit of doing regularly, like food preservation. But I’d also like to do more sewing, which is something I have enjoyed at various times, and gardening, when the weather is right. My hope this new year is that I can challenge myself at least a little bit each quarter to learn or make something new in these areas.

In 2022, my biggest focus was food preservation and moving to more bulk buying for our food (more about that in the section below). I dehydrated and froze quite a bit of fruit for our family later in the year, and I got into the habit of making milk kefir regularly. I picked up Everything Worth Preserving by Melissa K. Norris (also more about that below!) a few months ago and I think my biggest goal this year will be to learn how to can.

Enjoyed

FoodSaver I was given some birthday money back in September and decided to buy myself some food preservation items, including a pressure canner and a FoodSaver from Costco. I also got the jar attachment and plan to get some reusable bags once I’ve used up the ones it came with. It came in very handy when we were dehydrating apples back in September, and I’ll be using it for more bulk food purchases in the future.

A Family Food Supply This is a YouTube channel that I’ve mentioned several times in the last few months in my monthly Azure haul videos. I like how they have systems for ordering different types of food at different times of the year (see their “What to buy this month” videos). They also have some great Azure Standard tips, like how to get sale prices even after items are no longer on sale, and tips on how to store food long-term. I appreciate that they’re not doing this from a fear-mongering mindset, but because having a good supply of food built up for your family is such a good idea for many reasons (like saving money!).

Everything Worth Preserving by Melissa K. Norris I mentioned this in my Christmas gift ideas post, but I finally got my hardcover copy after I posted that and I am so thankful I picked this book up! One of my goals in 2023 goes along with what I wrote about above about buying in bulk. Because we don’t have a large family, but I still want to take advantage of cheaper bulk prices, I know I’ll need to preserve at least part of those purchases. This book covers almost any kind of produce you can think of and offers several different ways to preserve it. I know I’ll be referencing this a lot!

Bird Sightings

The majority of our birds exited our area of the planet by the end of late October, so it’s been quiet at the feeders lately. Given the frigid temps we had just before Christmas, I thought we might see a bigger variety of birds partaking of the feast we set out for them, but that didn’t end up being the case. We did see one random dark-eyed towhee (which we normally only get in the spring) on Christmas day, but other than that, we have our usual house finches, mountain and black-capped chickadees, collared-doves, and lots of juncos. In non-feeder news, our neighborhood great horned owls are starting their yearly mating rituals early, and we had one perched on our roof calling out to a more distant friend one night last week. I slipped out to the patio and was able to listen to them for a while before it flew away. I hope it happens again!

I wish you all a very happy new year!

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