Mother Culturing: First Quarter 2026

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

You were forever finding some new play.
So when I saw you down on hands and knees
I the meadow, busy with the new-cut hay,
Trying, I thought, to set it up on end,
I went to show you how to make it stay,
If that was your idea, against the breeze,
And, if you asked me, even help pretend
To make it root again and grow afresh.
But ’twas no make-believe with you today,
Nor was the grass itself your real concern,
Though I found your hand full of wilted fern,
Steel-bright June-grass, and blackening heads of clovers.
‘Twas a nest full of young birds on the ground
The cutter-bar had just gone champing over
(Miraculously without tasting flesh)
And left defenseless to the heat and light.
You wanted to restore them to their right
Of something interposed between their sight
And too much world at once—could means be found.
The way the nest-full every time we stirred
Stood up to us as to a mother-bird
Whose coming home has been too long deferred,
Made me ask would the mother-bird return
And care for them in such a change of scene
And might out meddling make her more afraid.
That was a thing we could not wait to learn.
We saw the risk we took in doing good,
But dared not spare to do the best we could
Though harm should come of it; so built the screen
You had begun, and gave them back their shade.
All this to prove we cared. Why is there then
No more to tell? We turned to other things.
I haven’t any memory—have you?—
Of ever coming to the place again
To see if the birds lived the first night through,
And so at last to learn to use their wings.

The Exposed Nest by Robert Frost

I know there was a winter somewhere. We heard news reports of many, many feet of snow on the East Coast and flooding in other areas. But none of it made its way here, and so spring has begun, but I don’t think fall, aside from a lack of pretty foliage, ever really ended. There’s still hope that the snowstorms Colorado tends to spit out in April and May will make an appearance. This girl, who grew up with feet of snow in Minnesota all winter long, can dream. Also, our reservoirs and aquifers can dream.

A busy few months! In January, my daughter turned 12 which means I almost have only teens. Just a few years ago, the idea of having one teen was terrifying, and here I am close to having two. Hopefully, we all survive!

At the beginning of February, we held our annual Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat. This was our tenth anniversary, and to celebrate, we added an extra day with a full morning immersion of various subjects. I taught picture study and Shakespeare, which I enjoyed! During the main retreat, I led a workshop on Charlotte Mason in the early years, a topic close to my heart, as I often want to tell moms with younger children to slow down. Please. And so I got a chance to do that, and I enjoyed the discussions and interaction I had with each one of the moms who attended. I love this retreat and am so honored to be part of it.

In March, my son began his counselor training for our annual summer horse camp. I will not be volunteering again this year, as I have the past three years, which is both sad and a relief. I have so many things on my plate that I decided it was in the best interest of my family (and my sanity) to sit this year out, and it was a good decision. Other than that, everything feels status quo, but status quo is so, so busy. There is probably a lot more to write about, but I’ll just leave it at these things.

On to the culturing!

Read (or Finished Reading)

For Me

The Art of Advent: A Painting a Day from Advent to Epiphany by Jane Williams. I enjoyed this one much more than the Lent version!

A Radiant Birth: Advent Readings for a Bright Season edited by Leslie Leyland Fields. I had high hopes for this one, but it wasn’t quite what I hoped for.

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley. This was our selection for the book discussion at the Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat this year, and it was my second time reading. I usually enjoy books about books, and this is a fun little diversion.

The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton Porter. It’s been years since I read a Gene Stratton Porter book, but this one was chosen for the moms in our homeschool hiking group, so we read it together. It’s not my favorite of the porters, but there were definitely aspects of it (bees! country life! gardens!) that I appreciated.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 3, Vol. 4, and Vol. 5 by Beth Brower. Really, the audiobooks of this series are just perfect for listening to while doing chores, cooking supper, or driving places by myself. They’re so entertaining!

The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction by Adam S. McHugh. I don’t normally pick a word for the year, as some do, but this year I felt the desire to really focus on my ability to “listen.” I feel like I could use a lot of improvement in this area, so I began listening to this on my morning walks. There was a lot to take away, a lot to ponder, and a lot to put into practice. Some of it was challenging, and I don’t know that I necessarily agree with some aspects (I was reading Bonhoeffer at the same time, and they seem to contradict each other on the idea of dying to self if I interpret correctly), but I really appreciated his overall message. I plan to pick up a copy so I can do some commonplacing.

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. So many of my friends have absolutely loved this book, and because of this, I don’t think it could have possibly lived up to the very high expectations I had for it. I will say that it was an enjoyable read, and I liked the story, especially the twist at the end.

For School

(I’ll write more about these in my school year-end recap posts in June.)

The Modern Age: From Victoria’s Empire to the End of the USSR by Susan Wise Bauer

Miracle At Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen

She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith

Currently

I am currently reading (or listening to) Rembrandt is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith; Ruth; When People Are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man; and The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 6. I’m reading Parents and Children with my Charlotte Mason book group. And for my morning liturgy, I’m reading The Poetry of Robert Frost and A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society.

With my son, I’m reading The Two Towers, and with my daughter, I’m reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Reading Challenges

Commonplaced

Some favorite quotes from this quarter’s finished books:

A Radiant Birth: Advent Readings for a Bright Season

“The unmeasured mercies of God are indeed unsettling, dangerous.” (Leslie Leyland Fields)

“It’s not difficult to remember or experience, with our baptized intellects or imaginations, times of new understanding about the almighty. The Bible is full of metaphors that reveal God in images such as a rock, a banner, a mother hen, a lover, and artist. But all too often I have felt “in the dark” about God himself—unable to see him. Even though Jesus came close to us in the incarnation, it all seems so long ago. I long for the immediate, unmistakable knowledge of his presence now, the smell, the sight, the touch of him.” (Luci Shaw)

The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction

“A loud, overcrowded, hyperactive life is the antithesis of the listening life. The hyperactive life is so often trying to prove its worth, make its mark and justify its existence. The listening life waits, quietly and humbly, for God to make his mark on us.”

“In those rare moments when we are able to sit in the quiet, release the noise and the anxieties that drive us into noise, and attune ourselves to God, we are training, preparing ourselves to be listeners in all of life.”

“What I am on a quest for is the heart of a listener. When the Lord asked King Solomon what he wanted, Solomon asked for what is usually translated as an ‘understanding heart’ or ‘discerning mind,’ but in the Hebrew it is literally a ‘listening heart’ (1 Kings 3:9). That is my prayer as well—for a listening heart. The most gifted teacher cannot give you a listening heart. Those who develop a listening heart are those who want to be a particular kind of person. That is why I care less about the what of listening and more about the who. Who do I have to become in order to have the capacity to listen? Who is the person who makes for a great listener?”

“I believe that true listening wars against the entrenched selfishness of the human heart. The listening heart is one that seeks to give, to learn, to welcome, to serve. In a small but real way, listening imitates the self-emptying act of Jesus, who voluntarily released his claims on ruling in order to serve and give his life. The listening heart strives to put away control, all the ways we can manipulate a conversation for our gain. It is able to stop in the middle of a thought and say, ‘You’re right.’ The heart of a listener is one that submits, that begins to live out Paul’s exhortation to ‘be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ’ (Ephesians 5:21). The listening heart seeks to be present, to be focused on something other than itself and to give its attention away.”

“The who of the listening life is not limited to the listener. As strangely commonsensical as this sounds, we must remind ourselves that we are listening to people. Good listening blows away the straw man. People are complex, layered, multifaceted, beautiful, wounded, contradictory, beloved image-bearers of the Creator. They are minds, hearts, souls and bodies, spilling over with dreams, passions, hurts, regrets and fears. As H. Jackson Brown puts it, ‘Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.’ Philo of Alexandria is believed to have said, ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.’ We ought to tread carefully and gently, and focus on hearing the hearts, not just the words, of people in our lives.”

Made

Food

No major food projects this quarter, but I’m hoping that changes in the second quarter. I’d like to get back into a good Cook Once Eat All Week routine (she also has another book coming out in August that I’m excited for!), but this quarter was just so, so busy that I never got to it. It’s ironic that when I need those extra meals the most, I don’t have the time to make them.

My son has started his garden plans and seeds are in the grow light trays, so I did pull out Everything Worth Preserving to see what I can make this summer based on what he’s planning to grow.

Project 333

At the end of March, I pulled out all of my clothes and did my first spring wardrobe switch since I began Project 333 last September. Before I did my last switch in December, I bought an Ikea Frakta bag (inspired by Simplifying the Satherns) to store all the clothes I’m not using for the current season, and this was also the first time I got to pull everything out. There were several things I had forgotten I owned, which was kind of fun! I put away a few pairs of jeans, some sweaters, two dresses, and some of my winter hiking gear, and pulled out some cropped jeans and short-sleeve shirts. I still have a few pieces from Short Story Box that are polyester, and I’d like to replace them with natural fibers eventually, but they fit really well, so they’re hanging up in the closet for now. I also got another short-sleeve t-shirt (mine was storm blue) and a new dress (I have been so happy with everything I’ve gotten from Quince!). Aside from hiking clothes and lounging clothes, which I don’t count as part of my 30 items, I ended up with:

29 items!

I noticed that I tend to have a lot of dark-colored items because I believed for a long time that lighter colors don’t look good on me. Now that (I think) I have a clearer idea of my color palette, I may try softer shades for the warmer months. I may also aim to upgrade my loungewear so I can wear it out of the house and include it in my 30 items, but I’ll have to budget for that.

I plan my wardrobe switch weeks the same week that I have my closet on the cleaning schedule, so it has worked well to purge everything and then give the closet a thorough cleaning. It’s a nice way to start a new season, and I love that I’m more intentional with my wardrobe now and have more outfits I can wear when going out of the house, but less clothing overall.

Moved

March was definitely the best month in terms of movement this quarter. January started well, but as I got closer to the Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat in February, almost everything else was pushed aside as I prepared for it. The random day of ice skating at the end of January was my daughter’s birthday party. Other than that, I wouldn’t have had anything that week.

After the retreat, we went through several weeks of sickness for various people and animals in my family, and my husband traveled quite a bit, so it was hard to get back into a good routine. In March, though, when everyone was mostly feeling better, I started up the Nourish Move Love beginner workout plan (3 days/week) again and got more walks in, and I feel like I’m back into a good rhythm. I’m at the point where I don’t necessarily look forward to workouts, but I appreciate how I feel afterward and know the benefits are good. It also helps to have friends who are motivated to move as well!

On the Blog

New in the Shop

Nature Sightings

As the first quarter included the beginning of spring in March, I restarted my lists for the year. Not many wildflowers yet, but definitely quite a few birds!