Mother Culturing: Third Quarter 2024
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
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
~ A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The third quarter always feels so strange to write about in these Mother Culturing posts as I enter it in the summer when school planning is still fully underway, and the weather is hot, but by the time I write it, we are well into the school year and experiencing (usually) the lovely crispness of autumn. But here we are. Autumn again. The weather has continued to be summer-like, but some of the trees, especially at higher elevations, stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the heat and steadfastly march on in their seasonal pattern. These are the best kinds of trees.
While the summer was less busy in some ways, it was busier in others, so it all evened out, and the low-key break I had envisioned didn’t materialize as much as I had hoped. I’m still striving for that slowing down, though, especially as I immerse myself in books about intentionally scheduling our time in preparation for my talk at the Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat at the end of January. It has been good to reflect on the practice of a personal (or family) rule of life and how I want to spend my time.
And on that note, I was very intentional with my time during the latter part of the summer and now into the school year with pre-reading. I mentioned the CMEC 2018 Retreat recordings in my last Mother Culturing post and talked specifically about the End-of-Year Reflection talk, but another one that was very influential for me was the “Pre-Reading as Scholé” talk. I wrote more about this in my Year 5 and Year 8 planning posts, but I’ll say here that I’ve fully embraced this idea of treating my pre-reading time as a type of Mother Culture for myself. And though it takes a lot of time, I really do feel that it has been worth it.
So that is (mostly) how July and August (after we started our school year on the 19th) were spent. I began attending a local Charlotte Mason book group in July, which has been great! It’s been a few years since I was in an in-person CM book group (I did the Idyll Challenge from 2020 to 2022), and I’ve missed that monthly meeting time with like-minded friends to discuss the volumes. They actually just finished the last volume (I was very late to join the group), so I’m not sure what we will read next, but I am thankful that I’m able to be part of it.
In August, B turned 14. But I’m in denial about this, so we won’t talk about it.
In September, we stayed up to watch the partial lunar eclipse, which wasn’t quite as awe-inspiring as a complete lunar eclipse or solar eclipse, but still a tiny bit awe-inspiring. I appreciate the slow pace of these things. Eclipses can’t be rushed. They take their time and force you to be in the moment.
I also turned 44 in September. And life moves on.
This has also become a season of local things for us. Before we moved to this town eight years ago and were still living in Denver, I found a Charlotte Mason moms book group and co-op that met about 25 minutes south of here and sounded amazing. It was too far south for me to join at the time, but when we moved down here, it was one of the first activities I added to my calendar. All of our subsequent homeschooling groups and activities resulted from that group, so we have had to drive down to that area and further south often. And even though we’ve been here for eight years now, we have still never really made any local connections. Even finding a good local church that all of us liked was challenging.
And then, all of a sudden, it was as if we finally moved in this summer. We found a local church that we really like, I began attending the local Charlotte Mason book group I mentioned above, the kids and I joined a local Charlotte Mason hiking group that meets weekly, and the kids are also in a local book discussion group with other homeschooling families that meets monthly, all within the last two months. I have been so thankful for all of the things we’ve been able to join down in the Colorado Springs and Monument area over the last eight years, as none of that would’ve been possible if we were living in Denver. I also truly treasure the friendships I have made and the amazing women I have come to know through those activities. But it has been really nice not having to drive so far to get to homeschooling events with like-minded friends, and making connections with people who are just down the road from us has been wonderful.
And now on to the culturing!
Read (or Finished Reading)
For Me
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein. I really, really enjoyed this book, and even though I first heard it recommended during one of Cindy Rollins’s talks at our retreat earlier this year, I’m glad I waited to read it as the timing was perfect. I was really starting to think about my son being in high school next year, and causing myself a lot of unneeded stress. I think every parent with school-aged or younger children, especially homeschoolers, should read this book.
A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich. My friend Julie loaned this to me with a strong recommendation to read it. I saw a little later that it was on the AO high school free reads list, and then it was also scheduled for another mom book group that includes several of my friends. I took these as signs that I should read it, and it was very good. It had an overall melancholy feel that fit well with my mood this summer.
Managers of Their Homes by Steven Maxwell. After I read A Mother’s Rule of Life earlier this year, I became fascinated with the idea of a family schedule (my kids would probably tell you I am obsessed). This book and system were mentioned in that book, so it was naturally next on my list. I think this is a good practical way to develop a scheduling system for your family if you’re new to it, but I liked A Mother’s Rule of Life better in terms of the “why” and a more down-to-earth “how.”
Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich. I tried reading this once in the past during my morning liturgy but didn’t make it far. I liked this edition better, and it took me about nine months to get through it. There were things I found very inspiring and things I didn’t really agree with, but overall I enjoyed it.
Reunion by Fred Uhlman. A very short and thought-provoking read.
A Chicken’s Guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids About Sex by Kevin Leman. This took me a few years to get through as I felt I could only read it at night after the kids were in bed because of the title. It was helpful, and (despite my shyness about the title around my kids) I agree with the overall premise of the book that talking about puberty and sex should be a more casual thing for families so that when our kids do have questions or concerns related to these topics, it’s not a big deal to bring them to us.
Habits of a Child’s Heart: Raising Your Kids with the Spiritual Disciplines by Valerie E. Hess. I started reading this over the summer, hoping to use it for ideas for the new school year (it also has a family schedule in the back!), and it was very inspiring. I made notes of quite a few goals and how we can implement the spiritual disciplines together as a family.
For (or With) the Kids
The Tough Winter by Robert Lawson. We always enjoy Robert Lawson!
Incident at Hawk’s Hill by Allan W. Eckert. Previously-mentioned friend Julie handed this to me at our local free library one day. I had never heard of it, but the big Newberry Honor award on the front inspired me to read it for B, and while it was sad (but hopeful!), we both liked it.
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus. I listened to this late last year on my own and then read it aloud to the kids this year before bed during one of my husband’s numerous business trips. Such a good story. I would’ve also loved to have Mrs. Müller adopt me as a kid.
The Giant Killer by A. L. O. E. When I was doing research this summer for books I could find to help one of my children with some temper problems, this popped up. It is very Victorian. 🙂 But still an interesting little story.
Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier. This was the first reading for the kids’ book discussion group, and we all liked it.
For School
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I did not finish this with C during the school year, so we read it through the summer. This was my second time through it, and it’s a great book.
The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat. Another book we didn’t finish during the school year. C was glad when we finished it. 🙂
How the Heather Looks by Joan Bodger. Another book we didn’t finish during the school year, but we only had a chapter or two left, so I finished it on my own. We enjoyed the chapters that included books we have read (in particular, Winnie-the-Pooh, Beatrix Potter, and Swallows and Amazons!), and it made me want to take a literary tour of England as well.
Currently
I am currently reading Pat of Silver Bush, Move Your DNA, Crafting a Rule of Life, and in my morning liturgy, To Love as God Loves.
For both kids, I am pre-reading The Ark. For B, I am pre-reading I, Juan de Pareja, and reading with him, The Fellowship of the Ring. For C, I am pre-reading The Great Little Madison, and reading with her, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
Made
As I mentioned in my last Mother Culturing post, I signed us up for a CSA earlier this year which will end this week. We got a LOT of food, so I had to learn to be creative and made quite a bit more ferments, experimented with new side dishes, and discovered new ways to use up zucchini. My two favorites for the zucchini were these muffins and this soup (also in her cookbook – I soaked the rice overnight first), both of which I tried to make in larger batches and freeze. I still have some to work through, so more will be stored in the freezer in the coming weeks for quick lunches and snacks through the winter!
My new favorite ferment is this salsa (I used parsley instead of cilantro, which is listed as an option in her book: Everything Worth Preserving), and it is fantastic. Store-bought salsa will never be as tasty.
Life, in general, is finally starting to settle down, for which I’m thankful, and as we do have quite a few things still in the fridge from the CSA, I might try some canning in the next few weeks as well. Hopefully. 🙂
Enjoyed
Kate’s Real Food Energy Bars – I added a few flavors to my August Azure Standard order, and I am hooked. These are great for hikes!
Kettle Moraine Window Suet Cake Woodpecker Feeder – We took our hummingbird feeder down in the middle of September and replaced it with this. I’m hoping to get a few chickadees at the window!
Jane Austen Pencil Pouch – This has been on my wishlist for a while, so I took some birthday money and treated myself.
Move Your DNA – I have been listening to this book during my morning walks, and it has been fascinating. I ended up buying a copy so I could actually see the exercises and different kinds of movement she recommends. It’s also been fun to try and figure out new ways to get movement into my days.
Daily Twill Pants – Pact was having a sale in September, so I took the remainder of my birthday money and got myself some clothes. These are so comfortable! (Get 15% off your first purchase with my link!)
Mr. Pen Binder Dividers and Sticky Index Tabs – I bought these to set up my pre-reading binders for our homeschool this year, and they are perfect with these binders. I have found that if I get high-quality and aesthetically pleasing paper goods like this for myself, I am more apt to get the reading done.
Notes App – And speaking of pre-reading and taking notes, I have started taking notes for just about everything. I have found in recent years that my memory is not what it used to be, and, honestly, it probably was never as good about the little things as I thought it was. So I revamped the notes app on my phone (which also syncs with my computer), making categories for all the different aspects of our home and family, and now I take copious notes for just about everything. It has helped so much in keeping me more organized and developing goals related to specific areas of my life!
On the Blog
Here’s what was happening on the blog this quarter in case you missed it!
How to Get Started with Mother Culture
How to Practice Mother Culture
Practical Mother Culture Ideas for Homeschool Moms
Simple Ideas for Keeping a Homeschool Year Record
Sunday Occupation Ideas for Mother Culture
Charlotte Mason on Curiosity and the Desire for Knowledge
Our Charlotte Mason Homeschool Eighth Grade Plans
Our Charlotte Mason Homeschool Fifth Grade Plans (take 2!)
Crafting Your Own Mothers’ Education Course
Guide, Philosopher, and Friend
9 Things to Do in Fall for Homeschool Nature Study
How (and Why!) to Have a Homeschool Sabbath Week
New in the Shop
Bird Sightings
I have graduated to the next level of bird nerdery, and my husband gave me a bird cam for my birthday. This is a very basic model that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the wireless ones that can ID birds for you, but it also didn’t have the higher price tag. We have to unload the pictures from it every so often, and the focus is very specific, but it has been fun to spy on our avian friends as they partake in our snack bar.
Happy autumn!
