Moms have brains and need brains, and brains need to be fed just like bodies. That’s why it’s important we read. Mothering and homemaking are not jobs for slackers. It’s not mindless work. When our minds are active and exercised, we can apply more of ourselves to our work with creativity and intelligence, deriving more…
Does the word schedule make you break out in hives? Do you picture yourself harried and deflated at the end of a day on a homeschool daily schedule? Maybe for you, like me, that’s a vivid memory, not a theoretical picture. Schedules get a negative reaction in the homeschool world, and I totally get why….
We established last week that even moms need to grow. We, as well as our children, are persons and must both feed and exercise our souls, bodies, minds, and hearts. But how? How much time will this take? After all, it’s not like we have a bunch of spare time for various new exercise and…
A commonplace is a notebook for keeping favorite quotes, inspiring ideas, or thoughtful notes. It’s a highly individual practice that has been used by “keepers” of all walks of life for nearly as long as the means to conveniently and cheaply read and write have been available. It’s making a resurgence in the classical education…
I’ve read Joseph Pieper’s little book Leisure: The Basis of Culture a few times, and every time I find it worth the slog in the beginning to make it to the chapter 4. Chapter 4 confirmed to me that convivial was a word to latch onto and make my own – one way or another….
Do you know what it means to teach from rest? Teaching from rest is not easy or gentle or comfortable. Teaching from rest is homeschooling faithfully. Rest. You know you need it. What do you picture, when you think of yourself resting? Walks on a beach? A nap? Curling up with tea and a novel?…
Have you ever walked into a conversation halfway through? Perhaps, unbeknownst to you, it was a conversation that had been going on sporadically between these friends for weeks or even months. It’s a fascinating conversation, let’s say, and one that you want to at least listen to, maybe even participate in, but you feel like…
I was intrigued with a tagline I saw online awhile ago: Don’t let school get in the way of your education. I sympathize. We make distinctions by saying we home educate rather than homeschool. We say “school-at-home” dismissively. Why do we do this? Is there a difference? What is the difference? Should we prefer the…
Years ago, when my third born was just a baby, I hated housework. I was torn between wanting to be a good, competent homemaker and thinking that the state of my bedroom or the kitchen wasn’t a big deal. I could get meals on the table, keep things stocked, and complete a project just fine….
If you’re reading Afterthoughts (and I’m assuming you are, of course), then you might start getting the feeling that you really should read The Liberal Arts Tradition, and you’d be right. Where Karen Glass’ Consider This nudged Charlotte Mason devotees toward the classical tradition, The Liberal Arts Tradition nudges classical educators toward the Charlotte Mason…