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Books & Reading

Books & Reading, Mother's Education
The 2022 Afterthoughts Book Awards

Let me begin with a confession: This was my worst reading year in over a decade. I ended up working on very time-consuming projects that wore away at me. I only had the mental energy left for easy reading most days during that time. Couple that with a carpet installation disaster that happened this summer — my library was supposed to be boxed up for a week or two, but ended up being boxed up for two months — and Continue Reading…
January 5, 2022
Books & Reading, Mother's Education
The Summer 2021 Mother Culture Reading List! (Plus Summer Reading Habit Trackers!)

Time for the second summer reading list! The more intense 2021 Mothers’ Education Course list is here. Today’s list is for the Regular People, the people who want to continue to read, but aren’t going to do 100-pages-per-week goal of an MEC plan. If you aren’t familiar with the term “mother culture,” I’m actually referring to an article that appeared in Charlotte Mason’s Parents’ Review Magazine way back in 1892. The Mother Culture article does a couple important things. First, Continue Reading…
June 3, 2021
Books & Reading, Mother's Education
A Relief Reading Plan for Charlotte Mason Groups

I have been leading a Charlotte Mason reading group for almost a dozen years. It’s hard to say if I should count 2020 — California shut down in March of 2020 and we weren’t able to meet again until March of 2021 (and even then our meeting was at an undisclosed location). But here we are. A year later than planned, we finished Charlotte Mason’s Parents and Children. (Yes, there will be a study guide eventually.) I debated over whether Continue Reading…
May 25, 2021
Books & Reading, Educational Philosophy, Mother's Education
Mothers’ Education Course: Summer 2021

It’s that time again! Every year, I develop two summer reading lists. This year, we’re doing the MEC list first. Of the two lists, this one is meant for the more serious reader. I often caution moms who have newborns or are otherwise sleep-deprived. The next list — the Mother Culture list — is much more appropriate for that stage of life. But for those of you ready for a challenge, allow me to introduce (or re-introduce) you to a Continue Reading…
May 21, 2021