mother culture | The Big White Farmhouse

“Avenue of Poplars” by Vincent van Gogh

As you know, I’m a cheerleader for being an active producer vs. a passive consumer and education definitely falls in that active category. (It takes effort to think/process new information!) I’m bringing back the Mother Culture Commonplace Book series (again) to share some of the things I’ve been learning. Here’s what I’ve been reading/watching/listening to lately…

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

A Cautionary Warning from Syria

Before the revolution, I thought that Syria was for Assad. Syria was just the place where I lived, but it didn’t belong to me. When the revolution began, I discovered that Syria was my country. As Kurds, we had thought that we were oppressed and others were favored by the regime. After the revolution we discovered that we were all suffering from the same oppression. We discovered that we had not been working together, and that is how the regime was able to dominate us. – Cherin, a mother from Aleppo, We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria, p.89

Families and ADHD, Dyslexia & Apraxia

I’m always on the hunt for ways to help my dyslexic children and most recently have been reading the book, The LCP Solution: The Remarkable Nutritional Treatment for ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspaxia by B. Jacqueline Stordy, PhD. She begins the book by discussing how family history largely predetermines your chances of inheriting a learning disorder, which has been true in our family. Turns out that it’s long been recognized that learning disorders such as ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia run in families and many children have one or more. Look at these statistics:

As many as 65% of children with ADHD also struggle with at least one other learning disorder.
50% of dyspraxic children also have ADHD.
Some 30-50% of children with dyslexia have ADHD and vice versa.

The Burning Rates of Natural vs. Synthetic Materials

My son is a volunteer firefighter and is going through academy right now. He is learning so much and then teaches me when he comes home! One of the videos he shared with me showed the flashover times of a living room filled with natural materials vs. one with synthetics. Scary!

“Landscape with Houses on a Rocky Hill with a View of a Plain Beyond” by Jacob van Ruisdael

As you know, I’m a cheerleader for being an active producer vs. a passive consumer and education definitely falls in that active category. (It takes effort to think/process new information!) I’m bringing back the Mother Culture Commonplace Book series to share some of the things I’ve been learning. Here’s what I’ve been reading/watching/listening to lately…

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

What is Truth?

Hannah Arendt, who studied totalitarian regimes, said as much in an interview in 1974: “If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer.” But a population that no longer believes anything is robbed of its ability to think and to judge, and ultimately of its capacity to act. As Arendt says, “with such a people, you can then do what you please.” These are the ideal subjects – or the ideal opponents. – We Have Been Harmonized: Life in China’s Surveillance State, p.18

The Consequences of Fast Fashion

I’ve never shopped at this particular store, but this is an issue with lots of fast fashion brands. I also agree that the resale value of these types of clothes is so, so small – no one will pay more than $10 because you can get something brand new for the same price! I have so many thoughts about this topic (remember when I gave myself a summer reading assignment about this here on the blog?), but that’s another post for another day.

Australia’s Most Baffling Missing Persons Case

I’m in the middle of listening to the podcast, The Lady Vanishes. A quick description from the website: “Marion Barter, an Australian mother and teacher, vanished in 1997. She was 51 years old. The ex-wife of Australian Soccer captain Johnny Warren, Marion suddenly quit her job, sold her house and went to England for a year-long holiday. Then she simply vanished. For 25 years her daughter Sally has been searching for her. This is Australia’s most-baffling missing persons case.”

So many questions! How can a person run away from their life, leaving their family wondering if foul play was involved? Does a person have a right to start fresh without telling anyone? How far can an investigation go? Where does it cross the boundaries of privacy?

Sneaky Little Blue Jays

Blue Jay Print by Trail Bug Prints

This common songbird sure is beautiful with his blue back and soft white belly. But did you know he has a naughty side? Blue Jays are known to take and eat eggs and tiny chicks of other birds, sometimes even from chickens! I went down a rabbit hole about frustrated homesteaders flabbergasted with the continual issue of pecked eggs. After stakeouts and cameras, they discovered the culprit was none other than a blue jay! So interesting. Another fun blue jay fact: crows are part of the same family (the Corvidae).

This post contains affiliate links.

My monthly Mother Culture plans were quite hit or miss last year. As I reflected on it, I think my biggest issue was that I over-anticipated my free time. In reality, with the small pockets of “me” time I currently have, there was just no way I could read an entire book, see a new handicraft through from start to finish, research and enjoy new music and start a new skill all in thirty days. (DUH.)

So for this year, I’m back to the drawing board. I tried to pick topics that fit with my children’s school subjects, both for my own knowledge and so I can sprinkle in a few extra facts along the way. I used Ambleside Online as a jumping off point for the artist and composer studies. Handicrafts will also be included, but I have a separate idea for that. (Details coming next week!) My plan is to work steadily through the list, focusing on quality versus quantity. We’ll see how it goes.

American History

My elementary school children are learning about Early American history this year, so I chose two books that fit:

Artist Study // John Singleton Copley

We will also be studying this colonial-era artist as a family. I’m really interested to read more about him!

A Book to Buy //A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley by Jane Kamensky
Noteworthy Pieces of Art (and many more are also found here) //
1. Paul Revere, 1768-70, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
2. The Nativity, 1777, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
3. Watson and the Shark, 1778, National Gallery of Art Washington D.C.
4. The Death of the Earl of Chatham, 1779-81, National Portrait Gallery London
5. The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782, 1783-91, Guildhall Art Gallery London
6. The Red Cross Knight, 1793, National Gallery of Art Washington D.C.
7. Saul Reproved by Samuel for Not Obeying the Commandments of the Lord, 1798, Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Biology and Nature Study

My natural history choices are all over the place. I am eager to start reading from this list and I could probably write five more posts with interesting books I’m dying to get my hands on! For now, I chose one new-to-me title and one that I’ve had on my shelf for awhile. I also stumbled upon an herbal studies course that sounds fascinating.

Composer Study // Antonin Dvorák

After reading this short description of Antonin Dvorak, I knew he was a composer I wanted to learn more about!

Books to Read // Antonin Dvorak, My Father by Otaker Dvorak and Dvorak: His Life and Music by Gervaise Hughes
Noteworthy Pieces of Music (links for all can be found here) //
- Symphony 9 in E minor Op. 95 B.178 “From the New World”
- Slavonic Dances Op. 46 and Op. 72
- Carnival Overture Op. 92 B.169
- Humoresques for piano Op. 101 no. 1-8 (especially no 7 in G flat)
- String Quartet No. 12 in F maj Op. 96 (“American”)
- Trio no. 4 in E minor Op. 90 “Dumky”

Classic Literature // Don Quixote

This darn book. I start and stop and start and stop. I’m not making any promises, but hoping for at least a little forward progress!

Oof, did I really miss another two months of Mother Culture? I seem to be unable to consistently invest in myself in this way! Thankfully, I’m no quitter and I’m going to try again in April. My five assignments for the month:

ASSIGNMENT #1: Complete a month-long nature phenology wheel.

ASSIGNMENT #2: Write a creative snail mail letter to a penpal.

ASSIGNMENT #3: Get back to regular Latin lessons on Duolingo.

ASSIGNMENT #4: Discover a new musical artist and listen to some songs.

ASSIGNMENT #5: Read a book written before 1950.

ASSIGNMENT #1: Read The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, pages 1-26.

When I was in high school, my Honors Government teacher was rumored to be an alcoholic and often came to class hung over, if he showed up at all. (We had a lot of substitute teachers that year.) Needless to say, I didn’t exactly receive a quality education in this area, so I’m coming to this book with just the barest bones of knowledge. And it’s fascinating! These first pages include the overview and introduction and I’ve already taken pages of notes. Just a few more pages to finish up before I start the deep dive into each article.

ASSIGNMENT #2: Finish the frame stitching on the “Winter” cross-stitch. (100 Little Thing #36)

I’m embarrassed that this little pattern took me so long to finish. (I found this old post mentioning it all the way back in 2015!) Glad to have it complete and I’m so ready to move on to something new.

ASSIGNMENT #3: Finish the Bible Reading Plan. (100 Little Thing #61)

I started this plan on August 1, 2018 and I am finally done! Highly recommend, whether you complete it in a year or not.

ASSIGNMENT #4: Discover a new musical artist and listen to some songs.

I like to keep this assignment really random and fun, so I browsed a list of 1940s musicians and stumbled on The Andrews Sisters! Goodness knows we need a little something light and happy in our lives right now. A few facts about the Andrews Sisters:

LaVerne (the oldest), Maxene and Patty Andrews were three sisters who formed a singing act as teenagers and performed around the Midwest.
Their fame peaked during World War II and were nicknamed “America’s Wartime Sweethearts.”
Sadly, despite their success, apparently the sisters were constantly fighting and had a strained relationship. Patty Andrews said in 1985, “The Andrews Sisters really had only one big fight. It started in 1937 and it’s still going.”

ASSIGNMENT #5: Go through my closet, pull out unneeded pieces, and create seven casual outfits. Bonus points for listing some of the extras on Poshmark/ebay.

I’m giving myself partial credit for this one. I did go through my closet and pulled out a handful of unworn pieces to sell….and that’s where I stopped. Hoping to finish the second half of the assignment soon.

Last fall threw me for quite a loop and I never got my Mother Culture goals up on the blog. A new year is as good a time as any to get back on track, right? I’ve decided to use my monthly Mother Culture list to also help with my larger 2021 goals, so it’ll be a little bit of a hodge-podge. Here’s what I’ve got for January:

ASSIGNMENT #1: Read The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, pages 1-26.

ASSIGNMENT #2: Finish the outer “frame” stitching on the “Winter” cross-stitch. (100 Little Thing #36)

ASSIGNMENT #3: Finish the Bible Reading Plan. (100 Little Thing #61)

ASSIGNMENT #4: Discover a new musical artist and listen to some songs.

ASSIGNMENT #5: Go through my closet, pull out unneeded pieces, and create seven everyday outfits. Bonus points for listing some of the extras on Poshmark/ebay.

This post contains affiliate links.

“Mother Culture,” an idea from Charlotte Mason and coined by Karen Andreola, simply encourages mothers to keep learning and growing, even while raising children. Andreola describes it this way:

Mother Culture® is a way-of-life, the skillful art of how a mother looks after the ways of her household. With a thinking-love she creates a culture in the home all her own. A mother does a lot of taking care, so she needs to take care of herself, too. Much depends on how she manages her life.

I resonate with this encouragement because it feels like I have someone in my corner, someone looking out for me as I do the hard work of motherhood. Taking the time to gain new knowledge/skills really fills my cup and I think my children notice. So with that in mind, I’m committing to my own set of monthly assignments this school year! September was a bit of a wash, but here’s what I did: ✔ ASSIGNMENT #1: Start reading Home by Marilynne Robinson along with the Close Reads Podcast.
It’s been a long time since I’ve deeply pondered a work of literature. Since I don’t belong to a book club, I usually just read a book at face value and move on. Some effect me more deeply than others, but for the most part, I don’t take the time to hash out overarching themes and word choices and other literary things. Reading Home along with the Close Reads Podcast has been a fun change of pace and I’m really enjoying it. I read ahead and finished the book, but these are the two episodes I’ve listened to so far:

✔ ASSIGNMENT #2: Research edible plants that grow in my area.

Native fruit and nut trees can be grown to produce food for people and/or wildlife while protecting soil, water and air quality. Because they are multifunctional, native fruit and nut trees and shrubs are prime candidates for agroforestry plantings and home landscaping.

I found a really cool resource from Virginia Tech describing some of the edible fruit and nut trees that grow in my area. There’s everything from a black walnut tree to an Allegheny blackberry bramble to a pawpaw tree. I hope to take this knowledge and use it to purchase specific species of plants that will thrive here. Setting myself up for success!

✔ ASSIGNMENT #3: Buy the supplies needed to learn how to crochet. Learning to crochet is something I have wanted to learn for years and years. To make things a little less overwhelming, I decided to break this task into tiny goals and this month was the easiest: buy some supplies. I have no idea if this yarn is appropriate or even any good, but the price was right and the colors were pretty.

And the two assignments I didn’t get to:

✘ ASSIGNMENT #4: Discover and listen to another new musician. ✘ ASSIGNMENT #5: Learn about a new saint.

For October, I’m planning to circle back and finish the last two assignments. I also think I’ll take this month to finish the top of my hand-sewed scrap quilt before starting in on crochet lessons. One thing at a time, right? So October: a month for finishing what I’ve started. Here we go!

A new month and five new assignments! Here’s what I’ve chosen for September:

Mother Culture Assignments for September 2020

⬜ ASSIGNMENT #1: Start reading Home by Marilynne Robinson along with the Close Reads Podcast. ⬜ ASSIGNMENT #2: Research edible plants that grow in my area. ⬜ ASSIGNMENT #3: Buy the supplies needed to learn how to crochet. ⬜ ASSIGNMENT #4: Discover and listen to another new musician. ⬜ ASSIGNMENT #5: Learn about a new saint.

I’ll be back with a post about what I’ve learned on the last Wednesday of the month. Feel free to join in with any or all of the assignments or even create your own! Let’s all seek the beautiful and good together.

This post contains affiliate links.

“Mother Culture,” an idea from Charlotte Mason and coined by Karen Andreola, simply encourages mothers to keep learning and growing, even while raising children. Andreola describes it this way:

Mother Culture® is a way-of-life, the skillful art of how a mother looks after the ways of her household. With a thinking-love she creates a culture in the home all her own. A mother does a lot of taking care, so she needs to take care of herself, too. Much depends on how she manages her life.

✔ ASSIGNMENT #1: Crack open a classic novel.
Back in 2019, I started reading The Well-Educated Mind and was so pumped to start the “The Story of People: Reading through History with the Novel” reading list. I ordered a beautiful hardcover copy of the first book, Don Quixote, aaaand…read the first few chapters and put it away, ha! In August, I decided to tackle it again. This book is a brick (over 800 pages!), so I gave myself the goal of reading just 50 pages for the whole month. Sounded easy enough! As of this writing, I’m on page 87, so about 10% finished. I definitely don’t find it a page turner, but it is a good one for reading a chapter or two a day. I actually think the writing is somewhat humorous! Who knew?

✔ ASSIGNMENT #2: Discover and listen to a new type of music.
I popped around the Internet for some inspiration on this one and ran into Mildred Bailey, a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s. A few fun facts about Mildred:

She grew up in Washington, but often visited relatives on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation in Idaho, where her mother was an enrolled member. (Her mother was also a devout Catholic.)
She was known as “The Queen of Swing” and “The Rockin’ Chair Lady.”
This little tidbit made my smile: “Whatever the reasons may have been, superstardom eluded Bailey. The singer blamed her plumpness for her lack of commercial success, while others suggested that it was really Bailey’s temper and sharp tongue that were her undoing. There’s plenty of evidence that Bailey felt especially bitter towards better-looking female vocalists, many of whom she felt lacked her talent. Throughout her life, Bailey blamed her obesity on a glandular condition, although many of her friends attributed it instead to her great love of food.”
She suffered from diabetes and died of a heart attack at only 44 years old.
She had many popular songs, including “Rocking Chair” and “Thanks for the Memory”, but I loved (and could relate to!) another of hers called “It’s So Peaceful in the Country”. All three songs are below!

✔ ASSIGNMENT #3: Read and reflect on one poem.

For this one, I pulled out a beautiful old book from 1957 called Favorite Poems Old and New: Selected for Boys and Girls by Helen Ferris. This is the poem I chose for August: What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare? No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty’s glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. Fun fact: W.H. Davies was a Welsh poet who spent a significant part of his life as a hobo.

✔ ASSIGNMENT #4: Learn something interesting about nature.

I went back to The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs and was excited to discover that I was on the chapter about stars. Reading the sky is interesting to me but I have very little experience. One fun fact that I learned:

It is commonly believed that the North Star is the brightest in the night sky, however it’s actually neither very bright not very dull… if you see a very bright white object shining more brilliantly than anything else in the night sky, it is very likely to be the planets, Venus or Jupiter, or the brightest star, Sirius, but it will definitely not be the North Star. (p.152)

✔ ASSIGNMENT #5: Memorize something: a prayer, a poem, or the lyrics to a song.
We’ve been attending the Latin Mass and the chanters have been singing the Salve Regina after Holy Communion. I knew parts of the song, but never the whole thing, so in August, I practiced! This video was helpful.

Salve Regina

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ, Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte; Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

August brings in the new school year here at the farmhouse and for me, it’s also going to bring in a chance to start again. I’m tired of the funk I’ve fallen into and I want to counter all of the fear and negativity in the world with things that are beautiful and good. So I’ve created a little monthly challenge for myself that I’m calling “Mother Culture” with five simple assignments. I will probably vary the topics every month, but we’ll see. One day at a time! Here’s what I’ve chosen for August:

Mother Culture Assignments for August 2020

⬜ ASSIGNMENT #1: Crack open a classic novel. ⬜ ASSIGNMENT #2: Discover and listen to a new musician. ⬜ ASSIGNMENT #3: Read and reflect on one poem. ⬜ ASSIGNMENT #4: Learn something interesting about nature. ⬜ ASSIGNMENT #5: Memorize something: a prayer, a poem, or the lyrics to a song.

I’ll be back with a post about what I’ve learned on the last Thursday of the month. Feel free to join in with any or all of the assignments or even create your own! Let’s all seek the beautiful and good together.