You’ve heard about it, your interest is piqued, now you’re looking for ideas for mother culture. Let’s talk about some ways you can infuse truth, beauty and goodness into *your* daily rhythm.
Why We Mother Culture
We’ve all heard about moms who “lost themselves” in motherhood.
I have to admit there was a time that I was inclined to dismiss such notions.
‘Motherhood is full of sacrifice, and your children don’t ruin your life, they are your life.’ While I still emphatically agree that children don’t “ruin” your life, I would stop short of the latter half.
Children bring so much beauty, joy and goodness to the world. To a mother, they are probably the biggest aspect of life, especially very young children.
And yet, though mothers cannot be mothers without children, that’s not all they are.
Children are born persons, and so are mothers. Don’t let this famous quote from Ms. Mason be true about you:
“There is no sadder sight in life than a mother, who has so used herself up in her children’s childhood, that she has nothing to give them in their youth.”
-Charlotte Mason
If you’re at all confused at this point, learn what Mother Culture is here, find some practical ideas here, and get inspired with a book list here!
Mother Culture Isn’t Selfish ‘Me-Time’
The original Parents’ Review article that I’ve mentioned so often was written to bring light to this exact problem.
Mothers “losing themselves” in motherhood is not a new problem, nor is it something to be scoffed at.
It certainly isn’t a badge to be worn.
We are persons made in the image of God, with souls of our own, and with particular giftings and callings.
While our children are one of our greatest callings to be sure, we must guard against allowing it to be all-consuming. We’re not doing them, ourselves, or our husbands any favors by doing so!
In an article about Mother Culture and beginning the habit of reading again after her first year of motherhood, Brandy Vencel wrote,
“It helped. I was me again. I had thoughts in my brain that were bigger than diapering and feeding and changing and all the minutia of daily life with babies that we can lose ourselves in.”
Brandy Vencel, After Thoughts blog
She went on to say, “What I’ve learned is that there is a time for reading a lot, and a time for reading a little, and though we should never stop learning and growing, it takes wisdom to know how much is appropriate.”
How Much Is Enough?
So, you have to determine how much is appropriate, then we can get to the fun part.
First, if you’re in a season of sleep deprivation, nursing babies, caring for elderly parents, moving to a new house, the first trimester of pregnancy… I could go on, but you get it.
If you’re in one of those seasons, be so, so kind to yourself. But also don’t give up. This is a time when those beautiful ideas can help carry you through.
Second, if you’re pre-reading your children’s books, especially if they’re well into upper elementary or above, don’t forget that those books “count”, too!
I’m reading Anne of Avonlea alongside my 9-year old. (Well, I’m attempting to. She is greatly outpacing me!)
While this is generally considered a children’s book or Juvenile Fiction, it is such a well written, beautiful story with gorgeous descriptions and inspiring characters.
It isn’t a flimsy Babysitters Club paperback by any means.
I’m getting as much out of it as she is, maybe more! The characters I relate to and the meaning I draw out is very different than that of my daughter, but whatever the case, I’m certainly adding Anne of Green Gables as well as the sequel to my Books Read list, and have no qualms about it.
You shouldn’t either for doing the same.
To sum up this point, determine what’s already on your plate, remind yourself continuing your own education is essential, and make a flexible plan for fitting in an appropriate amount.
Ideas For Mother Culture
So knowing all we know about Mother Culture, is it really just reading books?
With fear and trembling, I say, ‘No’.
While I hold to the loose definition that Mother Culture is a mother continuing her own education through truth, goodness and beauty, I posit that she could do so in a number of ways.
The goal is to remain (or become) the human you were created to be. Therefore feasting on new ideas (the brain’s only food, remember), and putting those ideas into practice, should meet that goal.
So enough philosophy, let’s round up some ideas!
Follow A Mother Culture Plan
Whether you create your own, enroll in a course, or purchase a printable resource, following a plan could make all the difference in making Mother Culture a daily habit.
Brandy Vencel has been curating Mothers' Education Courses since 2015. 4 categories with 4 books in each, based on Charlotte Mason's original MEC that she put together for mothers educating their children at home. For past lists, just scroll to the bottm of the post. You'll have plenty to choose from!
If you want more info on the original Mothers' Education Course, check out Brandy's brief history here.
A Mother's Education Spring Edition — Little World Wanderers
A Mother's Education: Spring Edition from Little World Wanderes. Beth is a homeschooling mama and unit study-creator who has recently been releasing these Mother's Education workbooks for mothers who start teaching their children in a Charlotte Mason way and find themselves thinking, "I wish I had this education growing up". She also offers Lent, Advent and Winter editions, as well as the original A Mother's Education guide.
A Mother's Education: Blank Schedule, DIY Booklist — Little World Wanderers
If you'd like to put together your own program, but still want a structure to follow, this blank edition of A Mother's Education might be just what you're looking.
For a less formal but still structured approach, why not try a challenge? This one looks fun because it leaves the book choices up to you, but still gives categories to check off and complete. Reading more classics is a worthy goal, and while this challenge is from 2022 and thus the 'deadline' is past, you could still follow the guidelines and have a wonderful plan outlined for yourself.
Handicrafts For Mother Culture
Handicrafts aren't just for your students! And you don't only have to craft alongside them. There are so many stimulating and even practical hobbies and handicrafts you could dive into to learn, grow and become more human. You might even add beauty to your home in the process. For this list I picked crafts that require minimal supplies that you can easily pick up when you have a moment, and put away again without a lot of hassle. When you have lots of little interruptions this is a must.
Crochet is a handicraft that really just requires a hook and some yarn. In the past I've kept a current project beside that couch so I could easily get in a few rows while helping kids with school or watching TV at night with my husband. A cute basket would make this craft so easy to get out and put away.
With embroidery, though you'll typically use multiple colors per project, you can store everything together in a case and keep your project nearby for quick sessions. Embroidery is getting more popular by the minute, and it's such a good craft for adding beauty to your home and clothing. This beginner's guide is in depth!
Drawing is probably the lowest maintenance craft out there. All you need is a pencil and paper to get started, and you can find inspiration anywhere. This beginner's guide doesn't even assume you can draw a straight line, gives you a week-long schedule to follow, goes over all the basic techniques you'll need and links to another highly recommended article at the beginning of the post for more great info.
Water color isn't quite as grab-and-go as needle crafts or sketching, but so beautiful and rewarding. Plus there are handy travel kits for water color that you can take anywhere (perfect for Nature Journaling in the field, I might add). This guide will show you the basic strokes you need to know for water color, which is so helpful for painting without a template. That being said, there are also TONS of water color tutorials out there, many with printable templates to get started right away.
This YouTube playlist will give you the confidence to start sewing. While sewing takes a little more forethought and planning, it's also one of the most practical and rewarding crafts you can learn as a mother. Imagine making sweet dresses for your girls, an apron for yourself, linen dish towels for your kitchen, or pillow cases for your couch. This Simple Sewing Series takes you from threading your machine (yes, that basic!) to sewing real projects like pillow cases and easy dresses. It's the one thing that actually got me brave enough to thread my machine and give it a try!
Mother Culture Book Lists
Books and book lists will always be a major part of Mother Culture and there's nothing wrong with that. Here are several book lists from around the internet to pique your curiosity.
Of course I had to mention my own post on this subject. I share a few of my top favs in no particular order, as well as Scripture that I think is particularly great for Mother Culture reading.
A Gentle Feast's favorite books for Mother Culture "in no particular order".
The Summer 2023 Mother Culture Reading List (Plus Summer Reading Habit Trackers!!)
Brandy Vencel's Summer reading list for moms. Hopefully she'll release one for 2024 as well! But in the mean time, you can find great reads divded into the categories of Stiff Reads, Moderately Easy and Novels, just as Charlotte Mason would have it. And you can download habit trackers to go with 🙂
Mother Culture and Summer Schole, My Reading List...
An ambitious list from this blogger! Melissa shares her summer reading list and adds, " I'm not sure I'll make it through the entire list, but these are books I plan to draw from this summer in my quest for Mother Culture." She also mentions that she has a group that meets to learn and discuss Mason's principles and a current read. What a great idea 🙂 She reiterates that it's a good idea to have a few books "going" at once.
If you're wanting to learn more about Charlotte Mason herself, her philosophy and methods, then this list has you covered. Amanda gives several great titles to help you dive deeper into this worthy subject.
An eclectic mix of classics and modern (well written!) books. This could be a list to draw inspiration from if you want to mix it up. Cassandra surprised me by saying she "hated that idea" in regards to having three books going at once. I thought it was welcome news! I've always been too impatient and excited to wait until a book was finished to start another, but I had thought I was doing it wrong. Are you a "one book at a time" kind of person?
Podcasts and YouTube Channels For Mother Culture
Just as audiobooks definitely count as reading, podcasts and YouTube can certainly be valuable for continuing your education. I've included not only podcasts that talk specifically about Charlotte Mason and Mother Culture, but also ones I find helpful for general self-education, theology and inspiration in this realm.
Of couse I had to include Simply Charlotte Mason, so I figured I might as well put it at the top. Sonya Schaeffer is the one who first captivated me with the Charlotte Mason method. I still remember binge-watching this channel while nursing a newborn Brooke and knowing I'd stumbled upon magic.
Autumn Kern might convince you that Charlotte Mason *is* classical, that you should spend less time on your phone, and that Mother-Teachers have a lot of work but it's work worth doing. She's also currently putting herself through her own custom-made "college" course by copying book lists and required reading from major universities both here in the States and abroad. She will definitely inspire your Mother Culture.
Mike Winger is a former pastor who's been sharing online and helping people thinking biblically for over a decade. I'm a big fan of both his Romans and Mark series. He does a weekly Q&A and has an exhaustive series on women in ministry that will help you sort through some of the scholarship and what the bible really has to say about our role as women in the church. He's also a great source for apologetics!
I discovered Gavin Ortlund and his channel Truth Unites last year and have been really enjoying learning more about theology, church history and particularly Protestantism during this season when I don't have as much time to sit down and read with my eyeballs as I'd like. I do have a couple of his books on my mental TBR list though, and he has another coming out in August this year, right before my birthday :)))
I can't say it better than they did themselves:
"Because reading is interpretation, The Well Read Poem aims to teach you how to read with understanding! Hosted by poet Thomas Banks of The House of Humane Letters, these short episodes will introduce you to both well-known and obscure poets and will focus on daily recitation, historical and intellectual background, elements of poetry, light explication, and more!"
I’d love to send you my own Mother Culture printables including To Be Read lists, book trackers and more. Just type in your first name and email and I’ll send it right away.
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Thanks so much for taking time to read. Would you share this with someone who’d love it?
Check out more Mother Culture posts here:
- Mother Culture: Making Time For Truth, Goodness and Beauty
- Love The Idea of Mother Culture? Here’s Where To Start
- Books For Mother Culture: Stiff, Moderately Easy, Novels and More
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