Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins

[WoolC]

Has anyone else picked this up yet? My copy arrived yesterday and I'm devouring it! It's full of wisdom, humor and encouragement. I loved this, "You are never going to have a lot of time, but you do have a little time here and a little time there, and all those little times add up to a life."

 

Would love to hear from others who are reading along too!

[EmseB]

I got it in the mail yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning.

 

I highlighted a lot of things.  I balked at some things.  I laughed at a lot.

 

I found a lot of things encouraging, but also a lot that just felt very heavy and poignant to me.

 

Mainly, I need to get off the computer and my phone, I think.  I need better affections.

[Rachel]

Listening in, I enjoy listening to her on the Circe podcast but hadn't decided on reading the book yet.

[WoolC]

I got it in the mail yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning.

 

I highlighted a lot of things. I balked at some things. I laughed at a lot.

 

I found a lot of things encouraging, but also a lot that just felt very heavy and poignant to me.

 

Mainly, I need to get off the computer and my phone, I think. I need better affections.

Yes and yes to heavy and poignant and the need to put aside distractions of the computer and phone.

 

I finished this afternoon. I will be turning back to this book again and again. For me, this book gave me a renewed sense of purpose and the importance of consistency in the small daily things. We are in the early years of homeschooling but I loved her call to the homeschooling moms who are finishing their homeschooling years to go out into the community and use what they have learned to help those who are hurting in our culture.

 

I definitely recommend the book. I normally wait to get used copies of books but I splurged on this one. It was well worth it for me.

[Faithr]

I ordered it a few days ago.  Can't wait until my copy arrives!

[LivingHope]

I read the book this last weekend and enjoyed it very much. I especially loved Cindy's advice to just start this moment with anything on my wish we were doing this list...and don't try to plan too much...just do it. If a mother wants to start taking nature hikes, reading aloud more, or maybe have her children give oral or written narrations from living books, she just needs to put down whatever she's doing and go for it now in some small way. Cindy's words about morning time worship and read alouds encourages me to continue to be consistent with it regardless of our busy days and growing children. Also, forgiveness is huge and real things like growing a garden and talking to grandparents are what strengthens children's bonds to their heritage and faith. Like Cindy, I first learned about Charlotte Mason from Susan Schaeffer Macaulay's book For the Children's Sake before buying a set of Mason's original writings. 

Edited August 3, 2016 by LivingHope

[LindaOz]

This sounds really good. Wish it was on kindle...😞

[birchbark]

I just finished my 2nd time through it. I snapped up the book as soon as it came out. It is hard for me to find books or speakers that meet me where I'm at. I've been homeschooling a long time, mostly using Classical and CM methods, so I'm definitely not inexperienced, yet I don't have any adults or graduates yet so I lack that long-term, hindsight perspective. Cindy is a perfect fit for me. She has a lot of the same desires and priorities I have, but she has that well-seasoned wisdom.

 

The book is about two-thirds memoir, and one-third practical wisdom. While I found her story interesting, the last third was my favorite part of the book. Lots of good stuff in there. I learned what is important to focus on, and what is not. Her words on preparing our children to navigate our modern culture through rooting them in stories and memories and relationships (rather than trying to create a counter-culture) were a lifering of encouragement to me right now. I also was reminded of how important it is to maintain our marriages during the busy years of rearing children. And how it is not right to place all our life's hopes and fulfillment in the hands of our children.

 

After I read it I jumped on Amazon and ordered a bunch of her favorite books that we didn't already have. I also dragged out Edith Schaeffer's book and Honey for a Child's Heart. Time to read those again with older, wiser eyes.

[Another Lynn]

I just finished my 2nd time through it. I snapped up the book as soon as it came out. It is hard for me to find books or speakers that meet me where I'm at. I've been homeschooling a long time, mostly using Classical and CM methods, so I'm definitely not inexperienced, yet I don't have any adults or graduates yet so I lack that long-term, hindsight perspective. Cindy is a perfect fit for me. She has a lot of the same desires and priorities I have, but she has that well-seasoned wisdom.

 

The book is about two-thirds memoir, and one-third practical wisdom. While I found her story interesting, the last third was my favorite part of the book. Lots of good stuff in there. I learned what is important to focus on, and what is not. Her words on preparing our children to navigate our modern culture through rooting them in stories and memories and relationships (rather than trying to create a counter-culture) were a lifering of encouragement to me right now. I also was reminded of how important it is to maintain our marriages during the busy years of rearing children. And how it is not right to place all our life's hopes and fulfillment in the hands of our children.

 

After I read it I jumped on Amazon and ordered a bunch of her favorite books that we didn't already have. I also dragged out Edith Schaeffer's book and Honey for a Child's Heart. Time to read those again with older, wiser eyes.

 

I think you're convincing me I need to read this.  I was afraid it would be guilt-inducing, but you're making it sound really good.  

[Upennmama]

This book was really encouraging and wonderful, and made me so excited for this year. 

[BrittanyM]

This thread is making me so excited to receive mine... It's in the mail!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[birchbark]

I think you're convincing me I need to read this.  I was afraid it would be guilt-inducing, but you're making it sound really good.  

 

I didn't think it was at all guilt-inducing. Cindy was very honest about her many struggles and failures. The only things she really emphasized were reading aloud and written narrations. She mentioned Art Robinson at one point, saying that during their busiest years, they patterned their school after his: math, reading, and a written narration. She admits how they failed at learning Latin and didn't make it to Logic.

 

The other thing I wanted to mention about the book is she has some real nuggets of wisdom on raising and schooling boys. (Eight of her nine children are boys.) I would almost say those parts make this a must-read if you have any sons.

Edited August 7, 2016 by birchbark

[busymama7]

I don't see this on Amazon. Gasp 😬 i have no idea where else to buy books 😂. Where is it?

Edited August 7, 2016 by busymama7

[EmseB]

It's available from the Circe Institute.

 

www.circeinstitute.org/store/books/mere-motherhood

Edited August 8, 2016 by JodiSue

[Hobbes]

It's really unfortunate that it's only available from CIRCE. I'd love to buy a copy, but the shipping to Canada is $15, doubling the cost of the book. :(

[Tress]

It's really unfortunate that it's only available from CIRCE. I'd love to buy a copy, but the shipping to Canada is $15, doubling the cost of the book. :(

Yeah, I would love to buy their Iliad guide and I'm on the fence about Cindy's book, but the shipping doubles the cost and then I have to pay custom taxes too. I wish their books were available through bookdepository. Circe's books and AoPS.

[Canadianmumof5]

It's really unfortunate that it's only available from CIRCE. I'd love to buy a copy, but the shipping to Canada is $15, doubling the cost of the book. :(

 

Ellen - if you're in the Toronto area - try Cross Border Pickups.  Fees are super reasonable - I have all of my US curricula shipped to their US address in Buffalo and then they look after getting it across the border.  I pick it up near the airport.  By reasonable, I ordered 3 books from Circe (including Mere Motherhood) and there were no taxes/duties....and their fee was just $10.  Sometimes I pay a small amount in duties/taxes but definitely a lot cheaper than US supplier shipping rates. 

[Hobbes]

Ellen - if you're in the Toronto area - try Cross Border Pickups. Fees are super reasonable - I have all of my US curricula shipped to their US address in Buffalo and then they look after getting it across the border. I pick it up near the airport. By reasonable, I ordered 3 books from Circe (including Mere Motherhood) and there were no taxes/duties....and their fee was just $10. Sometimes I pay a small amount in duties/taxes but definitely a lot cheaper than US supplier shipping rates.

That would be convenient! I'm not in the GTA, though, and the closest option we have for something like that has a $30/package fee... :(

 

I am in the US sometimes, so I might get it then. I just would LOVE it if CIRCE would use Amazon. ;)

[busymama7]

I ordered it. Thankful to be in the U.S. But still annoyed that it wasn't on Amazon.

 

My husband is taking our five youngest to grandmas house for the weekend. I'm stinking excited to home alone and get some school planning done and some relaxing reading in. I plan to read teaching from rest which I haven't read yet and wish I could read this too but it probably won't make it.

 

My teens are staying home as they have committents and jobs and such but they have been instructed to hang out at friends houses and leave me in peace. We've been parenting for 19 1/2 years, 9 kids (youngest is 2 this week) and this is the first time I will have this kind of experience. I'm giddy with excitement. Just wish I would have ordered mere motherhood sooner.

Edited August 9, 2016 by busymama7

[Free Indeed]

Just finished my first read through of this book. Wow! It spoke to me right where I am in life (2 graduated, 2 to go) and our thinking, and life experience was very similar- right down to our oldest sons joining the Navy. Every mom should read this book. â¤ï¸

[busymama7]

I just finished this. I loved it and feel I need to read it again to really absorb it all.

 

But I was fairly disturbed by her assessment that homeschooling older boys is really not the best. On the one hand I agree. With our oldest he went to CC midway through junior year and it should have been sooner. But on the other hand it panicks me because I am headed into a junior year with my another son. We really don't have many other options. He is dyslexic and not ready for CC. We have tried online school and hated it. Going to public school isn't an option here and we don't have a private that a great option or affordable either. He wants to stay homeschooled as does his freshman brother. They have gone to school a bit for band and have no desire to go to school.

 

I just hear her concerns and I struggle with the same thoughts. The one who is a junior does have an amazing internship/apprenticeship/job so he does have other mentors as well as two music teachers he really looks up to and respects. Maybe we will be ok. I just don't want to struggle like we did with our oldest.

 

I think I gave learned a lot. I have learned that sending kids off to learn on their own once they "can" is not the goal as I thought it was. We do much better learning together and I love cindy's descriptions of morning time and reading aloud. Those are the things that have worked so well for us as well. I've learned to keep boys very physically active. I've learned to stay on top of what they are doing and that limited electronics leads to more content children and teens.

 

But I'm wondering what else I am missing. What else do I need to do to be successful at homeschooling high school boys? I would love to discuss this more with anyone else.

Edited August 22, 2016 by busymama7

[Another Lynn]

busymama7, I think you've already named some great things to do.  First of all, making sure they have other mentors and outside accountability for as many things as it makes sense for in your situation.  And exercise as you said.  And good friends/social opportunities.  I also think personality is a factor too, so your others may be fine at home the rest of the way through.