Worth Mentioning: October
A Little Gathering of All the Things
At the end of each month, I’ll let you know about anything new going on at Homeschooling Outside the Box and I’ll send a smattering of all the Charlotte Mason, outside-the-box, nature, home, bookish, faith, family, community, and podcast things worth mentioning.
What’s New
Substack
Podcast
Product
The very updated Get Started Homeschooling guide is now available. If you follow me on my website, you may have gotten the old version as a freebie. Click here and the new one is all yours.
Social
Be sure to visit me on Instagram
Commonplace Quote
Worth Mentioning
The older my kids get, the more I find myself becoming a student of Charlotte Mason. I began to learn about her philosophy for the children’s sake (pun intended ;)) but she has changed the way I think about education and there is no going back. Turns out Cindy Rollins was right; mothers are born persons, too, and I am a better person for knowing Charlotte Mason.
When you have a child diagnosed with autism, each developmental stage can bring mixed emotions. My husband and I found it hard to watch other kids hit typical social milestones throughout the years while it felt like there was an invisible ceiling over us. But I have learned that “never” can often be replaced by “not yet” and when our OTB kids do take a step into that next stage — even if it doesn’t look like everyone else, even if it’s a few years later than their peers — the joy can be overwhelming. Small victories reap great joy because sometimes this “thing” is something you thought your kid would never do like attend a college preview day, initiate a conversation with the opposite sex, or invite a friend over. I encourage you to keep your eyes wide open for opportunities to help your child grow, no matter his age, and to never say never.
I really miss Michigan in the fall but we went on a nature walk recently and this helps…
I absolutely love this little match holder I found.
I finally started reading Rembrandt is in the Wind. Everyone is right. This book is amazing.
I just cannot get enough of Alexrainbird Music this fall.
As a family of six with three teenage guys it sometimes feels like we’re tripping over each other and I once mentioned (okay, maybe more than once) wanting a bigger house so we could spread out more. One son replied, “why? you know we’d all just end up in the same room together anyway.” Perspective is such a gift. And come to think of it, he’s right. Our favorite spot to gather is the living room so I make sure it’s the coziest and cleanest even if the rest of the house is falling apart. This candle and some fairy lights wrapped in autumn garland on the mantel create the perfect glow this time of year. Even better, they are on a timer so at dusk they magically turn on, luring us into our favorite place.
I mentioned in my article, “On Poetry” that poetry was my first love and Edgar Allan Poe was (if you’ll allow me to complete this analogy) among my early suitors. I re-read him every October and since I found this fantastic audiobook, I listened to some of his short stories instead. I also re-listened to this podcast episode and loved it all over again.
Our homeschool group hosted a Fall Festival & English Country Dance this month. It amazes me how the Lord brings together people to make a thing happen. One family in our group owns a farm and offered to host. One mom offered to be the caller for the dances. One mom took pictures with her fancy camera. There were bistro lights and a bonfire and games. Everyone brought food. Everyone had fun. Community really matters, folks.
Thank you so much for reading. I offer forever-free articles every month and a paid monthly resource, as well.
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Till next time,
Cindy