Welcome to Plumfield and Paideia

What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

We are sisters in Christ who became friends over a shared love of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, found especially in good and great books. Our primary vocation is that of marriage and motherhood, but we feel a secondary call, as educators and homeschool moms, to walk with families who are seeking to help form souls who are capable of responding to the vocation God has called them to. Our objective is to form our children and grandchildren to the best of our ability, and in so doing share what has been meaningful to us with others that it may encourage them and lighten their burden. As homeschoolers, classical educators and Christians, we have a passion for the ancient Greek paideia and the loving education of Louisa May Alcott‘s Plumfield (from her novel Little Men).

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Podbean.

You can email us at: plumfieldandpaideia@gmail.com.

You can listen to our podcast here:

Why Living Books Matter:

Diane Pendergraft

I’m so happy you stopped by! It seems like dropping in for a visit has gone out of style.

I have been a Jesus believer all my life. I have been a wife since 1981, a mother since 1983, and a grandmother since 2008. I have three children, nine grandchildren, and more than the usual complement of parents and siblings. I was a homeschool mom, and a teacher at a classical Christian school. Currently, I am a language arts tutor and a homeschool mentor. 

Books have always been important to me. I have read many thousands of books in my lifetime, and sometimes, for a minute or two, I can feel overwhelmed by the thought that, with millions of books published each year, it would be impossible for me to read all the books. But then I remember, most of them aren’t worthy of my time. One of our goals at Plumfield and Paideia is to help you sort the literary gems from the publishing slash pile.   

I also write at https://theglorioustable.com/ and https://www.wyomingconservativechronicle.com/

Sara Masarik

Hello! I am Sara, and I have been a lover of good and great books since my earliest years, largely because of the incredible example my grandfather set for me. As a bookworm introvert, my love for the classics was augmented by my study of Philosophy, Religion, and English at Hillsdale College and the University of Oxford. As a revert to the Catholic Church, I have found G. K. Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, Edith Stein, and Flannery O’Connor to be some of the great influences on my intellectual and religious formation.

I have the privilege of being the wife of Greg and the mama of Michael, Margaret (Greta), and John Patrick (Jack). Our little homeschool family lives in the woods of North East Wisconsin in a home dedicated to hospitality and fellowship. We have three hobbit-sized dogs, Samwise Smalls, Heather Rose, and Cedar (Mistmantle Chronicles). Oh yeah, and we have a cat named Mowgli, plus all kinds of fish that somehow have survived the cat…. And, yes, all of the fish have literary names as well. Our home is affectionately called The Prancing Pony by our friends.

I write at Plumfield and Paideia, where we work to help homeschool moms embrace their vocations of marriage, motherhood, reading, and homeschooling with confidence and joy. I am also the co-host of the Plumfield Moms podcast. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and in the free Plumfield Reads corner of the Biblioguides Online Community.