Cindy Rinna

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About

Welcome!

I’m Cindy Rinna and I’m so glad you stopped by. I love to inspire other moms on their homeschool journey and share in the joys and challenges of homeschooling an outside-the-box child. I also love classic literature, french press coffee, and bird-watching but I digress…

Life as a Rinnagade began in June 2012, received a makeover and a slight name change (MY Life as a Rinnagade) in April 2014, and finally became Cindy Rinna.com in February 2017. The Homeschooling Outside the Box Podcast launched in 2018 and I’ve been doing homeschool consulting since 2019.

I’m wife to Lee and mom to four lovely outside-the-box children. Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, and dyslexia are all a part of our adventure. We are Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschoolers.

Here’s the whole gang…

family random

I hope you weren’t expecting to see a picture of us where we look like we have it all together. I mean, one of those exists, but that’s not what this site is about.

This is a place where I invite you to come as you are. My mission is to both encourage and equip you because mama, I may not have even met you yet but I know you could use a hug. A kind word. An ‘atta girl. After that though, we’re going to roll up our sleeves and get to work because your child only has one of you in his (or her) life and he needs you. Let’s learn and grow together.

You might be wondering…what exactly is “outside-the-box?”

Above all, it’s a mindset. It’s a call to step outside of a formula-based approach to motherhood and homeschool and instead meet your actual child where he is actually at.

Outside-the-box kiddos come in all shapes and sizes and if you’re reading this and feel a camaraderie – if you feel understood and welcome – then I don’t need to define “outside-the-box” for you ;).

If you’ve only come here looking for Charlotte Mason-inspired posts, great book lists, and other homeschool resources (and you are most welcome!) I will say this…things that work for typical children just don’t seem to work for outside-the-box kids. Our kids may struggle with academics. They may be supremely gifted in academics. They may be a highly sensitive or a high needs child. They may have developmental delays or have trouble in social situations. They may have difficulties with emotions and relationships. They may have a formal diagnosis like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, SPD, ODD, or OCD.

I can tell you this; I understand what it feels like to be completely overwhelmed and I know what it feels like to go at this alone. There is not a lot of support out there for homeschooling families with outside-the-box children. My goal is to change that.

If you want to be a part of this growing community of moms and you homeschool an outside-the-box child or love all things Charlotte Mason, I’d love to send you regular encouragement to equip you on your journey. You’ll get homeschool how-tos, expert interviews, carefully curated booklists, curriculum reviews, and other fun freebies when you trust me with your email address:


Where to start

10 random facts about me

  1. I have a B.A. in Writing (no, not journalism or English…Writing. This is a real thing)
  2. My life verse is Psalm 18:16-19 because it happened to me
  3. Tetris and Dr. Mario are the only video games I’ll play
  4. When I was little, my mom watched so many musicals that I thought people from the past really danced around in the streets and randomly broke out in song
  5. I actually enjoy doing laundry; it feels like I went shopping when I’m  done
  6. I adore clean countertops and dream of them often
  7. I take myself out to breakfast almost every Saturday
  8. I have known my husband since I was fifteen and he was sixteen which means we’ve known each other longer than we haven’t
  9. I have wanted a white house with a wraparound porch since I was 10-years-old which is part of the reason I agreed to my husband’s suggestion to move from Michigan to Alabama (but we don’t live in one)
  10. I secretly prefer to watch the movie before I read the book

I’d love to get to know you better! Feel free to reach out about collaborations, speaking engagements, or just a note to say hello.

All the best, 

Cindy 🙂

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