Moving towards Charlotte Mason

I've always loved Charlotte Mason's ideas on education. I've been acquainted with them for a few years now and have used many of her methods on and off. I just recently purchased For the Children's Sake and When Children Love to Learn, both of which are EXCELLENT reads and I highly recommend them to those thinking about homeschooling and wanting to learn more about Charlotte Mason.
Her ideas are very deep. You can't read and understand the philosophy in a short amount of time. And I won't attempt to explain her philosophy either, because I'm bound to do a hatchet job of it. But after reading those two books and few other articles on the subject, I have learned a few things I just want to make note of for myself.
When I read about CM and think about her philosophy on education as a life, and her view of children as people, and that my purpose as a teacher can and should be the same as my purpose as a mother, which is to share with my children virtuous ideas and experiences so that they can be filled with joy throughout their life. When I read and think about these things, I feel really good.
It has made me look at education differently. What is education anyway? What part of my education made a lasting impact on me? I have to admit, most of it has been flushed because it didn't mean anything to me. I learned information long enough to take a test, but I recall only a few things that actually had an impact on my thoughts or worldview or character, and those always came from a real book. In short, much of my "education" contributed absolutely nothing to my life. It was a waste of my time. Truly.
I could do that to my kids here at home too. I could get them the workbooks and have them diligently fill them out so they learn all the facts and information they need to know to pass the tests and get the paper that declares them educated.
But my kids... they deserve more than that. They're wonderful, and they have bright, imaginative minds that love learning and growing...
What do I want for my kids? I want them to be happy, to be intelligent, to be able to participate in the "great conversation", to be able to stand for truth and righteousness in a bold, intelligent, and convincing way. We are in a war of ideas, and more than anything I want my children to be able to effectively fight in that war when they leave my home. I want them to be well educated, but I don't think "being educated" comes from workbooks or texts or tests. Education comes from an abundant feast of virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy ideas. Those sort of ideas come from the best books. The best books become part of your thoughts, character, and intelligence when they are read slowly and digested, then when narrated they become your own.
I happen to think Charlotte Mason's ideas will get us there. I think she is right. My kids will get the paper that says they are educated, but they will have so much more than a piece of paper when they leave my home.
At least that's my goal.
So what does this look like, day to day? My role has changed. My purpose is not to get my kids to plug through their first and second grade curriculums and be done with it, but rather to enjoy the journey of teaching, learning with, and interacting with my children while I have them. Together we get into books and learn ideas, words, worlds, virtues. We go outside and study God's creations and learn about reverence, order, beauty, and God. We create relationships with all these things, find joy in them and each other, and together become truly educated. Our time will not be wasted.