I just got back from the Mid-West Home schooling convention in Cincinnatti Ohio and what a life changing event that was!This was my first convention and I have to say that I went in with an "agenda."
Home schooling had become a J.O.B for me and not one that I looked forward to tackling everyday.
Between the house work, farm chores, errands, my home based business, home school committee responsibilities and kids crying that they didn't want to do school work...
it felt that I was starting the day with "loser" written on my forehead.
I should tell you that it hasn't always been like this...I blame a lot of it on myself because life got so busy and what did I do...I took the fun out of home schooling.
Does this sound like you?
So this past week, I hit a wall and I knew it was time for a major change!
I packed my bags for a fun and exciting weekend with the girls, left the kids with my hubby and headed off on a road trip to Cincinnati knowing that I was coming home with my questions answered and a game plan to change the course of our class room!
We had a hotel reserved in the heart of the city and a room waiting for us on the eleventh floor!
Parking was crazy and so were the elevator rides up and down. The oldest hotel in Cincinnati only had two working elevators and 26 floors!
I am not sure who suggested this but some of the girls wondered if it was faster to take the stairs...yes, they actually raced up 11 flights of stairs and beat the elevator! LOL
The first night of the convention was filled with excitement. If I hadn't done my research going in, I would have been totally overwhelmed!
Over 300 exhibits and 250 workshops...that is some serious home school material to go through!
We each came for different reasons, so as soon as we arrived at the convention center we all went our separate ways. Some visited the exhibits first while others dove right in to the workshops.
We met back up that night for some late night pizza, chocolate and girl time....I don't think the lights went out till after 2am officially;)
The buzz was contagious and we couldn't wait to get back in there on Friday to learn more! It was two more full days of hands on material.
If you're not a home school mom, I could see how you wouldn't understand how this could be at all fun...but imagine being in a room full of things that will make your life go more smoothly, more organized, more fun and put more smiles on the faces of everyone you love.
Okay....now we're on the same page!
I had so many "a ha" moments it wasn't even funny. I can't wait to get it all out to share with you all and more importantly implement what I learnt into my homeschooling efforts.
Stay tuned for ways to spice up your home school!
I'm so glad you had a wonderful time! Even my husband had some "a ha!" moments, which I'm thankful for! I had no idea a convention could really inspire you to keep going like it has, and now I'm really looking forward to diving into next year and all the fun that will go along with it!
ReplyDeleteThis is my 3rd year going, but I must say that this was my most enjoyable and helpful year. My only regret was that I wasn't able to do more siminars. SO that is next years goal! Glad you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteGreat article, Jamie! I loved reliving the memorable moments...particularly my race up 11 flights of stairs! lol
ReplyDeleteThis too was my first convention and I had a blast. I really enjoyed seeing all the different curriculum and materials now available to homeschoolers. I also had several a ha! moments. I'm already anticipating next year's convention! Looking forward to more of your articles. =D
Hey Marie!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you liked my story and that you too had a great time at the convention. I've had quite a few gals say they were there that follow my blog so maybe by next year we'll know eachother well enough to meet at the convention somewhere. We're planning on reserving a suite next year and bringing more girls from our area!
Tell me...what was the #1 thing you brought away from convention?
This is wonderful to read, can't wait to read more jamie!!! I want to know more to help with Homeschooling too!!:)
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