Favorite Memories from Third and Fourth Grade

Speaking at the Heart of the Matter Online Winter Homeschool Refresher Conference yesterday (about How Not to Homeschool) made me want to get back to my homeschool series here at my blog. I've been taking a break from it and have been in a homeschool slump since the baby was born, quite honestly. Scary, hu? Especially since he's a year old. I tried really hard to get back in the groove at the beginning of this school year, but our best laid plans didn't end up panning out after some of our favorite homeschool buddies that were going to co-op with us decided to return to public school. Dawn and I discussed this phenomenon of kids leaving the ranks and moms 'giving up' (or just deciding to do something different for a while) in our session yesterday. There are no fingers to point, but it is hard on the kids when they have to adjust (both for those going to public school and those who are left behind missing their buddies).

In my career as a homeschooler - now over 8 years - we have seen many folks come and go. We have moved a lot. We've had financial setbacks and major life-distractions that required schedule changes and summer schooling. Our last two years have put us in the 'year-round' camp even if it was an unwilling decision. We do what we have to do to stay the course.

I don't ever want to give the impression that homeschooling is easy... but then again, I don't want to make you think that just because I've had a long "slump", that I don't like homeschooling any more, or would consider giving up. I will be honest that it has been a struggle this year to keep the passion alive with all of my baby distraction. Babies are a lot of work - but so worth it. My children have learned the value of putting 'people before projects'. They have learned how to care for an infant and growing babe. I'm sure that some of our sweetest homeschool LIFE moments will be remembered from this year... the year that we "started school over after Christmas".

With that being said, I thought I would return to my homeschool series and relive some of the memories we have had from our past school years. Not the grades, stars, check-marks, paperwork, small learning assignments, or even the books... but the REAL LIFE memories that stand out from the past. Schooling is learning - and learning is a part of life. We should remember that the memories we make - the moments we cherish - are so much more important than the pages of a Math book or the list of chores that have to get done. Attitude is everything. I think that is what Jesus meant when he said to 'keep your eyes fixed on the unseen' - the things that are not temporary - the things we take with us in the end... our children are the most important of those 'things'.

Below are my memories of 2006-2007 - the year we did 3rd and 4th Grade...

We started off our school year with a water-balloon party. We had high hopes for our tiny Arkansas co-op, but a rift between a few of the moms ended up disbanding it. We were heartbroken. It was hard for me being in another state far from anyone we knew and going through this loss. We tried to manage on our own that year. Doing school without very many group activities was a big change in such a secluded state; however, the scenery and amazing places to visit were a never-ending diversion. Daddy was working odd shifts and late hours, so he had a lot of weekdays off to join us on fun field trips with just our family.

I remember planning for the new year - I love homeschool planning. I just wish that plans always ended up happening the way you hope they would. The longer you homeschool, the more you will realize that being flexible is a MUST.

Little Rock was full of interesting field trip opportunities and we enjoyed the wonderful trolley rides. We miss the trolley and the Arkansas River views of downtown. Part of my heart is still there.

Fall was so pretty in 2006, the trees in Burns Park were a perfect portrait setting behind the red covered bridge. I had a point and shoot camera and was so jealous of the moms that were there with their big fat DSLRs.

A few of our friends that knew the lay of the land a lot better than us invited us to a Lewis and Clark field trip that just 'happened' to correspond with our explorers and pioneer studies. We enjoyed a walk through the swamp, making butter at the museum, and learning about freshwater pearl diving and button making. We miss our friends in Arkansas and often wonder how they are doing.

We visited a local guitar shop for a field trip when we were studying about Ears, Sound, and Music. One of the guys that worked there played guitar for the kids and showed them how to make the different note sounds with each string. He was really helpful. The kids loved reading about Mozart's life as a child, too.

I remember the harvest parties we attended that year and our trip to Texas to come see friends and family.6



I remember visiting the art museum in Little Rock and taking a pioneer wagon ride with friends in the fall. There was a little pair of kittens that we picked up along the ride that I wanted so badly to keep. Wonder what ever happened to them. The kids loved dressing like pioneer kids. We got our costumes at a local North Little Rock costume shop that specialized in tea parties for little girls - but they had an outfit for everything.

The apartment sent carpet cleaners one day that year and our cat disappearing in to a pile of clothes in the bathroom. She actually dug her way INSIDE a dirty laundry pile and had just one eye and an ear sticking out in fright. That was one of the funniest things she's ever done.

I remember the silly letters Morgan used to write. I shared one she wrote to her grandfather on my blog that year.

I remember the snow that year, worrying about Kev making it to work in the ice, and watching the kids make their first snowman - complete with a gum-stick nose. Some older kids kicked it down a day or two later when the snow was gone and broke their hearts. They still talk about that snow man every time they see snow.



Morgan had the most fun playing with our friend Teresa's horse, Thunder. Both of the kids learned a lot from helping gather the eggs from Teresa's chickens, too. We were delighted to have fresh eggs so often. For a little girl so in love with horses, it was such a blessing for her to get to feed and brush and ride one. That's something we 'city-folk' wouldn't have been able to provide without the help of good friends.

We loved every minute of our week of Spring Break with our friends from Texas. They came to stay with us in our tiny 2 bedroom apartment. Our family of then 4 and their family of 6 made living quarters tight, but we had a blast. We went camping, touring the city, played outdoors, cooked together, ate out, hiked in the parks, and cried when they left.



I remember the view from the top of Pinnacle Mountain... and the astounding beauty of Petit Jean. Our nature hike with friends there was so fun!

Boy do I ever remember the amazing falafels at River Market. I wonder if that shop is still open?

Our Easter eggs we made that year were gorgeous.

The trip with my friend Sarah to her private creek was a highlight. Kaden caught his first fish there.



Learning about passover was fun. We need to do it again.

My favorite field trip of the year was the submarine field trip. We had been hoping to go there the entire time we lived in Arkansas, and finally took a guided tour of the sub about a month or so before we moved back to Texas. Two years of anticipation makes a field trip extra, extra special!

I remember teaching Wednesday night Bible class.

I remember the Robin that built her nest in the tree outside our apartment balcony. Her little peeping big-mouth babies grew up so fast. Just like mine are, I guess. Oh, and the little caterpillars that crawled all over our arms that spring...



I remember the Oak pollen that got all over our balcony and caused some interesting fertilization discussions. In turn, the kids learned about the birds and bees.

We enjoyed putting "Stuff on our Cat". Having fun at a cat's expense is good fun indeed.

I remember finally meeting up with my long-time online friend Bev and wishing we had done it sooner after realizing it really wasn't as far away as we thought. Wish she still lived only an hour and a half away.



I remember saying goodbye to our buddies in Arkansas and moving home to Texas. What a multitude of emotions we went through as our family was grieving the loss of my cousin and I wasn't able to attend his funeral, we found out that we had to move back to Texas within a week, and we were excited to be coming home... but would miss our friends there. It is never easy saying goodbye.

I remember the scary centipede in our moving box when we got our things out of storage in Texas... and how it rained on us for moving day.

Those are the memories we have of our 3rd and 4th Grade 2006-7 school year... the real life ones. After all, we are learning all the time - not just when our books are open and our mechanical pencils are moving. I love homeschooling - because it allows you to devote more time to real life.



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A Texas Homeschool Snow Day

The last time it snowed like this in Austin was 1985. I am not sure I have ever made a snowman that was over knee-high in my life. We don't see a lot of the white stuff 'round these parts. I had to let the kids go outside for a few hours to play in it because I knew that it would most likely be the only chance they would get in the rest of their homeschool career.



I couldn't deprive a little crinklenosed baby from having his very first snowflake-peppered hairdo, either. It needed to happen. Even though I know I'm going to catch it from my mother for taking him outside without a hat. [sorry Mom]



I stayed inside with the cats and the baby and watched them play in the cold for the better part of the day. I tried not to think about how I was 'missing out on another school day'... because a snow like this only comes around once in ten years.



I beat myself up a lot when we miss school. Mainly because with baby, we've missed quite a lot. Regardless, I have found that the kids are learning anyway. They are reading, cooking, helping with the baby, growing, having new experiences ... and my 'in-the-box education' sometimes interferes with my ability to see the learning that we are doing in life as 'school'.



But they can see it. They are smart cookies.



Some of the best advice I ever got from another homeschool mom was about the importance of play in education.

“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.”
~ Joseph Chilton Pearce

There has been a lot of research done on how play helps a kid become a better, smarter, well-rounded adult. Some other time I'll have to do a post on it. Tonight I have a baby tugging at my shirt, a house to pick up, laundry to fold, and notes to write for my conference session Thursday. [Which you are coming to, right?]

Just remember this: Play is important.



Play is creating. Play is joy. It puts a smile on our faces.

While the kids were playing with ice, I was playing with my camera. Everyone was happy. Except maybe Minga the cat. Because she's evil and hates it when people are happy. In fact, she hates people in general. Except for her 13 year old boy-pet.

What were we talking about again? OH, yes - playing in the snow...



So when the snow is this deep in TEXAS, we play. I felt sorry for the kids at public school today, because they actually stayed in school while we took the day off. I saw the bus drive by with an inch of snow on top of it after the melting had already begun. I imagined all the long faces and the kids that were ready to bound off the bus and throw themselves down in to the powder creating snow angels on their pristine white yards.



So the snow day came and went while they were in their classrooms with their noses pressed to the windows every time the teacher stepped out of the room. I have no idea if that's true, but if I were them, that's what I would have been doing at public school today.

Tonight it is getting down in the 20's. That means nasty ice in the morning... and noisy tomorrow afternoon kid-sized distractions outside when we are making up for OUR time off.



These berries are from the Nandina bushes I have been wanting to relocate. They have nothing to do with playing or taking time off from school... or public school, or school buses. But I'm sure you are used to my tangents by now. I've been frowning on these bushes for months. I have to admit that they sure looked nice in the snow today, though.



Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our homeschool year. Back to work for us. Too bad this little guy will be gone after lunch. He was a nice distraction.




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Tennessee Gaylord Opryland Memories of Blissdom

I know you are tired of hearing about Blissdom, but I couldn't let the event die without spending a little time talking about the amazing hotel we stayed at. The Gaylord Opryland Hotel was truly larger than life. Leave it to a Southern Belle like Allison Worthington to pick one of the crown jewels of the South as her landing spot for bloggers to converge. What a fitting place for a conference about 'finding your bliss'.



As the last person at Blissdom due to a series of non-Lemony-Snicket unfortunate events, I got to enjoy the hotel longer than most. Well, perhaps less than Alli, who lives near Nashville and frequents the place.



We even got to see it more at night - because while we were waiting on my mom to get out of the hospital in Nashville those last two days, the place was nearly empty and all the bloggers had left us to wander the gardens with nothing to do but take pictures.



It was quiet there without a conference going on.



And people were busy doing their interesting jobs; like making chocolate covered strawberries, setting up their window displays, gardening and cleaning the sidewalks.



And the shops were empty...



...which made staying away from them nearly impossible. I hated to see them getting no attention. We went in and browsed for souvenirs before we left.



I'm quite sure that if I lived near the Gaylord Opryland, I'd be doing school there all day with my kids. I'd drag in my backpacks of books, fanny packs of supplies, strollers and carriers and diaper bags full of baby things, laptops, iPhones, jingling keys, Canon backpack full of photographic equipment, ... and then we'd sprawl out and study - smack in the middle of the concrete walkway under a twinkling white Gazebo. Every day.



We could call it Oprylandschool instead of homeschool. Because it wouldn't be at home.



We could have Stax Burgers for lunch and walk the garden paths for PE. It would be thrilling... until they kicked us out for loitering.



This guy was really nice. I doubt he would be the one kicking us out.

And have I ever mentioned that I LOVE CHEESEBURGERS? Stax burgers were amazing. Expensively amazing.



There was a wide variety of food to pick from if you didn't want room service or the conference wasn't covering your meal (we had three and a half extra mouths to feed while we were there, so my gang got to sample a lot of the on-site cuisine).



The choices ranged from fancy to fun: Old Hickory Steakhouse, Ristorante Volare, Cascades American Cafe, Water's Edge Marketplace Buffet, Jack Daniel's Saloon, Wasabi Sushi, Piasano's Pizzaria, Stax Burgers, Rusty's Sports Bar, Findley's Irish Pub, Godiva Chocolatier, Haggen-Dazs Ice Cream, and Java Coast Coffee... and a number of small deli stores scattered here and there.



Trust me, you won't starve at Gaylord Opryland. And you won't have to go without dark chocolate... which is a major plus.



Even when it is overcast outside or dark, the gardens are lit with sparkling lights and spotlights, and the balconies glow above the canopy of lush tropical plants and trees.



I loved the sound of rushing water and babbling brook as we made our way from one end of the hotel to the other.



Everywhere you looked in this sprawling place there was beauty. Orchids in the trees, flowers in the beds, hidden treasures in the gardens, winding paths and waterfalls...



...and these were on the inside of the hotel - kept safe from the snow that was falling outside... at a balmy 72-74 degrees under the 'biodome'. We complained about the long walks from hotel to dining areas to conference rooms... but the splendor was worth it. And so were the extra pounds we lost while eating like royalty.



But every story has to have an ending... and so it goes with our stay in the Opryland. We hope that Blissdom is there next year and that we can go again in 2011. Maybe next year you can join us, too?

Winners, Good Advice and Unrelated Stuff (as usual)

I lied. I said I only had THREE tickets to give away for the HOTM conference. I actually had FIVE. They gently corrected me on this matter AFTER I had posted about it. That's fine and dandy for me! The more people to hear me sounding goofy, the merrier.

I HATE the sound of my voice on tape. It's freakish to hear yourself talk. I'm SO glad I can't hear it until AFTER it's taped, or I promise you, I wouldn't do it.

But you won't make fun of me, right? Right?

Anyway... here are the wieners, I mean, winners:

1. Dawn of New Hope Boxes

Dawn's "How NOT to Homeschool" advice?

"Sit at the computer and expect your kids to just do their school work."

Really??? That doesn't work?

I chuckled at this one. I think 'some' of us homeschool mamas (the blogging ones) might know this first hand, but I'm certainly not namin' names (or kickin' butts).

2. Amber of Classic Housewife (her site wasn't coming up for me, so here's her twitter link)

3. Rose of Adventures in Savings

4. Lael (can't click on your profile, sweetie - so if you don't email me by tomorrow at noon, I'll have to pass your ticket on to another blogger)

5. Shannon of On This Glorious Homeschooling Journey

I have decided that Shannon will be giving the talk instead of Dawn or me... because she has some superb advice and it rather stepped on my toes a bit:

How NOT to Homeschool:

1. like you're in public school, and must mark off objectives so as to stay on track of the public school in your neighborhood

2. grumpily, irritated, frustrated, tired, etc. (we are human, and on occasion this is just going to happen...but we must shine the light of Jesus in our school!)

3. lazily--for example, starting school whenever it seems to happen in the duration of the day--if it happens it happens, if ot doesn't it doesn't (again, we will have those occasional days when we just need to let the school day go, but in fairness to our children, we need to be as consistent as possible)

4. without being spiritually fed by the Word of God--we must rise and spend time with the Father, then tend to everyone else

5. without lesson plans or a game plan for the week

Hope this helps, Heather and Dawn!

Shannon

Well, Shannon. Now we aren't needing to do a conference. I think you about covered it. No, just kidding, I'm sure there's even more great advice where that came from... I know I've been taking notes and listening to all the amazing collective of expertise Dawn and I have been fortunate enough to have available to us. Our local homeschool email groups, friends, HOTM readers, blog readers, and Facebook and Twitter friends who homeschool have been giving us more than we could ever cover in our short session. I can't wait to share it all with you, but feel as if I have done none of the work!

* WINNERS, PLEASE EMAIL ME FOR YOUR FREE TICKETS (Contact Button up top!).

Now you ladies behave yourselves, OK? No virtual vegetable throwing... or making fun of accents and such.

OH, yes! I almost forgot. The photo up there is my ArtsCow dog-tag necklace I got for my son with his original drawing (also used in my blog header) for his 13th birthday. Facebook had a free coupon, so I ordered it a month or so ago. It's pretty cute... and has absolutely nothing to do with this post - but I did mention it today at my food blog, too.

I talk about things that aren't related to my posts quite often. Which kind of makes me a tad bit surprised that some of you are here for reasons other than a misguided Google search. But that's neither here nor there.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go sit on the hall floor opposite my 'improved' laundry room and listen to my AMAZINGLY quiet new appliances whisper and whir... and watch the clothes inside go round and round until the baby is tired. We painted the walls in there steel blue today and Home Depot delivered our frontloaders this afternoon. I'm astounded by the amount of electricity, time, effort and AGONY that I'm going to save now that we don't have to WRING out our laundry piece by piece any longer (a torture method we've been enduring since September). My LGs are so quiet, fast, efficient, and interesting!

Until the novelty wears off, I'm going to be enjoying laundry time. Which is basically 24/7 in my house. So the novelty might be gone tomorrow.

I'll let you know.

If you didn't win a ticket to the HOTM Online Homeschool Refresher Conference, they are under 13$. It wouldn't hurt if you bought one and joined us - for laughs.

And now I am really going... my hypnotic humming, spinning garments await...

Speedy Online Conference Give-Away

Are you feeling the icy sting of winter in your homeschool? Maybe it's time for a 'refresher'. That's just what the Heart of the Matter Online Homeschool Conference offers. You should see some of the wonderful topics they are covering - and some of the great speakers they have lined up. Seriously. Click over and check it out!

Are your feet dragging? Do you need a little pick-me-up? Winter is wrapping up and we are anxious for spring -- for green, for sunshine, for life, for a little oomph in our homeschool day. It's easy to get bogged down and for things to turn hum-drum.

A Woman Inspired and Heart of the Matter Online are excited to bring you a Homeschool Refresher conference that is sure to give you a boost. This conference will feature some speakers chosen specifically for their ability to revive, rejuvenate, and renew the hearts and minds of their audience. You are sure to walk away motivated and inspired to achieve great things!

I'm humbled (and even laughing hysterically - at myself and the irony of it all) that they asked Dawn and I to speak. When I asked Amy Stults if she was crazy, she simply said "No, what would you like to speak on? We love you."

I told her, "Well, I have been considering renaming my blog to 'How NOT to Homeschool'. Would you like me to talk about that?"

Amazingly, she said yes!



Dawn and I are thrilled to always cover the bottom feeder topics for you (we did a session on Burnout a few years back) - and I can see how that might be inspiring. At least you know beyond a shadow of a doubt after hearing our Southern-twang selves that you are doing a better job than at least two homeschool moms, right?

Or maybe I shouldn't lump Dawn in to my pity party. After all, she is teaching classes at Classical Conversations, carting her big kids to band and cross country, and has a biggun' in college.

Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, I need this conference just as bad as anyone - maybe the most. So I agreed to talk about homeschool warts... figuratively of course. And I want YOU to be there. As long as you don't throw any tomatoes.

Amy and Amy - the Amies - gave me a few tickets to give away to the conference which starts next week. Whether they gave those tickets to me a month ago and I sat on the email is an entirely unrelated matter.

Want to attend? You can be there in your PJs and you don't need child care!



Here's how to win:

All comments MUST be ENTERED BY TOMORROW AT 6PM. Yep. Lightning fast give-away. Sorry!

Winner will be picked tomorrow evening and posted around 9pm tomorrow night.

Leave me a COMMENT on THIS POST for EACH of the following methods of entry:

1. Tell me your tips on 'How Not to Homeschool' in a comment and I might quote you! I need all the advice I can get. Seriously.

2. Tweet this give-away, linking this post with #hotmconf in your tweet.

3. Follow my blog or let me know you are already following (you can do so via feed or Google Friend)

Pass the word on. The more the merrier - I have THREE tickets to give away!

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Goodbye 10

Yesterday my baby turned 11 months old.

A month ago, my bigger baby turned 11 YEARS old.

The only 10 I have left is 2010 (besides the ten little piggies in the photo above)... and the hope that my littlest guy will one day be 10. But he can take his time getting there. I'm in NO HURRY.

It seems like the Viking's first year has vanished in to smoke without warning... and next month I'll have a big boy on my hands (who am I kidding? He's always been big). He'll be a cute little one year old, learning to walk and talk.

Too bad I can't expect to get any of the brain cells I have lost in the past 10 years. I could certainly use them.

They Don't Believe Me

I have a morbid sense of humor. My children, who know me better than anyone in the world, would be the first to admit it. They are picking up their mom's silly quirks. I feel for their future spouses. It wasn't my fault. I blame it on all those scary movies I watched as a kid and the magnetism of cop and crime shows (trying not to single out Law & Order... but I have been known to do a marathon on streaming Netflix every now and then).

We don't have "TV" like normal families and my kids have NEVER watched a scary movie (well, other than Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean). I blame THAT on Daddy... but can't say that I don't love trilogies now. So when you read the below dialogue (which I wondered for a brief moment if I should post), please don't call CPS. I can't help but find my childrens' brilliant off-the-cuff morbid responses funny... in a strange, twisted kind of way that only I can probably relate to.

So here's today's lunch conversation:

Mom, searching for her soup spoon: "If you don't stop putting the small spoons in the big spoon slot, I will kill you." Campbell's Chicken and Stars, saltine crackers and empty threats - a balanced nutritional lunch.

Morgan's eyebrows raise behind my back (I know this because I'm a mother and we all have eyes behind our heads): "How will you do it, with a serving spoon?"

"No, with a straw." I always say 'with a straw' unless I say 'with a wet noodle'.

"Ewwww!" Both of the kids say in unison, slurping soup.

"And then she'll bury us in the yard." Kaden expands on the threat.

"No, no. That could come back to haunt me. If I just hung you on a wind chime, people would think you were Indian deer bones or something." I gross myself out.

"Or you could get a sandbox and shrink us." He's read too many DK encyclopedias. I should never have done the South American Indian study in elementary school with them. Stuff like that isn't easy to forget like most history facts.

"Yeah, and say that I bought you on a vacation to Peru." See? This is turning in to a geography lesson. Homeschooling rocks.

"CPS, my mom is trying to shrink my head in the sand box." Morgan nearly spits out her soup laughing at herself.

I smile at her and sit down to eat lunch, finally having found a spoon.

"Well, you better hurry up and do it then, before we run away." She says.

Somehow I doubt that they are running away just like they doubt I know how to kill them with a straw.

I know. I'm such a good mother.

Blissdom Recap Part 1ish: Why Go to a Blog Conference?

My mama and the baby - enjoying hotel scenery and play time.

If you haven't been to a blog conference, you need to read this post. You just might find that you are interested in attending one. That is, unless, you don't have a blog - or you don't like blogs (I'm married to one of those types). If you are a homeschool mom or a regular person that isn't absorbed by an online social-media community, please read between the lines and look at these Blissdom posts like 'field trip' reviews or vacation tales. There were certainly learning experiences for all, and it was an epic vacation - regardless of the conference and the near-death experience for my mom. She enjoyed the trip and even drove most of the way home (with her hospital band still around her wrist). We are troopers and trip takers with nomad hearts.

We share a common wanderlust, me and my conference-traveling crew (minus the baby who really hates his car seat, but the jury is still out on whether a front-facing seat will fix this problem).

Snowy drive home.

Part of the fun of a conference is just the travel part - seeing new things and places. The rest is the conference part. And the friends part. And the food part. And the free stuff part. Well... let me explain...

Guitar-playing horse sculptures.

There were a lot of other moms with babies there.

Moms with wee ones at Blissdom 2010.

I couldn't begin to list them all. It's awesome to be a part of a conference that allows you to be what you are - and bring who you love. Nursing moms were welcome. My daughter even got to attend a dinner and the PJ party where they showed a movie, popped popcorn, gave away Hanes Tshirts and socks, did a raffle for prizes, and had some of the braver set sing kereoke.

"Tin Roof! Rusted!"

Mishelle did an awesome rendition of "Love Shack" by the B52's...

Of course, my 11 year old may never be normal again after seeing Bookieboo dance to "Baby Got Back", but that's entirely besides the point.

She's just a smidgen crazier than me, I think.

The Reasons for a Blog Conference:

So what else do you do at a blog conference besides kereoke? Just what would make me crazy enough to drive over 1750 miles and spend nearly 32 hours in my vehicle in one week? Well... let me tell you...

Darcy, Marsha, and Ruthanne with my daughter and baby.

The people - meeting new friends, making real friends out of imaginary online ones, and being around people that 'get' you - the part of your life that MUST write, must blog, and must share. It feels great to have folks who know what 'sidebars' and 'feed' and 'DMs' are without you having to stop and explain them (and sheepishly tell people WHY you would blog because they don't understand the concept). I love my BBFs (best bloggy friends).

Frelle taking notes in a session on her iPhone & notepad.

Learning new things - talking shop about the purpose you have in blogging, the passion you have for writing, the geekish technology that make blogs function, the business savvy policies that bloggers need to know if they want to work with PR agencies and companies to make money, and tips from high profile bloggers and great writers that might make you BETTER at being yourself. As a homeschool mom, I love to learn. I'm a life-long learner. Learning about my bent means learning to take better pictures, to write better, and to make my blog a better place on the net. It's not a hobby to me, it's a passion.

ConAgra foods were the main sponsor of the conference and their snacks were fab!

The Perks of a Blog Conference:

Then there are other perks to a blog conference as well. 'Swag', if you haven't heard of it, is anything you get from a company or small business that is free for a blogger. Blissdom offered a lot of hip swag... much of it came in a handy Blissdom tote: make-up from Covergirl, snacks, lotion, a necklace from the Vintage Pearl to name a few things. The baby moms also had an extra swag bag full of fun baby care items - pacifiers, sippy cups, bibs, lip gloss, and more. One of my favorite swag gifts was a simple pair of Haynes white socks. They came in handy since I got stuck in Nashville longer than I had packed for.

I think this was supposed to be some sort of Tiramisu, but whatever it was, I'm still dreaming of it.

Some swag was in the form of eats, entertainment or events. There were cocktail parties, delicious free meals, after-conference parties and dinners, Harry Connick, Jr. concert, and the wonderful Covergirl make-up sessions.

Everyone loved Covergirl's Smoky Eye makeovers right before Harry arrived.

There were also drawings for all sorts of prizes. Each sponsor that put a booth up in the 'Expo' hall also had things to give away, snacks to share, or events to put on. Many people won jewelry, trips, gift certificates, cookware, spa treatments, and other fun goodies. I won a Roomba while I was there from iRobot and my carpet has never looked so nice. Having these sponsors at the conference gives bloggers a great way to learn about products first hand and introduces you to things you might not have heard about - such as Invisalign (an interesting teeth straightening system that takes the place of braces). I had never heard of them, but both my big kids are of age to need orthodontist care... so I'm reviewing the info I took home from their booth.

Robin Sampson and me - she wrote 'Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach' (one of my fave HS books)!

Then, of course there was the rubbing elbows with wonderful people you admire. Like Robin, who's words have inspired me to be a better homeschool mother more than I could ever tell you. Her book is front and center in my Amazon store if you click the link on my sidebar or up top in my bookstore link. She was even more wonderful in person. I wish I could put up a picture of every one of the great folks I met at Blissdom... there were hundreds of people I stalk there. People that write like nobody's business. People that are stars in their fields. People who's traffic count make my blog look like a speck of zeros and ones in the digital data pool. People who make me smile.

Sarasophia has the best smile ever.

And there you have the last perk: the smiles. Smiles like the ones at Blissdom made my long all-night drive home in the snow and cold bearable.

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