TTD Speakers

The speaker line up for TTD is amazing. I am having a hard time picking where I want to go.
Can I clone myself?






Dr. Debra Bell

 Sally Clarkson

  Hal and Melanie Young



Obviously these are just a few.

You can find a full list of speakers on the TTD Page. 

A homeschool convention

At the end of the week I will be heading to Nashville. No I am not planning on going there in hopes to become famous. I am going there to attend a homeschool convention.

From the beginning I have been pulled to the Teach Them Diligently convention (TTD). I know there are many state conventions around but this one is different. TTD is Christ Focused.

"The Teach Them Diligently Convention was born out of a recognized need for more events celebrating the focus of Christian Homeschool Families—that is, to disciple their children to glorify God"




Did you know that when you attend a TTD convention you are also helping in the mission field?


"Second, all of the profits for the Teach Them Diligently Convention will go to missions. It is our hope to help parents infuse their educational programs with a Great Commission focus. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31). We desire to focus parents and children on seeking opportunities to spread the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ whether through school, playing sports, or running the family business."



I am excited to attend a convention where God is the focus. Where other homeschool families are coming for the same reason. I am sure I will be overwhelmed, in a good way, when I see so many families there having the same focus as we are in our homeschool journey.  Raising young men and women for the Lord. We are not alone in this journey.


Come back tomorrow for a look at the speakers for TTD!

Will I see you there?

Homeschool Co-op, Is it a good fit?

We have been attending co-op for the last 4 weeks.

I started into this praying that the Lord would let us know if this was a good fit for us.
We have to travel about 45 mins to attend this co-op, so we are gone most of the day.
I wanted to be sure we were using our time wisely.

I have seen a change in the kids over the past 4 weeks!

~ Our oldest is writing stories on his own.
  Before when I would have him write something he would look at me with a blank stare. He had no idea what to write. I remember one of his assignments a few months ago was to write why he thought a dogs name would be shadow. He couldn't think of any reason. He just sat there.
Now? Now he is writing something practically every day. He enjoys it so much. 
Oh and I can't forget. He LOVES chemistry.  That means the uncle that bought him the experiment set will have to come visit when he can this summer so we can keep this going.
 He love ALL of his classes. He comes home thinking that he can show is uncle who is a trooper about his self defense tactics he has learned. 

~ Our 8 year old is more eager to do school at home. He seems to be enjoying school period. This is a breakthrough in itself. For him to ask me if he can take his school books somewhere and work on them when it's not school time, WOW!  His reading has improved tremendously. Books, books, and more books for this summer. I love it!

~Somethings seem to be a bit much for Ladybug, but I know she is still learning. It's been great for her, being that she has to sit still and listen just for a time. Learning that she isn't the one in charge. Kind of. She still has a "look at me everyone" attitude. Yes we are working on this. It's good practice for her.

~ Our 6 year old is really having a blast. Just yesterday they were talking about ways seeds spread. The teacher told them that they could go home and make a bird feeder out of pine cones, peanut butter, and bird seed and then went on teaching. When we got home that was the first thing he did. We now have a peanut butter bird feeder sitting on the regular bird feeder.  He knows his name in sign language.Along with learning the Lord's Prayer in sign language. ( Our 8 yr old and ladybug are learning this as well.)

The kids are all eager to tell their daddy what they learned that day.
They pray for the co-op.
They eagerly wait for the next week.

Four weeks in and there is such a change. 
A good fit? Absolutely.


Is a co-op a good fit for your family?  
I encourage you to pray about it. 

Talk it over with your husband. 

Go to a few events the co-op is having to meet the families that are in the group. 

Ask if you could sit in on a session to see how the co-op is set up.  




You are not alone in this journey.

2:1 ~ Momma's Timeout

A weekend away, surrounded by laughter, tears, and encouragement. This is just the beginning of my thoughts. 

I didn’t have to make my bed, cook meals or clean up after meals. I was able  to sit and enjoy a meal before it got cold. I got to use the bathroom without someone knocking on the door. And I am sure I am not the only one that just stood and enjoyed the rain shower just a tad longer. (now I am wishing I had one in my shower)

Let me back up. I am not complaining about doing these things at home. I truly enjoy serving my family.  This mama needed a timeout and the 2:1 conference was just that for me. 

connections ~ Not only did I get to catch up with friends that I made last year, I met more friends this year.  Did I get to meet everyone there this weekend, no, but I made connections that I can build on. 

There was a time when I thought that I could take in all of the vendors at a conference. Who was I kidding? There is no way. I mean why in the world would I want to try to look at 2 different science books when I have a science that is working for our family? I would overload on all of the information I was given and become overwhelmed.  This year I didn’t do that. I talked to and gave information to those businesses I thought would be a good fit.  

I am not a teenager anymore :( ~ I loved the late night talks. I am not regretting it one bit,  but I found out that a 3am bedtime isn’t as easy to overcome as it was when I was 16.

The Lord met me right where I was. ~  He started tugging on my heart on my way to the conference. I started praying. I wanted to be still and listen to what He was telling me. I am excited and nervous about what I heard, but I know that He will lead me.  

Psst... We still had so much fun!

Writeshop ~ 2:1 Sponsor

This weekend I am attending the Titus 2:1 conference.

To say I am excited is an understatement.

I am ever so grateful for my sponsor. They are making it possible for me to attend this conference.

I would like everyone to meet Writeshop.

What is Writeshop?
    

WriteShop is a multi-level writing curriculum designed to teach composition skills in a step-by-step manner. There are three different levels:

·         WriteShop Primary gives K-3rd graders an introduction to early writing skills. Young children learn to plan, write, and revise stories and short reports through colorful and meaningful activities such as guided writing, games, picture books, and crafty projects. It’s fun to learn about writing through topics that appeal to early elementary ages, and the hands-on learning experience (not to mention special time with Mom) is especially effective with these younger kids.

·         WriteShop Junior exposes 3rd-5th graders to genre, fiction and nonfiction writing, and journaling—and introduces great tools that truly motivate young writers. Fold-N-Go Grammar, with its colorful, lapbook-style guides, teaches kids that grammar can become their favorite subject. Prewriting games help them learn and practice vocabulary and writing skills in such a fun way, they have no idea they’re doing school work! Graphic organizers help budding writers brainstorm and plan their stories and reports. And there are all sorts of engaging editing tools that actually make it fun to revise. 

·         For junior high and high schoolers, both WriteShop I and II offer engaging, step-by-step lessons, challenging assignments, and creative activities. WriteShop I students improve descriptive, informative, and narrative, writing skills by becoming proficient in four vital techniques: brainstorming, drafting, editing, and revising. WriteShop II users learn to expand their skills by learning about descriptive narration, point of view, and voice. This level ends with an introduction to persuasive and essay writing, including timed essays.

Essential and easy to use, all of the WriteShop teacher’s guides provide schedules, lesson plans, extra activity ideas, and answer keys—and help parents learn to effectively edit and evaluate students’ writing.

Kim and Debbie, the Authors,  understand the importance of helping students develop a strong writing foundation. Writeshop not only helps the student with their writing, it also shows the parents how to teach, direct, and evaluate in a simple way.
 This is a program that will :

~ emphasize clarity, conciseness, colorful vocabulary, and interesting sentence types;
~ focus on developing a strong paragraph;
~ offer a wide variety of writing activities; ~ help students know exactly what to look for when refining their own work;

                         ~ help parents know how to methodically evaluate their children's writing.


This program have even helped me in my own writing!

So I say THANK YOU to Writeshop.

Tips on Surviving the Stomach Flu

Last week our family was hit with a stomach bug/flu.

This stuff is terrible!

A summary of our week, my 6 yr old prayed this one night, "Jesus please don't let anyone else throw up and please let our food come out the right end."


As I read on facebook more and more families from all over being hit with this dreadful stuff, I thought I would share a few tips that helped us.

Remember I am not a doctor, just a mom who went through this for a week.


~This bug leaves no stomach left unturned.
          It hits fast and it hits hard. It seems to be VERY contagious. Everyone in the family had their turn. Thankfully one at a time. I was hit last. I am so grateful I was able to take care of the family before I was hit.


~  Try to stay hydrated.
        I have heard of people ending up in the hospital from dehydration from this stuff.   I know it's hard to want to drink something when you know it's not going to stay down. Try!Drink little, tiny sips of water. Gatorade! If you can keep Gatorade down for at least 10 minuets your body has absorbed the electrolytes  it needs. 


~ Rest
      Even if you start feeling better take it easy. You do not want to relapse.


~ Disinfect
        Anywhere you can think of disinfect. Door knobs, toilets, handles, sink faucets, toothbrushes, beds, toys, the vehicles. Kill that bug!


~ Eat light 
       Even after the trips to the bathroom have stopped eat light for a few days. Your stomach will thank you. The kids ate too heavy when they thought they were all better and they were in the bathroom again. Try the B.R.A.T diet for a few days.  Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast.


I hope this helps.

We are praying for those who are sick and praying that this flu will stop.



 

Our Homeschool Co-op Adventure

We joined a co-op!
Oh yes we did.

After talking things over we felt that we wanted to give a co-op a try.

What is a co-op you ask?

 A homeschool co-op is a group of homeschooling parents that voluntarily unite together to educate their children.

It does take the whole group.
Helping with the little ones.
Helping with teaching the class.
Teaching a class.
Cleaning up after activities.

I asked my 10 yr old what it was like being taught by someone else. He said, " No offensive mommy , but the lady that teaches chemistry knows way more than you do."
 
Why yes she does!  I am grateful that the kids have this opportunity to learn things that I may not be strong at teaching them.
A place where the kids are meeting more homeschooled kids.
I am meeting more wonderful ladies that homeschool and have a heart for the Lord.
We are not in this homeschooling journey alone. 

We are looking forward to next week.