didn't take any pictures at the convention, so I took a picture of our homeschool library! We have recently started on ANOTHER large shelf and I LOVE IT!!! Bring on the books, baby!
This year I attended the major homeschool convention for the state of Florida for the first time. In years past I have gone to a small scale one in Vero Beach and not even wanted to attend the BIG ONE. I like our curriculum. I love to spend money on books and temptation is real. I don't want to buy things that don't work for a family with 6 kids. It is hard to leave the kids for two days and one night. There are many reasons not to go! BUT . . . my sister-in-law Amy put the small push on me at the beginning of the year and I started to consider it. For the hotel, food, gas, toll fees and registration I figured I'd be losing a lot of book money! Well, it all comes out in the end and I really enjoyed the refreshment of attending.
Parenting has been harder than ever this year. I seem to be struggling to gain victory over habitual sins of "reacting, not proacting!" I know God is not pleased and I don't want to reap the fruit of THAT harvest six times over! So my first workshop was by Reb Bradley whose book I like to justify as too strict on parents, but really is true! (Tips on Parenting) His workshop was on Parental Control. Marc and I certainly are not walked on over here, but he just reminded me so much of scriptural reproofs to parents and I was shown the plank in my eye that needs to come out as I seek to counsel these little, foolish children's specks! I could have gone home at that point! The rest of the weekend was superfluous since I knew application of session 1 was enough for sure change! But I stayed. . .
Thanks to Gabriel having explosive intestinal issues while I was there, I did only catch 1/2 of 3 more workshops! (As I washed out his clothes over the bathtub in our hotel room, I felt downright pioneer woman!) The workshops I walked out of were O.K., but the last one I got to stay for the whole time because Amy took Gabe to get more diapers in our room! It was a session that reminded me of classes in college. My pen smoked as I took notes! It was on asking literary questions based on the Socratic method (doesn't the title alone make you feel smarter?). It was fun to hear the man read A Bargain for Francis with such inflection and then to pick apart the storyline with him-a picture book for goodness sake! It was AMAZING! I loved it!
The vendor hall is a bibliovore's heaven! I didn't even make it by all the stalls! I had a list of the ones I was interested in and then hit the other ones as I wandered by! One place I spent money at was a science aimed booth called Tobin's Lab. They had fun stuff that I wouldn't run across ordering my usual curriculum online. I felt that was worth the attendance, too! I got a birdfeeder attachment for a 2 liter bottle, mini soda bottle tubes with ideas for mini-tornadoes and magic wands, pocket volcano and weave your own basket kits! At my old friend Doorposts I got the pamphlet A Checklist for Parents (to check my attitudes and purposes throughout the day/week) and the 2-mini books of the catechism for kids for our dinner table. At my online retailer R.O.C.K. Solid Inc., I got 2 clearance books I WANTED because they were smudged! At Handwriting Without Tears I bought the preschool kit for a phenomenal trade-show price for Jacob. He will get to make his letters in clay and with big wooden letters and chalk. I think it will be good for his left-handed self! At the YWAM booth I found Sarah's request: Biographies! They also had a great trade-show price of 5 books for the price of 3 1/2. I got Sarah's request: C.S. Lewis, as well as: Nate Saint, Ronald Reagan, Florence Young, and Brother Andrew . . . At the FamilyMan booth they had homeschool comic books that had me rolling in tears after 3 comics! I bought all 4 books because they make me feel NORMAL and just like OTHER homeschoolers: we all act like we have it all together, but it is all a lie! By the way, that is a quote from the author, Todd Wilson! If you come to my house, you WILL get to read them!
Now you may be asking where are all the books I was talking about? Well, I already had them all in my online shopping carts at home, waiting to be ordered! I took a price list to the convention, but the only thing I had planned to buy that I found cheaper was the Handwriting without Tears set, so I did buy that there! I also didn't plan a spending budget for myself while there, so I had to be thoughtful about how much I was spending and how all the NECESSITIES were in those online shopping carts waiting to be bought!
Overall, I am truly thankful that I went to the convention. The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort was spectacular, though a lot of walking! Gabriel is an "angel" of a baby and did wonderfully, despite his intestinal woes. I am glad I went and even now, 4 days out, I am working on applying what I have learned to my parenting. More patience, more loving responses, less rushing around doing this and that and more listening! Soli Deo Gloria!
It occurs to me that some people may care to know what schoolwork and curriculums I use, so I think I will post that here, just in case anyone cares!
Sarah (going into 5th grade) and
Daniel (going into 4th grade):
AWANA
Explorer's Bible Study: Job, Psalms and Proverbs
Prudence and the Millers family read aloud/Bible
Sonlight Core 4: History(American History and ABEKA state report,
Language, Science(electricity & magnetism),
Readers(S: 4 & 5--D: 3 & 4), Read Alouds
Saxon Math 6/5
Easy Grammar and Daily Grams
Christian Liberty Spelling
A Reason for Handwriting (Daniel)
Lizzy (going into 1st/with a touch of 2nd)
AWANA
Prudence and the Millers family read aloud/Bible
Sonlight Core 1: History(Ancient History), Language, Science 4,
Readers(2 intermediate), Read Alouds
Saxon Math 1 continuation and then Math 2
Explode the Code books 4-6
A Reason for Handwriting-Transition to Cursive
Hostess of all things outdoors and bug related
Jacob (preschool)
Leapfrog Letter Factory
Handwriting Without Tears Pre-K 4
May begin Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons midyear
Developing the Early Learner visual/spatial workbook
Leah (pre-preschool)
Leapfrog Letter Factory
Mighty Mind pattern blocks
Obedience
Blanket time
Gabriel (one year old all year)
Read to by older siblings, Dad and Mom, Papa and Grammy
Nature exploration
6 kids spells T-O-Y-S!!! 
