Boring Post Unless You Are Rebecca or Beckie

The winners of the Heart of the Matter Home Education Conference are, you guessed it, Rebecca and Beckie!

Thank you to everyone who entered. I enjoyed reading about your plans. Maybe it will inspire me to work on ours. Right now we are working diligently to get our house ready to sell. That counts as home economics and shop, right?

Win a Ticket to Heart of the Matter’s Home Education Conference

Did you get the opportunity to check out the upcoming Heart of the Matter’s 2009 Homeschool Conference? This year looks even better than last year!

I look forward to hearing my friend, Dana Hanley, discuss how to develop an educational philosophy. A dateless lesson planner sounds like something I can use. And Anne Elliot’s session, Using the Bible as Your  Primary Textbook, looks insightful and encouraging.

Take a look at all the speakers and sessions. I’m sure there is something you don’t want to miss!

Speaking of missing something, I can’t forget I have two tickets to giveaway. To enter simply leave a comment on this post telling me your most exciting plan for the upcoming school year. It might be a new resource you purchased, something you are adding to your routine, or a fun trip you have in the works.

The winners will be drawn Tuesday, July 28th at 11:00 p.m. CST. Best wishes and thanks for sharing the exciting things happening in your home. I can’t wait to see what you have planned.

Noteworthy Links: Home Renovation Edition

I used to wonder if I would blog while going through a major life change. The answer is not what I intended, but now I know.

So while I try to get this fixed:

Dylan fixed the faucet; I made a mess

And keep my house looking like this:

I can see the table!

I hope you enjoy these links I found noteworthy.

• Be wary of comparison- Finding Ideas, Not Discouragement
• Take a look at the big picture-  Curing Scope and Sequence Syndrome
• Put it all together-  Homeschool Organizing
• Be creative-  25 uses for index cards
• Keep art supplies in reach-  Not-so-lazy Susan

Also, Heart of the Matter’s Online Homeschool Conference is Aug. 3-7. Go check it out. Then come back here tomorrow for your chance to win a ticket. You don’t want to miss it!

Begins and ends with books: a photo essay and announcement

When we left on our trip, someone asked me if we were coming back. I grinned, “Of course, our books are here.”

We returned to Texas after our three week trip exhausted and road weary from trying to accomplish a bit too much.

The first day back from camp, my husband drove the kids to Shoshone Falls. Bug took photo after photo. He even made videos of the water tumbling over the rocks. His exclamations barely heard over the roar.

My brother lives in the valley below Mt. Borah, the tallest peak in Idaho. I enjoyed the drive so much I didn’t take a single photo until we were coming back down the pass.

While visiting a farm, we picked a few cherries and ate every one.

Dylan learned about a full-time job “just down the road,” so he drove through the twisted canyon to meet a man who might have work for him.

I plopped down on a floral sofa and discussed possibilities with my best friend‘s mom. When a van drove up, I realized it was more friends. I was delighted they happened by while we were there. Words spilled out as we tried to catch up. It didn’t take long for more questions to begin. They are moving out of their house.

Driving from Southern Idaho to the Washington peninsula gave Dylan and I plenty of time to speculate about our future. Would he get the job? Is it time to move back? We gnashed and prayed and hoped.

Visiting family made us pine even more to be near them. Introducing the girls to mountains, canyons, and ocean made us crave more memorable moments. We want to take them to the places we traveled, the places we enjoyed as children.

Yes, we did come back, and I immediately started culling the bookshelves in anticipation of the call that came on Friday. Dylan got the job! We are moving back to Southern Idaho! It is happening so fast, but in some ways it is years in the making.

We are going home with a purpose and a vision and a copy of Heroes of the Alamo and Goliad.

After Six Years of Homeschooling

Shelves and tables entice me to browse. I hunt for the RightStart Mathematics booth. The speaker’s enthusiasm and knowledge remind me why I chose the program. She recommends Geometry and then Algebra after Level E. Really? I’ll be teaching Algebra in another year?! Somehow I don’t panic at the thought.

At Miller Pads and Paper I linger. Here I gather the only items I purchase at the Home School Book Fair: two sketchbooks, an eraser, and calligraphy practice paper.

I hunt for books on my wish list and flip through others with interesting titles. I pause. What about our shelves at home? So many books we haven’t roamed through yet. More than enough to last us for this year and next and possibly a few after that.

The plans I have are numerous. Every year until graduation is not figured out by any means, yet driving home I realize I feel…settled. Settled with the curriculum I’ve purchased. Settled with the ebb and flow of lesson plans. Settled with homeschooling.

It’s only taken six years.