My BIg Fat Wonderful News!!!

So, last Friday I was contacted by Lorrie Flem of TEACH Magazine.  As you may remember, I am participating in her 6 month Step Up- Attitude is Everything program right now, and I had emailed to ask her if there was any work I could do for TEACH to work off my membership fee instead of paying through Paypal.  Well, as it just so happened, she had been thinking of me, but couldn't remember my name, and had been wanting to get ahold of me to do just that- work for TEACH! 

Doing what?  Well, TEACH is launching a brand new blogging program and she not only wants me to head it up but design and create the whole thing right along side her!  I am still a little in shock!  The Lord is so good to have worked out this whole thing and put me in a position that just fits me like a glove!

I have been working on the program the last few days, since accepting the position on Sunday, and the more I work on it the more ideas keep popping into my head!  This program is going to be unlike any other blogger program out there and I couldn't be more thrilled to be the Head Mama (as I am being called)!  It is a huge responsibility but it has also been a huge motivator to get out of bed  earlier in the morning and get the rest of my life organized too!

Plus, getting to work directly with Lorrie is a dream!!!  Ever since attending the homeschool conference that I heard her speak at last March (remember when I LIVE blogged about her?) I have dreamed that she would be my mentor someday!  I have already gotten to talk to her on the phone three times and she is such a joy to speak with!  She is just about the best boss in the world- giving me lots of free reign to make decisions and really take ownership of this project!  Can you tell I'm excited?!

Want to get involved?

So, I am sure you will be hearing lots more about this program in the future!  And, if by chance you think it is something that you might be interested in getting involved in then run over to TEACH, see if it is a ministry you think you could get behind, ask me any questions you might have about the program and send me your info (address, blog link, etc...)!  We have approximately 40 spots left to fill, so don't hesitate to spread the word!

Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

LIVE BLOGGING- Early Childhood Education w/ Susan Evans

Early Childhood Education

w/ Susan Evans

of Hands on Learning

I have been meaning to write this post for more than a month now (since the homeschool conference I attended), and even though it is late I wanted to make sure to not let it slip by!

At the Inland Northwest Homeschool Conference I went to Susan Evans' workshop on Early Childhood Education.  My oh my, was it filled good with good ideas!  And is she ever filled with energy!  You can tell why her children must just LOVE to learn!  She is a former middle school drama teacher and she is filled with all the flair and spunk of one!

Susan is very into making learning alive!  She emphasizes the use of voices when reading and puppets to drive home ideas.  Some of her ideas were very simple, such as making sure to add measuring cups & spoons to water or sand play areas.  She feels it is important to make learning accessible to children, such as mounting a Magna Doodle to the wall at kid height to allow for spontaneous fine motor development.  She credits that very thing with her children's early abilities to write clearly.

One idea that I never would have thought of, but have been trying with Lion Cub, is simply going through a set of basic alphabet flash cards and making the letter sounds of each (not the name).  She said that this simple practice of exposing the letter sounds to them at such an early age helped her children to read very early, without much effort.  I am not a huge fan of flash cards, but I figure as long as it is interesting to him and not a burden I might as well give it a shot!

I really can't possibly cover all of her amazing ideas in this little post, but I sincerely encourage you to visit her website, Hand on Learning, for a whole host of ideas for not only early childhood education but well into the elementary years as well! The site itself isn't much to look at, but don't let it fool you- it is FULL of good information if you just look around!

I also want to extend a huge thanks to Susan for a great workshop and look forward to learning more from her in the future!

So.... live blogging...

...didn't really work for me.  I found it to be a distraction and a hassle when I just really wanted to soak up everything from the conference. So, as you may have noticed, I stopped!  I loved the idea of it to begin with, but when it came right down to it I just felt like I didn't have enough time to put up quality, well thought out posts.

With that said, there is still a ton of stuff I want to share with you all about this conference.  I walked away feeling refreshed and re-inspired!  As Lorri Flem said (who actually read my blog last night, by the way!!!  AAAAAH!!  And she commented!!  I feel tremendously honored and humbled!), I am equipped to make the changes that are needed in my home, now I just need to do it! 

So, until I have the chance to sit down and really give you guys the meat of how the Lord impacted me this weekend, and it really was incredible, I want to encourage all of you to go over and check out Lorrie's Teach Magazine.  I am confident that you all will glean as much from her teachings (magazine, books and MP3s/CDs) as I have this weekend!  And hey, the magazine is even on same right now, so why not get a subscription while you're there?!  I did yesterday and am so excited to have such a wonderful resource at my finger tips!

Oh, and by the way, Lorrie is not paying me to say these things!  I was just so clearly spoken to through her workshops this weekend that I really want all of you to have that same opportunity!

More to come hopefully in the next day or so!

LIVE BLOGGING- Remember Why to Revitalize Today w/ Lorrie Flem

For details about this LIVE BLOGGING event (The Inland Northwest Homeschool Conference), see this post!

Remember Why to Revitalize Today

w/ Lorrie Flem 

of Teach Magazine

Wow- what another great session!  Lorrie Flem is such a wonderful picture of Jesus!  Her words are gentle, loving and poignant!  This workshop was mostly about the unexpected rewards of homeschooling- particularly the deep relationships you are able to grow with your children and the way you are able to disciple them on a daily basis.

She strongly emphasized bringing your children alongside you to teach them and not letting a curriculum dominate your homeschool.  The academics are important, but not the main focus of teaching your kids at home.  Lorrie pointed out again and again how Jesus taught.  He said, "follow me."  He wanted his disciples to learn by the way he lived, to learn alongside him, day in and day out.  What a perfect example of how we are to teach our children!

Lorrie emphasized that as a homeschooling mother, my children, my home and my husband are my job.  Much more than that, they are worth my time it takes to bring them alongside me.  Even if it may seem like it is frustrating and time consuming, that longer amount of time is the time it is supposed to take because this is the way the Lord has for me to teach my kids!  What a fresh perspective!  When you reset your mind to think through those lenses it makes the day's tasks seem much more manageable and joyful!

I am really looking forward to the other workshops Lorrie has to offer throughout the conference!

Want to follow more LIVE BLOGGING about the Inland Northwest Homeschool Conference?  Be sure to visit Dawn @ 5 Kids and Dog and Katey @ Crazy Homeschool Mama!

LIVE BLOGGING- Welcome to the Zoo w/Lorrie Flem

 
For details about this LIVE BLOGGING event (The Inland Northwest Homeschool Conference), see this post!

Welcome to the Zoo

multi-level homeschooling made easy

w/ Lorrie Flem 

of Teach Magazine

What a fantastic kick off to the conference- complete with a few comical mix-ups to keep things interesting!  To begin with, there were some problems getting Lorrie’s powerpoint to work, which they eventually did get resolved!  Then she actually began her diligence seminar (which sounds great!), but none the less, the wrong one!  Too funny- what great character she has!  She simply laughed at herself, picked up the right set of notes and began again!  Then, someone turned all the lights off!  Once again, she was incredibly good humored!

All that aside, what a great seminar!  Lorrie covered, from the broad to the specific, ways that you can easily eliminate stress from your homeschooling day while teaching many children at different levels.

The two major things that Lorrie focused on were Obedience and Responsibility, noting that if you have done a thorough job of teaching obedience before the age of 7, then from that age on you can better teach responsibility and a love to obey.  These are the most important ways to teach your children and in turn help yourself!

I had heard something similar before, but Lorrie hit on the four principles that George Washington’s mother taught him to help him obey:

• Completely
• Respectfully
• Immediately
• Joyfully

Aren’t those telling?  I know that isn’t how obedience looks in my house a lot of the time!  What great tools to keep in mind (I feel a craft project coming on... these words need to be displayed prominently in my home!)!

I think one of the biggest things Lorrie said that stuck with me is that often times things we are having to work on in our children are things the Lord is actually working on in us!  How true is that?!!  She said that, possibly, if you are dealing with obedience issues in one of your children, you are actually having trouble obeying the Lord as well.  The same goes for dawdling and a whole host of other issues!

I love Lorrie’s spirit, attitude and fresh perspective and am very much looking forward to the upcoming sessions she is teaching!  Until then...

Want to follow more LIVE BLOGGING about the Inland Northwest Homeschool Conference?  Be sure to visit Dawn @ 5 Kids and Dog and Katey @ Crazy Homeschool Mama!

So Excited! Homeschooling conference starts tomorrow!

So, I have known for a while now that I would be attending the Inland Northwest Homeschool Conference.  That in and of itself was enough to thrill me beyond all understanding!  I mean, nearly two full days to myself, spent just listening to adults, with no interruptions, and even having the ability to pee without company... anytime I please?!  Shear Bliss!

But it get's better!  Today, a fellow blogging, homeschooling and Bible in 90 Days online friend, Dawn from 5 Kids and A Dog, contacted me about live blogging the conference with her and Katey from Crazy Homeschool Mama.  How cool is that?!

Basically, Dawn has it all worked out so that we can get access to the wifi network of the church hosting the conference, so we will be posting about each workshop we go to and linking between our blogs!  There are some awesome sounding workshops and speakers scheduled that I am just so pumped to hear, and EVEN BETTER (is that even possible?) I get to meet, in the flesh, these two wonderful ladies!

The conference starts tomorrow (Friday) at 2:00 PST, so you can be expecting my first post around 3:45 PST!  Be sure to stop by and check out all the awesome stuff we are learning throughout the rest of the day and all day on Saturday!  It should be a great time of fellowship and learning!!