Homeschool Conference 2009

 

Today I went to the place that makes me crazy… Why would I go some place that makes me crazy?  

                                                                        
Because of children like this.. that decorate Christmas cookies naked.  I have  other children.. that don’t decorate cookies naked, but I picked this one because well.. he looks like the rest of them and I think he’s pretty darn cute.

I went to the Midwest Parent Educators Conference ALL the way up by the Kansas City Airport.  It was packed as usual, but this year it had one special person.. that has never come with me…

                                                                      
                                                                                                  It’s the Man!

It was his first year coming to the conference with me. We looked at homeschool curriculum, chatted about books, education and all that good stuff.  I believe he was a little SHOCKED at the sticker price of the curriculum there. It’s not that he’s never bought a book for the kids.. it’s that we’ve never talked about the books or the curriculum like we did today. He’s never seen first hand the mother’s in their uniforms (jean jumpers) or the fabulous Johnson County Mother’s that look like they just stepped out of a spa.. and had a day with the best Hollywood stylist.  (think seven jeans, little graphic t-shirts and wedge heel sandals)

                                                
                                                Leave it to me to take a photo that does not represent my issues…

 

I have some serious insecurities when I go to this conference.  The first  two years I went I was good!  It’s only been the last 3 years or so that I feel like a complete doofus sitting in the presentations, walking around the vendor hall. I mean.. I know that I’m a good homeschooling mom.. but COULD I BE BETTER?  YES!!!   (editor note.. I’ve been homeschooling since 1998)

I think going there reminds me I am not as good as I should be.

Take the booth with all of the fabulous history novels… there are kids SWARMING this booth.. where do you think the 2 kids I brought with me were? Sitting in the cafe with their laptops playing a game (and not an educational one either).

And then there is the presentations that don’t just talk about being a good teacher.. they bring the dreaded "W" word into the picture.. you know

WIFE

.  The man says "I’m the best wife he’s ever had."  But if he would have listened to some of these other presentations, he just might have said something different.  I mean really….  iron the sheets and his underwear? Greet him at the door with a kiss and a smile?  Do little things to let him know he’s THE MAN?!?!  You mean I don’t?

                                                                    

                                                                        

Really not a good photo to show my issues…

So if you’ve read this far.. and you homeschool.. let me know what your  homeschool conference experiences are.. and what kind of curruiculm do you use?

It’s Parent’s Day at Dance

 

Parent's Day at Dance…

 

Child #3 is my kid.. (the only one with brown eyes) and is really my #3 This is her Tap Costume

The sound of that makes me groan. It's not because I don't like seeing my kids in their dance costumes or watching them shake their booties.. It's more because I get to sit in a crowd of parents where I'm 8-10 years older than most of the parents.. that are there.  This freaks me out.  Now you should know MOST of the people that kid #3 is in class with are my age.. some are younger. But in #4's class that is a completely different story.  I'm like a grandma in that class!

 


So the only boy in this picture is my #4.  He's 6, and LOVES his dance class.  He doesn't care about the girls.. he just likes to dance

I'm really not old enough to be a Grandma.  But as I sat there in that dance room it hit me.. I'm old. I need to exercise.. I need to do something so I don't look so dang old.  Besides radical surgery do you have any suggestions?

So enough about me.. let's talk about those kids..

#4 he's cute huh?  I should tell you he does not have on his entire costume.  Only part of it came in.  He is missing his pink and white polka dot tie, and black pants.  He'll look pretty sharp huh?  He has two classes, ballet and tap.  He's always gone with me when I took #3 to her dance classes, and he wanted to do it.  So I finally enrolled him.  I thought he would give up after a couple of weeks, but he really loves going.

                                                                      

Here's Miss #3. in her ballet outfit..


Here's #3 and #5.. She's in her Jazz outfit and "pose".. #5 Refused to be in dance.. he quit after his 2nd week.