The 2010 Edition
Well, the Minnesota Catholic Home Education conference is over and now it is time to pay the piper. That is to say, it’s time to clean my neglected house…and do the laundry…and feed my family.
Because I haven’t done any of these things for the past two weeks.
And it was worth it.
That vine-covered building in the photo up there? That was where I gave my talks.
And here are my nerves on the way to the podium.
You know, though, it wasn’t so bad once I started talking. Sure, my hands were shaking like a drunk’s and well, okay, I said “okay” far more often than I should have. I’m okay, you’re okay. Okay?
But in the end it was fun and good.
In fact, there was so much goodness at this conference, I hardly know where to begin.
There were couples reconnecting…
…and there were windblown friends soaking up some rays.
There were beautiful young moms recharging their batteries…
…and there were handsome young dads recharging theirs. (I was so totally praying that they wouldn’t catch me! What can I say? I’m a blogger.)
And, of course, there were also babies.
Remind me again: Do we come to homeschooling conferences for the talks or for the babies?
Because I always forget.
This little gal had a strong reaction to my talk. Remind me next time to pep it up a bit.
And this little fella very nearly stole my heart. Okay, I’ll admit it. He did steal my heart.
Baby Anthony would not approve.
Whoa! Flashback to last year’s conference, when *I* was the mom with a newborn baby! This is my friend Lynn’s little honey, and I’ll tell you, I am sorely tempted.
Except I’m 43, tired, and my back hurts.
So we’ll see.
Speaking of “Baby” Anthony, my freshly-minted one-year-old did just fine at home. I was gone from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and I don’t think he even missed me.
This nursing momma missed him, however, if you get my drift. And then when I got home from the conference my husband wasn’t even there! He had taken the kids to Dick’s Sporting Goods, of all ridiculous places. I called him and said, “You get home now! And bring the baby!”
Anthony may not have missed me, per se, but he nursed on one side for a full fifteen minutes.
And then he burped loudly for another fifteen.
Moving on.
At the conference, there were many wonderful bloggers and speakers and bloggers who are speakers and speakers who are doctors and bloggers who drink coffee and…
You get the picture.
There were Ana Braga-Henebry and Ginny Seuffert.
There was Dr. Mary Paquette.
(Don’t let her serious expression fool you, by the way. She knocked the ball out of the park with her speech, which was funny and factual and funny and oh, did I mention that she’s my doctor? I will be getting a copy of her talk.)
And finally, there was my lovely IRL friend-of-the-heart, Cathie. She gave three—count ‘em—three (3!) talks, and she handled it all with grace and finesse.
I want to be her when I grow up.
There were even Hall-of-Fame Homeschoolers that made me squeal when I saw them.
Eeek! I’ve, like, known about Maureen Wittmann forever, but to see her live and with an iced coffee in hand?!
Well, I’ll tell you. She is my new BFF.
Here she is with Walter Crawford of Homeschool Connections. I squealed when I saw his nametag, too, because I am just that geeky.
Are you wondering how much money I spent on curriculum? Zero dollars, my friends! Nothing! Nada! Not. A. Whit.
I was far too busy stressing.
I did venture into the vendors’ hall sometimes, allegedly to clear my head.
Is it possible to clear one’s head in a vendors’ hall? Hmm…
And then I thought maybe I’d buy some phonics workbooks for my kindergartner but the guy at the table didn’t have any.
“Where are your workbooks?” I demanded. “This is a homeschooling conference, for cryin’ out loud! You’re supposed to carry workbooks!”
He just smiled and called security.
All in all it was a wonderful day—wonderful and crazy, truth be told—and I would be remiss not to show you the folks who make this conference possible.
Here they are from left to right: Tony, Sue, Deb and Brad. They are a fearless, faith-filled, fun-loving bunch.
(Emphasis on fun-loving.)
I blame them for my jangled nerves the past two weeks.
I blame them and I thank them, with all my heart.
I was so surprised to see Weyerhaeuser on that building! My dad worked for them his entire career. My 46-year-old brother has been there since graduating college. I worked for them during the summer while I was in college, and so on, and so on… LOL! I'm glad it went well!
Wonderful write-up! By the time I plant roots in MN I may be attending these with my daughter's-in-law and or son-in-law . . . . and their babes. I pray home schooling continues on the rise through that time!
Love the sleeping dad shots. Very very REAL, those. 😉
This still-nursing-her-one-year-old-who-was-left-at-home-baby-and-I-totally-get-what-you're-talking-about mom really enjoyed your talks! I was exhausted after driving nearly 3 hours to be there, but it was sooo worth it! Thank you for your heart and your wisdom!
I knew you would be fabulous, but I said a rosary for your nerves anyway! I'm glad you get to relax now. Big sigh of relief!
Excellent conference as usual. We had a great time! Maureen was so much fun, Ginny refreshing as always, and Dr. Ray, wow! Kudos to Deb Nelson and all of the conference coordinators! Their picture is great! Looved your all-comprehensive post!
Well done Margaret!! Maybe I'll just skip my brief review post and just link to your awesome one! Of course, then no one would hear how really AWESOME you did on your talks! I have hardly any photos. You know how it is when you get all wrapped up shopping, sitting and gabbing for a day and a half. Ha!
Again, well written!!
My teen daughter and I had a blast at the conference this weekend! It was so encouraging for her to see so many other Catholic teens, since we haven't met any other Catholic homeschooling families since we moved to MN. I loved seeing all the little babies, and picking the brains of the moms who'd graduated older kids.
By the way, if you know the parents of those amazing little kids who were working the snack table on Friday, please tell them that the kids were adorable, and we were very impressed with their professionalism and their math skills! 🙂
You did a FABULOUS job, dear Margaret!! Thank you for sharing your heart with all of us. (And it was a REAL TREAT to finally meet you IRL!!)
It was a great gathering of friends, wasn't it? Totally worth the 3+hour commute!
You did a great job, Margaret! Your recap is wonderful. It's great to see it all in pictures as my head was swimming a bit with all the vendors, the schedule, and all the talks. I would have liked to meet you or at least say "hello" (I'm such a groupie!), but I was busy with my little guy. We had a great time!
As usual, I read your recap and wish I were you!!! You did an eloquent job of sharing the conference with your readers.
Thank you for the lovely compliment, by the way, and the picture of Ellie was lovely.
I'm so glad we got to chat later and really, I'm serious about a joint venture.
I love the picture of Tony, Deb and Sue — not only still standing after it was all over but still full of joy and laughter! They did such a great job.
Love the all the sleeping dad pictures — what a hoot!
It was so wonderful to meet you. Though I was the fan girl — I met Minnesota Mom!!!!!
And, yes, we do go to conferences for the babies!
Great photos….next year I have promised myself I will be in the audience. BTW…our twin daughters were born 2 months AFTER my 47th birhtday. Which only goes to prove God has a sense of humor.