• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Minnesota Mom

Lots of Coffee, lots of kids. It's a peaceful life.

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • My Photography
  • Contact

Welcome to my happy place!

Subscribe now to stay in the loop. You'll get new posts and freebies sent right to your in-box.

7 Quick Takes about the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference

June 6, 2014 by Minnesota Mom Filed Under: 7 Quick Takes Friday, Homeschooling, Minnesohta, Minnesota Me, Special Events 5 Comments

The 2014 Edition

– 1 –

MCHEC is the largest home education conference in the upper Midwest, for good reason.

MCHEC 2014 V

Conference Host, Amazing Speaker, Conference Host
(There’s no minimum height requirement for this event. Short hostesses are welcome!)

We’re talking fabulous organizers, awesome talks, amazing curricula and extremely good-looking guys in green dress shirts.

He’s already taken, by the way.

So don’t even.

– 2 –

This is the third time that John and I have been conference hosts.

MCHEC 2014 VI
Photo by my friend Suzie! 

I like hosting because my “yes” gets me there. Otherwise, I’d probably make lame excuses like “I’m way too busy to have so much fun.” John likes hosting because, as an introvert, there is nothing better (in his opinion) than standing on stage with a raging extrovert who rarely thinks before she speaks.

I’m his path to sanctity.

– 3 –

The Bloggers’ get-together on Friday afternoon!

MCHEC 2014 I
Because, like, obviously!!

(In the back we’ve got Heidi from Work and Play, Day by Day; Cathie from (on)The Road (to becoming a) Scholar; and Lacy from Catholic Icing. In the front are Julianne, Ana from Ana Braga-Henebry’s Journal; Connie from Contemplative Homeschool; and some half-crazed blogger wannabe from the streets.)

As I was heading toward the room for this gathering, I saw Lacy Rabideau coming down the stairs. “Lacy!” I squealed, while she looked startled. “Lacy from Catholic Icing! Oh my gosh!”

I overwhelmed her with Minnesota niceness, basically, and she handled it extremely well.

MCHEC 2014 III
Lovely Lacy from Catholic Icing

That is to say, with grace & style & without calling the cops.

MCHEC 2014 II

An extrovert just like Minnesota Me!
– 4 –

Always on the program at the conference: enrolling my kids at the Seton table!

MCHEC 2014 X

This is Ginny; that’s not me.

We’ve been using Seton’s curriculum since we started homeschooling. We are a funny family to use this curriculum–“funny” as in always behind and kinda disorganized. I call us “Seton Unschoolers” but we make it work.

And plus, I get a hug from Ginny Seuffert every year at the conference!

She’s a native New Yorker and gives great hugs.

– 5 –

Okay, I cannot say enough about Andrew Kern and CiRCE Institute.

MCHEC 2014 VII

Wait a minute. I’m an extrovert and I can’t say enough?

That’s only because I was completely star-struck.


I could spend weeks plumbing the depths of their website and still feel like I haven’t read enough. Andrew Kern would say, “Don’t plumb the depths.  Staying on the surface is great!” 

And I’d be, like, “Wait. You’re joking. Right?”

The man has the driest sense of humor ever.

– 6 –

Dr. Meg Meeker was the key note speaker, and I know you know that she’s just awesome.

MCHEC 2014 IV
There is so much I took away from her talks–ideas, ideals, maternal inspiration–that I’ll be chewing on her words for months. “Stop focusing on your weight!” she said, and I thought, “Are you talking to me? You must be!”

“We moms like to ride on the crazy train,” she said, “And no one is brave enough to be the first one off. We drag our feet and wish the train would slow down, but we’re too afraid to give anything up.”

(Yes to that one too. I write out fear-based schedules.)

(The more I get done, the better I feel I’m doing!)

“Stop,” she said. “You need to stop.”

“God is enough.”

“God is enough.”

– 7 –

And so I am thankful again for this conference–for the friendships I’ve made and the real-life connections.

MCHEC 2014 IX

 This little honey spend the night with our family! 
(As did her sweet momma, aka my friend Meghan)

I am learning to look at my heart, not my crows’ feet.

MCHEC 2014 VIII

I am learning that God and His love IS enough.

( Linking up to Jen @ Conversion Diary!)
(And no, I still haven’t gotten past that third chapter.)

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Jennie C. says

    June 6, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    I finished that book yesterday. Some people read it in just one day, but it took me four. šŸ˜‰

    Reply
  2. Heidi says

    June 6, 2014 at 8:23 pm

    It was great to see you again and thanks for taking the photographic evidence of the bloggers gathering!

    Reply
  3. Joy Beyond the Cross says

    June 7, 2014 at 3:43 am

    I was so glad I ran into you at lunch on Saturday! Thanks for stopping by and chatting. I had a blast for it being my first conference. Maybe I will se you there next year!

    Reply
  4. Cathy says

    June 7, 2014 at 11:55 pm

    Margaret, I have to tell you that I have been a reader of your wonderful blog BG (before George), and so understand you its scary. Obsessing about the scale, dark moments, etc. But you nailed me at the last comment above "I'm learning to look at my heart and not my crow's feet". My struggle in a nut shell. Keep up the wonderful work.

    Reply
  5. Angie @ Many Little Blessings says

    June 8, 2014 at 2:25 am

    Looks like you had a great time! This makes me extra look forward to seeing Lacy in September. I haven't seen her in over a year. šŸ™‚

    Reply

Hi there!

I’m Margaret in Minnesota, and this is my mom's-eye perspective of a kid-heavy life. I love the Lord; I take lots of photos; and I always try to tell it like it is, from sex to depression and everything in between! I hope you enjoy your time here. ♄

Welcome to my happy place!

Subscribe now to stay in the loop. You'll get new posts and freebies sent right to your in-box.

Join 172 other subscribers

Your support is appreciated. ♄

Too shy to leave a comment?

Email me instead.

Search This Blog

My Archives

All original material on this site copyright Margaret Berns, © 2006–2025.

Tags

#StreamTeam Alaska Ask the Blogger blogging busyness Cute Kid Stories Daybook Depression Eczema Fallen Heroes Family Fun friendship Gluten-Free Good Habits Gratitude Health & Wellness Home Education Home Improvement Homeschooling Intercessory Prayer Liturgical Year Love & Romance Maggie's Quick Picks Marriage MCHEC Military Life Mindful Living Minnesota Mother-Daughter Motherhood Netflix NFP Family Foundations Magazine North Dakota On Being Catholic Parenting Purgatory recipes Reviews Shameless Blegs Smartphone Monitoring Spiritual Growth Stranger Things Suzuki Violin Travel Trust

Recent Comments

  • Dinora Canales on A First Communion Novena
  • chamnan on Boot Camp: Ten Ways to Cope with Missing Your Recruit
  • Carolina on CHC is Loved by Me
  • Heather on Boot Camp: Ten Ways to Cope with Missing Your Recruit
  • Liz S. on Boot Camp: Ten Ways to Cope with Missing Your Recruit

Top Posts & Pages

  • A Letter to my Daughter on Her First Holy Communion
  • Boot Camp: Ten Ways to Cope with Missing Your Recruit
  • Blog
  • Pacified
  • A Letter to my 3rd Daughter on Her First Communion Day
  • A First Communion Novena

Hi there!

I’m Margaret in Minnesota, and this is my mom's-eye perspective of a kid-heavy life. I love the Lord; I take lots of photos; and I try to always tell it like it is, from sex to depression and everything in between! I hope you enjoy your time here. ♄

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • My Photography
  • Contact
  • Family Fun
  • Just Me
  • Hearth & Home
  • Motherhood

All original material on this site copyright © 2006–2025 by Margaret Berns