7 Quick Takes about the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference

The 2014 Edition

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

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.

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

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.

The Bloggers’ get-together on Friday afternoon!

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.”

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

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

I am learning that God and His love IS enough.