hello there stranger!

and, I disappeared there for a few days.

I do that sometimes, don't I?

anywho.

I was HERE at the homeschool convention in Richmond.

(rumor has it that it's one of the biggest in the nation? - cool!)

it was my first homeschool convention as a mama,

I'd been to a couple before, as a student, but this was very different.

Mom....wow....I love you for doing that for me every. single. year.

It wasn't bad, by any means.

It was great actually!!!

I'm all pumped up, inspired, recharged and equipped for this upcoming year.

YEAH!!!!

I went with the intention of getting Lydia completely set up, some for Samantha and just a few fun resources for Nora and Sophie but God had other things in mind, as usual.

And as usual, they were way better than my ideas!

Now, Lydia, Samantha, Nora and Sophie are all completely set up, we will all be doing the same things and Lydia will have some added supplements to make it more challenging for her.

YEAH!!

I only came home with my absolute fav's - NO FLUFF - which was my goal.

can I get another YEAH!!?

Here's what we're doing this next year

It's color coded for you mama's that still love an amazing resource but have not been called to homeschool - You will STILL want to look at these, if even just for kicks.

BROWN

are typically strictly homeschool materials

RED

are generic resources that anyone could use to either supplement another form of education or use in the summers (or, like all the character ones, aren't typically considered part of an 'education', unless you're me ;-), and can be used anytime)

For our Bible, History, Literature, Handwriting and Science:

Sonlight

(Sonlight is a literature based education - your History, Literature, Science, Bible and Handwriting all tie together and use classic and modern literature to do so...heavy on the classic)

specifically, we are using:

Core K with

The Reason for Handwriting option

Science option

and

Bible option

Math

Math-On-The-Level

with about a gillion Math games

(does anyone care about the names of these? I can post/link them if you need them)

Spanish

La Clase Divertida

Art

ARTistic Pursuits

Character Building

(came home and ordered these through Amazon but you can go HERE to see an amazing list of resources organized out for you and your specific aged children)

"Just Mom and Me Having Tea: A Fun Bible Study for Mothers and Daughters" Mary J. Murray "A Little Girl After God's Own Heart: Learning God's Ways in My Early Days" Elizabeth George "Why Boys & Girls Are Different: For Girls Ages 4-6 and Parents (Learning About Sex)" "Where Do Babies Come From: For Girls Ages 7-9 (Learning About Sex)" Ruth Hummel "Loving Our Kids On Purpose" Danny Silk "Growing Little Women for Younger Girls: Capturing Teachable Moments with Your Daughter" Donna Miller "The Father Connection: How You Can Make the Difference in Your Child's Self-Esteem and Sense of Purpose" Josh McDowell "Princess & the Kiss: A Story of God's Gift of Purity" Jennie Bishop "The Princess and the Three Knights" Karen Kingsbury

"Wonderful Way That Babies Are Made, The" Larry Christenson So, basically...most of these are resources for anyone that I personally think will be worth every second you spend clicking on the hyperlink ;-) And if you have any questions I spent MUCHO amount of time talking with the creators/sales rep's of all these resources...and I mean MUCHO..I was a question asking machine this weekend so I would probably be able to help you if you had any burning questions. Just let me know. And I'll keep us all up-to-date on how we're doing....when we start officially in Sept anyway! Until then, it feels amazing to have that all figured out, prayed over and bought! Thank you God - for all the direction you provided this weekend. I know these baby girls mean way more to You than they ever will to me.