National Homeschooling Conference

Over the weekend, I left to attend the national IHM homeschooling conference in Virginia and was gone 55 hours--which is about 52 hours longer than I want to be away from my children. This was my first time attending and I caught a ride with some friends of ours who were going just with their nursing baby in tow. Chris stayed home because we thought it would be a lot easier for him to care for the children in our home than in a hotel room. But having seen how many spouses and children were there, as well as the family-friendly accommodations of the hotel, I'd reconsider that for next year. It was difficult for me to leave Margaret, her being only two years three months old.

I was aching with missing the tiny tots so couldn't believe the precious surprise I found when I unpacked my suitcase. Chris had planned this cute "I love you" photo triptych and days ahead taken photos of the children spelling it out in pseudo sign language. Then he had the children write on the note as well. This one is a keeper, a yellowed piece of paper I expect someone to find in my belongings when I am long dead.

Although I missed them all terribly, I did manage the first night to enjoy staying up till midnight watching real estate shows on television and eating hot buttered popcorn in bed--just because I could!

Joseph at five months was a good traveling age: very portable, still quiet, requiring no solid foods yet. Nonetheless, it was quite hard on my back to wear him for two days, never able to set him down anywhere until we dragged back into the hotel room at night. I've been home for 12 hours and my back is still aching.

I noticed that Joseph missed the constant stimulation of his siblings, always in his face. In our quiet hotel room in the evenings, he would fuss at me if I wasn't right in front of him making googly faces. The moment I stepped away to do my makeup or get a cup of coffee, he was crying again. It was so different than his norm at home and I realized that he is used to being entertained--just not by me!

Back at home, the children did well. Chris was generous in response to my request that he email me many photos of the children's goings-on. Here they are eating a snack, here they are playing, here they are sleeping . . .

Daddy bought the children a little cheapie pool for the summer, and they are having a blast splashing in it.

The children crowding around to talk to me on one of my phone calls home

There was only episode of drama while I was gone but it was a big one . . . the punch line is that we no longer have our pet box turtle Boxer. One sibling was boasting to the other sibling about the turtle in particular. That corrosive emotion Jealousy set in. The other sibling in question sneaked out of the house and intentionally set Boxer free over the rear fence into the woods. Then an entire day later when another sibling tiff broke out: revenge was served cold when that jealous sibling announced: "Well, I set Boxer free!" The initial boasting sibling cried for an hour and a hunt through the woods ensued, to no avail.

As I heard live-time reports of all this going on, my heart was heavy for the crying child, as I remember in childhood when I lost my pet kitten and I spent the entire summer riding my bike around the neighborhood searching for clues as to the cat's whereabouts. Praise God, Chris had a good talk with the child, as did our pastor, whom they went to visit that very afternoon. What kind of busy priest takes seriously to give sincere advice to a child about necessary Christian forgiveness for such a true wound as the setting free of the pet turtle? Our wonderful priest does.

The photo Chris emailed me while I was on the drive home

The conference itself was very edifying. About 1,500 people attended and there were 34 talks given, as well as about 75 vendors showing their curricula. The hours were long and I tried to attend as many talks as I could in order to make most efficient use of my time for which Chris had supported me so much to attend. Any single talk was meaty enough that one could hear it meditate on it all day, so it really overloaded my mind to hear so many talks in two days!

But I wasn't going to have discommoded my family and spent money on a hotel and gas just to tucker out and not learn as much as I could. I take this homeschooling business seriously and try to obtain ongoing training and education as well as wisdom from homeschooling mothers way more experienced than I. When I was an employee, when I was running my own business, and when I was in law school, I sought training to do the best job I could do, so I don't know why I wouldn't do the same now. When I hear mothers remark to me that they could never homeschool because they lack the skills, I point out that I lacked (lack!) the skills too, which is why I'm trying so hard to learn how to do this endeavor.

Humorous Moment . . . almost as funny as when I walked into a hair salon with no children in tow and was asked almost immediately, "So, are you a homeschooling mother?" Here we were, on the drive home yesterday, and four hours into it we stopped at a Subway sandwich shop. I was standing in line when a woman (wearing an ankle-length jumper) approached me and asked, "Are you coming from the conference?" No, she hadn't met me or seen me before. I must have looked so much like A Long Skirt-Wearing Homeschooler that she felt confident in approaching me! Not sure how I feel about that, but one's got to laugh if nothing else.

Now I am back to home sweet home!