Conference yes or no? YES. YES. YES. We live in an electronic day and age. We shop, pay bills, balance our checkbooks and connect with old friends on line. These are just to name a few; there are even homeschool classes, conferences and workshops online. Certainly, we and those around us can be blessed by not only the things mentioned but by the convenience they offer. Beware – convenience can be a trap. Be fully aware – these things are blessings indeed but not meant to be replacements. It is nice to have things in convenient order – but it can’t take the place of real interaction. In the very beginning God gave Adam an Eve; throughout time – He continued to bless His children with the touch of others in their lives. There wasn’t a single disciple; there were 12 disciples. They sat in fellowship and prayer with one another, they wrote letters of encouragement and sent promises of their coming visits. We are supposed to be around people. Imagine falling and skinning your knee as a child and having your mom offer you a band aid via computer? It wouldn’t do much for the bleeding wound or the aching heart.
Homeschooling conferences are growing in number and in nature. There are many to choose from in the southeast. Georgia has 2 conferences of its very own. The GHEA conference takes place May 3, 4, 5 and The Southeast Homeschool Expo takes place July 26, 27, 28. They are worth the trip.
The easiest way to make you aware of this or bring this to your attention is to make the preverbal list.
1. GHEA is the only conference that I have found with a used book sale that encompasses the curriculum sold by families from a minimum of 4 states. There may be others but if there are they are not in any of the states that connect to mine (Georgia).
2. Southeast Homeschool Expo has incredible workshops led by people just like you and I. At the Cobb Galleria Center you can hear homeschooling moms who have been through years on the journey share their passions, tricks of the trade, encouragements, etc.
3. It is an opportunity to put in your hands the curriculum that you have been wanting to know more about. Not to see only the samples that a publisher has chosen to load to his/her website but to actually hold it and choose for yourself the page numbers you will look at.
4. It is the perfect time and place to be among other homeschoolers. You can stand in a room filled with literally thousands of people and know that you are NOT alone. Not because you are one in one thousand but because each of these people represent homeschooling families. People who have chosen a very similar (if not the same) venue of education for their children and families.
5. Blessings. It is the perfect environment to be blessed by others who can identify with your particular set of circumstances. Better yet, it is the perfect environment to bless others who need to know that other families have circumstances that they are dealing with as well.
6. Opportunity. The conference provides an opportunity to meet others, make educated and informed decisions, to hear folks impassioned and empowered by God to be champions of homeschooling and the homeschooling family.
7. Training. Vendors offer training and example for their products. You can see first hand examples of how it works, what makes it successful, and so on. In many cases you meet not only the company that carries the product but the creator of the product itself.
I have been homeschooling since 1997. Certainly, I am NOT a pioneer; there were folks doing this long before I had even heard of it. There are people who are better organizers, better managers of the households, and probably much better examples. There are none who are more blessed. I have been so incredibly blessed. I will, in complete sincerity and honesty, tell you that even on my most difficult day of homeschooling – there is nothing that has made me wish I were doing something different. There is no better option that I am waiting on. I will also tell you that I do not do this. God does it and I hang on for dear life and dear love.
I hope that you will consider this post to be your personal invitation to join me at GHEA and Southeast Homeschool Expo. Bring your list, your budget numbers and your love of family with you and find a smile among those who have also been called to take this homeschooling journey.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Conference Time – Part 2 – Know Your Budget
Happy Easter. What a wonderful celebration – the celebration of a RISEN SAVIOR. It never ceases to tug at my heart strings to think of all the wrong I have done, still do and will do; yet, He still loves me completely, unconditionally and amazingly. I hope that you have had time to spend with our Wonderful Savior today and I hope that you will continue to thank Him for the gift of His life to gain our eternity.
Conference Time – Part 2 – Know Your Budget
You’ve made the list. You’ve done the early prep work. Now what? This part is ongoing. You need to know it before you ever arrive at the conference and you will use it throughout the conference. It is … your budget. Know your budget and your limitations. It would be great if we could walk into a vendor hall and buy whatever we wanted or felt led without thinking about what it will do to our checkbooks. But, for most of us, that is only a dream (and for our husbands – a nightmare). Know what your budget is. What you can spend on conference weekend or conference day. Be realistic.
I have 2 numbers. There is my ideal number – I would be thrilled if I walked away from the conference with this amount as my total spent. It is the amount that I have tucked away, put aside, etc and have set as my goal. If I spent this – I don’t make any adjustments. It works without working me. This number is my goal.
The second number is my “I can make it work if I have to” number. It might mean PB & J more times than normal before our next pay period, not getting my nails done (I wish I still got my nails done. LOL), no date night with the hubby, no lunch play dates next week, etc. Let’s look at this a little closer. I said it is the I CAN make it work if I have to number. That doesn’t mean – I spent it now I have to scramble for it. It means that I have reasonably looked at everything and know that I CAN make this number work but the next week might not be the most fun or the most ideal. As managers of our homes, these are choices that we sometimes have to make. My mom used to tell me that being a mom, a homemaker, and a wife was a balancing act. You don’t have to balance only your task but the means to make the tasks possible and as efficient as possible. Smart Lady huh?!
I have a friend who brings a check register pad. She puts her ideal budget number in the balance section on the first line and everything she spends – she deducts as she spends it. This is what keeps her within the ideal marker.
Watch out for the budget thieves… these are the things that aren’t homeschool curriculum or even treats for your children. They are the incidentals that we spend during our time at the conferences. These things include drinks (I have to have my ice tea – It makes the world a prettier place for Me. ), meals, parking, hotels, extra gas. Often I hear others say that they have figured out what they can spend at the conference but forget to add in the expenses of being at the conference. Be realistic. There are expenses. I suggest you even overestimate that number. You can plan on paying 1.00 for your tea only to find out that vendor hall concessions charge 3.00. If you have tea at every meal – you have spent 9.00 instead of 3.00.
I know that for many budgeting is stressful. Especially when it comes to a big expenditure and curriculum and homeschool supplies can definitely be a large line item. However, I firmly believe that if you have this budget number ahead of time – It will relieve some of the stress. I have a good friend who once told me that she could deal with anything as long as she knew what she had to deal with. Budgeting ahead of time is knowing what you have to deal with. It empowers you to make wise choices. It motivates you to make decisions that would benefit your family and please the Lord. It isn’t a scary thing – it’s a safety thing.
Setting the budget – sometimes I start with an ideal number based on what I think I can pull together and I have to make adjustments along the way. If I am using money that I have earned from giving music lessons and a student gets sick. Their money can no longer be counted upon for my ideal budget. Life is full of circumstances and circumstances often call for adjustments. Get a goal, work toward that goal, and be thankful for the opportunity to make the proper adjustments for your family.
Take your time. Pray over your budget and think it through seeking God’s guidance. We’ll cover part 3 next week. I pray that God reveals Himself to you this week and that you are granted the time to prayerfully consider this face of “conference preparation.” May you be blessed with hugs and kisses from your children and may they bring you smiles and joy. Thank the Lord for the gift He has given you – He has given you the name that is so sweet to hear…”MOMMY.”
Conference Time – Part 2 – Know Your Budget
You’ve made the list. You’ve done the early prep work. Now what? This part is ongoing. You need to know it before you ever arrive at the conference and you will use it throughout the conference. It is … your budget. Know your budget and your limitations. It would be great if we could walk into a vendor hall and buy whatever we wanted or felt led without thinking about what it will do to our checkbooks. But, for most of us, that is only a dream (and for our husbands – a nightmare). Know what your budget is. What you can spend on conference weekend or conference day. Be realistic.
I have 2 numbers. There is my ideal number – I would be thrilled if I walked away from the conference with this amount as my total spent. It is the amount that I have tucked away, put aside, etc and have set as my goal. If I spent this – I don’t make any adjustments. It works without working me. This number is my goal.
The second number is my “I can make it work if I have to” number. It might mean PB & J more times than normal before our next pay period, not getting my nails done (I wish I still got my nails done. LOL), no date night with the hubby, no lunch play dates next week, etc. Let’s look at this a little closer. I said it is the I CAN make it work if I have to number. That doesn’t mean – I spent it now I have to scramble for it. It means that I have reasonably looked at everything and know that I CAN make this number work but the next week might not be the most fun or the most ideal. As managers of our homes, these are choices that we sometimes have to make. My mom used to tell me that being a mom, a homemaker, and a wife was a balancing act. You don’t have to balance only your task but the means to make the tasks possible and as efficient as possible. Smart Lady huh?!
I have a friend who brings a check register pad. She puts her ideal budget number in the balance section on the first line and everything she spends – she deducts as she spends it. This is what keeps her within the ideal marker.
Watch out for the budget thieves… these are the things that aren’t homeschool curriculum or even treats for your children. They are the incidentals that we spend during our time at the conferences. These things include drinks (I have to have my ice tea – It makes the world a prettier place for Me. ), meals, parking, hotels, extra gas. Often I hear others say that they have figured out what they can spend at the conference but forget to add in the expenses of being at the conference. Be realistic. There are expenses. I suggest you even overestimate that number. You can plan on paying 1.00 for your tea only to find out that vendor hall concessions charge 3.00. If you have tea at every meal – you have spent 9.00 instead of 3.00.
I know that for many budgeting is stressful. Especially when it comes to a big expenditure and curriculum and homeschool supplies can definitely be a large line item. However, I firmly believe that if you have this budget number ahead of time – It will relieve some of the stress. I have a good friend who once told me that she could deal with anything as long as she knew what she had to deal with. Budgeting ahead of time is knowing what you have to deal with. It empowers you to make wise choices. It motivates you to make decisions that would benefit your family and please the Lord. It isn’t a scary thing – it’s a safety thing.
Setting the budget – sometimes I start with an ideal number based on what I think I can pull together and I have to make adjustments along the way. If I am using money that I have earned from giving music lessons and a student gets sick. Their money can no longer be counted upon for my ideal budget. Life is full of circumstances and circumstances often call for adjustments. Get a goal, work toward that goal, and be thankful for the opportunity to make the proper adjustments for your family.
Take your time. Pray over your budget and think it through seeking God’s guidance. We’ll cover part 3 next week. I pray that God reveals Himself to you this week and that you are granted the time to prayerfully consider this face of “conference preparation.” May you be blessed with hugs and kisses from your children and may they bring you smiles and joy. Thank the Lord for the gift He has given you – He has given you the name that is so sweet to hear…”MOMMY.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)