Conference for homeschoolers who blog!

I'm on my way to the Titus 2:1 Conference again this year! 

(From the website)  The 2:1 Conference is a faith based conference for homeschooling parents who blog (not just about homeschooling), or are otherwise interested in social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

 

 Here's a cute two minute promo video about the conference.  Titus 2:1 Promo

  

To find out more...check out the conference website.  http://www.2to1conference.com/

If you homeschool, conferences, seminars and retreats are invaluable.  If you were getting paid for a  job you would most likely attend conferences in your field to keep your knowledge current, right?   This conference equips homeschoolers to continue the journey.

Although this conference is geared towards homeschoolers interested in social media, I found that the friendships and affiliations with individuals and companies involved with homeschooling are the greatest rewards.  

During the past year many of the attendees from last year have kept in touch, become close friends and/or business partners.  There are small groups that have bonded and have helped each other in ways....well, ways beyond comprehension.  A sisterhood.  A bonding.  A blessing.

Enjoy your weekend.  I'm looking forward to NOT cooking!  ( :

Do you attend any conference regularly?

Why or why not?

Raising a Modern Day Princess

Have you heard of the Raising a Modern Day Princess Program?  It's similar to the book, Raising a Modern Day Knight.  Have you heard of that one? 

Before my oldest child, now almost 17, turned 13 years old a friend of ours told us about the book Raising a  Modern Day Knight.  Here's what ChristianBook.com says about it:   

"Using the customs of pursuing knighthood in the medieval era, author Robert Lewis draws parallels to achieving manhood today. It's a meticulous process that requires vision, goals and an uncompromising character. Inside this book, you'll find solid advice to help you courageously lead your son into a biblical masculinity that will impact others. A Focus on the Family resource."

My two oldest boys are going through the journey of becoming men and we are using this book to guide that process.  One of my favorite parts is the letters that the boys get from men who are important in their life.  In the letters these men explain in their own words what it means to be a man. The letters are real, thought-provoking and potentially life-altering.  My husband asked specific men to write these letters which we give to the boys to read around their 13th birthday. 

We found the Modern Day Knight principles so significant that we wondered if there was a similar program for girls.  There is.  Raising a Modern Day Princess by Pam Farrel and Doreen Hanna.

There is a book (pictured above), a leader guide and a journal for the girls.  There is a secular version and a Christian version.  We are finishing the Christian version with my oldest daughter who just turned 13.  The program consists of ten sessions. The following is from the authors' website:

What the curriculum includes: Study Outline

Session 1:	Discovering the Princess Within – A personality profile defining their innate personality and character traits
Session 2:	My Legacy Empowers My Destiny – Discovering their family heritage
Session 3:	The Wealth Found in Obedience – Finding the worth in respecting adults and obeying appropriate life and legal rules
Session 4:	The Portrait of a Prince – Defining the qualities of a good male role model and future boyfriend or husband
Session 5:	The Treasure of True Friends – Defining the qualities of finding and becoming a true friend
Session 6:	Looking & Acting Like a Princess - A fun time learning how to enhance their natural beauty in a make up session and etiquette training through a lovely meal.
Session 7:	The Princess in the Mirror – Making choices based on personal convictions, not just feelings.
The faith-based curriculum includes the following additional weeks:
Session 8:	Beyond My Kingdom - Discovering mentors that will help them pursue their passion and future.
Session 9:	Dancing with the King – Learning the importance of “staying in step” with God through His word, prayer and journaling.
The Celebration!
Session 10:	Remembering My Crowning Celebration – Coming back together one last time to share their experiences and exchange pictures of their sessions together and of the celebration!

The program culminates with The Night of Celebration during which the girls dress in a special outfit, get a blessing from their father and receive a tiara as they celebrate their entry into Godly womanhood. 

Click here to find out more Raising a Modern Day Princess.

Click here to find out more about  Raising a Modern Day Knight.

During the summer I asked the moms of two of my daughter's friends if they wanted to join me in this program.  These moms were/are my friends too so it's been a wonderful time with the six of us.  I think it benefited the moms as much as it did the girls!  We meet once or twice a month as our schedules allow.   Soon we will have the girls' Night of Celebration with all of our families and some of the youth leaders from our church. 

 This has been an awesome, rewarding experience for our group of girls and moms!  And, I'm sure it will have eternal ramifications for all of our families.  I encourage you to look at the programs,  Raising a Modern Day Knight and Raising a Modern Day Princess, and, if you have children on their way to adulthood, to adopt these programs.  

Have any of you implemented these programs in the past?

After you check out the websites, let me know what you think about them.

  

We're Living Debt Free!

It wasn't that we didn't have enough money coming in...we had too much going out!  I think the biggest reason was because my husband and I didn't work as a team regarding our money. 

Enter, Dave Ramsey. 

Well... Enter, my friend, Jasmine.  One day I mentioned to her that I needed help making a budget.  She immediately told me about Dave Ramsey's plan to beat debt and build wealth. 

She told me how her and her husband are debt free and can do whatever they chose and pay cash for it.  They take the vacations they want, buy school curriculum...what else is there?!

It wasn't a budget that we needed really.  My husband and I needed to work together to plan in advance where our money would go.

Here's what we did:

• Borrowed The Total Money Makeover from the library and we both read it. Well, I read most of it and scanned the rest.  I read the information that we needed to get started.
• We sat down together and wrote down our debts and assets.
• Next, we created a budget for our bi-monthly pay.  We told our money where it would go instead of seeing where it went!  There are budget examples in Dave's book and online.
• The first thing Dave says to do is to make sure you have an Emergency Fund of $1000 and decide in advance what an "emergency" is for you.  It's not buying a new outfit.  We used it within a few months to buy new breaks for our van when I was traveling with my teenage boys in Colorado.  Now we have a "Car Maintenance Fund" in case we have more emergency, or routine, car bills.
• As Dave recommends, we pay with cash.  One thing Dave says is that we are emotionally attached to money (actual cash) much more than plastic (even debit cards).  We will spend less using cash than if we use plastic.  
• We stopped using credit cards.
• We followed Dave's plan to pay off the smallest debts first and finish with the biggest debt. 
• Anything we could sell to pay off debt, we sold.  A car, jewelry and we cashed-in investments.  
• We changed internet, phone and TV companies to reduce monthly costs. 
• And, ohhhhh.....we just switched to GEICO car insurance and saved a ton of money...really!

Being Debt Free is freeing and a huge stress relief.  We are about to send our first of six children to college next year with the intent of not getting into debt, nor having our son get into debt, to pay for college.  Dave discusses paying for college in his book.

You might be wondering if we own our house.  Dave Ramsey says that paying for a home loan is okay.  You can find out more about that in his book.   We live in Military housing so we don't have a home loan...at least not this year!

Here are some steps you can take to find out more:

• Borrow  The Total Money Makeover from the library and read it with your spouse.  You BOTH have to be on board or it won't work.
• Or, you can go to one of Dave Ramsey's classes in person or on-line.  Dave Ramsey Classes

I vowed that I would blog about this when we became debt free.  My hope is that this will help someone else like it helped us.  I'd like to pass on what I am so thankful that Jasmine passed onto me.  Even if you are debt free Dave Ramsey has numerous strategies for building wealth too. 

Thanks to Dave Ramsey and Jasmine!

Is there someone you know who would benefit from learning more about this? 

A few minutes alone

Ink eventually comes off!

This was in the fall when Levi was three and had a few minutes alone.

Now.  If I had a few minutes alone at home....what would I do??  

1. Read.  Maybe.
2. Blog. Maybe.
3. Sit.  Maybe, but probably not.
4. Go to bathroom....I rarely get to be in there and NOT be interrupted! 
5. Make a phone call and actually have a conversation.  I dream about doing this.
6. Start thinking about my kids! 

As I was writing this, thinking that I really don't get "alone time" I realized that I actually do.  It's early in the morning when the kids are still sleeping.  That's when I exercise.  I'm so glad I wrote this....it made me realize that I do have some alone time!

What do pre-schoolers do during school when their older siblings are doing their school work?!

What do you do when you have a few minutes alone? 

Do your kids have an interest in medicine, law, national security?

My 16 year old is interested in the CIA.  So, this spring he will attend the National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D. C.. In case you have a child interested in leadership, national security, medicine, law or crime scene investigation I want to let you know about this amazing opportunity.  The information below is from the forum's website.

"STUDENTS EXPLORE U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY DURING SPRING FORUM
National Youth Leadership Forum Provides Insight into U.S. Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This spring, outstanding high school students from across the United States will take part in a unique career development program in our nation’s capital. During the six-day program, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security (NYLF/NS): Exploring American Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense will introduce students to the challenging careers in national security, intelligence, the diplomatic corps and more.

“Imagine being 16 or 17 years old and the responsibility of securing the United States at home and abroad rests on your shoulders. Through specialized simulations, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security strives to put students in the driver’s seat of building a strategy that will uphold our national security,” said Dr. Marguerite Regan, Dean of Academic Affairs for NYLF. “The combination of interacting with professionals and with other students in this setting ensures that leaders are being developed
so the future of our country will remain very bright.”

The curriculum for the Forum on National Security is based on actual world events. Throughout the program, students use critical thinking, leadership and public speaking skills to tackle the complexity of national decision-making as they examine how the U.S. plans for peace and prepares for crisis. They employ a crisis decision-making process similar to that employed by the nation’s top policy makers. Students also participate in thought-provoking question and answer sessions with highly respected, internationally recognized civilian policy makers and senior military personnel. In addition, leading institutions open their doors to Forum on National Security students, where they are educated in diplomacy, international affairs and military strategy. In the past, students have explored several government institutions and military installations, including the Pentagon, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico, the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Naval Academy, a variety of embassies and many others.

Founded in 1992, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) is an educational organization established to help prepare extraordinary young people for their professional careers. Forums are offered in 14 cities across the United States in a wide variety of career fields, such as national security, law and medicine. Over 50,000 young people have attended NYLF programs.

For additional information, visit us at www.nylf.org." (click here for  NYLF website)

 Students can earn one college credit after attending the forum!

The National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security: Exploring American Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense has partnered with nationally ranked George Mason University to offer one college credit to our attending scholars! George Mason University was featured in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges 2009" ranking as the number one national university on its list of "up-and-coming schools."

Click here to view a mind-boggling sample schedule for the forum!  

 Until a few months ago I didn't know anything like this existed.  Please share with others who may be interested.

Do you know of other opportunities like this?  If so, please share it, and other opportunities for high schoolers, in the comment section!