Spring into Convention Season

I don't know what it looks like outside your house today, but I have caught myself standing at the window gazing at the sunshine and the evidence of new growth all around. Thanks to El Nino (there's a Physical Science topic for you to research with your children) we've had a very wet winter ... including over 25" of rain in December alone! Add to that the much colder weather that so many experienced nationwide and you can understand why I welcome temperatures that allow me to open the windows and welcome the breeze. Trees are beginning to bud and some are even in bloom down here on the Gulf Coast, and the birds are busy tending the nests they have built, singing as they work. What a delight!

Beyond the beauty outside, I am eagerly anticipating the start of homeschool convention season. Whether you attend a convention for the vendor hall, or preparation for the next level of teaching, or to get rejuvenated after a long winter, there is usually a lot of benefit to be found. Conventions also offer an opportunity for homeschooling moms (or couples) to get a few days away to restore their focus and enjoy some adult conversation. I hope that you will look for me at the conventions I will be attending - CHEF of LA in Greenwell Springs, LA, on April 22-24, MHEA in Starkville, MS, on May 14-15, FPEA in Orlando, FL, on May 27-29, and SWLA CHEF in Moss Bluff, LA, on July 30-31.

The Sonlight booth will be an exciting spot to visit, with an expanded size, a new look, the new Sonlight catalog, and the opportunity to get your hands on our materials. For the first time ever, we will also be giving a $15 coupon for a purchase over $50 to every family who visits the booth as a convention special! Stop by the booth and fill out the contact card to receive your new catalog and the coupon, as well as be entered in a drawing for a number of goodie bags.

If you look in the right-hand margin above my convention listings, you'll find a link for a Convention Survival Tips article that offers suggestions for planning your convention trip to reap the most benefit. Here's a tip tidbit ... bring along some of the printed return address stickers you get free in the mail, and use those for any vendor contact cards you are asked to fill out. It saves you a lot of time - especially at a large convention - and ensures that your information is legible for the vendor.

I look forward to seeing you somewhere along the Gulf Coast in the next few months. Until then, focus on your goals for this year and finish strong. You can do it!

Kelly