Ch-ch-ch CHEA!

I sold two boxes of curriculum! I could have sold more if I had left them another day, but I wasn't attending on Sunday and didn't want to drive back. I bought about 1-1/2 boxes of new stuff, so the net net is minus half a box.

Announcing the first ever Soli Deo Gloria CHEA Convention awards!

(Disclaimer: Since there were over 100+ workshops, and I could only attend a handful, these are highly subjective. I didn't make it to every booth at the exhibitor hall, either. Gasp!)

Best Comedy:
"Unlocking Your Dynamic Memory" workshop. Rocky Glenn gave us the three keys to memorization--imagination, association and location. He kept us in stitches as he demonstrated how we could memorize the first 9 U.S. Presidents. For example, for eighth President Van Buren, we had to picture a van about to drop a bureau on his head (van-bureau, get it?) and a friendly octopus (eight legs) rescuing him. It's three days later, and I still remember 7 out of the 9. (For retention, he reminded us to review, review, review!)

Best Picture:
"Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" workshop. Carolyn Lebo, who was trained by Dr. Betty Edwards, walked us through drawing exercises and gave us helpful tips on teaching our children how to draw. She said that those who had a hard time with drawing (like me) needed the exercises the most because we were probably too left-brained. She had us draw a picture by Matisse upside down. Mine turned out terrible compared to the original, but it may be the best picture I've ever done which is why I badly need to get the book!

My Best Shot

Best Workshops I Didn't Attend:
The Little Bear Wheeler workshops, which I heard were fabulous. They were scheduled for the same times as others I wanted to attend. Not to fret, as I was able to bring home some of his CDs. I'm excited about The Complete Pilgrim Adventure and the Mary of Plymouth series, which we will listen to when we start Truthquest American History.

Most Inspirational Workshop:
"Godly Goals for our Children." Robin Gammie reminded us to focus on changing our children's hearts and not just their outward behavior. Other golden nuggets from Robin: What God calls you to do may not be the most popular thing among other moms. Do it anyway. Be careful not to set up your kids to fall. Take time out to pray. Don't forget the power of praise. Our children have the education of royalty--customized tutoring!

Best Snack Between Workshops:
Almonds and Dried Cherries.

Most Charming Kids' Magazines:
Boys' Quest, Hopscotch for Girls and Fun for Kidz. I had never seen these before and couldn't wait to show Jonathan the Boys' Quest magazine, which was full of stories, building projects, math puzzles, science experiments and more. He loved it and asked if he could subscribe to it. Who says learning can't be fun?

Best Finds at the Used Curriculum Sale:
Math-U-See; Colonial Days by David C. King; Three Cousins Detective Club boxed set.

Most Drool-Worthy Vendor Booth:
Atelier Art--I checked all the art curriculum booths but this is the one that kept calling to me. I visited it three times and talked with the artist/developer at length. It had everything I was looking for and more--clear lesson plans for fun projects, DVDs explaining art concepts and art appreciation. Alan gave me the green light, so we will be adding it to next year's plans. This will be right up Elizabeth's alley, but I think the boys will also enjoy it.

Heaviest Additions to My Rolling Suitcase:
Rod & Staff hardback storybooks.

Fun-nest Vendor Booth:
The Hero Dads booth carried neat-o toys (errr...learning resources) and gadgets (errr...educational tools) galore! Their motto: "We want to encourage you to grow confident as a non-boring Dad so you can gain the key to your sons' and daughters' hearts, and point them in the right direction...toward the Lord." I brought home some Dad toys for Alan. He was especially excited about the X-Zylo Ultra --"Hey, I had one of these when I was a kid!"

Most Inspiring Artwork:
Johannah Bluedorn's gorgeous watercolor illustrations in the children's books carried by Trivium Pursuit.

Coolest Writing Coach:
Andrew Pudewa of The Institute of Excellence in Writing spent some time encouraging me about teaching writing to boys. He said that they need to build up their stamina and suggested that they be given just a little to write (say, one sentence) several times a day instead of one long session. He even gave me two seminar CDs to take home. Generous guy, that Andrew. I ended up getting the new Poetry Memorization program.

And the most important award!

Best Supporting Spouse:
My husband, Alan, who planned a fun day with the kiddos and kept them well fed, happy and alive while I was gone! More importantly, he works hards so that I can stay home with the kids, and he constantly encourages us in our homeschooling endeavors. Thank you, honey!

"All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children." Isaiah 54:13