9 Valuable Things I Brought Home From Nashville (besides my family, of course)

Nashville style : )

Our family took a little road trip to Nashville this past weekend for the Teach Them Diligently (homeschool/parenting) Convention. 

I have wanted to go to this convention for a few years and this year it was a bit easier for us to go as we no longer have a nursing baby : ( and our toddlers are a bit more independent from mommy.

It was a great encouragement for my husband and I and quality time with our two oldest daughters. I am so grateful that it worked out and both sets of grandparents were willing to care for our two youngest daughters.

We sat through various sessions for two entire days and were able to hear a lot of wisdom in the area of Christian parenting and home education.  There were a few things that stood out the most to me that I wanted to share:

1.

"Your embarrassment is not worth your kids' resentment."  [Kids have great hypocracy detectors so don't correct them in public for what you've allowed them to do/be at home.]

- Hal & Melanie Young

2.

"The problem is not diagnosing your child's learning style, it's the lack of prescription for it."  

-Carol Barnier

3.

"The overflow of your heart will fill the corners of your home."  

- Amy Roberts

4.

"If something works, do it again!"

-Carol Barnier

5.

"10 questions are better than 1 answer." 

- Socrates, (quoted of course - he wasn't there LOL)

6.

You cannot export what you don't grow at home.

-Ann Dunagan (Harvest Ministries)

7.

"There's no Superwoman, only exhaustion."

-Crystal Paine, moneysavingmom.com

8.

"School is never out! It's not an educational choice, it's a lifestyle." 

-Hal & Melanie Young

The greatest reminder that I came home with was:

9.

There is no perfect curriculum, schedule or formula for homeschooling your children.  

Each family is unique in their talents, learning styles, routine, needs, and priorities. Remember why we are doing this in the first place!

I highly recommend this convention to current homeschoolers and anyone who is considering it. There are so many benefits to attending a conference like this:

• connecting with other homeschool families and being able to relate
• viewing a large exhibit hall with displays from a variety of curriculum/publishers 
• the opportunity to hear from some of my favorite bloggers/writers
• hearing a variety of topics that touched on subjects ranging from practical, inspirational, motivational and spiritual advice

Have you been to this or a similar conference? What are your thoughts?