February 2017

How is everyone surviving this crazy winter? Who out there is fixing roofs/sheds/etc?

Upcoming Events:

Mothers’ Meeting: Love Your Homeschool

Thursday, Feb. 9th. at 7:00 PM at Heidi Fackrell’s home: 9480 W. Cascade St. in Boise. (Come early to get a good seat—Heidi’s house is a popular Mothers’ Meeting location!)

We have four speakers who will spend a few minutes sharing what they do to make their homeschooling fun and engaging and then we’ll turn the time over to visiting and “shop talk.” If you are new to homeschooling or feeling the winter blahs, looking for ideas and inspiration, or simply want a legit excuse to get out of the house and be around other moms who “GET IT” this Mothers’ Meeting is for you!

Classes, Co-ops, and other learning opportunities:

2017 TREASURE VALLEY HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE

Saturday, February 25th, at Kimber Academy in Eagle

We are so excited to bring the Treasure Valley Homeschool Conference back for 2017!

Our theme for the conference this year is Homeschooling with Joy.

This conference is for ALL Homeschoolers: we can’t wait to see you!

Join us for the conference on Saturday, February 25th. Our youth and adult sessions will both take place on Saturday this year. The conference will be held in Eagle, Idaho at Kimber Academy.

Purchase Your Tickets Today!

Adults: $37

Youth ages 12-18: $20

Bring a Friend Special

Sign up with a friend and get a deal!

Adult-Bring a friend: $45 for 2 tickets

Youth ages 12-18-Bring a friend: $25 for 2 tickets

Included in our conference this year is a complimentary, buffet style lunch. We will have an array of foods available and hope that everyone, even those with restricted diets, will find something to their taste. Special orders are not available.

If you are purchasing multiple tickets, you may add the total and enter that amount using the drop down menu: pick other. We will email you to get the names of each participant and whether the tickets are for youth or adults.

Go to: http://www.mentorofleaders.com/2017-treasure-valley-homeschool-conference/ to register!

 

Poetry Out Loud!

Liberty Speak and Treasure Valley Commonwealth are co-hosting a Poetry Outloud Competition on February 23rd at 3:45pm.
We would like to invite everyone to participate. You can be a part of it in one of the following three ways:

1. Register: We still have a few openings, so if you are interested in participating, please contact Kelly as soon as possible. She can send you the rules and requirements. It is free to participate for students in 9th through 12th grades and a great experience for those who have done so in the past. If you need more general information as to what the competition is about, visit http://www.poetryoutloud.org/

2. Judge: We are looking for judges that do not know the students. To judge, you do not need any specific qualifications. The judging consists of circling numbers (ratings) on a piece of paper for each poem that you listen to. If you have questions or need more information or would be willing to help us out, please contact Kelly.

3. Observe: You are welcome to come and watch. An audience is a great thing to have when the students have prepared so hard to present their poems. Also, it is a great way to get students who are not ready to perform a taste of what it would be like!

If you have any questions or would like to participate, please contact Kelly at 208-230-0252 or email at kelly@libertyspeak.org

 

From the Editor:

I am going to be honest with y’all, I have been fighting the winter blahs in a big way lately, and it shows.  The kids have been stir-crazy and I was/am having a hard time being motivated to buckle down and get anything “school-ish” done.  I just want to spend my days curled up with a good book or, frankly—binge watching mindless comedies on Netflix. Alas, the children still need attention, meals need to be made, and we must carry on.

In thinking about how to push through the torpor, I realized that I had lost my fire for just about everything we’ve BEEN doing and needed to change things up.  We needed a break from the routine and the SHOULDS that we’ve been beating ourselves with.  I had a little pow-wow with my kids and I asked them what they would like to do, if they were in charge of our days. They shared their thoughts and I realized we just aren’t having any fun. We need a FUN injection.  Is this frivolous? I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care.  We have cabin fever, baby, and the only thing that will solve it is more FUN.

(Please, please, tell me you understand this reference! If not—look up SNL’s “More Cowbell” skit on Youtube.)

So—we scrapped our schedule for a few days and just did what sounded fun.  Whether it was building a massive blanket fort in the family room, to going on a thrift store treasure hunt, or reading aloud all the goofy poems that make us laugh, or making and eating junk for three straight meals one day, we did it. We rearranged furniture. We sang show tunes, making up the words if we don’t know them. We tried new foods, read books and listened to music outside our preferred genres (I taught my kids all the words and head-banging that goes with Bohemian Rhapsody—don’t judge.)  and personally, I started scheming up new creative projects that I can do now, and that I look forward to in the warmer months (hello, GINORMOUS garden expansion!)

If you are feeling stuck, bored, exasperated, or uninspired, know that you are not alone—and know that those feelings are temporary. Get outside your routine, put down your “shoulds” for a day or two (or more!) and dream big. Be bold. Be silly. And—here’s a plug for the Mothers’ Meeting this coming week—COME TO IT. We are your people and we can bounce ideas around. If nothing else, we can have a Broadway musical a capella sing along. Alternate lyrics encouraged!

(Or, you know, just ad lib everything!)

See you there! Blessings,

Marissa