Nathaniel Bluedorn



Becca Johnson

Matthew and Kaitlyn



Adam and Johannah



George and Krista

Voddie Baucham's son Trey









Gretchen Sisson sign language interpreting



Nate Sisson



Woody Robertson

Tips for Moms shared by Laura Barnett.

Jesus First
In him we live and move and have our being

Move beyond and overcome your past
Break the cycle

Rethink/reshape your paradigms
marriage
parenting
education

Don't try to "go it alone."

Tips for Dads shared by Myron Barnett.

Jesus First
Apart from Him we can do nothing.

Love your wife with reckless abandon.
Affirm her worth and the value of her work.

Create a loving environment for kids.

Engage in the spiritual development of each child.
Apply the scriptures to daily life
Teach them God's truths and help apply them.
Accountability for personal devotion time.

Gifts of God by Elizabeth Argot



Dancing Hearts by Christine McParland

Jared Hulcy



Jordan Hulcy

Stop by the CHEC booth for a free copy of the Illinois Handbook of Government. It is 140 pages of resources for teaching government and the Illinois constitution. Only 50 copies available at the convention so pick up your copy right away today.

Also available at the CHEC booth is vaccine legal information, sample letters for public school withdrawal, the article What If They Come Knocking?, and driver's education information.

Join CHEC today at the convention. Membership cost is only $25 per year. Get a combined membership with HSLDA and CHEC for $115 (a $20 savings).



Ralph and Connie Garcia



Proclamation for Illinois Homeschooling

Best Christian Conferences is offering the entire conference -- all keynotes and workshop sessions -- on MP3 for $48.84. This price is available during the convention only. It's $79.00 after the convention. Individual sessions are also available.

It's contest time again and I have a $25 gift certificate from Rainbow Resource Center to give away.

The first person to give me a one-sentence summary of Mike Farris' keynote address this morning wins. You'll find me in the Oasis or in the Terrace Boardroom.

Laurie Bluedorn

This morning at 9:20 Mike Farris, Founder and Chairman of the Board for HSLDA, will describe three threats to parental rights that involve the political right, political left, and international law and proposes a solution that will be the battle of the century for homeschoolers and other pro-family forces.



Mike Farris and son

180 pages of...

500 mouth-watering recipes from...

80 different kitchens.

Please buy a copy. Buy several copies.

It goes to help a friend we love.

Get encouragement and counsel, find a support group, have questions answered.

Yes, it's true. For the next couple of weeks you can see five planets in the night sky: Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. It's not a rare occurrence, but somewhat unusual. This weekend Nathan Volle will show you how to locate these planets.

Nathan Volle worked with physicists at Fermilab over a 20-year period doing electrical construction on the high-energy particle accelerator which is used to "see" and map the smallest subatomic particles in the nucleus of the hydrogen atom.

During short-term missions trips to Liberia, West Africa, Nathan had various assignments doing electrical work. He began doing simple astronomy presentations with a small homemade planetarium dome. He saw this as a way to encourage those around him (as well as himself!) to focus on the glory, and majesty, and power, and love of God. (Psa 19, Psa 148, Psa 146:5,6, etc.) This experience planted the vision for his sharing the wonder of God's glory in the night sky.

If you want an interactive learning experience under a breathtaking night sky, learning to use a simple star chart and learning to identify all five of the visible planets that are out tonight, come sign up and join Nathan at one of the 5 daily sessions on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.

Chris and Mary Miller and their seven children, Megan (24), Krista (22), Leah (19), Therese (17), Max (15), Isaac (5), and Evangeline (3), live on a grain and cattle farm in central Illinois. They have home educated their children for twelve years.

Megan is married to Justin and lives nearby. They have a 21-month old son, Samuel, and are expecting their second child in July. Krista is getting married to George on June 16th. Leah is enrolled in an online graphic and web design school. Max, Therese, Isaac and Eva are currently still being home educated.

As a family, their main ministry is through Eden String Quartet and a father and son camp they host on their farm each fall. You can also read about the Miller family at their blog.



One of the members of the Eden String Quartet had a birthday on Wednesday! Can you guess who it is? I'll give you a hint: she has blond hair and plays a stringed instrument. The first person to tell me whose birthday it was wins a free junior abacus from RightStart Mathematics.

We are a family owned and operated business. Nature's Workshop will celebrate its 25th year in business in 2008. We specialize in science and nature study supplies for the home and school. Our 6 children have all enjoyed their science studies over the years. We have always homeschooled. Our oldest daughter, Deanna, age 24, is a RN and works as a critical care cardiac nurse, Donny, age 21, just graduated from the I medical school as a medic and is working on an ambulance out of an inner city hospital. The other children also enjoy studying anatomy, chemistry, etc.

Interestingly, parents Donald and Diana have no background in science. They are learning along side the children and through the everyday business experiences of Nature's Workshop. They believe in supporting and guiding their children into studies of their personal interest in addition to the "requirements" of the basic curriculum. By providing the proper texts, supplies, and prayer they have witnessed the Lord take the children into areas of study and interest that are undeniably the Lord's doing. We strongly believe that the balanced life for the children includes work, academics, and service. The children all have a role in the business from Deanna down to David age 9. We can not imagine what our lives would be if we had not chosen homeschooling for the raising of the family. We are ever grateful to the Lord for leading our lives to Him.

Deanna will be using her training this August as she embarks upon a medical mission trip to the Amazon. Her weekly volunteer service at an inner city medical clinic keeps her heart of service to the Lord broken and prayerful. Donny also volunteers as a construction worker for a mission which does outreach through carpentry. In addition, his ambulance work keeps his heart ever before the Lord as he is sometimes called upon before a victim's family is even notified. He is working his way to become a helicopter medic. Douglas, 18, begins his college studies this fall. We can see the community service call on his life as well. The other 3 are still involved in their training at home. When we see the younger children cracking the books over anatomy and chemistry, we are awed that parents who know little more than how to apply a bandage or remove a splinter can produce offspring who are medically minded. Then we remember we serve an awesome God who is able to do far more that we could ever ask or think! Deanna and Donny are both working at the Nature's Workshop booth during the conference. They would be pleased to share their experiences with you if you would like to know more.

Homeschooling advice that we took to heart when we began over 20 years ago:

Train your children to work because it is good for the physical body. Train your children to be strong in academics because it is good for the mind. Train your children in service because it is good for the heart. And of course Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

The Ruarks





Nature's Workshop

Theodore Roosevelt arrives at the ICHE convention

Don't forget about the contest we're having. The first person to bring me President Roosevelt's signature wins a copy of The Fallacy Detective. You can find me in the Oasis or in the Terrace Board Room.

Laurie Bluedorn

Did you know that over 5500 bills were introduced this year at Springfield -- and many of them

anti-family,
anti-faith, and
anti-freedom.

Illinois Family Institute wants to get people involved in the political process. Their job is to help the Christian community become fully informed and motivated to communicate effectively with their elected officials.

Go to the Illinois Family Institute booth for free newsletters, policy papers, and church bulletin inserts. You can also find copies of Focus on the Family's Citizen magazine.



Dave Smith of Illinois Family Institute

The first person to bring me the "special gift" from the good people at the sales booth of Best Christian Conferences in the Solarium will win a Junior Abacus from RightStart Mathematics. You'll find me at the Home School Oasis in the vendor hall or the Terrace Board Room. Laurie Bluedorn

Hi Friends! You're invited to meet with us (The Giberts) and other Christian minority homeschooling families for fellowship, encouragement and a time of sharing during the lunch hour on Friday or Saturday.

What a great opportunity to connect with other families who are committed to not only having strong biblical based marriages, but also those who have dedicated themselves to training and discipling their children.

The luncheon will be held in the Augusta Room (Golf Wing F).

Wanda Gibert

Ask Jeremie Schultz how he broke his toe. The first person to tell me wins a $25 gift certificate from Rainbow Resource Center. You'll find me at the Oasis or at the Terrace Board Room.

Laurie Bluedorn

Read what Voddie Baucham says about Christians putting their kids in public school.

Here is a summary of yesterday's workshop by Voddie Baucham What is a Worldview?

Have you ever wondered why the American church looks so much like the world? In his first presentation, Voddie Baucham answered that question for us in clear and unequivocal terms. Less than 10% of American Christians have a biblical worldview and only 51% of pastors have a biblical worldview. But in order to affect a remedy, it is imperative that we understand what a worldview really is and how it relates to education.

Pastor Baucham explained that our worldview is the "big picture," the true basis of all our decisions. It is those ground floor assumptions about truth and reality we base our lives on. A person's worldview doesn't need to be put into words, it is obvious from watching their life.

A worldview functions like three common items. It is the eyeglasses through which we view life. It is a map with which we navigate. It is a jigsaw puzzle picture we use to make sense of the puzzle pieces life hands us. An incorrect worldview, like wearing the wrong prescription glasses, means we cannot not properly focus. Using the wrong map causes us to miss the guiding landmarks we need, and not having the correct puzzle picture means that life's events are deemed meaningless and incomprehensible.

Pastor Baucham turned to the scriptures to underline the importance of educating the mind. Matthew 22:37, Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 10:3-6, and others teach us that Christianity is an intellectual faith and we need to understand these concepts and use them to battle false worldviews. He also explained that the hard sciences are founded on Christian faith and urged home educators to seriously pursue studies in those subjects.

A worldview is formed wherever a person spends most of their time. Public school students spend over 14,000 hours of their life at school. The de facto worldview of the public school system in secular humanism, as its proponents openly declare. It's most basic elements are an atheistic view of God, a consideration of mankind as merely a product of mindless evolution, a belief that truth is relative, knowledge is materialistic and naturalistic, and ethics are only a cultural phenomenon.

Since this worldview dominates the media, politics, education, and even the church, it is easy to understand why 75 to 88 percent of evangelical youth have abandoned their faith by the end of their freshman year of college. Pastor Bauchman challenged home educators to fight this trend. He noted that the most important factors in determining whether a child will remain in the faith as an adult are where, when and how the child is educated, and who was his discipler-teacher.

Our mission, as home educators, is much larger and more important than teaching academics and preparing our children for a career. We are building a generation of right-thinking Christians truly enabled and impassioned to impact our communities, our nation, and our world for Jesus Christ.

David Johnson

Purchase over $50 in products from Institute for Excellence in Writing here at the convention this weekend and receive a free two-CD set. This CD set is a fantastic resource which includes Andrew Pudewa's seminar Motivating Boys and Other Kids Who Would Rather Be Making Forts All Day, sample lessons, convention talks, newsletters, articles, conference mp3 files, and more.

Daniel Forster, oldest of the Forster family, tells us about Doorposts.

Our family started Doorposts in 1990, with the If-Then and Blessing charts, and the family business has grown over the years as my mama (Pam) has written books (like For Instruction in Righteousness) and other products. We're a homeschool family (we've homeschooled since 1983, when I was born ), and our goal is to help other homeschool families apply God's Word in their homes.

As we all grow older, my parents (John and Pam) are enjoying launching their "arrows" into the world and seeing the fruit of their many years of faithful labor! Out of 6 children in our family, 3 have graduated from homeschooling, and our 4th (Johanna) will graduate (and be married!) in a few weeks. Benjamin and Joseph just finished their first year of college, studying engineering and music, respectively. Joseph is also helping with worship music at our church and pursuing his calling as a music teacher. I (Daniel) have worked with my parents at Doorposts for many years, and I've been managing the business for about a year and a half. Our newest book this year is my first book for Doorposts, Prepare Thy Work: Preparing Young Men for Christian Marriage.

Forster Family





New Book

Math-U-See -- a complete, award-winning, K-12 curriculum. Want to learn more? Ask your friends about us... and their kids, or stop by our website and request a free Demo DVD. If you're a lifelong fan of Math-U-See check out the Math-U-See Blog for all the latest news and fun.

The Math-U-See booth will be located at booth # 27 and people can look for the smiling Lynch's.

Ethan Demme
Math-U-See
Director of Marketing

In the Hands of a Child is owned by Niki McNeil, Kimm Bellotto, and Katie Kubesh. These three moms actually met online through hobbies and homeschooling. They have merged different talents, educational backgrounds and experiences together to form a business that is growing as fast as their combined 10 children are!

A mutual interest in lapbooking brought Kimm and Niki together. Seeing how their own children became impassioned about learning while using lapbooks they started In the Hands of a Child with a vision of making lapbooking accessible to everyone; even those who feel they aren't the least bit creative or simply don't have the time to pull lapbooks together, but who do want to incorporate this type of hands-on learning into their homeschool day. In 2002 they published their first unit, The Wheels on the Bus. In 2005, Katie joined the team as a full partner. Katie was exactly what In the Hands of a Child needed to make the team complete!

In the Hands of a Child has created a product that takes the preparation time out of the parent/teacher job description with Complete Ready to Assemble Lapbook-Style Units that are available in Ebook, Printed Book, or CD formats. Whether you are a veteran lapbooker or just beginning, our Project Packs, which include Geography, Literature, Science, History, and Bible, make your job as a homeschool parent easy! Each Project Pack contains both hands-on activities and the lesson/research guide needed to complete the activities.

As a homeschool parent or educator you may have heard that student learning improves when lessons incorporate hands-on projects or crafts. It's true! Hands-on activities accommodate all learning styles and abilities. It is also true that many educators just do not have the time or resources to put together quality hands-on activities to correspond to every subject covered in their curriculum. Let In the Hands of a Child help you and your students create lapbooks that are easy to store, instant review tools, scrapbooks, and ready-made portfolios of what your student has learned!

Bring laughter and learning together -- in the Hands of a Child! Please visit us at our web site or stop by our booth at the Illinois Christian Home Educators Convention May 24-26. All purchases made at the convention receive 10% off!

The Gould family of Island Lake, Illinois established Faith and Family Books a little over two years ago. The idea of starting a home business rooted when the place where Mr. Gould has worked for 27 years was going through a transition. He had the desire to work from home, so they thought it was time to put their idea of starting a business into action to see if they could bring him home to work. Their family loves books and thought they would try selling the Lamplighter Collection, which are among their personal favorites.

Starting a home business has been a learning experience for the Gould family, from learning how much time and work is involved in getting a business up and running, to trusting in the Lord's timing, to the Lord revealing the giftings of their children.

The children have been involved from the start - beginning with unpacking, organizing, and shelving books to now attending conferences, selling books and beginning to write book reviews. It has surprised them to see how the Lord has allowed their children's talents to blossom, something they did not expect to see quite yet, in the realm of business. They have some budding entrepreneurs in their family who are gaining skills and exhibiting giftings because they took the leap of faith to start a business. Having a business, has enhanced and stretched their homeschool in many different ways.

So far Faith and Family Books is just a side business to Mr. Gould's full-time job. The Gould family would love to meet you -- part of their family will be serving in the ICHE Vendor Hall. Please drop by their booth during the convention. If you do, you can expect a free gift just for stopping by! They can be found at booth 23, beside Critical Thinking Press and across from NR Production.

Blessings,
Robert and Theresa Gould
Faith and Family Books Blog



Gould Family

Dear Colleen,

Please get well soon. We need you and want you here at the convention.

Love,
Jeri
Susan
Wanda
Kay
Jane
Haley
Nate
Laurie
and others too numerous to mention

Last evening's dinner for the convention speakers featured a very special artist -- calligrapher and inspirational speaker Timothy R. Botts.

In first grade my art teacher, Mrs. Stanton first identified me as an artist and handpicked me for Saturday classes in her home. I began noticing letterforms in sixth grade when I found a Speedball lettering book in the process of doing a circus poster. When I went off to college to study art I discovered calligraphy through the child-like wonder of Arnold Bank.

As one who reveres the Holy Bible as God's words, calligraphy became a natural link between my art and spirituality. During my time at Carnegie I was also influenced by the contemporary visual expressions of faith in the works of Ben Shahn and Corita Kent. Additionally, my graphic design training gave me tools for clear and powerful communication.

Three years in Japan taught me the freedom of the brush and a broader understanding of space and asymmetry. In most of my work I am making word pictures - words expressed to look like what they mean. My work is characterized by variety, a reflection of my observation of nature. The frequent joy comes from my personal experience with the gospel of Jesus.

Imaginative appropriateness sums up what I have learned from my experience in publishing. I'm always trying to come up with fresh ideas which get right to the heart of the message.

You can read an interview with Tim here.

Tim has written numerous books including Doorposts (a book showcasing 60 Bible texts in calligraphy, including the title verses from Deuteronomy 6:7-9) and Windsongs (60 calligraphic interpretations of hymns and spiritual songs). In February 2000, his artwork took the prize at the annual calligraphy exhibit at Chicago's Newberry Library. His latest and most magnificent work is a calligraphic illustrated Bible.

The work of art which Tim created during this dinner talk will be available for viewing at the convention. In addition, you can purchase some of his poster prints and thematic note cards at the ICHE book table in the Mega Center.

I have been told by a reliable source that Teddy Roosevelt will be attending the ICHE convention.

The first person to bring me his signature on a piece of paper wins a copy of the book The Fallacy Detective.

Laurie Bluedorn

...the phantom photographer.

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to hear the story of a second generation homeschooler -- how he was homeschooled long, long ago and now homeschooling his own kids today. Kevin writes:

The homeschooling movement began for me forty years ago. My mother taught me to read in a little two-bedroom home in Portland, Oregon as my father attended a Baptist seminary there. In 1969 my father made a life-altering decision. Years later, I asked him why he decided to go to Japan as a missionary. He told me that he wanted to bring the gospel to the Japanese, but there was something else that played heavily in his decision. Throughout the 50s and 60s he taught in public schools and private Christian schools and he made up his mind that he did not want to raise his children in this culture. So my father took us to an island and made up his own culture....

Read the rest of the article at Kevin Swanson's web site.



Kevin Swanson and his family in Colorado.



Kevin's new book.

Kym Wright is known mostly for homeschooling her eight children and her writing -- articles for various homeschool publications and her Learn and Do Unit Studies. She has been a columnist or writer for many homeschool publications and now publishes The Mother's Heart magazine, an online publication for mothers with hearts in their homes.

She's been interviewed on The 700 Club and Crosswalk.com and is a contributing writer for several of their parenting and homeschooling areas. She now carries studio-quality CDs of many of her talks: from Children and Chores to Family Meals and Creating Creativity -- she lays a foundation of why it's important to do these things, then the practical aspects of how to make it happen.

An enthusiastic mother, an energetic speaker, and a homeschool advocate, Kym's passion for life shows ... and it's contagious!

Kym has homeschooled since the mid-80s, so has experience and research on a myriad of topics. She will be speaking at our Illinois Christian Home Educators Convention on ten different topics.

On Thursday, she shares about:
Learning Styles
How a Textbook Moms Uses Unit Studies
Magazine Writing -- how to get published!

Friday's sessions include:
Scheduling and Organization
Resume Builders: Helping Our Teens Prepare for the Future
Family Meals
Botany Bonanza

And Saturday's talks are:
Fun Teaching Preschoolers
Children & Chores
Microscope Adventure

Join Kym as she shares knowledge, experience, and her heart.

Dear Faithful Stewards,

We are pleased to bring you eleven very special workshops as well as a luncheon, all planned with you in mind. Come and meet veterans who have taken part in home educating their children for years! You will have opportunity to rub shoulders and network with parents who have gone before you.

On Thursday, a technical special needs team will be with us from Aimee Solutions. They will talk to us about sensory strategies, speech pathology, and computer technology. Their products and workshops offer cost-effective, practical solutions that build independence and opportunities for learning at home.

On Friday and Saturday we have Matthew McNatt of McNatt Learning Center, INC. He will bring messages of hope, understanding, and practical helps to families with struggling & special needs learners. The workshops on Friday will focus on the struggling student while Saturday's workshops will focus on the special needs learner.

A special luncheon will take place on Saturday designed to be an encouraging time together meeting and sharing with other special needs and struggling learner parents. How can we better serve you? We want to know! Bring your lunch and join me. I'll also have some helpful resource packets to give to you. If you would like to attend, please let us know by signing up when you register. We look forward to seeing you!

Even more encouragement will be available to you through the Home School Oasis! Veteran home educators of special needs and struggling learners will provide counseling and prayer support.

If you know someone who has a struggling learner or special needs individual, encourage them to come. It will be very informative, inspiring, and well worth the trip!

Jane Gambill, ICHE's Special Needs Coordinator

Miller Pads and Paper has been serving homeschoolers for 19 years. We manufacture our own art and educational paper products, and carry a full line of art and educational supplies and books.

We began a new ministry in the fall of 2006 -- a Free Quarterly Email Art Newsletter for anyone who requests it. You can sign up at the Miller Pads and Paper booth at the ICHE Conference or request it at info@millerpadsandpaper.com. Each issue of the art newsletter features a short biography of a famous artist and corresponding art lessons for the whole family. There are seasonal art projects, a question and answer section, art contests and prizes, special offers for readers only and more.

Visit the Miller Pads and Paper booth at the ICHE Conference, mention this blog and recieve a free gift! Check out our new products and special conference discounts. We look forward to seeing you!


Thanks!
Renee Miller



Miller Family

I am homeschool father of five children. I am a lay minister and director of the The Center for Family Renewal, a Christian ministry dedicated to equipping Christian families to leave a godly legacy through their children.

I have three teenage sons. The oldest is a sophomore at Patrick Henry College in Virginia. We love baseball, our dog Belle (a 55lb yellow lab), hanging out at the beach on vacations and playing putt putt golf.

Both of my daughters are adopted. They were born in India. Their addition to our family has been a blessing of love for all of us. God has used their adoption to enrich our lives and give us a deeper understanding of our place in God's heart...and family.

My best friend for life is my wife Kim. She is beautiful and much more intelligent than me. (Don't tell ICHE or they may replace me with her on the speaking schedule.) Yes, I married up! She and I have been homeschooling for 15 years.

As far as my talks at the conference, the primary presentations I am excited about sharing with homeschoolers in Illinois are entitled "Beyond Sexual Abstinence Part I and Part II". As a Christian father and leader I am deeply concerned about the wounded marriages and sexual impurity that is rampant in our churches. We need a clarion call to purity in our relationships with the opposite sex, before and after marriage. God has laid a burden on my heart to share a message of hope and restoration toward this end.

Additionally, I will be sharing messages that will encourage and equip Christian homeschool fathers to more effectively love, train and guide their children and wives: "Marriage: God's Gracious Gift", "Boys to Men", " The Essential Homeschool Father" and "Practical Parenting from Proverbs."

Tom McKnight
The Center for Family Renewal



Tom and Kim McKnight at Nubble Lighthouse



Tom and sons in Mexico

Michael Farris is Chancellor of Patrick Henry College and Chairman & General Counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association.

Farris founded HSLDA in 1983; it is now an 80,000 member advocacy group with a staff of sixty. A constitutional attorney, Farris' extensive appellate experience in the United States Supreme Court, seven U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, and ten state supreme courts has helped launch HSLDA forward in its mission to protect the rights of parents to homeschool their children.

In 2000, Farris became the founding president of another unique educational venture: Patrick Henry College. Patrick Henry is the only higher education institution in the nation with a majority of students coming from home education. It is a committed Christian college educating students in a classical liberal arts curriculum. It also requires extensive apprenticeship activity in the students' major field. The College provides academically excellent baccalaureate level higher education with a biblical worldview. Having serving as President of PHC for six academic years, Farris recently transitioned to the role as Chancellor. He continues to teach Constitutional Law and coach the PHC Moot Court team. His team won the national championship in both 2005 and 2006, and recently beat Oxford University before two of the highest judges in Britain and in a repeat match before the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Farris is an honors graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law (Juris Doctor, 1976) where he was the Articles Editor of the Law Review and the winner of the Linden Cup Moot Court competition.

In recognition of his work in home education, Education Week named Farris one of the "Top 100 Faces in Education of the 20th Century." Heritage Foundation awarded Mike its Salvatori Award for American Citizenship in 2002.

Mike has written twelve books on constitutional law, marriage, parenting, home schooling, political activism, and three novels. His daily radio program, Home School Heartbeat, is aired on several hundred stations nationally. Farris was ordained in 1983 and currently serves as an elder for Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Mike and Vickie Farris have homeschooled their family since 1982 and have ten children and eight grandchildren. They live in Purcellville, Virginia.



Patrick Henry College



Mr. and Mrs. Mike Farris

What a delight to see all these sweet little faces at last year's Convention!
They are so precious, we had to share them with you.





































How exciting to know that these dear little ones are being raised by parents with a vision to train them in the Lord! May the Lord bless each one to be a bright light in the midst of their generation.

Have you had a tough school year? Are you burned out? If you have been called to homeschooling, don't give up! I tell you this because at this point of life, AHS, After Home Schooling, I have a bit more perspective on the whole process than when I was in the thick of it! Our family had our share of difficulties -- just like your family -- with illness, crop failure, and even at times resistant, challenging, and slow-blooming children who didn't read until after their tenth year! But now that I have gained a bit of distance, I can see how God designed each of these trials for our family's good. I have had many a day when I seriously wondered why we were homeschooling our children. I even believed that *gulp* I might even be damaging them permanently! But God is faithful. Homeschooling is a high calling for parents and we serve a God who is mighty. Sure, there were things I didn't teach, there were plenty of mistakes I made...just ask my kids! The bottom line is this, we weren't meant to do this alone...our faithful Heavenly Father fills in the cracks and gets the glory.

My name is Shelley Noonan and my passion is to assist parents in recapturing the lost art of mentoring. The only thing we can bring to heaven with us are the lives we touch for the Lord and that is why our company's focus is on the parent child relationship. My husband Robert and I raised a family on a farm in northeast Nebraska. We were blessed with the opportunity to homeschool our two sons and one daughter for thirteen years. Our daughter, Laura age 24, has a degree in history from the University of Nebraska and works for Paypal. Our son, Josh age 23, has a degree in Political Science and is currently overseas in the Middle East in the Peace Corps, and our youngest son, Jake age 19, is a senior at a state college and is majoring in Business Economics and Finance.

Shelley Noonan, Pumpkin Seed Press

Shelley will be giving seven workshops this weekend at the ICHE convention.

Beyond Beautiful Girlhood
Build-A-Man
Five Keys to Guarding Your Daughter's Heart
Manners Matter!
A Marriage That Doesn't Just Survive, But Thrives
Taste and See
"Tea"chable Times

Are you willing to be "knocked outside of your educational box" this weekend?

Woody Robertson, director of CollegePlus and workshop speaker at the ICHE convention this weekend, will give parents -- parents who are asking themselves the question, "What are we going to do about college?" -- a different vision for college. No, you don't have to send your children off to college with your fingers crossed, hoping for the best, as Woody puts it. And you don't have to go into deep debt, either. There are other options to getting an accredited college degree -- and Woody will share all those options with us this weekend. Prepare to be challenged!

Woody is 28 years old and was one of those first homeschooled guinea pigs of the 1980's. What's more, he was just married a couple of weeks ago!!!!!

I was just married on April 28th and am living happily ever after. =) I'm an entrepreneur who enjoys developing new business ideas. I am strongly committed to the idea that homeschooling is a tremendous avenue for education and plan to home educate my own children. I am convinced that my homeschool studies give me a definite advantage in the business world above my traditional counterparts.

Comments on Woody's workshops:

Very entertaining, personable and clear! - H. C. , San Antonio, TX
Terrific job! Fun, inspiring and encouraging! - B. C., Stockton, IL
Plenty of steps of action and resources offered. - D.K., Waterville, MI
Great job Woody. I appreciated your knowledge and humor most! - S. H., Martindale, TX
We greatly appreciated Woody's conservative/Biblical perspective and boldness to say so. - D.H., Boise, ID
Great presentation and practical application! The Power Point presentation and enthusiasm and wit used was great! - R.W., Buda, TX

Student Testimonials:

Rather than spending seven years and over $100,000 earning my degree and becoming a CPA, I used Accelerated Distance Learning to earn my accounting degree in one year for less than $10,000. This allowed me to start my career and family years earlier and debt free! Now a CPA, I am working for one of the premier firms in Des Moines. Erik, Des Moines, IA

Although I'm only doing part-time study, Accelerated Distance Learning has enabled me to complete an average of three credits per week toward my degree. The skills I have learned are essential for success in my distance-learning program, but more importantly they will continue to benefit me throughout life. - Kyle, Lakeland, FL

Instead of spending four years trapped on a college campus, I was able to graduate Cum Laude with my Bachelors of Science in business and History, one year, seven months from my date of enrollment! - David, Gary, IN

Go to his workshops and learn about options in college. Visit him at his booth in the exhibit hall and grill him.

Here's my only complaint -- why wasn't this around fifteen years ago when my kids were young?

Laurie Bluedorn



Woody and his new bride.



Here's what Woody's table will look like in the exhibit hall.

Greetings to our Home Schooling friends throughout the state of Illinois and across the country! Welcome to ICHE's new blog. We know that some of you cannot be with us this weekend at the convention, but would like to see what's happening. We've set up this special blog so we can stay connected. Visit us often and enjoy the action!

Here is a peek into last year.















The Home School Oasis is the place to glean from the many years of experience of veteran home school parents. Parents with tough questions received one-on-one counsel and prayer. This year the Oasis is located in the Vendor Hall at the DuPage Center.





Last year's ICHE Art Contest winners. Congratulations!