Heart of the Matter is in need of help in a couple of areas. If you can help in any of the following ways or if you have a talent and would like to help in a way not mentioned, simply email us and let us know you’d like to help!

• newsletter writer: A sample monthly newsletter can be seen here. The newsletter will revolve around one theme, such as a major holiday. No software or html knowledge is needed, you will just be responsible for locating the content, such as activities, printables, crafts, unit studies, etc.

• e-product reviewers: Heart of the Matter is given dozens of opportunities per month to review homeschooling e-books. If you are a technical writer who enjoys trying out new curriculum, and can be detailed and honest, join us as a reviewer. With your reply, please include links to 2 reviews that you have written in the past.

• photo submissions: Heart of the Matter uses quality stock photographs for all of our articles, however we are interested in using YOUR photos. If you have a love of photography and are often complimented on your pictures, please let us know if we may have permission to use your photos. Email us a link to your Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket or other photo hosting account. Full credit and a link back to your site will be given.

Please note that all positions are on a volunteer basis.  If you are interested, please email us at: inquiry@heartofthematteronline.com

Congratulations to the following conference attendees who were chosen as winners of the more than $2000 in door prizes…

How winners are chosen:

1. The entry form is converted into a spreadsheet and sorted one-at-a-time by prize. The total number of entries for a particular prize is submitted into the random number generator at www.random.org.
2. The number(s) generated are matched up to the alphabetical order list of attendees.
3. Heart of the Matter writers, conference speakers and conference sponsors were all eligible to win. Only those who were directly involved in the conference planning aspect were not eligible to win prizes.

How to claim your prize:

Please email us at conference@heartofthematteronline.com before 10:00pm eastern standard time on Tuesday, August 24th confirming your contact information. Please include:

• full name
• mailing address
• email address
• the prize you were selected for

Those winners who do not reply within 7 days shall forfeit their prize and a new name will be selected.

A Journey Through Learning lapbook

• Debra Anderson
• Audrey Bjur
• Lora Lease
• Karen Gebbie
• Shawntele Berting

A Woman Inspired – A Woman Inspired Conference ticket

• Claudine Arce
• Stacey Marsengill
• Marti Wolek

Albert Whitman Publishers – The Way I Feel series

• Amber Leman

Amazon $50 gift card

• Jenn Norris

Apples of Gold Online Academy – $15 gift card

• Katherine Rhodes
• Pamela Holloway

Baker Book House – Little Boys Bible Storybook for Fathers and Sons

• Lori Oetjen

Bright Ideas Press – The Mystery of History, Volume 1

• Jessica Stemmerding

Bright Ring Publishing – Discovering Great Artists

• Anessa Costlow

Candle Books – Bible Animal Board Books

• Amy Mills

Codex Publishing – The Tutor, Volume 1

• Laurin Cooke

Confessions of a Homeschooler – Letter of the Week Curriculum

• Kim Wright

Cumberland House – Why a Daughter Needs a Dad

• Melissa Juvinall

CurrClick – $50 gift card and t-shirt

• Barbara Nation
• Lisa Kerner

Dayspring – folder sets

• Stephanie Taraszewski

Egghead Academics – Creepy Crawly Fun

• Crista Murphy

Egghead Academics – Liberty: The Founding of a Country

• Renae Deckard

Egghead Academics – Magnificent Marine Life

• Loretta Rhodes

Epi Kardia – Unit Study Curriculum

• Sarah Morgan

Fun with Felt – felt pattern

• Amy Kim

Guideposts Books | Max Elliot Anderson – Lost Island Smugglers

• Julie Fogg

Hearts at Home – Growing Grateful Kids

• Renee Terry

Hearts at Home – Living with Less so your Family has More

• Chloe Hebert

Hearts at Home – Real Moms, Real Jesus

• Melissa Ransom

Home School Enrichment – magazine subscription

• Ronda Glasgow
• Rebecca Edgeworth Cox
• Lisa Bertolini
• Cori Adams
• Karen DeBeus

Homeschool Boutique – family t-shirt package

• Rochelle Keogh

Homeschooling Downunder – Our Sunburnt Country

• Sarah Bradshaw

HSLDA – @home e-vents

• Rebecca Verkerk

JumpStart – Escape from Adventure Island

• Lindsey Carter

Klutz – How to Build Castles building cards

• Brooke Rhodes

Learning Resources – Learning Clock

• Paula Winget

Lisa Whelchel – Friendship for Grown-Ups

• Leslie Thompson
• Kela Nellums

Macmillan Publishing – Win the The Great Art Scandal

• Roxanna Eaton

Math Mammoth – Blue Series on CD

• Emma Tullier

Pix-O-Sphere – Advanced Membership

• Stefanie Mayer
• Barbara Nation
• Karen Gebes

Planner Perfect

• Shelly Humble

Rainbow Resource – $25 gift certificate

• Christi Harris

Rosetta Stone

• Kim Garcia

Scholastic – 2 Scholastic Civil War-era history books

• Celeste Brown

Scholastic – 3 Scholastic math books

• Jennifer Smeltser

Scholastic – Awesome Art Activities Around the Year

• Carrie DeKalb

Scripture Adventures – Journey Through God’s Word

• Honey Brown
• Nancy Sherlock
• Tracy Berta
• Lora Farrell
• Susanna Haynes

Seeds Family Worship – five cd set

• Missie Deshane

Sheila Walsh – Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God

• Christi Evangelo
• Christina Hess

The Classical Scholar – Trivium Mastery

• Helen Waters
• Angie Parrett
• Rachel Addison
• Cassandra Simpson
• Angela Parsley

The Greenwich Workshop Press – Son of Man: King of Kings

• Jessica Potter

The HomeScholar – Setting the Records Straight

• Lorraine Yuriar

The Old Schoolhouse – One-year Subscription

• Pamela Swearingen
• Tommie Rodgers

The Young Scientists Club – The Young Scientist Series Set 1

• Sarah Talley

TRISMS – Discovering the Ancient World

• Nancy Deater

If you’re going to our Conference, on Monday it will start.
Check your email now if you are taking part.
A packet we have sent you, instructions you will see
On how to log right in and join our company
Is it missing? Do not fret
Just check your SPAM, it’s there I bet!
If it’s not, send us a note
(We’ll be much nicer than a billy goat.)
To conference@heartofthematteronline.com
This rhyme must end before I bomb.
(It’s too late for that already, isn’t it?)

P.S. Please keep in mind that we receive a TON of email and may not be able to reply to you right away. We appreciate your patience.

P.S.S. If you haven’t purchased a ticket yet, there is still time! Hop on over to the conference website and click the registration link in the sidebar. You’ll be entered to win over $2000 in door prizes, plus you get over $300 in freebies, AND you’ll get to cyber-hang with the likes of our super sweet hostesses, and other awesome attendees like Stef, Nikowa, Tracy, Kris, and many more, including ME!

P.P.S.S. Don’t be intimidated with my rhyming skills. But my robot skills? Yeah, you can be intimidated by that.

We want to share a brand new resource with y’all…Curriculum Share is a community of homeschoolers who give and get homeschool curriculum for FREE! Brought to you by our friends at  Hearts at Home Discount Homeschool Curriculum Store, Curriculum Share is about cutting costs, not corners. You will pay only the cost of shipping agreed upon by you and the person you are getting your homeschool curriculum from.

For homeschooling families our children’s education is a top priority, but a good education is costly. Especially one taught at home. Many homeschoolers are one income or low income families, and we struggle with the cost of living, let alone curriculum. With this in mind, we have created a place for homeschoolers where quality educational materials are free of cost. Members of Curriculum Share become part of a community that works together to make sure all of our children receive the best education we can give them.

Register to join now, the website goes live on Friday!

The next edition of Heart of the Matter’s digital magazine will focus on Fine Arts. We are looking for submissions on the following:

• art
• crafts
• drawing
• music
• photography
• singing
• value of music lessons
• painting
• sculpture
• dance
• theater
• architecture
• woodworking
• composer or artist studies
• creative writing
• sewing
• cartooning

Do you have an article that you would like to submit? If you do, please email your article to submissions@heartofthematteronline.com by Thursday, July 1st. Submission guidelines can be found here. Please include a short byline and vertical headshot with your submission.

Homeschooling is an exciting family journey!

Whether you are learning about it, getting started, or have been teaching your own children for a short time or long time, we’re here to help.  Together we share a commitment to make the training and education of our children our highest priority.

How and what we do varies from family to family.  We also know how much it helps to see what others are doing, hear what they’ve learned, and share encouragement.

• Maybe you’re planning to teach your children at home for just a year or two, a short sprint!  You need quick access to practical ideas and “how-to’s” from others.
• Maybe you are committed to homeschooling for a lifetime and view it as a marathon.  As you go the distance you need consistent support, ways to pace yourself, and refreshment along your way.
• Maybe you are not sure and you’re taking it year-by-year.  You, too, need resources.

Regardless of why you have chosen to homeschool or for how long, Homeschool USA is here to help.

Our mission is to provide:

• Education – Answering the many “how-to” questions about teaching our children.
• Encouragement – Providing help and inspiration for the challenges and roller-coaster days we all experience.
• Empowerment – Helping you ensure your program complies with all aspects of the law, and helping you find and enjoy the many resources that are available to you.

So that you may run your unique race with a steady renewal of:

Endurance, Enthusiasm, and Energy!

Who are we at HomeschoolUSA?
We are homeschooling moms and dads just like you.  We are also business persons, attorneys, authors, writers, and researchers who share a passion to serve today’s homeschooling family.  Our desire is to help you have the best homeschooling experience possible.

Stop by often.  Let’s share this exciting and rewarding journey together!

Our wonderful newsletter editor, Brenna, has been hard at work over the past month on a brand new format for the Heart of the Matter Newsletter. We just know you all will LOVE this fun, exciting and very creativity new resource! Take a peek here and be sure to sign up in our sidebar to make sure you receive next month’s edition! So curl up with your snack and your Snuggie and enjoy all the great goodies Brenna has found for you. Don’t forget to stop by CurrClick for your freebie.