We had an amazing array of speakers and topics for our HOTM Spring Fever Conference last Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Our speakers, Debbie Strayer, Belinda Bullard, Cindy West, John Michael Lane, Amy Bayliss, Maggie Hogan, Karen DeBeus, Angela Parsley, Lori Lane, Lee Binz, Jamerrill Stewart, and Jenny Penton.   Thanks to all of them for taking the time to share their heart and their passion.

If you attended the conference, we would love to hear from you.  Let us know what you liked, what blessed you, what speaker you most related to, and what you walked away with from the conference.  You can comment on this post or stop by the HOTM facebook page.

Our next conference is scheduled for August 6th-10th.  What a great way to start the year.  The fall conference theme will be:  Begin With The End In Mind.  Be sure to mark these dates on your calendar.  More details will be available soon.

You can learn more about their workshops by visiting their speaker pages on the conference site.  The mp3′s of each workshop will be available shortly.

Along with the great conference speakers and content we had some amazing posts on the blog.

The Way They Should Go

Easy Spring Spider Craft

…..I Will Not Believe

Going Old School – Final Projects, Part I

Adoption and Homeschooling

Learning Basic Tracking

Have you heard about the summer HOTM retreats scheduled for June?  These are small retreats with the goal of providing rest, refreshment and the opportunity to refocus.  You can view the brochure here by scrolling to the bottom of the page.

We hope you have a great week and enjoy this week’s blog posts on HOTM and have a chance to check out last week’s as well!

Faith and Courage,

Lori

The 2012 Spring Fever Conference is just days away. 

Thursday – Saturday, April 12th-14th, 2012   10:30-4:00 each day. 

You can view the schedule, speakers and topics here!

How can you participate?

This is an online conference which means you can join us by computer or listen to mp3 recordings at a later date once they are posted. There are freebies and give aways for all who register.  BUT, you must register.

The cost for the conference is $9.95.

Register here and receiving the information necessary to join us live via your computer and/or receive access to the mp3′s later.  But you better hurry!  Time is running short!

Questions?  Contact conference@heartofthematteronline.com

Wondering if you won a free ticket during our recent contests?  Be sure to check here!

He is risen!  He is risen indeed! 

I hope this post finds you and your family rejoicing in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  What hope His death, burial and resurrection gives to each of us as we face each day knowing the unspeakable riches of His grace!

Spring Conference

But before you dive into the articles posted at HOTM this week, I want to just give you a quick reminder that we are less than a week away from our HOTM Spring Fever Conference.  The theme of the conference is Spring Fever:  Finishing Strong and with the line up of speakers and their topics, we are sure to be encouraged to finish our year well.

Our speakers include:  Amy Bayliss, Lee Binz, Belinda Bullard, Karen DeBeus, Maggie Hogan, Lori Lane (that’s me), Angela Parsley, Jenny Penton, Jamerrill Stewart, Debbie Strayer, Cindy West and John Michael Lane. Click on their names to see their workshop topics.  I am really looking forward to being personally encouraged in my homeschool journey.

Cost for the conference is $9.95 and you can join us live via computer or you can listen to an mp3 recording at a later time. www.heartofthematterconference.com

This Week’s Inspiring Articles

This week at Heart of the Matter has been rich in inspiration and encouragement, as well as advice and insight into some important areas.  You can see a list of this week’s blog post titles below.

How to Homeschool the Early Years 

Teachable Moments In Spanish 

Helping Your Children Listen in Church 

How a Homeschool Conference or Retreat Can Encourage You in Your Journey

Homeschool Co-op 

A Set of Experiences 

What’s In A Name 

It’s the Starting That’s Stopping Us

What Comes Next When A Home Schooler Graduates? 

The Foundation of Success with Debbie Strayer

Help My Child Is Smarter Than Me

Check Out Our HOTM Interviews with our Spring Fever Conference Speakers

Heart of the Matter Live – Interview with Karen DeBeus

Heart of the Matter Live – Interview with Maggie Hogan

Heart of the Matter Spring Conference:  Speaker Preview

Heart of the Matter Spring Conference:  Give Away Preview

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Newsletter Contest Winners

We had a newsletter sign up promotion and picked random winners each of the days, Monday – Friday, that the contest ran. Each winner receives a free “ticket” to the HOTM Spring Fever Conference. But, you must contact me at inquiry@heartofthematteronline.com

Winners are:

3/21 – Monique Hernandez
3/22 – Angela Howey
3/23 – Shannon Kiser

3/26 – Jen Harpin
3/27 – N. Fuller
3/28 – Melissa Fritzsche

Last Thursday’s and Friday’s winners will be announced on Monday! : )

De-Lurking Contest Winners

The winners of our “de-lurking” contest are De-lurker Carrie, De-lurker Margaret, and De-lurker Sabrina. I responded to their comments at that post, to notify them as well. You must contact me at inquiry@heartofthematteronline.com for details.

Congratulations!

It’s Party Day!

You can join us for a look back at Heart of the Matter, interviews with founders Amy Stults and Amy Bayliss, TONS of give-aways, interviews from contributing writers and of course, a look to the future.

You can join us by listening at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/heart-of-the-matter-live

You can join us on our facebook page: Heart of the Matter on Facebook

You join us by Twitter: @hotmonline  and our hashtag used for give aways is: #hotmparty

and you can call in by calling: (602) 753-1896

Look at the list of companies doing give aways at our FB, Twitter and BTR party this next Tuesday: Joyous Home, Journey Through Learning, The Home Scholar, Me and My House, Grapevine Studies, Shining Dawn Books, Hands of a Child, Raising Real Men, New Millennium Girl Books, and more. Don’t miss it!

Please join us as we discuss the vision behind Heart of the Matter, its development and growth and what lies ahead for Amy and HOTM.

Date:  Tuesday, March 6th

Time:  7:30 – 9:00 p.m. EST

You can join us in several ways….whatever fits your schedule best!

-You can join us live and ask questions via BlogTalk Radio by calling into (602) 753-1896.

-You can listen in live by visiting:  Heart Of The Matter Live!

-You can participate, leave messages and questions for the program by visiting:  the Heart of the matter Facebook page or by twittering us at hotmonline.

There will be lots of GIVE AWAYS and FREEBIES!

We can’t wait to meet you there!

If you have any questions, please contact us at inquiry@heartofthematteronline.com

Faith and Courage,

Lori Lane

100 Books to Read in Kindergarten from Woodbridge Public Library – It might actually only be something like 80 or 90 books for a homeschooled kindergartener to read since some of them are about going to kindergarten in a brick-and-mortar school, but some of my favorite, don’t-miss books are on this list. Check it out to find some new favorites for you and your child to enjoy together.

This Is What Hope Looks Like from We Are THAT Family – I’ve followed Kristin’s blog (We Are THAT Family) since the pre-Mercy House days. It’s been such a blessing to me to watch Mercy House develop and to see how it’s changing lives. This post about hope brings into sharp clarity the beautiful changes that can take place when we follow God’s leading.

Memoirs of a Bullied Kid from Single Dad Laughing – I was blown away by this powerful post from the perspective of a kid (now an adult) who was tormented by bullies from the time he was in 5th grade. Every parent, every person who works with kids, and every kid who’s ever bullied, been bullied, or witnessed bullying needs to read this post. It has the power to change lives.

The Half-Way Point: Evaluating Our Progress from Simple Homeschool – With many of us at, near, or maybe only slightly past the half-way point in our school year, this post comes at a great time for us to evaluate where we are in our home schools and to gauge if we’re on track for where we want to be at the end of the year or if it’s time to make some adjustments.

The Word of the Year from Best Body Fitness – Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Have you broken them all yet? I love Tina’s idea for focusing on a theme for each year…and I love her theme for 2012. It’s not too late to develop your own theme for the upcoming year.

The Hidden Dangers of the Myth of Perfection from The Homeschool Classroom – Buying into the myth of perfection can be dangerous – for our homes, our marriages, our families, and our homeschools. Samantha outlines some of the dangers this myth can present to your homeschool.

Learning Life Skills in a Safe Environment – Have a Family Talent Show! About One – Dana, from A Slob Comes Clean (http://www.aslobcomesclean.com/about-me/), shares some of the benefits of hosting a family talent show and gives some examples of talents her family members have performed. What a great idea for a cold winter night or a family get together!

Measurement Conversion Chart from Infarrantly Creative – What a fun, creative, space-saving idea for storing measuring cups and spoons! Adding the easily-accessible, hard-to-lose conversion chart is brilliant.

How to Remove a Hard Drive from About One – In the age of rampant identity theft, knowing how to protect your information when it’s time to recycle an old computer is a must. This easy-to-understand article provides information that would allow even a non-techy person to successfully remove an old computer hard drive.

Amazingly Simple {Homemade} Salsa from Organizing Homelife – I love me some good, fresh salsa. This simple, mostly homemade, recipe is on my can’t-wait-to-try list (minus the yucky cilantro!).

Kris Bales has been married to her incredible husband for 20 years. Together, they’re raising their three Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, who range in age from 10 to 16. Kris is Christian, Southern, and sweet-tea-addicted. She enjoys reading, writing and photography. In addition to blogging about life as a homeschool mom, you can find her at Eclipsed where she chronicles her transformation from a morbidly obese couch potato to a runner in training for her first half-marathon.

We are currently looking for hands-on projects, how-to’s, and learning support on the following topics for our Spring Edition digital magazine scheduled to publish in April. If you would like to contribute an article for consideration simply send your article to submissions@heartofthematteronline.com by January 14th. Any articles submitted after the deadline may be considered for future featured articles on our blog site, but will not be accepted for the digital magazine.

Heart of the Matter is looking for submissions on the following topics:

• Homeschool Organization
• Arts and Crafts
• Spring/Summer Projects
• Field Trips
• Recipes
• Book Reviews
• Subject Tips and Ideas: Math, Science, Language Arts, Reading, History, etc.!
• Special Needs and Struggling Learners in Homeschooling
• Techniques That Can Help Others
• Homeschool Methods
  

Please see our Submissions Guidelines before submitting any article to be reviewed.

My beloved friend Marsha Drews is expecting a little boy on February 22nd and we are throwing a cyber party to welcome Ian Kenneth into the Drews family.

There will be GAMES, PRIZES and lots of GIGGLES! Invite everyone you know! Even if you don’t currently know Marsha, I know you’ll fall in love with her once you get to know this super sweet and silly mom…and we know everyone loves babies – so please join in the fun on January 9th.

Marsha and her family are currently living on the island of Guam. Shipping to Guam is the same as shipping within the states, however it does take a bit longer for packages to arrive. Please email me at amy@milkandcookiesblog.com for Marsha’s address if you have a gift to
send her.

My co-host for the party is the lovely Darcy.  Games and giveaways will be open all day to give everyone a chance to participate and Marsha will be available off and on all day to check in to answer questions and get to know everyone. Be sure to visit the Facebook party page and sign up to received a reminder and updates.

Want a sneak peek at just some of the goodies you can win… 

• Five attendees will win a package of beauty care products from Mac Cosmetics worth $100 each! 
• One winner will receive a jar of TARTE D’AMANDE Soufflé Riche Pour Le Corps: ALMOND PIE Rich Soufflé Lotion for the Body 
• One winner will receive a $30 gift card to Chocolate.com

Heart of the Matter could not be what it is without the support of our wonderful sponsors. Please join us in thanking them for producing such amazing products and services to benefit the homeschooling community.

Welcome to My Child’s Bookshelf

We are a family owned business that offers new and used children’s books at reasonable prices. We believe there are few things more important than investing in your child’s future through books. That’s why getting our books in to the hands of children is our primary goal. The best way for us to achieve that goal is to provide you with great customer service. Every time we serve a customer well, a child is given the gift of books.

My Child’s Bookshelf offers free priority shipping on orders of $50 or more, a nice selection of books $1.00 or less, and $1.50 to $3.00.

Simple. Convenient. Easy…Thank You In a Box

Thank You In a Box makes it convenient and simple to send a note of appreciation by providing everything you need in one simple box………hence our ‘Thank You Boxes!

Our ‘Thank You’ Boxes includes:

• 20 Personalized Cards & Envelopes (w/ return address)
• 20 Forever Postage Stamps ($8.80 value)
• 2 Keeping Track Record Sheets
• 1 Black Ink Pen

These boxes make the perfect gifts because they make writing a note so simple! Instead of spending energy worrying if the stamps you have are the current first class rate, you will find yourself giddy anticipating the joy your note recipient will have as they find a personal note in their mailbox from YOU!

Our boxes have come to the aid of brides, grooms, graduates, new mommies, new daddies, children, and every other kind of thoughtful note writers.

Welcome to Maestro Classics

Maestro Classics produces Stories in Music™, a classical music CD series for children ages 5 to 12 and their parents. Entertaining and educational, these CDs have won over 45 national awards.

Our Mission: To cultivate a love of music through education and joyful performances.

Stories in Music™ is the award-winning audio CD series for family listening. These recordings for narrator and symphony orchestra introduce great music and classics stories and provide the opportunity to develop important listening skills.

Three Major Benefits:

• Expand listening horizons.
• Develop listening skills and accumulate musical memories.
• Encourage adults and children to listen to music together.

Domino Christmas Ornaments – The Homeschool Classroom – If you’re looking for fun, simple Christmas projects for your kids, this post from The Homeschool Classroom, part of a series of posts, will get you started. These ornaments are so cute and will make the perfect addition to your tree or a simple homemade gift project for the kids to give to their grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

In Praise of Free Play – Blogging ‘Bout Boys – In a day and age where the expectation is that kids will be involved in organized, structured activities nearly every minute of every day, this post on Blogging ‘Bout Boys points out the benefits of unstructured free time.

Powerful Words – Raising Homemakers – This post by Jamie (See Jamie Blog) brought tears to my eyes. It’s an intensely powerful reminder of the weight of our words – whether positive or negative. Perhaps more often than we realize, those around us need to hear how much they mean to us.

Toni’s Biggest Homeschooling Mistake: Doubt – Simple Homeschool. It’s an ugly word that clouds every homeschooling parents’ thoughts from time to time. In this encouraging post, Toni cautions us not to doubt our abilities without first making an attempt at those things that strike fear in our hearts.

What Kneeling on a Department Store Floor Taught Me about Gratitude – Conversion Diary – I really appreciated this insightful (and, as usual, amusing) post that points out that gratitude isn’t exactly what we often assume it is.

Training Children to Overlook an Offense – The Better Mom – I only wish I’d read this article a few years ago. One of the scripture references (Proverbs 12:6) has already made its way into our scripture box for memorization.

Five Everyday Items for Toddler Learning – In a Nutshell – With supply costs ranging from free to really cheap, you’ll love these simple, but engaging activity ideas that will keep your toddlers productively occupied while you school your older children – or join your little one for some fun one-on-one time.

10 Days of Language Arts – Jimmie’s Collage – In case you missed it, Jimmie offered ten incredible language arts posts in the recent “10 Days” series. She has provided enough information to effectively design your own personalized language arts curriculum. Don’t miss this series!

50 Rules for Dads of Daughters – From Dates to Diapers – A must-read for dads of daughters.

30 Truths about Homeschooling – The Homeschool Classroom – This post, by yours truly, shares several truths that I’ve learned during my nine years of homeschooling. I hope you’ll be encouraged.

Kris Bales has been married to her incredible husband for 20 years. Together, they’re raising their three Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, who range in age from 10 to 16. Kris is Christian, Southern, and sweet-tea-addicted. She enjoys reading, writing and photography. In addition to blogging about life as a homeschool mom, you can find her at Eclipsed where she chronicles her transformation from a morbidly obese couch potato to a runner in training for her first half-marathon.