My Weekend in Nashville at Teach Them Diligently!

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I am finally catching up after a whirlwind of a week. Let’s just say, upon returning from Teach Them Diligently in Nashville, things went downhill here. Fast.

It involved a damaged minivan one day and a 911 choking call the next. BUT, all is completely fine and everyone is OK!!! Just lots of craziness abound here.

But, I did want to share my amazing experience at Teach Them Diligently in Nashville two weeks ago!

I had the privilege to be a part of the convention this year as a speaker and I gave four presentations:

• Simplifying Homeschool
• Finding Joy in Letting God Lead Your Homeschool
• Ten Things Every New Homeschooler Should Know
• Keeping God at the Center of It All: Using the Bible as Our Main Textbook (for one year)

Our adventures began a day before the conference at 3 am. We woke in the middle of the night to hit the road by 4am! Yup, we piled those sleepy babes into the car and geared up for a 14-hour road trip from western NJ to Nashville, TN!

I must say, the ride was quite beautiful, and {supernaturally} went so well! The kids hardly made a fuss. My husband and I stopped every two hours to take turns driving so that neither of us would become too tired. That worked very well.

So 14 hours later, a time change when we passed the Central time zone, many potty breaks, and even more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the go….we made it!

Can I just say, that The Gaylord Opryland is spectacular. We pulled in quite disheveled (keepin’ it real here) but I felt so comfortable seeing many other families as well!

We were so impressed and awed by the Opryland.  It’s enormous and has shops, restaurants, and even a boat going through the hotel. Simply magnificent.

We all enjoyed the evening fountain show with lights too!

We treated our kids to the Rainforest Cafe right next door at the Opry Mills Mall. Our kids enjoyed it, and we were excited to be on this adventure!

The next day I spoke about my passion Simplifying Homeschool. I really anticipated no one coming! There are seriously SO MANY amazing speakers to choose from, I couldn’t imagine too many showing up for little ‘ol me. Imagine my surprise, when the room was overflowing!

The family helping me set up

Simplifying Homeschool

I am grateful that I was able to share my passion for keeping God our focus in everything we do in life, including our homeschools!

Afer my session, we browsed the amazing vendor hall. I was thrilled to meet several of my online friends from the blogging and homeschool community. I finally got to meet Jamerrill from Free Homeschool Deals and snag a real-life hug. She is the sweetest.

If you look in this pic, a child is giving her bunny ears (not her own child 😉 and when I asked if we should retake it she replied, “Nah, that’s my life.” She’s amazing and down to earth and was speaking at the convention about her super-mommy powers of running a booming business while homeschooling. She also talked about Affording the Homeschool life. SO awesome.

And my daughter was beyond thrilled to meet Jordan from Blimey Cow!

The next morning I woke bright and early before everyone else to prepare for three sessions that day.  Phew! Again all three went well, and the families I met were beyond amazing. While I love writing, there is nothing like meeting face to face and giving and getting hugs. I love linking arms with my fellow homeschooling families and encouraging them on their journey.

This journey has had so many bumps for us, especially early on, that I love being able to share my testimonies of what GOD has done.

Teach Them Diligently has so much to offer for the homeschooling family. Their focus in discipleship. We all know that academics are important, but discipleship is integral to this journey. I love the heart and mission behind this amazing convention.

Next week, I will travel to Atlanta to speak again. I am looking forward to that trip so much. In an amazing work by God, my parents will be traveling with me! If you have listened to my Unlikely Homeschooler podcast, then you will know that we didn’t start out on this journey on the same page…and here they are supporting me and joining me at Teach Them Diligently. God is SO good, I can hardly contain myself as I type this!

If you are interested in attending Teach Them Diligently, you should really visit their site NOW and register! You WILL NOT regret it.  The cost is so reasonable and includes all your kids and even grandparents! It is an amazing experience and it is truly for the whole family. There are children’s programs, teen programs, a drama program, Men’s breakfast, Mom’s Night of Real Refreshment, and SO Much more. I promise you…it is amazing and an event like no other.