Some days are full of bumps and bruises, dings and dents

For days like that, I am thankful for Virginia Soaps and Scents

Holding a bar in my hand I sniff the smell

and then I feel that all is well

What makes Va Soaps and Scents different than ivory, dial or dove

It is because Va Soaps and Scents are made with Love.

Ok – so it may seem a bit corny to write about a soap making company, but if you have heard of them or tried their product then you understand.  First off, this is a true family business – everyone gets involved.  Secondly – they are such a nice family.

I found VA Soaps and Scents at a homeschool convention a few years ago.  I was very pregnant at the time and had been dealing with morning sickness and quite a few aversions for most of the pregnancy.  I was talking with Richelle Spargur who, along with her husband, Roy, owns Va Soaps and Scents.  Richelle suggested a particular item – it was a shampoo bar that had a ginger scent.  Now let me just tell you – I have a lot of hair.  I am not bragging, I inherited it from my mother – she has even more hair.  Anyway, I wasn’t sure how a shampoo bar would actually work, but oh my word – this was the first thing that I had smelled in a long time that didn’t make me feel sick.

After trying this shampoo bar, I was hooked.  Not only did it smell good, but it did an awesome job on my hair.  Very few tangles, not oily at all – in general, a great job!  From there I have purchased gifts for family and friends (the soaps at VA Soaps and Scents not only smell great, but they are beautiful as well), as well as purchasing quite a few for me.

If you want to go and check them out for yourself, I encourage you to do so by following this link – VA Soaps and Scents.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  Thanks for doing such a great job and for not looking at me like I am crazy when I stop by your booth at a convention, take several deep breaths and then keep going.  🙂

3 – 2 – 1 : It’s here, It’s here, It’s here – 

In three days (as of today) the HEAV convention will begin.  It lasts for 3 days!  Are you ready?

Let’s start with a quick explanation of the HEAV Convention – then we will get to the checklist!

2012 HEAV Virginia Homeschool Convention

Home Education: Touching the Heart

June 7, 8, and 9, 2012

Richmond, Virginia

www.heav.org/convention;

email : office@heav.org;             Phone : 804-278-9200

Amazing speakers. Information-packed workshops. Huge Exhibit Hall. Money-saving Used Curriculum Sale (60,000+ items last year). Children’s Program, graduation, FREE how-to-begin sessions, and MUCH MORE. Affordable, practical, hands-on, and encouraging. Speakers include Dr. Tedd Tripp (Shepherding a Child’s Heart Ministries), Dr. Jason Lisle (Answers in Genesis and Masters Books), Hal and Melanie Young, Debra Bell, Inge Cannon, Woody Robertson, Mike Snavely, Crystal Paine (The Money-Saving Mom), Dr. Catherine Millard, Andrew Pudewa, Amanda Bennett, and many others! FREE attendance for qualifying parents of preschoolers and non-homeschooling grandparents.

Getting Ready!

Here are some ways to get ready for convention.

First off – Pray – pray for wisdom, pray for the convention people, pray for all those traveling

Second – Pack – How long are you staying?  That will partially determine what you need.

• Clothes – while HEAV is a wonderful group and very family friendly – they do tend to frown upon those who show up sans clothing – Personally, I am leaving my kids with their grandparents during the convention as my youngest is learning to use the potty and likes to be au-natural from the waist down.
• Books – I know what you are thinking.  (I have ESPN) – you are thinking that you are coming by buy books, why should you bring books?  To sell of course!  That way you have more money and space for new books.  The HEAV Used Curriculum sale is AWESOME!!!!  Last year they had over 60,000 items – YES Sixty Thousand!!!  You have to register your books in order to sell them.  Find more information and register your books at the UCS Barcoding Site.  Be sure to enter your books before the deadline of June 6, 2012 @ 4 pm.
• Money – Be it cash, check or credit you will want some way to pay for your items.  If you bring cash, be sure to find a way to carry it safely.  I like to believe that most people, upon finding an envelope full of cash would turn it in, however there will be smaller children there who may not realize what they picked up.
• Rolley Cart – You can find these are Staples, Office Max, or online.  Be sure to get a sturdy one that has wheels and a handle.  You can bungee cord a milk crate onto a small hand cart, or you can push a stroller.  The main idea is to bring something that you can push or pull so you don’t have to carry everything or make a bunch of trips back to the car.  Don’t worry you will be getting plenty of exercise so you don’t need anything extra to do.
• Return Address Labels – Make these before you go.  Include your name, homeschool name (if you want), address, phone and email.  These are great for adding your name to mailing lists and for filling out door prize tickets.
• Three Ring Binder – In this binder you will place your printouts.  What printouts?  Here’s the list – Print out the workshop handouts for the workshops you are planning to attend.  Print out the exhibit hall map, and convention map.  Print out the workshop schedule.  If you get a three ring binder that has clear pockets on the front and the back then you can put your maps on one side and your schedule on the other.  You will also want to include blank paper for taking notes.
• File Folder – Put together a small file folder with dividers labeled with the things you are looking for.  (so your dividers will have lists of your subjects, or a field trip section, specials needs section – anything like that).  This is so that when you get all the papers from the various vendors, you have a place to put them and later on when you are looking through your things you know where to look for what you want.
• Envelope – This can be a standard paper envelope, a plastic envelope, a 9 x 12 manila envelope.  The point is to have a place to put your receipts.  That way when you get home and say – “why don’t I have any money left?” you can look at your receipts and know why you don’t have money left.  If you have a paper envelope you can keep a running total on the outside – have a spot where you indicate how much you have to spend and then subtract as you go along, that way you know how much money you have left.
• Change – At least a few dollars in quarters.  This is for the tolls – if you avoid the toll roads, then you are fine, but if you are driving in Richmond and you aren’t familiar with the roads, you may end up on a toll road.  The bonus here is that if you can avoid the toll roads, then you can stop for an ice cream or a drink on the way home with your change.  🙂

Ok – that’s it for now – if you want to read more in depth (albeit slightly crazy version) you can check out some of my other convention posts here :

• Convention 101
• Countdown to Convention
• Filling out Door Prize Tickets
• CTHGYRFC – Part 2 (II) – The File Folder

I hope this has helped you.  I’ll see you at the 29th Annual Virginia Homeschool Convention!

Once again for those who weren’t paying attention – CTHGYRFC stands for Committee To Help Get You Ready For Convention.  Now on with the important things –

Now I know what you must be thinking.  Why on Earth do I need a file folder at convention?  I can sort through things when I get home.  The answer to this is two fold.  The first thing to think about is will you sort through things when you get home?  Personally, I used to take lots of notes when I am in sessions and these notes contained lots of great information that I usually read when I was preparing my notebook for the next year.  So unless you are collecting information for the next next homeschool year – here is why you need a file folder at convention, what exactly you need and what to do with it once you get there!

Materials:

File Folder – ideally this would be a folder that had a number of different slots that could be individually labeled and that either didn’t have a top, or had a top that could be folded back. This is something that you will want quick access to.

Labels – these will go on the various sections of your file folder so get them to fit the file folder you have – if you get them to fit my file folder then it might not fit yours, however feel free to mail them to me as I will use them for you.  (Aren’t I sweet!)

That’s it – at least until you get to convention – that is all you need.

The labels:

Your labels may vary from someone else’s but the theory is the same.  You will want your labels to reflect the things you are most likely going to find at convention.  Personally,  have mine labeled with subjects (i.e. math, science, social studies, language arts, art/music), as well as sections for full curriculum, resources, & receipts.

As I visit each vendor and collect information about that vendor, I take the extra few seconds to put the paper into the correct spot in my file folder.  Yes, this takes a few extra seconds, but remember all that time we saved with the door prizes tickets – (if not, go back and read “Filling Out Door Prize Tickets” then it is OK to spend the extra time now.  Plus later on when you are settling in that evening and want to review the day, you can automatically know where to find each subject grouping.

A Word About the receipts section:

If you have a receipts section, make sure that you put your receipts in it – however, you also want to be careful not to leave this any where that they may fall out as some receipts contain your CC information.

Ok – so now you have your file folder and your door prize tickets labels – you are on your way.  What is next?

Drum roll please . . . . . .

Yes, you guessed it – Keep your eyes peeled and your defibrillators ready for – – – – –

The Amazing, Astounding, All Around Awesome – Three Ring Binder!!

wooooohoooo, alright, yeah, thump (that last one was someone so overcome with excitement that they passed out – hence the defibrillator.)