In just a few short days the 2012 FPEA Convention website will be up and running – full of details about the exhibit hall, vendors, speakers, workshops and more. Online registration will officially begin on January 31st and we know many families are already making plans to attend.
We appreciate that every family’s reason for attending Convention is little bit different. Some families will be preparing for the high school graduation ceremony, while others will be visiting the convention for the very first time either as brand new homeschoolers or to gather information to help make a decision over the summer about whether to begin homeschooling in the fall. We’ve heard stories about how families use this as their annual family vacation, some moms look forward to this time as a girls get-away, others invite grandparents to attend, and many look to this as a time to connect with friends in the homeschool community.
To help everyone begin to think about what type of convention experience they would like for their families we decided to ask our FPEA Ambassadors to tell us about some of their past convention experiences:
Aislynn – “Every year has been different – the first year I went with a group of moms for one day, the second year I went with my husband and our boys, and the third year I went alone.”
Melanie – “At first I went to convention on my own. That was great but I found myself wanting my husband and children to give their opinions on products so we started to bring the whole family. Our twins were born in May so it has often become their birthday celebration! Lately I’ve been going with a group of women who are leaders in our homeschool support group. I have really loved the time of sharing with them.”
Nancy – “This will be my 16th convention and I have gone mainly with three other women each year. This year and next my whole family is going doing due to a graduating senior!”
Roberta – “In thinking back over the years (10 to be exact) each Convention has been a different experience for me. We live relatively close so some years I don’t indulge in staying over nights at the host hotel. I think my favorite experiences though are the times that I have because I feel less rushed and am able to enjoy the weekend in a more relaxed way.”
Valencia – “We combine Convention with our family vacation. We go to Disney for several days then spend the last of our vacation at Convention. We do the Convention as a family too – our son goes to the children’s program and my husband and I check out our favorite classes and vendors. Last year another family joined us and this year we will have a few families with will be ‘hanging out’ with us at Convention.”
We would LOVE to hear about YOUR Convention experiences! Please share some of your most enjoyable Convention memories in the comments section below.
Love these thoughts. Our first convention was in 1998, as we were making the homeschool decision. We’ve done a couple as a family, or with another family; but these days it’s a “girls’ weekend” with my daughter. Love those sweet times wandering the atrium and pampering my “little girl” who graduates this May!