The VaHomschoolers 2007 Conference or "How I Spent My Mommy's Day Out In Richmond"

Last weekend I went to my first ever homeschooling convention, and it was a blast! There was so much good stuff going on, that my friend, The Kitchen Diva, and I didn't actually get to see everything we wanted.

We arrived a little late on Friday, having taken a right at Albuquerque when we definitely should have gone left. Check in was no problem and the hotel was clean and quiet.

We went out to dinner and then, like the diligent homeschooling moms we are, we reserved tickets for the IMAX showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Once we knew we were getting to see Harry and friends on the largest screen in Richmond, we toured the booths of the various providers who had set up in the front hall and atrium of the Richmond Science Museum. There were several booths that impressed me. All of them were interesting, but I'm just going to give the highlights here:

Fun Books, a bookstore from up near Baltimore had a great selection of books and software for homeschooling. Most importantly for me, they had Rosetta Stone's Homeschool Japanese I on SALE!!! Wheee! That was definitely my biggest purchase.

DNA Depot had really cool science kits that allow kids to explore everything from fruit DNA to the effects of pollution on sea babies. I will definitely be looking into those next year.

And the booth that I probably spent had the longest conversation at was the one forCollege Solutions. Being financially strapped, right now, had me thinking hard about what I'm going to do to pay for The Girl's college. Really, there are only seven or eight years to go! (watch as I try not to panic).

College Solutions acts as rent-a-guidance counselors, helping parents to navigate financial aide applications, finding scholarships, and even helping students prepare for the change in living away from home. Karen and Julie, the ladies behind the company, were friendly and impressed me with their understanding of homeschoolers' needs and strengths.

But it was Friday night, and at 7:00 PM I turned into a Harry Potter Fan and didn't think of college finances again until the next day!

Next time: More booths, Presentations, and Earning opportunities that allowed me to take parts of the convention off as a business expense.

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