You can tell by the look in their eyes. It’s that “deer in the headlights” look coupled with the “my baby kept me up all night” look, with a touch of the “worried my kid will never learn” look for good measure. They come to our booth year after year, browsing our curriculum in a kind of haze. “First conference?” I ask some of them. They always answer, “How could you tell?” Truly, after eighteen years of going to homeschool conventions, I just know. In case that poor mom is you, let me share a few things I’ve learned over the years.

I have been attending home education conventions since 1991, first as a homeschool mom and then as a speaker and finally as an exhibitor. My husband and I have also helped organize and run our state homeschool conference in years past, so I have seen conventions from almost every possible angle. I’ll share with you my best tips and also some great ideas from “real moms” I interviewed for this article.

Amy Pak, the creator of wonderful timeline figures (http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/) talks about the need to refuel for her homeschooling journey. She says: “I go to conferences like a dry sponge, looking to absorb as much motivation as I can. With four children, there are always trials to go through in our homeschool, and I am interested to hear how others solved their problems and kept their eye on the prize.

“Like a run-down battery, I need recharging and refocusing, because inevitably by the end of the school year I can get a bit hazy about ‘why’ we did this in the first place. I can read Deuteronomy 6 until I’m blue in the face, but sometimes just an encouraging talk can clear the fog and remind me of my purpose once more. There is always something new to hear, and even something old that needs to be heard again.”