February 9, 2012, 7:00 p.m.  Arrowbrook Baptist Church (see sidebar for map)

Beat the February blahs with a little travel – without the hassle!
Come to this month’s PEACH meeting and take in the sights, sounds, and smells of over 10 different countries – presented by our PEACH families. School-aged children in attendance will receive a passport (supplies limited) and will be able to have their “passport” stamped as they visit the various tables.
All attendees may participate in a scavenger hunt among the exhibits.

Jennifer Beck

January 12, 2012, 7:00 p.m.

She will be encouraging us with “I Once Threw a Chair” and Other True Tales of Successful Homeschooling along with a short discussion on how to occupy preschoolers. Come out, fellowship and be encouraged. “I Once Threw A Chair” and Other True Tales of Successful Homeschooling: Remembering that day, many years ago, when Jennifer Beck found herself at the point of utter frustration, is just another opportunity for this homeschool mom to praise God. It is true; she really threw a chair. She knew it was a better option than throwing a child. But she’s happy to announce that she never threw another chair (and she never threw a child!) Come to this meeting and learn you are not alone with your feelings of frustration, lack of control and sometimes, the desire to quit. Hear stories of homeschool moms from all across the country and be reminded that God can pick you up from every stumble and make you an even stronger vessel for Him.

Jennifer Beck is one of the many who never considered homeschooling as on option. She was busily focusing on her rising career as a television news anchor when it was time for her children to enter school. Off they went to private education, and off she went to work. But without even realizing it, God decided to infiltrate homeschooling into Jennifer’s career life. After working with a college intern who had been homeschooled, she found herself repeatedly reporting on stories of homeschoolers winning national competitions, and then attending public events that were, interestingly, filled with homeschoolers. Considering it all a message from God, Jennifer said good bye to her rising stardom and potential fortune as a news anchor and said yes to something she did not know if she could successfully do: teach her children at home. It was one of the most important decisions she has ever made. In fall of 2011, Jennifer and her husband, Dan, began their 11th year homeschooling. They are strong advocates of home education from birth all the way to graduation, but are sensitive to the individual needs and direction that God gives to each family. Jennifer’s ultimate goal is to see young people grow to become valiant tools whose top desires are to further God’s kingdom.

The doors open at 6:45 p.m. Come join us at Arrowbrook Baptist Church in Xenia.

Please join us this Thursday, December 8, 2011 beginning at 7 PM for the  Children’s Craft Sale.  The children have been busy making their crafts and  goods to sell, so please come out to show your support.  You do not need to  be a member to shop at the sale so feel free to invite friends and  neighbors.

For those selling here are some tips:
Table set  up time is at 6:45 PM.
Low-priced items of  one or two dollars sell best.
Please bring change  for your customers.
You may decorate your  table with a tablecloth and sign if desired.
Greet your customers  and be ready to tell them about the items you have
for sale.

Click here for a map of the PEACH meeting location.

Becky Cooke will be our speaker for our November 10 PEACH meeting. She will be speaking on the following topics:

• “High School Transcript Clinic—Practical Tips and Helps”
• “You Can Homeschool High School … If You Can Make It through Tomorrow!”

Please come out to hear this encouraging talk.  Even if your children are not in high school yet, you will walk away with something that will help your homeschooling right now!

Also, come take advantage of HSLDA’s special conference discounts!

• If you join or renew your membership at the conference for one year, you’ll receive $10 off your membership (at the conference only).
• If you join or renew at the conference for two years, you can choose between either $25 off your membership (at the conference only) or receive one of our new Drive Thru History DVDs (Columbus and the Pilgrims to the Freedom Trail or Cities, Soldiers, and Battlegrounds of the Revolutionary America) for free.

Additionally, if you bring someone to the HSLDA table who joins at the conference, we’ll give you another $10 coupon for your recommendation—which you can apply toward membership (at the conference only) or HSLDA products.

Please note that these offers are only valid at the conference.

Hope to see you there! Doors open 6:45 p.m. 

Join us October 13, 2011 at 7pm (doors open at 6:45) for our monthly meeting. This month we will welcome Kathie Morrissey, founder of Courtship Connection/Character Corner. She will be speaking on: Training Character Into Your Children. Character is the most important fruit that parents can nurture in their children, and is the foundation for academic learning. Discover how character is learned and how to establish a plan for teaching it to your children. Kathie will give several creative ways you can encourage your children to develop in this important area. After hearing this, you will be motivated, and full of ideas to use with your own children. Don’t forget that the doors open at 6:45! Stop by the membership table to sign in and then head down to the Fellowship Hall for Field trip and CareGroup Sign-ups!! Hope to see you all there!

Our August PEACH meeting was both informational and encouraging. The notification portion of the meeting was good as we were reminded of how to fill out the forms.  And then Maurice and I shared a little about PEACH as an organization and homeschooling in general.  I also mentioned the resource Tell Your Time that I’d read over the summer. It is a quick read and very practical.  This short e-book gave me guidance on how to set my priorities and make a schedule that {gasp} will work! The author does not leave out how much self discipline plays a roll in getting a schedule to work. Self discipline…easy to type…hard to do.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, September 8 and will feature Dari Mullins as our speaker. Dari is the co-author of Galloping the Globe and Cantering the Country and she will be speaking on How to have S.U.C.C.E.S.S. in our homeschool.  In our little homeschool, we spent the last two years galloping and this year, we are cantering! I’m really looking forward to meeting Dari and hearing her speak.

As we attempt to post more often here on the PEACH blog, be sure to leave us comments! Let us know you are here and how your year is going. 

September 8, 2011, 7:00 p.m.

Do you feel like you are ever striving for success and yet never obtaining it? Sometimes we need to stop and analyze our definition of success. Are we defining success by others’ standards or by God’s standards? Every year of homeschooling, presents different circumstances and challenges.

Come join us for our September 8, 2011 PEACH Meeting as we discuss a method to ensure success every year, no matter what we face. Our speaker is Dari Mullins*, co-author of Galloping the Globe and Cantering the Country. She will focus on the broad heart issues which build the foundation for continued success, regardless of curriculum choice, ages of children, or number of years you have been homeschooling. Dari will encourage you to build your foundation of success on Truth, as well as give you concrete suggestions to implement in your homeschool.

In addition to our speaker, we will have sign ups for activities, field trips and CareGroups. Look for information about these opportunities in the September newsletter (due out the first week of September.) Also, you can find a list of all our upcoming meetings here.  Please plan to join fellow homeschoolers for these evenings of fellowship, encouragement and support.

*Speaker bio: *Dari Mullins began researching homeschooling in 1995. She and her husband, Allen, have taught their 3 children at home since the oldest started kindergarten in 1997. They live in Asheville, NC where Dari teaches co-op classes and stays active with the local community.  She is currently working for Bright Ideas Press, publishers of Mystery of History and other great titles, as the project manager for their new all-inclusive curriculum, Illuminations. She stays busy speaking for various homeschool support groups, conferences and conventions throughout the United States. 

Thursday, August 11, 2011 6:30 p.m.

Arrowbrook Baptist Church, Xenia

Welcome to PEACH for the 2011–2012 Year! Please join us for our
useful notification meeting by PEACH Member, Elaine Dobney. Every
year Elaine does a great job explaining the notification procedures for
Ohio as well as answering questions. Maurice and Heather Lee will
follow Elaine with an encouraging message. The evening will wrap up
with a time of fellowship and light refreshments. Here’s a look at the
evening’s schedule (note the earlier starting time):
6:15pm –Doors open
6:30 –Elaine Dobney and Notification
approximately 7:15 –Maurice and Heather Lee
approximately 8pm –Fellowship and Refreshments

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.  Hope to see you there!

What a fantastic year! We are thankful for the great meetings we had, along with the activities, care groups and other PEACH happenings.  In July we take a break and our first meeting of the 2011-2012 year will be Thursday, August 11, 2011, 7-9 p.m.

The meeting will feature Elaine, our notification consultant as well as an encouragement talk to get us ready to tackle another year of homeschooling. After the speakers, we will have a cookie fellowship and we hope all of you will stay around to meet and greet others.

If you are new to the area or new to homeschooling, please browse our website for more information. Current members will receive membership renewals mid-July.  Those requesting membership, please click here for more information.

It is our prayer that we can provide information and encouragement to you and that above all, we will glorify the Lord in all we are, say and do.

See you in August!

Thursday June 9, 2011 7-9 p.m.

Please join us for our annual Used Curriculum Sale at Arrowbrook Baptist Church, 1124 Upper Bellbrook Road, Xenia. Anyone is welcome to come shop, however only PEACH members can register to sell. Read the disclaimer below and then click on the “register here” button at the bottom.

Hope to see you all there!