Calling all Texas & Surrounding Area Homeschool Bloggers!

*Post updated July 2016 for the Woodlands Convention!*

This will be my sixth year of taking photos at the Texas Home School Coalition Conventions in Texas, and I am still in love with the job. I also am in love with all the staff at THSC and the people I meet at their conferences. It is so wonderful to see all the new families joining the homeschooling ranks and watch their wonder during the conference sessions and add-on events. If you’ve never been to a THSC Convention, you are missing out!

This year THSC is doing a little something different. They have been around since the 1980’s, so it is about time they finally catch up with the digital times. For 2016, they are bringing on a team of social-media and blogging experts (or at least blogging fanatics, if not experts – like yours-truly) and are interested in reaching out to the Texas and surrounding states for interested homeschool bloggin’ mamas to spread the word about their conferences.

THSC is calling their social media sleuth blogger group the VIP Blog Team. I love it. { If only they were a fly on the wall in my crazy homeschool house. } There are five of us who are here to host your blogging event at the convention and make sure they roll out the red carpet for all of you and to help advise them of the way blogger psychology works.

It can’t hurt if we all help them sparkle a little on their social media accounts, too.

Introducing our little group of online Texas homeschool mama bloggers:

1. Heather of Sprittibee (I linked my photography website for you since you obviously already are here at the blog!)

2. Lana of iLoveMy5Kids

3. Jasmine of Ponder the Path

4. Esther of Laugh With Us

5. Betsy of Family Style Schooling

… and introducing the social media mavens joining our team:

6. Lisa of

7. Bobbie of

We’re all just crazy homeschool mamas like you!

Do you already attend the THSC Convention in Arlington (DFW area) or the THSC Convention in The Woodlands (Houston area)? Well, that’s awesome because there’s nothing for you to do but show up and be lavished with some snacks, homeschool-blogger-understanding, and a hefty ticket price discount.

Have you never been to a homeschool conference before but are intrigued by these words on the screen? Well, keep reading, because here’s what’s in it for you – they are very generous!

They plan to give every homeschool blogger that comes to their conventions this year the following:

1. 50$ off to use towards admission, children’s programs or the extra events at the conference!

2. A chance to network IRL (in-real-life) with other local bloggers (and snacks) if you attend the Homeschool Blogger Special Fellowship hour from 2:30-3:30 PM Central on Saturday.

3. A chance to have your blog listed on the Texas (or friends of Texas) homeschool blogroll on their website just for showing up at the Saturday social and coming to the convention.

4. Promotion of your blog posts if you are listed on the blogroll and inclusion on a special THSC Homeschool Blogger facebook page where you can do some online networking with all the ladies you met in real life at THSC this year! That means you’ll have ongoing friendships and promotion of your material long after the conference is over!

Here’s all they ask you to do if you want to get involved:

1. Snag one of the buttons on this page (or go copy the code on their own site – once they have their blogger page up and running!) and place it in your blog’s sidebar until after the conferences are both over for 2016. You can link these buttons to the following website url:

http://www.thsc.org/events/texas-home-school-conventions/

Here are the buttons. To download, just right click and select download image. Then upload it to your own WordPress or blog image hosting service for you to place in your sidebar and blog posts along with the link above. If you have any questions or need to know how to resize them with a quick html cheat, feel free to email me!

2. Go register for the conference of your choice (either Arlington or The Woodlands) with the homeschool blogger 20% off code: BLOGGER2016

3. Set the date on your calender with a reminder to be at the Homeschool Blogger Special Fellowship at 2:30-3:30PM Saturday, July 23rd

4. Fill out this THSC Homeschool Blogger Google form AFTER you register so we can add you to the THSC Facebook blogger group and their Texas (or surrounding state) homeschool blogroll on the THSC website!

5. Use these hashtags (at least one or two per post, alternated) with your social media shares so we can follow you online and share your posts: #THSCConvention, #THSCKnowsTX, #THSC

That’s it. All you have to do after that is show up and bring your business cards and a smile to share with all of us homeschool bloggin’ mamas who want to meet you IRL!

And just in case you don’t know much about the Texas Home School Coalition or their conferences, here are some quick facts that you’ll want to brush up on before you make your decision:

WHAT IS THSC?

Click over to the history of THSC page at their website and read about why THSC was started and how it has evolved.

WHY SHOULD YOU BE A PAYING MEMBER OF THSC?

If every homeschooler in Texas joined THSC and paid their dues, just imagine how much they could do to protect our parental rights and homeschooling freedoms in this state! Not only are they a watchdog organization who actively fights for us on a daily basis, but they also vet political candidates and shares their endorsements during elections – making it easier for us to know who is on the level before casting our votes. Aside from their amazing home school conferences which bring in some of the best home school vendors and great minds to help equip parents to teach their kids the best way possible … they also offer practical freebies like:

• Free legal assistance and advocacy in Texas with problems related to home education
• Access to a THSC members-only CPS hotline, with direct access to attorney consultation in the event of an emergency
• FREE adult registration to both THSC Conventions: Arlington and The Woodlands
• Digital copy of the Texas Home School Handbook and Lone Star Study
• Student and teacher photo ID cards
• Instant customized diplomas
• Grade school report card template
• High school transcript template
• Discounts from select home school providers
• Special needs consultant and support
• Knowledgeable home school staff available to support you by phone or online

Are you not a member yet? Want to join? Click over to their Join THSC page.

WHAT ARE THE THSC CONFERENCES LIKE AND WHY SHOULD YOU GO?

I never thought you would ask! Check out last year’s recap post that I wrote after photographing the conference:

https://sprittibee.com/2015/06/are-texas-home-school-conventions-for-you.html

Do YOU know of some other fancy-pants homeschool bloggin’ mamas who are definitely going to be at The Woodlands? Leave their name, blog link, and blog title in the comments! I would love to follow them before we get there. I’d also love to follow you – so please let me know if you plan to come!

Hurry, though, because we are less than two weeks out from convention.

You aren’t a blogger but you read blogs? Well, we want you at the conference, too! Come up and say hi! None of us bite.

Still haven’t made up your mind?

I’m going to be doing head shots at THSC also. How’s that for sweetening the pot?!!! If you need a headshot for your blog, I’d be honored to take one for you and give it to you free of charge. Just let me know when you email me for #4 above that you need a headshot also. I can’t wait to meet you, and I hope you’ll join us in bringing THSC into the digital age!

See you in a few days!