as most of you may recall, i had grand hopes of putting together an el conference this past august in TN. clearly, this did not happen. life after (el) kids has proved vastly different than life before kids, and so whereas before it would have been done in my sleep, it was just too much for my now often-interrupted nights, without additional support. that said, not having the conference has left me disheartened and with a nagging desire to still get together!
So, I would like to survey you all and find out if anyone wants to come on out to our neck of the woods - VA. And if so, when would be most convenient?
I have two proposals, both of which should be before the summer, in hopes that i can drag fellow locals, MelaBala and TeachingMyToddlers, to join in the fun before travel schedules get too bogged down (feel free to edit that line 
). So here are the suggested options:
- in northern va. we could take the kids to dc and visit the smithsonian (they can touch bugs, see tons of stuff, and/or even visit the zoo - not like you guys don’t have a zoo, i’m sure, but something fun, still, for the kiddos).
- educational, fun and ‘dc - ooh ahh’
- in hampton roads, va (think williamsburg, va). if it’s when busch gardens is closed, we can get together at great wolf lodge, but if bg is open, then we can take the kids there - they have a wonderful selection of rides for walkers on up. plus, there are fun beaches, playgrounds, etc.
- fun for the family - bg woo hoo
- close to college of william & mary’s center for gifted education (if it interests you at all … they are known for putting out a lot of information and curricula. they have a hotel and meeting space. my thought is that they may be willing to host, if we need it.
i don’t want to deal with the production of advertising to ‘strangers’ right now. I envision this being more close-knit and informal. aside from finally meeting and chatting in person, my goal is also to get our kids together! if possible, i would even like to see some sort of annual get-together occur so that our kiddos can start getting used to one another and forming great friendships (kinda like i have with my cousins who i only see at annual or so family reunions). depending on replies, i don’t have any problem organizing a formal meeting place, and maybe even a speaker or two, i just don’t want to put the cart before the horse right now, without knowing who all is coming. of course, i’m not opposed to it growing, i just want to put feelers out and see who’s interested, and then see what it turns into 