WAIT ... It's December?

I popped onto my blog this morning to hunt down a resource for a friend when I noticed that I had not posted since OCT!!! In the six years that I have been doing this, it is the one and only time that I have NOT posted for an ENTIRE month!!! That seems really bizarre to me! Yet, it is rather poignant of the status of my life - beyond hectic and shifting in a myriad of ways that I had not anticipated.

I have been rather quiet about the changes going on as they are not fully related to the main topic of home education which I try to stay focused on here, but at the same time learning is part of life and we are constantly learning from life, so as things shift we must also shift our perspective and reevaluate our priorities.

Since KM has completed her "formal" lessons and is basically making up for all the "summer vacations" she has not taken over the last few years, we have been focusing on her getting her license and taking a more responsible role within our newly single parent household. I have been working more hours and trying to get a lot of projects that were left unfinished around the property completed, which has left her to take on a lot of the regular household tasks. Although she is usually pretty good about getting things done, I do still need to make her a list and when something is NOT on the list ~~ even if it is staring her RIGHT IN THE FACE ~~ it will not get done, but we are working on this! Once we get a grip on these two things, KM can start looking for a job and applying to schools.

It feels a bit ironic that we are both arriving at a pivotal point in our lives where we need to figure out what path we want to take. My daughter is quickly coming to the point at which I became a mother, diverging from the course I thought my life was going to take and starting a multitude of shifts that have led me almost full circle to where I stood 17 years ago --- single, overwhelmed and unsure of what I want to be when I grow up! I am definitely not the same impulsive, reckless, irresponsible, foolhardy 18 year old I was then ~~~ in fact most people who know me now would be SHOCKED to hear those words connected to me in any way!!! ~~~ but I am a bit lost. Having your reality altered and identity that you have held onto for more than half your life abruptly and completely ripped away from you will do that to a person.

So I am starting to make changes. I am starting to focus a bit more on me. I am realizing that the strengths that I have always had are even stronger than I realized they could be. I am learning that independence is empowering, but asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of. My daughter is learning that making the right choices isn't always easy and even when you have to make sacrifices, those resignations strengthen your character. These are life lessons that she will hold in her heart forever.

As we continue to shift, I don't know for certain what will happen here with my blog. Of course I will be leaving all the archives, resources and links open, however I cannot guarantee that I will be keeping them as up to date as I have in the past. Please continue to check back in and send people along as there really is an incredible collection of free and extremely affordable resources, along with a lot of insight, suggestions and tricks of the trade within this corner of the webosphere.