Why No NaBloPoMo?

Well if there's one thing I know, it's that I am not a consistent blogger. Part of the reason I've been so bad about it this month is that Jason and I have been making very big, very difficult decisions. I think getting away really helped us gain some perspective and clarity, and I see many changes on the horizon as a result of our time to think.

One of the first changes that we'll be making is that our family is going to return to homeschooling. Our circumstances are very different now than they were when we enrolled the kids in school, and I believe some of our limitations from before are more manageable now.

We tried a different school this year, and it truly was a better fit for our family. I was hopeful that it would be the answer I was hoping for--trying to talk myself out of returning to homeschooling in fact. However, school has inherent limitations and I miss watching the kids discover the world, the kids miss having time to pursue their passions, and we are eager to return to the lifestyle we once chose very conscientiously. Because of their ages and some additions to the community, there are opportunities for them that weren't here before, so that will make the experience fuller and more manageable for me.

As a result of returning to homeschooling, I will move my practice to my home. Though the boys will be otherwise engaged on appointment days, it will greatly simplify things to have our space consolidated.

Finally, we are considering moving to a bigger house, but that is the most up-in-the-air change on the horizon. It is mostly contingent on our ability to find someone for our current house. This one may or may not come to fruition, but if it does, we will be adding a move to our chaos. If not, the man cave once again becomes my office. In any case, we'll embrace the upcoming year with a new focus and dedication.

Lessons Learned from My Time Away

This weekend was really the first chance to step away from my life that I've had in awhile. Jason and I had some great conversations and I had some important realizations. A few of these are:

- We have to step away more often than we do. A couple's weekend once every 13 or 14 years is not okay. We have time at home sans kids, but that's not the same. We need to get away from our daily responsibilities more frequently. This may mean changing the way I practice or having a different sort of practice, but I will run myself into the ground if I put myself and my marriage last all the time.

- I have to take more time for self-care. My hours are varied, but they can be long and physical. The stress to my body is apparent, and it's not going to get any better if I don't compensate with regular massage and chiropractic care and attention to exercise and nutrition.

- I have to remember to find the joy with the boys. I spend so much of my time as the taskmaster, barking and nagging. It's not fun, and it's easy to forget where the focus needs to remain. I am growing men, here.

- Our family goal should be finding a place to go and unwind. Santa Fe was lovely, and amazing, but stepping away to decompress can be done a lot cheaper and a lot closer to home.

I had some other realizations that I can't share here, but suffice it to say that the simple act of stepping back gave me some much needed perspective.

Staying In

We'd had plans to paint Santa Fe red tonight, but Jason's under the weather.  Luckily I found a yarn shop today. This scrumptious yarn was 50% off, so I'm knitting up my favorite baby girl hat pattern. You simply cast on four times your intended number of stitches,  knit a round, k2tog for the next round, knit a round, k2tog for the next round,  then proceed to knit as usual. Keep the top flattish. I may embellish with a crocheted flower in the end. We'll see where the hat leads me.

Santa Fe

Jason and I plan to do a lot of this over the weekend. We've not had a couples only vacation since having kids. Thirteen years ago. Yup. Thank God for brave in-laws who love my crazy clan.

Dia de los Muertos

Tonight was the Day of the Dead celebration at our school.



The altar was amazing, taking up the whole stage. Notice Cobain, Joplin, and Hendrix.



The older boys got into the spirit. Quinn did his face painting, and I did Liam's. Liam won a drawing for Mexican bread from our new neighborhood bakery since he was dressed up.



There was music and a presentation at the cemetery, which we processed to from the school.



A highlight was the giant skeleton puppet.



Back to the school for performances and dancing.

A good time was had by all!

The Plague

The plague has struck our home. Stomach flu. Blech. Quinn and I were hit hardest, Liam had a mild case, and Rhys and Jason are unscathed so far. I am hoping they stay that way, since Jason and I have fun weekend plans...

So, my big plans for daily blogging in November didn't go as planned. You can't blog when you can't get away from the toilet.

NaBloPoMo

Well, I have decided to join NaBloPoMo--National Blog Post Month, mostly because I have no desire to write a novel this month, and I can't find a non-fiction writers' event. I really need to get started writing my book, but haven't found the motivation. So, my thought is that if I get into some sort of writing habit, that will come together.

I've also had a really difficult couple of months, and my hope is the daily habit of writing will make me somewhat more mindful of taking more time for myself as well.

Additionally, I have been a horrible photographer lately. When I blog, I find that I capture more in pictures than I otherwise do.

So, there ya go. I guess I'll be back tomorrow!

Liam doing his homework.


Liam resisting the paparazzi.