I have yet to get it right

I've been pretty independent since I was a toddler. I remember mom telling me the story of how I got on my Red Flyer tricycle while she was napping. She woke to a quiet house. No April. She ran outside and heard the squeak of the trike as I peddled down the busy farm road. Where was I off to? Well, to get mom Pepsi and doughnuts from the little Belle Union store.
I was generally a quiet child. I was called shy. I wasn't shy. I had severe anxiety. It was crippling at times. Around close family and friends though, I was at ease. My true self shone. Shined? I'm too tired to look that up. Since I was small I've been called sassy, bossy,snarky. Yes, that's me. I still have anxiety, but it has lessened as I get older. Oh, I still have some panic episodes where I feel paralyzed. It's still hard to make a phone call sometimes. I am mostly alright though.
Now back to the independence thing. I've always been headstrong. I do what I want, when I want. I am polite, responsible, kind, etc. But I have a mouth. I'm not sure where I got it. I'm one of a kind in my family. I've embarrassed my dad on more than one occasion. But he also knows I'm his go-to person for dealing with business phone calls for him- I can put on That Telephone Voice and get the job done. Making HIS phone calls aren't a problem- it's making my own that cause so much anxiety.
I take care of my children, my house, either do maintenance work myself or hire someone, take care of the car, pay bills- I do it all. By myself. Without complaint.
I have a fault though. It contradicts my independence. My heart is so big. When it falls in love, it falls in love big time. It can't be stopped. I have actually said the words Oh Shit *to myself* upon falling. My head knows better. It knows I shouldn't. But my heart says with a sniff Go Bugger Off Stupid Head.
It isn't that I NEED someone in my life. I am not a desperate woman. I have never been out Looking for Love. And really, I haven't fallen in love that many times.
I have yet to get it right.
I won't be with someone who I am not in love with. Clearly.
And even when I have been with someone, really, I have always been so alone.
Underneath all the independence. All the badassery I radiate. I am just me. And just me wants to be in love with someone who is so much in love with me. Someone who is real. Just as real as I am. And honest. Who's tough like I am, and gentle too. Who sees me for who I am and loves all of me. Who loves my children and treats them like they are his own because they are a part of me, not because they need a father. They already have a father.
I have yet to fall in love with the person who will match my radiance, joy, excitement, madness.
#ihaveyettogetitright #stupidheart #love #independent

amazon prime is my best friend

When you're up at 11:00 ordering math and language arts workbooks, you know you have become a homeschool mom.My homeschooling journey with Emma has just begun. We are still in the experimental stage, and we're trying out all sorts of things. The best part is, it doesn't HAVE to feel like school. We don't start her lessons at a specific time of day. It is whatever works for us, and each day varies. I do make sure to do some kind of lesson on the same days Noah has school. I have learned to keep track of her hours and to document her scores. She does a fantastic job of verbally answering questions about books. We are spending some time reviewing math because I don't think she fully understood some of it towards the end of last semester at school.
The most difficult part for me is juggling work and Noah, and Emma and teaching, along with speech, occupational therapy, much-needed Zumba for us twice a week at school.
Everything is currently trial and error. We do our best.

Something new

Our family is on its newest journey. Officially we started it 3 whole weeks ago, but with Christmas break interrupting it, tomorrow will mark the first day of actual homeschooling for Emma. Although we are still in a transitional period and in a period of deschooling until I get her curriculum going, we are doing worksheets in the meantime until we can get a rhythm going and establish our days better.
It is my hope to put her back in public school at some point down the road, but right now this seems to make the most sense for us.
Thank you for reading, for following along in our lives. I often can feel your warm, uplifting thoughts.
I do not post as much about my daughter these days. She is 12 now. I respect her privacy.
You know me, dear readers, if I do not write then I die inside. So I'll keep writing, and I'll quash the darkness that comes when I don't get my words out. ❤✍