Life has been getting in the way! Summer is such a wonderful season, and I’ve got to admit I have just plain been having fun. But, the past few months have been big ones in terms of life change, and growth, too. I figure it’s time for me to record these things, and, so, here it goes.
As the year has progressed a few priorities have come to light for me.
- To be a stay-at-home mom. Learning and living with my kids, daily.
- To be a homeschooler. An extension of the first.
- To explore creative options for work, and to continue to use my expertise, while stretching myself.
- To spend more time outside.
To this end:
- The kids and I have been playing outside almost every day. The wonderful therapy of sunny (or overcast) summer days, woodland walks, exploring and bike riding has been, well, wonderful. (An exciting side benefit has been all of the new photographs I’ve been inspired to take while breathing it all in).
- I resigned from my full-time job, instead working on call every once in awhile. I still get to be a librarian, and I get to appreciate being at work, because I don’t resent the fact that it is taking me away from my children everyday.
- I have embraced the idea of homeschooling, and have been doing tons of reading, research, and learning with my kids.
- I have started a brand new form of work: The Homeschool Co-op. Combining my expertise as a librarian (research, writing, reader’s advisory skills), and my passion for homeschooling, I have started a brand new business. In essence, it’s an online homeschool co-op: a place for people to share their passions & expertise with one another. It’s part blog, part social network, part resource sharing & book recommendation, and a large part heart.
If your interest is homeschooling – check it out (www.thehomeschoolcoop.com). I’d love to have you join our community.
This entire year has truly been a process of growth, rediscovery and refinement.
When I stopped to consider why I started Middlemusing, and what I’d like to continue using it for, I realized something. I started this place for myself. A place to record my personal growth and acheivement. Although my children often overlap with this, Middlemusing is not solely about them. Nor only about my family.
So, I have also started another blog, seaandforest.com. If you want to check out my family’s home learning journey, follow us here. It’s in its infancy, but I’ll be tracking our progress together and sharing our discoveries. As for my own personal journey (literary, creativity, goals) I’ll continue to be charting it here. So (breathe a sigh of relief if you like), those of you who aren’t so interested, don’t have to hear about my kids all the time (just sometimes).
Many thanks for reading, and here’s to an invigorating fall (always a season of new beginnings for me, but that’s the subject of another post).
If you’ve had any major (or minor) life changing decisions of late, I’d love to hear about them.
Hi! I’m Kelly Woods, writer, mother & librarian. I write about beauty, creativity, green living and lifestyle design to help others live a life of inspiration, too.
Great post. It’s fun to see a plan take shape and come into focus isn’t it? Good luck on the home schooling adventure. We’ve been blessed to have my wife, as a school teacher, be able to allow them the basic education at public school and her supplement that knowledge here at home. I look forward to your future musings about the invigorating fall season and its new beginnings. I recently married these two topics inn my last post!
Oh, I’ll read it for inspiration. I have such respect for teachers. They have so much knowledge, and such a hard job!
Congratulations on making many positive changes!
Thanks! It feels frightening and good all at once.