Back on Track

Well, we returned from our Maine vacation two weeks ago, and I am just starting to get back in the flow. The challenge is that my flow is ever ebbing. Amy got a new job more closely related to her field of choice and education. She started training on Friday. What does this mean for me? A mixture of emotions is the simplest answer.

I have been struggling with defining my boundaries and putting them in place. I am such a giver...to a fault, really. My good friend, Barb, is now going to be caring for two of my grandchildren part-time. This benefits all of us. What a blessing! It has been tough for me to tell the girls that I just cannot babysit full-time. It really is too much.

The younger kids, our unschoolers, are getting ready to start new fall schedules. They will be taking classes through OHG and the local community college as well as getting involved in other extra curricular type activities. I have to be more available to them. I need to be involved and active in their education. In order to do this I have to limit my commitment with the grandchildren. It is just impossible to do both.

Another way that I have been blessed in this process is to have another good friend make herself available to clean for me bi-weekly. This is truly something that has been lost in the name of "Women's Lib". In my personal belief it is essential for women to rely on each other. We need to be able to count on one another if for no other reason than to maintain our personal health and sanity.

As is likely most evident I am desperately trying to establish a healthy flow for our lives. Why is it most difficult to make time for ourselves? Time spent in pursuit of my interests is all but nonexistent. I have joined the Imagination tribe in a desperate attempt to gain some of myself back. I am excited about the projects that I signed up to participate in. I have been reading about blogging in order to learn how to make this specific project more appealing to others. I have big plans for this space. I just need to learn a little more in order to make it happen. I also plan to create a family scrapbook, finish my first crochet project, start volunteering at a local shelter, and take on an element of OHG. There is plenty to do. I just need to participate in my life.