What ELSE can go wrong?

So I posted yesterday morning for the first time after a long hiatus.  Then the world went insane.  Not for the blog, but everything else.  Super highs (asked to write an article for an art magazine!  Society6 including two of my works in their store!  Shameless plug: society6.com/jowoso) to super lows.  The lows being an emergency vet visit for two animals, one of which is our beloved dog, Simon, who is almost 12.  Going to the vet was bad enough, but Simon is having liver problems, not the Lyme disease I suspected.  We're talking major care issues that will probably not end well.

All this to say that after all that, and after watching CNN student news (excellent resource, btw) and doing spelling, the kids took on their math themselves, and I went food shopping in the evening.  I don't know if it was the fibro or if anyone would feel this way, but I was in the store in a daze trying to think of what we needed.  And I stopped at one point.

Was I being fair?  Fair to myself in this moment?  After such a day, shouldn't I let myself of  the hook just a little?  So next time you are feeling overwhelmed, take a moment.  Take a breath.  Then take stock.  Are you legitimately dealing with a hard day?  Do you need to cut yourself some slack?  Just get the milk and eggs, and remember that tomorrow is another day.  Sometimes the bigger details can wait.

It's been quite a while since I posted on this blog.  Yet, I still see some people checking in.  I can only assume that this means there are a fair number of people looking for support in homeschooling with Fibromyalgia.

It is not an easy thing to do.  There is constant worry, and that has only increased since we've hit the teen years.  On the other hand, our area seems to be rife with opportunities for teens to do things outside the home, and that is our mainstay.  And if there isn't that sort of opportunity, you may have to make it yourself.  When we got to the tweens, there weren't many things for that age group.  I actually approached our librarian and asked her to start a tween program.  I made suggestions, like Reader's Theater, and she ran with it.  Three years later, she's coming up with all kinds of programs for tweens on her own that the kids love.  Don't be afraid to engage the librarians!  In our area, we have many smaller libraries, so if one doesn't suit our needs, we can go to another quite easily.

Facebook has been an invaluable resource.  I can find out everything that is going on without having to spend time on the phone or looking at multiple resources.  I also connect to other parents, get suggestions for things like Homeschooling with Tedtalks, or with Netflix, as well as my local homeschool groups.

These things in themselves help me to be more effective, and use my energy more wisely and where it's needed more.  That's the main trick, is to find where you can divvy out the energy-sapping activities, and keep your own energy for those things you deem most important.