Why blogging? What's the purpose?

Today I talked to my youngest about how I will be taping an episode of The Homeschool Loft's podcast "The Homeschool loftcast". Tomorrow we are recording, I do not know precisely when the podcast will drop on all the major podcasting streaming options. 

Talking about the podcast, watching some Pioneer Woman, and mentioning to my youngest that I followed Pioneer Woman and read her blog before she became famous because she homeschooled and was blogging about homeschooling -- made my youngest say something like: Well that could be you? Why are you not on TV? 

You see she remembers my blogging, she remembers how I had a good size following, how I had companies regularly have me test their products. She remembers how our homeschooling besides the regular stuff we used was filled with other things that mom got for free and had to blog about! Much of it she remembers with fondness and how she enjoyed some of the products! She asked what happened? Why didn't I stop blogging?

Truth is I co-launched a local homeschool group with a couple of other homeschool moms and we had to promote the group and did what every other person did at that time, and still does, got on Facebook, and started to promote it. Made a Facebook page, and later made a Facebook group, but with that also came having to make my own profile. That and promoting my group and trying to get the word out there was my downfall to blogging. My time as an active homeschooling mom, and manager of my household was limited. I didn't feel the need to blog about my day, what was going on, and what we were doing in our homeschool because well frankly I was doing it on Facebook with my posts. 

That and one day go by, one week goes by, one month, and then a year or 2 it gets harder and harder to get into it again. You realize the readers you have had have moved on. Your kids have grown. One is no longer homeschooling -- you sent them to the public high school. The other is still at home and continues to homeschool all the way to 12th grade, but as they get older and can voice their opinions they don't want to be the primary focus of your blog, writings, and musings. They wanted some autonomy. 

Thankfully for my kids, I in all my years of blogging never put their names out there. I always mentioned them by nicknames that were just for the blogging world! So my kid's silliness and the funny things I shared are not associated with them on any type of google searches.

My daughter seems to think that I would be "famous" if I continued blogging seeing I started at the golden age! When it was all brand new -- My ideas changed and I toy with wanting to blog again. I think I have lots to share, but I'm torn over what to do and how to do it. 

I did change the name of the blog and the URL some time ago because while I do want to talk about homeschooling from time to time, my kids are grown now 20 and 21, so without actively homeschooling I don't have much to say unless I want to go down memory lane, share what I did do, what worked for us, what didn't work for us. 

Right now with only 2 years post my youngest graduation it's not that different, but as the age gap goes on it will be. I probably would sound like an old lady "back in my day".  When I told my sister I was going to be on the podcast to talk about Illinois homeschool laws she was questioning if I was even relevant seeing my kids are post-school age. She said I assume you are keeping up with the laws? 

Yes, I'm keeping up with the laws. It's only been 2 school years, going on 3 since my youngest graduated and the laws haven't changed. Eventually, the materials I used could be no longer available -- I have seen that happen in my active years and people scrambling to find alternatives. Does anyone remember currclick? landry academy? 

I have struggled with my weight for nearly all of my adult life! So I have thought about blogging about that -- blogging about politics as I see them. I have had this feeling for a long while which is why I changed the blog's name to "Nikki's Thoughts On ... " I figured I had to expand and grow and go beyond just homeschooling. However, seeing I'm not in the habit of blogging it has been a struggle. On one hand, I want to and on the other, I just got to get over the hump of not doing, dust off the keyboard, and get back at it. 

Also seeing I now sell coffee and teas I would like to blog about that from time to time. Or blog about tips for Facebook groups, email management, etc seeing I do have my virtual assistance business too. 

I have thought about multiple blogs for all of that, the Assistance by Nichole website having a blog, a separate one for the weight/foodstuff, and this one for homeschooling, politics, and all the rest, but the truth is I don't want to be pulled in all those directions. -- at least not when it comes to blogging, sharing, and journaling. I don't mind the separate Facebook pages. It's easier there to post things on the dedicated page, but I really don't want to have a million websites up and running -- okay it's not a million, but I really don't want multiple websites like that.  So I think I'm just going to buckle down and make this really be about my thoughts whatever they may be for the day and just go do it!

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Roe vs Wade and all the rest

So my immediate local area has been without an abortion clinic for the last decade. I thought I blogged about it back then, but I couldn't find the post about why it closed down, but I found other posts about the clinic on my old blog.  

10 years ago the clinic shut down because of serious health violations. rusty tools, no way to sterilize tools, no nurse on staff, and just nasty and filthy. The doctor and owner ultimately decided to shut down permanently - The fine was much cheaper if he just shut down vs trying to stay open and fix the violations. 

So for the last 10 years, there has been no clinic here. The nearest one is 70 plus miles away. Yep, that's right, people here have to travel and have been traveling for the last decade 70 plus miles for an abortion. 

I'm sure many of you have seen the maps and Illinois is basically an island and basically the only "abortion friendly" place in the midwest. As a result, not surprisingly, a doctor wants to open up a clinic here. I shouldn't be surprised, but the doctor that wants to open up a clinic is the SAME doctor who owns and operated the nasty, dirty, unsafe place I mentioned above.  Yes -- that doctor wants to open up a new clinic. 

Putting aside my personal views on abortion I'm appalled that anyone would be happy about this particular doctor opening up a new clinic. His track record has shown he's unsafe for women! No nurse, filthy environment, rusty tools, no machine to sterilize equipment, etc. 

There is a local Democratic candidate running for local office and when I pointed that out to her the response I got was that it was basically the fault of the pro-life protestors.  That the protestors make it so good abortionists do not want to work in our area; that the protestors make it too much of a hostile environment.  Yes, it's somehow the fault of the protestors the place this doctor ran was just nasty, filthy, dirty, on the inside. 

I pointed out this doctor's track record to a local liberal who on their TikTok expressed wanting help. They wanted people to gather around the women that want to use this new clinic when it opens (if it opens), to protect them from the pro-life protestors. When I pointed out that I wouldn't use this doctor or any clinic associated with this doctor her response was "that's your choice, but I'm going to help women get access to what is their choice" -- or something to that effect.  Totally disregarding the fact that my concern is how this particular doctor has a horrible track record on keeping a clean, sterile, healthy environment -

These two women are angry and appalled that women (or children) have to travel out of state for care. They are appalled that rights are being taken away, they are angry over all the stories of care being denied, medication being denied, and appointments being canceled, but yet have no anger or disgust for the way this doctor ran his clinic 10 years ago, have no anger and disgust that he may open up a new clinic. 

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Me Too!

I believe the Johnny Depp - Amber Heard trial has shown the dangers of cancel culture. Let's just "cancel" them before we ask questions, learn all the facts, etc.

While I believe victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault should be taken for their word, it needs to be balanced -- we should not just automatically cancel people -- because of what one party says about them.

Mr. Depps and Ms. Heard's relationship was toxic. The toxicity came from both sides, indeed! It's clear, to me, from what I have seen on the trail that neither side is innocent. However, with that said, Ms. Heards testimony does not line up with the evidence that she has presented to the court, thus far.

Not to mention there is a huge difference between donated and pledged. They do not mean the same thing!

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Illinois Homeschool High School Graduation Requirements

It's that time of year when people are either thinking ahead for the next school year or start to question if they have done everything they need to do to meet Graduation Requirements.

Over and over again I see nervous parents start looking for requirements, standards, and it never fails someone pulls up the requirements on ISBE site and thinks it applies to them.

Illinois laws, believe it or not, when it comes to homeschooling are very relaxed and low-key. It can be summed up this way.

Homeschool Benefit: I actually know who are around my kids

My own kids are nearly 20 and 21 now, adulting and doing their own thing and like many parents of young adults, I don't know everyone that my kids interact with. They hold jobs, have co-workers, developing friendships outside of mom's social circle. 

However, when my kids were young all the way up to high school I knew who they were hanging out with, the adults they interacted with, etc. Even if I took them to soccer, swimming, dance, I was there. I saw who they were interacting with even if I didn't know them well. Same with scouts. 

With the kids being adults I have been working. I have my own business doing virtual administrative tasks, Assistance by Nichole. I have been selling responsibly grown coffee and teas, Nikki's Coffee Klatch.  I'm doing okay with those things, it's slow and steady, but I also have taken to working part-time outside the home. I'm working at the local boys and girls club as part of the program staff for the after-school program. 

I have been working there for the last 3 months and today's events brought me to today's thoughts. Hubby and I went out to eat at a local restaurant. I went to the bathroom and on my way back to my table I was being stared down by a little girl. I could see she was trying to figure out where she knew me from or why I was familiar. I said hi to her. This alarmed the parents! They had no clue who I was, I could sense that so I just told them I work at the club. This put the parents at ease and also gave the little girl more time to figure out who I was and she shouted my name with glee because she realized who I was. 

The little girl is 6 maybe 7. I would be rightly concerned if a stranger saw my daughter at a restaurant at that age and knew my child. It's amazing how stating I worked at the club put the parents at ease, but also goes to show how I have interacted with their child for the last 3 months and they have no idea who I am.  This honestly while the cultural norm is very scary. You should know or at least recognize every adult your child has regular, daily, contact with. 

With homeschooling, you know who is interacting with your children!

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Social Distancing, Church, and all the rest

With 2021 coming to a close it's hard for me to believe that I truly haven't been to Church since March 2020. This is hard for me to swallow and realize this has been the case. 

When March 2020 hit my home church first decide to cancel Mass. Then it decided to only allow those that registered and submit to contact tracing. The church decided to share the attendance list with the State. Every bone in my being screamed "NO!" I just couldn't do it. 

Luckily for us, we live on the state border and our neighboring state and churches were not that strict. Yes, wear a mask, but we did not have to register or submit to contact tracing. I went a couple of times, but I still struggled with the mask, only one family to a pew, every other pew, and other social distancing rules.

So I quit going and here we are 18 months later. It's been hard on my marriage, my husband called me an unbeliever, and feels like he's failing as head of the household. It's not just me not going, but our young adult children have fallen away. 

I wish I can say their fallen away was covid related too, but in truth, they had fallen away way before that. We didn't see it, because there were legitimate reasons for missing church, mostly their work schedules, only having one car, etc. For example, they worked Sunday morning, when hubby and I would go, but hubby and I would be out Saturday night -- preventing them from being able to go Sunday evening.  Times were they were not working, they would go with us, were respectful, etc. Looking back I saw it, -- lack of prayer before meals, like of truly participating in Mass, etc -- but I just didn't really want to acknowledge it.

So here we are approaching the end of 2021 and things are not better, in terms of how covid is being handled. In fact, I feel in many ways it's worst now than it was in March 2020 -- when this call started. I'm still struggling and have come to realize I just may have to "suck it up buttercup". 

I know my husband is being even more upset with me seeing I took on a job 3 hours a day, Mon-Fri, where I have to wear a mask, but yet still have not stepped foot into Church. Taking on the job wasn't fully by my choice; it was my husband's needs from me. He's feeling overwhelmed and burnt out with being the sole breadwinner in the family.

I have been doing virtual assistant work. I will continue to do that and hope to continue to go grow my client list. In the meantime working the 3 hours a day is helping my husband feel better. While what I do does not match his income, he doesn't feel the pressure as he's the only one supporting his family; between the virtual assistant work, selling coffee and tea, and being employed outside the home he feels better!

Now to just get to Church -- 

photo credit: dbgg1979

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