I'm Back!

I can't believe it's been 2 years since my last post. I have allowed life to get in the way of living. It's amazing as I look back at everything we have accomplished and how many steps back we have taken. I'm still at the job I was so excited about 3 years ago. I have gotten 2 promotions since the last post and I can't say they have made me happy. One of the things I have noticed is that it is easy for me to get drawn into problems around me. Work becomes my identity. I have let it overtake everything I am. I am unhappy with anything that I see that seems unfair. Both of the promotions I took were in a city 60 miles from home, the same city Paul works in. The hour long commute and carpooling with different schedules were taking a toll on us. We decided to rent a place in the city. Paul embraced the move, he loves the extra space and readily available internet. I embraced it as well, at first. I realized we weren't happy. We spend most of the time we are actually at the rental exhausted and complaining about work. We've lost sight of "less is more". These feelings of frustration and unhappiness caused me to try to lose myself online looking up ways to get back to whatever it is we want to do. I found tiny houses! One of the things Paul likes about the rental is the couch. He likes having a place to sit when he comes home from work. He likes the internet, having easy access to his favorite web comics and reddit and he likes electric lights. I like having a full sized shower and I also like the internet. I think a tiny home will fit the bill. It will allow me to keep the off-grid lifestyle I cherish as well as allow us to live in a real home. We've spent the last 3 years in an RV. It's not comfortable in a lot of ways. It's old, dark, and drafty. It was never supposed to be a permanent solution. So we are starting a new adventure! We are giving up our rental, moving back to our property and working towards more freedom in life through smaller living. To catch you up with the kids... Lorna started a business almost 2 years ago. She put together a business plan, found a store front to rent and opened a bead & yarn shop. Although it's just starting to break even I think it's been a tremendous success. Lorna turned 18 last November. This was a huge undertaking for an adult, it was even more so for a teenager who couldn't even drive when she started out! The store has been a huge learning opportunity for all of us. We moved into the rental right as Lorna was turning 18, because of the store and her horses she stayed at our property while we moved 60 miles away. Malachi moved with us but spends time at the property with Lorna. He spends time keeping the rental running and keeps the property humming along. He really makes it possible for the 3 of us to work. Yes we still homeschool. Lorna is finishing up her senior year of high school while also enrolled in the local community college. Malachi is in high school. Due to our schedule and our long hours we really have gone full force into unschooling. We allow the kids to dictate where their education goes while making sure they still get all the required subjects. I don't know why I ever doubted that this would work but I believe it now. So that's about it for our life right now. I plan on posting about our new adventure as we go along. Stay tuned for our tiny house build!