Just popping in to say hello and reassure everyone that I haven’t disappeared off the face of the earth. It’s just been really really busy! And if you ask me where most of my time goes — a question I asked myself recently — it turns out that I spend a lot of time talking to my children. It’s not planned or scheduled or anything. It’s just that, well, my kids always have something to talk to me about, whether a school project, a social situation, or just some deep philosophical issues they’re thinking about. That seems to run in the family — when I was their age I also used to think about deep philosophical questions. I don’t think I’ve grown out of it, either.

I homeschool my younger kids, and that certainly takes up a lot of time. We have a lot of fun exploring different subjects, learning new things, experimenting, and I love watching them grow and develop their unique personalities and interests. I’ve also been spending a lot of time driving, between schools and different homeschooling activities. And I’ve been dealing with some issues in our homeschooling group, which I would very much like to see growing and thriving.

So in the big scheme of things, I haven’t found much time to write (other than long emails to our homeschooling group), and I haven’t made much money in the past few weeks, but I feel that I’m investing in something much more precious and long-lasting. All that time spent with my children shapes them as people and as Jews, and they grow so fast that there is never enough time to invest into them in order to make a lasting impact. Because everybody can try to change the world, but we have the most influence in our own homes.

But not to worry, I have three stories coming up in Inyan, IY”H — will keep you posted.