Life as a single mom

Can I just start by saying: I am SO MUCH HAPPIER.  I think this quote sums it up perfectly:

It's exactly how I feel. Now that I am out of my marriage I realize just how much it was affecting me emotionally, spiritually, even physically!  I am healthier now in all ways.

Life is harder in other ways too though: I'm a single mom. I rarely get a real break. Even when Ex-Hubs takes Jack for an overnight at his place, it still means I have him every single day - dropping him off for school on a Friday morning and then he comes back after naptime the very next day. So it is tiring. And he's 4 now.  He is... a spirited child.  He is the freakin light of my life but he is TOUGH. Incredibly strong-willed and stubborn. Incredibly active.  It is a GOOD thing and will likely serve him well in all that he'll need to overcome in life but DAMN it is hard to parent such a strong willed child. I get help from others when I can, and when I can't, I endure.  The phases will pass, I am sure.  I'm just trying to keep my sanity and my patience in the meantime.

At the same time - he is amazing. He is the most charismatic kid I know. He is SO friendly, SO chatty, SO entertaining.  He knows everyone and everyone knows him. I am very glad I stayed in this area where we were living. I found a perfect townhome in the next town over and Jack and I have been happy here.

I've been happy for other reasons too...

I met a wonderful man. He and I have been together for over a year now and are very much in love. We connected through an online forum as we were both going through divorces at the same time. We just completely clicked and it felt like we had been friends forever. After talking for a while we swapped pictures. And damn - we both knew. He is wonderful and loving and sweet and sexy and an amazing father to his two teenage children. He is is also an amazing man to have in Jack's life. He has stepped up in every sense of the word and he and Jack love each other too. I could not ask for anything more. The ONLY challenge is that he lives in Canada. Whomp, whomp. Luckily it's on THIS side of North America, haha, but it still takes him about 7.5 hrs to drive here. And he does it religiously, every other weekend.  He has his kids 50% of the time, and I have Jack almost all the time, so we get together every time our schedules allow.  It works out to being able to see each other for about 2.5-3 days every 2 weeks.  Sometimes that's hard and I do miss him, but othertimes I think it's a good thing because it allows us each to cultivate our own lives, especially since we've both been through such huge changes over the last 1.5 years with our divorces.  It also allows me the time to work on.....

My new business!!

My sister and I opened a business about 5 months ago :-)  (Yes, I am crazy.) She is a gifted energy healer and psychic medium and always has been.  So we decided to go for it and open up an actual business here in Southern New Hampshire. It's been going really well and I'm proud of us and also happy and feeling quite fulfilled with this work.

As for other things in life, I really have no complaints. I am so very glad that I am where I am in life now. All the medical difficulties with Jack really calmed down after around 3.5 years old.  He got long term ear tubes in and we haven't had a problem since with his hearing or any more ear infections.  He has rarely gotten sick over the last year, he doesn't have many other medical issues going on currently... It's been quite the relief.  We still have all our yearly check ups with his 8 specialists (let's see if I can even remember them all: Pediatrician, Nephrologist, Geneticist, Orthopedist, Otolaryngologist, Ophlamologist, Neurologist...I'm forgetting someone...) but there have been no additional issues. I know there will likely be things to deal with in the future - especially orthopedically - related to the way his bones grow, and also oral surgeries due to his small mouth and teeth crowding (at a minimum), but for right now I am feeling very very blessed.  The ONLY thing that is still an issue now is his poor sleep.  (AH! Pulmonologist! That's the last one hahaha)  It seems he is just a poor sleeper.  He wakes up many times every night. It's just the way it is.  I've tried EVERYTHING and to no avail so I've learned to adjust by trying to go to bed earlier myself and just dealing with it. It is what it is.  Someday I'll sleep again.

Otherwise, Jack is happy, healthy, active, growing, and life is good.

It is SO wonderful to provide a GOOD update here. :-)