Family Means Everything and the Rest is Subjective

Sitting in my mom and her soulmate's newly purchased house surrounded by them, my kids, my brother, and the pets, you couldn't help but notice the happiness. Part of it is of course the excitement over Mom's new house and part of it may be the fact that we get to see each other this Thanksgiving and Christmas. But it's something else too - family and togetherness. It may sound simple, but no matter the day-to-day struggles, at the end of the day, I know they will always be there and they know it works both ways.

When we came back to Colorado (from Houston) for a vacation, the intention was never to stay here permanently. The plan was to stay for a month or so to catch up with family, friends, and business contacts. The kids and I arrived with basic essentials, computer equipment, and school supplies (we homeschool and I work online). After staying a week, my other half had to return to Houston for business reasons. He has his own company, but it's not mobile, like my writing business.

Meanwhile our month-long vacation turned into another and another and another. Six months later, we are still here, getting used to the fact that this is likely where we will stay. Many family and friends are here, we know how to get around (the kids were all born here), I recently founded a small media company, and one of my favorite companies to freelance with is based here. Though there are also some strong ties in Houston, the pull seems stronger here.

As regular readers know, I am a veteran homeschool mom. Along with the above (and other life changing decisions), the kids and I made the difficult choice to transition them into a neighborhood school by next fall. Homeschool is going great. But I will soon be going back to school myself to enhance my existing career. We will keep homeschooling if it doesn't work out with their preferred school. I know I can handle it if necessary. But it would minimize my already busy daily schedule to send them back to a traditional school setting.

For my family, this year has been a pretty interesting ride. It's been full of transitions, highs and lows, many amazing memories, and even some things we could probably stand to forget. When asked what I am thankful for, the simple answer is the strength, love, determination, and closeness of my family. Without those components, this year's events could have really taken a toll on us.

More from Lyn:

• Shine Parenting Guru: A different type of family holiday

• Homeschool Tips: Coping with Sending Your Kids to Traditional School

• Helping Kids Transition to Traditional School After Homeschooling

*This was originally published by Lyn Lomasi on Yahoo! Shine