Years ago when I was trying to decide what approach to take with writing with DD, formulaic writing got a pretty bad rap. While I'm not an overly fast writer, I think I'm a pretty natural writer. I intuitively knew how to put papers together in college without putting too much thought into it. And, I wasn't really able to explain why I organized and wrote the way I did. So, I kind of bought into natural writer approach. However, I finally learned that DD isn't me. Lol. She has dyslexia, and some level of dysgraphia, I think. She had a hard time writing on paper. Once we transitioned to typing on a computer, though, writing was much easier for her. We ended up with WWS. We got through WWS1 and most of WWS2 before we couldn't hack it anymore. While I initially liked that it instructed students exactly how to write various types of essays, it became tedious and overly complex. There is no way anyone can remember all the little steps. DD writes fairly well when she hits a topic that resonates with her. Sometimes, I'm quite impressed, and I think, yes, that will definitely do for college. But, she often gets overwhelmed when starting an essay/assignment. Sometimes, it never really comes together if the topic is challenging for one reason or another. I think a lot of what she learned in WWS was very good, but we need a simple way to review and reorganize all that she learned. I want her to instantly know how to write about any topic she's given. Then, we need to work on longer research papers after that. And, literary analysis. W&R seems like it might be a clear, organized way to review what she learned in WWS. However, it seems like she would need to start with Book 7. She is starting her second semester of 10th grade. I'm not sure we could get through all the W&R books by the end of next year. And, I don't want to go beyond that time frame. She needs to be doing other stuff her senior year. I just talked with DD about writing. She said she needs help including what she deems "superfluous" details. Lol. In other words, she needs a method of fleshing out her writing when she's not really into a topic. She also said that she thinks WWS seeped into her brain, but she can't really access what she learned.

How does Lantern work? There are no video components, so what does the student actually get?

We can't really do an online class right now. Are there any other suggestions for non-class options? I am hoping to start something by next week, or the week after, at the latest.

I'm actually not a nurse. I was thinking about other healthfield-related jobs that I could acquire with a two-year program that might be needed in the same way as a travel nurse.

I don't know. It is all so complex. Of course, I would insist that he pay his fair share of college expenses in a divorce. But, I also know that by taking half our assets and then demanding child support and health insurance for DD, and possibly alimony (at least until we finish our homeschooling years), and whatever else, it will leave him in a horrible financial bind that will lead to more depression, which would mean that DD won't get to have a fully functioning father in her life. (Or, any at all.) I think we paid roughly $20,000 in health insurance premiums and actual out-of-pocket costs last year. Most of that was his stuff. Part of us staying together right now is so that I can continue homeschooling DD and have health insurance. And, to keep DD out of custody agreements. DH and I had many, many good years together. (And, we still do stuff and have good times together.) He definitely has been the primary breadwinner since DD was born, but I contributed quite a lot at the beginner of our marriage. And, I stepped up with my TPT store when he lost his long-time job months before the whole caregiving situation kicked in. It was me who made it all work during the transitional time. I would not be able to get decent or affordable healthcare on my own (outside of working full time for a sizable company) in my state, if we divorce. Our state really sucks in that department. There is nothing for the self employed. Not anymore. A religious cost-sharing group would be my only option. And, most probably wouldn't let me in. Call me stupid on this, but one part of me wants to keep the marriage open as long as possible in case DH needs MY health insurance one day. (In some future job that I don't have yet.) He cannot go without quality health insurance...not for more than a couple of months. I've never mentioned this to him, but if he lost his job, I absolutely would pick up the torch for him. He's provided DD and me a good life. And, I take my share of the responsibility in the failure of our marriage. Another part of me knows I need to learn to take care of myself first because if the wrong person comes in DH's life, the show's over. They will show no mercy in getting what they want out of DH. And, DD won't matter one bit. It's super scary.

What kind of photos are you wishing you could sell? Are you wanting to take pictures of what you want and sell them online as passive income? If so, could you look around and see whether there are some community classes or clubs to help you develop your skills and interests? I'm sure there are resources online as well. Google "photography, passive income" maybe. I'm not sure how lucrative it will be, as creative endeavors can be tough. You might be able to figure out a niche and be fairly successful at it, or you might never make a dime. It's so hard to say. Having been a homeschooler, you might be able to figure out photo collections that traditional teachers might want to use to design their own Teachers Pay Teachers products. Here's a random example that I pulled. Usually, less than 10 percent of buyers leave feedback, so this seller is having some luck. Some people win big in the game, a great many make pocket change. There's a definite learning curve, but once you figure it out, it's something you can do as long as you want to. And, the passive income with roll in even when you don't feel like working. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Strawberry-Shake/Category/Photos-for-Commercial-Use-135530

Are you thinking W&R Book 10: Thesis - Part 1? I've looked through the scope and sequence of the series, and it feels as though we've hit most of the things listed in prior books with WWS 1 and 2. But, WWS was such a long, messy approach, I'm not sure exactly how she processed it all. She can write paragraphs and papers (some are pretty good, others not so much), but I really want something to shore up everything...to be sure she has the skills to write all those 2 to 5-page papers, etc. with ease in college. I want to put a bow on it and call that part done. We attempted Fable when it first came out, but she really wasn't ready for the series yet. It soured me on the series, but in looking at it now, I kind of wish I would have chosen it over WWS. Then again, WWS got her to the point of my thinking this, so maybe we did okay. Lol.

I researched all this several months ago. I can't remember what I learned now. Lol. Too much mental/emotional stuff going on. I think I learned that is it a marital asset. And, that there was no real financial benefit this late in the game. And, then there was the bit about if I put it in DD's name, the government penalizing her financial eligibility/aid by 20 percent instead of a 5-6 percent. I think I ultimately chickened out because the market was a bit volatile at the time. It is all quite overwhelming. I do wish I had someone to definitively tell me what to do. I do have bits of money stashed in various pockets that only I know how to get to in case we just need to leave at some point. But, ultimately, it all legally has to be disclosed in a divorce. I can only pull so much cash and buy so many gift cards before it becomes obvious or starts hurting us in present time. I'm not very good at deceit. It's not my nature. And, it all feels like deceit. I hate it all so much. I just want my warm, stable life back. 😩 Not that anything you recommended is deceitful. It's totally not. It just sent my mind on a tangent.

I do want this. DH's mental health comes first right now, though. I'm hoping he will be able to step down to once every other week in the near-ish future. At that point, I hope I can pick up the other two weeks. Lol. It's expensive. Like half a rent/house payment expensive.

I have, but everything I've considered would count against the financial aid the government might give her. I've opened bank accounts to save various moneys in, but she's not owners on any of them. (Check writer and beneficiary only.) The government penalizes student assets at a much higher rate than parent assets. I also waffle on dumping large sums of money into something I can't easily retrieve it from. I want the money to be DD's alone, but I can think of several scenarios where we would need to access it to survive. For example, if my DH's mental health gets to a state where he loses his job. Then, it's me alone in survival mode for us all. Then, we would have a $1,000 a month COBRA payment to make for the health insurance DH requires to live (in a very literal sense). This is a reason that it is very difficult to split. We are stronger financially together. Child support, alimony, and his medical bills would sink him into a very low quality of life. He has a very expensive disease. DH isn't a monster. He's troubled. We have some very difficult issues we are trying to work through, but neither of us wants the other to suffer.

Yes, yes!! I have been eBaying stuff. Money from DD's toys goes into a special account for her future self. And, anything else goes into a special account for us. (Like vacations we may take...just the two of us. Or, summer camps for her.) Christmas came and I fell off that wagon. I need to get back on it. Thank you for the reminder. I will go downstairs and grab a couple of things to post today. I am trying to decide whether to try to pick up a medical-related degree/certification of some sort. Something that is a two-year program, but I just don't know whether I want to do that or stick with the skills I already have. I half wondered whether there will be travel nurse type opportunities for other health positions in the future. I think that would enable me to travel a bit. But then, I don't know whether I'll have the energy for 12-hour shift work, or working overnights, etc.

I actually hope that my Teachers Pay Teachers work experience counts for something. I haven't been sitting around. Lol. It is a real job. It's hard work that uses many skills. It's just that I work from home. I pay the government, and into Social Security. I have been at it since 2012. For a couple of years, I worked full time at it and more, in addition to teaching DD. And, in addition to the caregiving. The money from the past few years has been banked for DD's education, and vacations and such. I'm still banking it. But, when DH and I split, that money will get split too. And then, I will have to live on future earnings. No more banking. I haven't been able to grow the stores much the past couple of years because I've been too mentally exhausted. I'm hoping to get to a place soon where I can throw myself back into again. The market is tougher now, though. I had a pretty good cash cow, at one point, but it's more like a cash calf now. I still make at or well more than (depending on the month) what I could make working minimum wage 20 hours a week, though. I will ultimately get a job outside the home too. Hopefully, TPT will still be a side hustle that will be able to pay a good chunk of DD's college while she's actually in school. Fingers crossed, but I know it's dangerous to count on passive income and an uncertain future. Thank you for the "home is where the heart is" thought. We live rurally, and a lot people live in one place forever. I know DD will be okay leaving the house in the end, but it will be bittersweet. This has been house and school together. We designed this place for her...before she was ever conceived. But, in truth, we're all ready to move (have been for a while), and may have by now, if it weren't for the caregiving situation.

Thank you both (and others) for the inspiration. While I do see the future as an opportunity that I'm in some ways excited about, all that excitement fades when I remember that DH won't be by my side. The possibilities seem overwhelming. And, I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with the rest of my life. I really am hoping to find a workbook of sorts. I want DD to soar, but I also want to be around, if she needs me. (She's an only child who has been homeschooled her entire life after all.) She knows enough about the situation to know that DH and I will be parting ways in the future. And, she knows what the caregiving situation has done to me and our family. Because, DD lived it too. She was by my side the whole way. The outside world doesn't get it, but she sacrificed the second most. But, it was never her choice, and I regret it. DD and I have discussed her needs and that is how we came up with her going to college as the deadline, if you want to call it that. We talk about my future, and she hopes that I will find friends and happiness. While DH has good intentions to pay for/help pay for her college, he's not really living in the real world right now. So, I can't rely on his intentions. We have long promised DD a college education. It was all planned and if we stay together, we will have the money. Apart, not so much. I am trying to plan for the worst. That is one reason I think moving close to wherever she goes to school might be a possibility. If it really came down to it financially, she could live with me, if she had to. We are a team of sorts, but she wants independence too. And, she's going to need a home base for school breaks, etc. That's going to be difficult enough because her childhood home will be sold and gone to a different to family. She won't really ever be coming "home."

I added a PPS in the first post.

Please don't quote, as I will probably delete this. Life has taken a turn over the past 5-6 years that I could have never predicted. My happy, secure life is gone. And, it's becoming quite apparent that it's not coming back. My daughter, who is an only child, will leave for college in three years. After that, I will be pretty much alone for the first time since I was in college. (Little family I can count on, no real friends.) I need help figuring out a path for starting over at this age. While I have a college degree, I haven't worked out of the home for roughly 18 years. I think DD will be going to my alma mater, and I might move back there until she graduates, if she wouldn't hate me for it. Lol. The town has quite a bit to offer that I think I would find enriching without it being overwhelming. And, I could maybe work for the university again and get a discount on DD's education. I don't know. I ultimately don't want a job that's going to tie me down for the rest of my life. I've tried to live life altruistically, but the hard truth is that the people I thought cared about me have just been using me as footholds for their own lives. I need time to heal and find myself again. I want to travel, to do things. I do have a couple of Teachers Pay Teachers stores that were becoming fairly lucrative until Covid hit and drastically changed my niche market. They aren't doing nearly as well now, but I will be working on them to ensure I have some passive income, but I'm going to need health insurance. I'm hoping to find some books, workbooks, pod casts, something to help prepare and motivate me in all facets of life for a very different, uncertain future. I am entrenched in a family caregiving situation that is a large chunk of the problem. While I don't want this family member to die, I also can't keep living like I'm living, which is not really living at all. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but when DD leaves, I'm leaving. I've already given too much. I'm not looking for religious/spiritual resources because quite frankly that kind of thinking/guidance/whatever you want to call is part of how I got to where I am now. I'm in a funk today and will probably go veg out after this, so I don't know how often I'll reply to responses, but I will read and appreciate them. PS - If anyone has been in a similar situation, I would love to hear a little about your path as well. PPS - Thank you for all of your responses. They have been both encouraging and empowering. I do feel as though I need to add a bit more, though. DH is still in the home. But, he is not mentally/emotionally well. We enjoyed a perfect, very happy relationship for many, many years. We were best friends, walked lock step, and were truly two bodies sharing one soul. There was a magic that enveloped us and our relationship. However, when the whole caregiving thing was at it's most intense, and I was out of the home day and night months on end, that magic burst. DH mentally broke. (He had some other stuff going on too.) I was pouring so much energy into my end of the spell, though, that I didn't notice that he couldn't hold his end. I was in no position to run back and help him, so I held onto the belief that he could hold it alone, so that I could keep going. He couldn't, though. (And, I don't blame him. It was a lot.) And, he felt so much shame that he immediately cast the allusion that he was okay, but he wasn't. By the time I got back home and recovered enough to realize what was going on, it was too late. DH had changed in fundamental way. For the past three months, DH's mental health has been such that I have become his caregiver too. He is in therapy and on limited medication (limited due to potential drug interactions). He is making progress, but it's clear we will never be a true couple again. We are trying to co-parent our daughter through high school, and leave her life in tact as much as possible for the time being. (This is the only home she has ever known.) She is currently happy and healthy. Her leaving for college is the natural break. We are trying to fulfill the promise we made to her at birth as best as we can. We have a house and basement filled to the brim with a past life that we have to close down. DH and I love each other very intensely. So, it is painful. I keep thinking the initial caregiving situation will take care of itself in time, as the person has already lived beyond their time. But, this person also seems to have nine lives and more, so I don't know. So, on top of it all, I am mourning the loss of a very powerful relationship. Divorce and single parenting have always been hard no's for me, so it's very difficult. Anyway, even though DH and aren't going to stay together forever, it's not the right time for us part yet. He wouldn't make it mentally. And, it's important to me that DH and DD have as much time together right now as possible. But, I need to be able to envision (and somehow look forward to) a different future for myself, or I'm not going to make it either.

DD is heading into the second half of her 10th-grade year. I would like suggestions for a semester-long writing course to solidify her academic writing. Our life is a bit messy right now, so we really need something that is easy to use and preferably written to the student. While it is not my preference, I'm not always available to be right in front of DD while she works, so we need a curriculum where she can continue to move forward in her studies when I'm not home or generally not available on a particular day, which typically ranges from one to two days a week, but the days are not consistent. I saw Brave Writer's "Help for High School" in another post, but I'm not sure it's enough. We've already used WWS (not all the way through), and that no longer works for us. We do not like EIW (tried it and ditched it in middle school). We would possibly use something from IEW, if it fits the parameters and doesn't require me to purchase and watch their teacher training course. No online classes because we need flexibility and can't be tied to someone else's schedule. TIA. We greatly appreciate your suggestions. PS - If there truly isn't anything worthy that is only a semester long, I'm open to learning about yearlong programs for next year as well.

A new bike and a pair of hiking shoes. Just ordered them this morning. 😊

Please tell me your are in charge of only desserts and nothing else. That's a lot of desserts. I would totally start today.

The Boston Public library is neat. Grab a booklet and do a self-guided tour of the paintings. The Mapparium is a kind of meh, but my 15-year-old enjoyed it. She had just studied world geography, though.

If you happen to end up in Jamaica Plain, you can get some real Scottish food at The Haven. A little pricey, but most food is around Boston. https://thehavenjp.com/ I enjoyed trying some cheap breads, etc., from one of the little shops is Chinatown. There's also a dessert waffle place that is fun in Chinatown. https://www.sweetwafflesandboba.com/ Another fun dessert to try, but it takes some doing to get there by public transport, and there's no indoor sitting area, so it will be cold and windy. https://taiyakinyc.com/

Get some cannolis and other sweets at Mike's Pastry. If you go to the downtown location, you can walk a little further and see the Skinny House too for yucks. https://www.mikespastry.com/ There's a location near Harvard as well.

I agree with many suggestions here. If you need something to do indoors, check out the glass flowers and marine animals at Harvard. Amazing! Lots of stuffed animals and rocks/minerals too. https://hmnh.harvard.edu/glass-flowers

Something similar happened to one of my DH's coworkers last week at a gas station. It was an elderly man who opened her door. I can't remember the details, but it freaked her out.

I don't know what to tell you. That's been my experience as a very inexperienced user. I did not grow up with drugs or alcohol in my household. Nor, did my family hang out with anyone who used either in our presence. My grandfather smoked cigarettes before his heart attack. That's pretty much it. I live in the rural Midwest. We just got medical dispensaries about a year or so ago. We are still in the voting stages of whether to legalize recreational use. So, yeah, pot stuff is high talk here. My cannabis use is quite limited. However, the people I've done it with are very skilled. 🤪 And yes, the potency of the stuff they've had over the years varies by the batch. They talk about the quality every time they buy something new. I know for a fact that two of the maybe four times I've done it, it came from a dispensary from out of state. Yup, that stuff was high grade...the mess-you-up kind. I admit, I suck at smoking anything, so my two hits were probably a few more than that. Maybe I did a better job than I thought. 🤷‍♀️ And, no one told me you're supposed to cut a gummy from a dispensary in Colorado into quarters until after I ate the whole thing. So, how many hits IS a full gummy? You tell me. I have no clue. My world absolutely did distort, and I did lose small amounts of time. For me, people become caricatures of themselves and time stutters. It can be enjoyable yet scary at the same time. This has never happened to me with alcohol. So, laugh at me all you want, but what I said is true of my experience. And, it's probably going to be similar to a lot of newbies' experiences regardless of where they buy it. (How many first timers are going to know that you shouldn't eat a full gummy? Does it say on the box?) There's a definite learning curve to it. Until a couple of weeks ago, I didn't even know there were uppers, downers, and mixed varieties. I also said that I was on the fence. My life is pretty sucky right now, and I also have chronic migraine. There are days I wish I could run into town and buy some. There are other days I'm very glad I can't. So, I think you can use my experience in arguments that are both for and against legalization. Although, I am definitely for decriminalization of it. PS - I did feel a teeny bit belittled, but it's all good. I'm a pretty tolerant and good-humored person across the board. And, I can understand arguments from most sides for just about anything. I just wanted to share my experience, that's all.

I'm on the fence on broad legalization too. Having a shot or two of spirits is not even close to being the same as a hit or two of pot. Smoking or eating an edible is quick and easy. Drinking normally (not binging or downing shots) takes more effort and a longer time. You can easily be ready to leave a party while drinking well before you get anywhere close to the incapacitation level that a couple of quick hits of pot will get you. The world becomes distorted with pot. You lose time too. It can be an entire night's commitment. Moderate alcohol use wears off in a pretty short time comparatively. Also, you have no idea what to expect from one batch of pot to another. Now, I realize alcohol can hit you differently on different days, but still, you generally know what to expect when you pick up your favorite spirits or whatever. Parents of young children should not be doing pot together, IMO. No one should be driving. And, if there was an emergency. 😬 I'm always amazed when people say alcohol and pot use are the same. They definitely are not. No, I'm not a pothead. Lol. But, I've been to enough parties where it's been used...by a whole lot of people. That isn't our lifestyle, so I'm pretty fascinated. Some people even grow it. I listen and ask a lot of questions. And yeah, I've experienced it 3-4 times in my life.