{update} I'm back...

I have been so neglectful to this space for the past while. There are many reasons. The labs I lead have really taken off and I find myself spending more time on FB interacting with my people than ever before. Those interactions have turned into phone calls and even some in person visits. 

The other issue is a feeling that blogs have changed. Maybe they are not as useful or visited as they were just a few years ago? So much happens in social media in real time, a blog almost seems antiquated. But, weirdo that I am, I am feeling draw to the slower aspect of a blog now. 

But most of all, my life has taken some twists and turns recently.  

Let me tell you a bit more about what has been going on over here.  In the last year or so, I have made a bigger commitment to the labs I lead online (Dream Lab and Book About Me), I traveled to NYC 3 times (with 3 different people), attended retreats in Ohio and Colorado, camped with friends on a primitive island, took in some amazing theatre and music performances, homeschooled my kids, learned to make tamales, blew glass and more. 

It has been a year full of exploration and adventure. As my family began spreading their wings, my husband’s dissatisfaction with his job increased to critical levels and we decided that he should just retire early. This move was huge. He was trapped by the golden handcuffs and found it very difficult to leave. The factor that shifted everything was looking closely at our children’s ages. If he left now, he would be able to spend much more time with our children as they entered adolescence and their teen years. Those years are not worth missing, especially when he had a real chance to step off the treadmill, regain his health and set an example to them that suffering for money was not a way to build a life. 

So, what is next? Well, we are not independently wealthy, so after a few months of dejobbing, we are moving into our next phase. We are selling our super cool, big old house. It is 3500 sq ft of wood floors, slanted, cozy ceilings and many nooks and crannies. It is awesome. And expensive to maintain and heat and cool. We are moving into a house 1/2 the size, which in any other place in the  world is still a big house. We are getting rid of a majority of our stuff. The chickens, trampoline and piano are gone. 100's of books have been donated to the library. My material collection is gone (I am never going to learn to sew!). Toys and furniture are out. We are making room for a life of art, travel and family.

Currently my husband is writing, collaborating, and recording with fellow musicians on new projects. And I am writing a book based on Dream Lab, I hope to send out query packages in a  few months! We are going to Alaska before we settle into our new house this fall and who knows what will be next. There are a few things on the horizon, but nothing to share quite yet. 

I feel like I need a home online other than FB and am ready to reuccupy this space. I am especially interested to share activities and resources for older kids and teens. There seems to be so much aimed at younger children, I am committed to be a voice for the olders. 

So, what can you expect? I will share activities from my kid writer’s group, book reviews and activities that my family has tried and dug. I will also be sharing travel information as we seek more adventure on the road. 

And lastly, I really want to share more about you. I would love to accept and publish submissions from awesome women (and men) who are living creative and curiosity driven lives. I am not sure what form that will take but I have a few ideas that I will share soon.

If you are in, subscribe to this feed, or check in to see what is happening. Join my FB group here (we do wellness challenges, copy work and share and support in each other's creative and life journeys).  Or drop me a line at amybarbo at gmail anytime. Tell me what you are up to and how I can share your revolutionary work. 

Here we go! (again), 

xo

amy