Writing was the first thing I thought of. You ARE a good writer and I am sure fans would love another book. There are a LOT of places who need volunteers. Very few hospitals will turn down volunteers, regardless of their abilities. Our hospital has a whole group that just knits baby hats for the newborns. We have a group that meets at a church one day a week and makes tote bags. The bags are filled with things and sent to women in Africa. For many of them, just having a sturdy bag is a HUGE improvement in their quality of life. I am pretty sure the group is called Joybags or the bags they make are called that.
Your cooking is 'legendary'. Is it something you have a desire to do well? Or something you think is boring and you have no interest in? If you are interested, pick something and make it over and over until you figure it out. I am betting attentional issues are playing a role, as are organizational sklls. I can help via pm with those. I bet you would excel at making mixes and that, my friend, can save you a TON of $$.
You love kids. You want to foster. Why not take the time to talk to someone now to see if you need any classes or whatnot that you could do now? NOT to really start the process, bu to make sure that when you do, you have your ducks in a row.
Schools ALWAYS need help. So it won't be a paying job. Go to a teacher or principal or sp ed teacher you know, not one from HS, and tell them that you have from 9 to 1 on W and Fri free, and you would LOVE to volunteer at the school. What would help them, and what is needed to get started? You have already had the fingerprints and background check done by HS, so that should be no biggie. If they ask why you left HS, give some nondescript answer. I cannot think of what I mean to say here, but others can give you good short sentences that will cover it. You could help at recess, in the cafeteria,with reading or flashcards or whatever the school might need. Sure, they may not have a lot of people like you, who cares? They NEED people like you and usually they won't run you off because they know they are critically shorthanded as it is.
You can get involved in adult literacy. You would help adults who didn't learn to read in school or those from other countries that need to know English. It can be very rewarding. You can also volunteer at the library. If your library has a story hour, you could help with that, or maybe after volunteering for some time, you could start a program for kids of whatever age you most enjoy working with. Though your kids are in school, you still have much to help other kids wth. Maybe you could find a homeschool group and figure out a way to help with something? And extra pair of hands on field trips, or teaching somethng you enjoy, or helping the parents understand special needs, whatever.
Most communities have some programs for seniors. I am NOT suggesting that YOU attend, but that you volunteer. We have Project HEART which provides a healthy meal and companionship with the meals regulated by a dietitian. They also handle Meals on Wheels - they cook the food and MOW delivers. The seniors enjoy having people come in to visit and help out. There may be a senior center that could use help, or a daycare that wouldn't mind a volunteer.
If working with people doesn't interest you, shelters always need volunteers. So do zoos. If there is a nature center or natural history museum, they may have animals that could help. You could also get involved with therapy pets and work with your little dog to see if you could be certfied.
MOST churches have lists of groups that need volunteers, and they would be happy to share. The United Way also usually knows when/where volunteers are needed and can help you find something that you enjoy.
I hope this helps. If you really WANT some tips/help in the kitchen, I wll offer what i have. Even if you cannot technically 'cook', you could make many mixes if you can count and you can stir. Problems counting? I can help that too! I have a mix that calls for a large number of cups of flour. For some reason, someone MUST speak to me and have me respond as I measure and count. It is added later in a recipe so dumping it out and starting over? Not so easy. Solution: Count out one chocolate chip or peanut or whatever and after the cup is emptied into the bowl, I eat the chocolate chip. Until it is added to the bowl, it doesn't count. With this, I can even walk to another room with-o losing my place.
A LOT of cooking problems are lack of practice and creative problem solving. I am pretty good with them, if you want/need ideas/help. the whole measuring thing was to show you that problems from attention and organization issues are totally something you can learn to cope with. Putting jalapenos in everything, even spaghetti and desserts? Not so fixable, esp when the family hates them, lol. (that is from my father's cooing during my teens, I still shudder at the thought of things he tried to feed us, lol)
