Our homeschool is on week seven.
At this point, in my planner, I should have finished up week nine. I can see it written {in pencil} on the side of the year calendar, and then I can look at the reality. Week seven. It frustrates me — this was supposed to be the year when I stayed on track the entire year. I should have done it.
But, life happened.
Good things and hard things and middle of the road things. Good things like me getting to go last minute to the Relevant Conference or when I spoke for the Replenish Conference. Birthday afternoons spent with grandparents. Or those last fairly warm days of fall where we played outside instead of finishing up those math pages. And then there was the hard — my pending shoulder surgery, my daughter Hannah’s upcoming and out-of-the-blue ankle surgery, and the second week of school when we all got some awful cold and Samuel got pneumonia. And then there’s the middle of the road days – like when I wake up crabby {yes, yes I have those days} and just getting through 9:14 in the morning is a challenge.
That’s why we’re on week seven.
My mind keeps telling me, you’re behind, you’re behind, you’re behind. Those simple little words can so easily taint opinions of our Fall, my mood, and our progress. I’ve noticed that when I operate out of the you’re behind mentality that I rush through the day, I’m short-tempered, and I see all that needs to be done and forget to see what we’ve done.
We’ve done plenty in those weeks. There has been a great deal of learning, and family, and joy stuffed into our first nine weeks of school even though in my planner it tells me that I’m on week seven. I refuse to live letting a you’re behind thought define the present. There will be time to finish those books and those studies. Like January. I’ve homeschooled for eleven years and I’ve learned to not allow a planner to dictate my success and outlook on life and the year.
So, here’s the deal – I’m on week seven. And I am not living thinking I am behind. I am living intentional and thankful that I am on week seven. I’m grateful for the gifts to travel and to speak. I am blessed by the mornings spent sipping coffee holding a sleeping toddler in my arms. I love that we chose to go outside and rake leaves and throw them in the air in the late September afternoon sun. I laugh when I remember little boys running through the house looking for dress-up clothes. I’m glad that my girls chose to bake those gluten free cookies and surprise me. I am thankful for those days.
I am not behind.
I am exactly where I should be.
And I am blessed – thankful for the sweet goodness found in today.
23 comments
My oldest is shopping for a college for next fall. That will tell you how long I’ve been home schooling.Not once, have I ever been on schedule with any of my kids. To loosely paraphrase C.S.Lewis, “It’s not things that get in the way of life- they are part of life.”(Sorry, C.S. my memory is pathetic!)It feels a lot better to think of the interruptions as an unplanned part of life. Live it to the fullest. Our kids will never look back fondly on our schedules, instead, they will look at the other things we did.
You have no idea how this just spoke to me. I have been doing the same exact thing. The past 3 weeks have been plagued with a nasty stomach bug, then a week of hormonal migraines, then this week we’ve had colds…including mom. 🙂 We’ve managed to squeeze in Math and Language here and there. But I still beat myself up when the day doesn’t go “as it should”. I too get grumpy, feel overwhelmed, and my brain swirls with all we “should” be doing. When in reality all I have felt like doing is waving a white flag and drinking a bottle of Nyquil. 😉 And to be honest, they would have been better off if I had probably. Instead I push on, full steam ahead, insisting we “should” still be doing school. Lacking any joy whatsoever. Great post. Thanks for sharing.
what a perfect reminder… don’t sweat the small stuff. Enjoy every moment with your children~ and be so thankful for the blessings of homeschooling.
loved this!!!!!!
I’m sure I speak for everyone reading your inspiring blog – how come you are as far on as week 7 with all that has been goingl on. Great progress. You’ll get there.
Well said…and completely on the mark!
I am having a similar issue. I have everything planned out and in some areas we are where we need to be and in others we are not. But we did other things, unexpected things that we LEARNED from…and now i really want to just get into Thanksgiving and then i know I REALLY want to get into Christmas…
so, I am right there with you…EXACTLY where I am supposed to be!!!!
I should have written the same post…so beautiful! I am struggling with that too. We’re behind but it’s for lots of important (and sometimes fun) reasons, like you. It’s been making me grumpy and stressed out and frustrated because I feel like I dont know how to balance it all. Thanks for the encouragement, it was very much needed : )
Amen!
I used to worry about the SCHEDULE, but have discovered that it was only a suggestion, and there is no guilt is experience the extra wonders of life.
Beautiful and so honest and from the heart. This spoke to me … beyond words…. Us dealing with sorrow, loss, sickness, and so much more… and plugging away slowly .. but learning oh so much along the way! Exactly where we should be! Such powerful and peaceful words! Thank you
I was just thinking along the same lines today! My boys were outside playing well together, the 5 yr old enjoying working in the leaves I think… and I thought of how far we might be behind others but I felt confident it didn’t matter right now. They were right where they belonged at the moment on this Autumn Saturday 😉
This post speaks to me but for a slightly different reason.
My oldest daughter (Lauren, 4) has Down syndrome. It is clear as day (at least to me) that she IS NOT 4. I struggle every day with her diagnosis, still, and have a really hard time remembering that she is where she should be.
You said it at the end of your post:
“I am not behind. I am exactly where I should be.”
She is exactly where she should be.
Thank you Rachel.
(I may print those words out and frame them, to see every day.)
You are so right.
“I’ve noticed that when I operate out of the you’re behind mentality that I rush through the day, I’m short-tempered, and I see all that needs to be done and forget to see what we’ve done.”
And when I am thankful for what we have gotten done and for the place we are, life is so much better.
oh, girl, how i needed to read this right.this.moment!
i tend to try to live by the list too many days – and altho i love the days of just ‘living’ and enjoying life w/my kids – the mommy guilt sets in all over me of everything i ‘haven’t’ done –
which makes me a) stay up half the night doing all of it or b) miss intentionally living the next day w/the ones closest to me.
i know it’s the enemy trying to steal my joy and my time from my family. i love you for writing this – and am thankful God ‘intentionally’ led me to it.
I’ve been struggling with those “you’re behind!!” thoughts too… so glad you shared this. You’re right: there are more important things than not being exactly where I’d be when I was doing my planning. Thanks for the reminder.
If being behind means getting the chance to eat those delicious cookies or whatever you were baking? Then it’s worth it as far as I’m concerned.
I love your blog. You are indeed where you are meant to be…life takes time…and sharing time and moments making those cookies et al…you can only be where you’re meant to be…have a great week…
LG
So when you think about it, the only reason you’re behind is that you wrote in a piece of paper that you should be at a certain point by now…so maybe the plan was wrong. Make a new plan! Life is more important than plans anyway!
Know that the Lord is always with you, wrapping His loving arms around you and holding on tight!
Psalms 18:2-6 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
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i need to remember to live every moment more joyful because if there’s things on my two to list or im stressed about something i really dont like taking it out on the kids. I want them to have fun and learn and be happy, not have such a grumpy mom all the time. lately it has been all the time!
This is beautiful! I just love it! It took me awhile to be able to accept the fact that we aren’t always able to stick to the schedule we have planned as well but once I was able to do that things were so much better! I heard someone say a long time ago to the “we’re behind” sentiment – “behind what?” And that’s so true! In homeschooling how can you be behind? You get to go at your own pace and enjoy flexibility – that’s the beauty of it! So yea to you for being okay with “being behind” – aka right where you should be. 😉
Seven is the number of perfection, so week 7 can’t be a bad thing! : ) God knew these hurdles like surgeries would happen, so somehow, in some way it is for everyone’s best. You’re doing an amazing job! Love ya!!!
Here praying as always!
Psalms 18:28-30 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
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I was reminded of the same thing when God allowed cancer in our home this year. Thank you for your encouragement!