Real Life Homeschooling~Prepare for the Unplanned

Remember that break I told you I was taking last month? The one where I planned on getting ahead here on the blog, spend time with my family, and relax?

Yea, that didn’t happen!

July has been a whirlwind to say the least. The last monthly recap I told you that the boy was still in a cast. Well, about the time that post published we had gotten his cast off, and literally the NEXT day we ended up in the hospital with Alyson. The last day of July we spent the day at the state fair. In between there, we had 2 birthdays, 2 weeks of camp, 4H judging, and life.

Whirlwind is an understatement 🙂 I have no idea where summer vacation has gone…and I did not prepare for the unplanned events of this past month.

Here’s a peek into the past few weeks of our real life homeschool.

My baby girl had a great month! She spent her second summer at church camp and had a blast! I worked there this year in the kitchen with a bunch of ladies from our church. It was a great week and one that we wasn’t sure we would be able to follow through on after Alysons surgery. However, God made a way and we were! It was a blessed week! Also this month Kristen displayed her artwork in a local exhibit. Imagine her surprise when she found out she won!! She has a talent for Art and we are thankful for the program Creating a Masterpiece as it is helping her hone in on her passion.

The boy turned FIVE this month. It is hard to believe. But, it’s true. He has given us a run for our money with the broken bones, the energy and the passion for life that he has. He had a great party full of friends, cake and super heroes 😉

Alyson has had a rough year and as a parent you don’t want to see your child in pain. This month had us both in tears, but we ended it with a victory. She has been recouping from a foot injury that left her out of soccer and any physical activity for 9 weeks. The first of this month she was released to play soccer agian! However, the same day (yes, I’m serious) she ended up being admitted into the hospital with appendicitis. To say she was devasted would be an understatement. She wanted to play soccer, and was SO excited to go to church camp. We didn’t think either would happen. However, I serve an amazing God and with HIS help she not only was able to get back on the soccer field, but also made it to camp! In between there she donated 11 inches of hair to Wigs for Kids!

This month the girls also had 4H judging! Kristen won her category and was able to attend the state fair judging! Alyson’s cake was amazing and she placed 3rd in her class!

 

Finding Joy in the Unplanned

Guys if there’s one thing I have learned this month it is to embrace the unplanned. Find joy in it. When I was sitting with Alyson at the hospital, watching every breath she took and hearing her cry out in pain I could do nothing. Honestly I couldn’t even pray. But, I had friends and family who could. There’s joy in that!

When life was so hectic that I didn’t know how in the world we were going to make it through the week, I was reprimanded by a friend who loves me and reminded me to slow down. To pause. And to embrace the moment I was in right then. There’s joy in that!

I spent a week working at our church camp after a weeks of not knowing if Alyson would even be able to go. I was able to work alongside my daughter and serve the Lord with her and my fellow sisters in Christ. At a time when our church and the world seems so, disconnected we were able to come together for a week. Unplugged. Connected. Serving. Laughing. Worshipping. There’s joy in that!

There are so many God stories I could share with you from this past month, but I am still savoring them myself. Instead I am going to challenge you to do something. It won’t be easy, but if you do this I promise you, you will grow more than you can imagine.

Take time this month to pause. That frustration your dealing with? Find joy in it. The unplanned event wrecking havoc on your plans? Find joy in it. Because believe me there IS JOY on the other side. You may not see it now, but it is there. Hidden. A rose among the thorns. And the beauty in that joy is life changing. Because when we stop wallowing in our own frustrations and predicaments we can begin to see the joy in the everyday moments of our life.

What have you been up to this month? Have a real life homeschooling story to share? Tell us all about it below!

And if you don’t want to wait until the first Friday of the month for the monthly recaps to see a peek into our real life homeschool I encourage you to follow me on Instagram!