Oh, don't you just love plans? Somehow they never quite work out the way I arrange them in my head, but that doesn't stop me from making more. Take today, for example. One of the best parts of homeschooling for me is the celebration found in something as simple as a rainy day. I had this vision in my head of what the first rainy day would look like at my home. Here's the gist of it...
All summer long I dreamed of the first rainy day... piling my pajama-clad kiddos into the minivan and grabbing something warm from the Starbucks drive-thru, spending the better portion of our day reading books in the coziness of our living room, and not once venturing outside (you know, after the Starbucks, of course).
Well, that's just about the exact opposite of how my day went! My delighted kids dressed as quickly as possible so they could grab their umbrellas (only recently found in the "Great Labor Day Weekend Clean-Out") and head outside to play in the puddles. "Not so fast kids! Back inside!" Wednesday morning means tennis lessons twenty minutes away. Since the rain only really amounted to a drizzle, I called over to the club to confirm their cancellation. "None of the coaches have cancelled yet," the receptionist informed me. UGH!!! Everybody gets changed, we drive all the way out, get the WORST spot in the parking lot, slosh all the way to the courts, only to find them completely flooded and deserted. Surly 9 year-old son: "Wow, mom! That was a waste of our time." Darling daughter: "And gas..." Wise Mother: "But if we didn't show without cancelling in advance, we would have had to pay for the lesson." (Look who just covered Economics!!!)
So, we change plans and go visit my cousin and her brand-new DARLING baby boy. He is an absolute slice of heaven. Transition quickly out of baby heaven mode after receiving an urgent message from the banner company...there was a problem with the email submission of the order form for my baby's soccer team banner. Go home. Nearly pull my hair out trying to resubmit it. Finally end up getting back in the car to drive it down to their office. No time to get back home for lunch before the first park play day of the year for our homeschool group.
Fast food lunch, chase a four year-old around the park, hurry home to "do math", off to gymnastics, off to soccer practice (where I attempt to wrangle 10 four and five year-olds into some semblance of a scrimmage that doesn't involve running off the field crying when the other team scores or dog piling an unfortunate friend who fell while dribbling), back to gymnastics, drop off some paperwork, fill up with gas, dish out the crock-pot dinner, kiss the world's handsomest dishwasher, finish language arts and social studies around the dinner table, showers, pajamas, and finally... bedtime.
What happened to my plan?
Can I get a do-over on today please?
What was supposed to be one of my most favorite homeschooling days, turned out to be one of my least favorite... the day where nothing goes according to plan and I feel as though I've done a great number of tasks, but very few of them significant or meaningful. Not to say that wrangling tiny soccer players is insignificant... :) I'm quite confident that tomorrow will be back to 105 degrees since the only thing on the agenda is school, but I was so very thankful for a change in the weather. Sometimes, a little change can make a big difference. Even though the day didn't go according to my plan, I felt so optimistic about the coming fall and a real change in the weather. Which leads me to the last item on my agenda for today... plan for tomorrow. Oh yeah, and hide the vuvuzelas my husband brought home from work until AFTER school tomorrow! Pray for me, friends. :)
What do you have planned for tomorrow?
Love your posts. They always seem to come at just the perfect time for me. Today I am struggling with staying home and plowing through the history and science that we have not done yet this week or going out on this cool fall-like day and doing our first nature journal entry. I have to relax and realize that just because my older daughter "may" re-enter school for 6th grade, I cannot let that thought control my planning for the year or I will be so consumed with the math, writing and reading, as well as history, science and geography that there will be no time left over for the fun part of homeschooling; the nature studies, the pj reading days, the puzzles and board games, the field trips, and such. I don't want to school-at-home and I don't want to freak out when we have days where nothing goes right, errands take up most of our time and the darn spelling just does not get done.
ReplyDeleteI hope today is a better day for you!
Great post! I've had those days too.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is on a big project at work and we have been in this happy bubble for days, but today it seems that his boss or his boss's boss or someone may be playing some games and things may not go the way they were proposed and discussed for the last few months. Although it could just all be circumspect...At any rate, I want to go back in time a few hours to where we were just happy with his job, excited about our first year of homeschooling and felt positive and happy, not as though maybe someone is playing games and things may not go as planned...
Yup, many days that don't work out the way we planned. But also so many that are hidden wonders that we were never expecting.
ReplyDeleteWhat you have to remember is you are making memories. Tons and tons of memories. Even bad moments make memories....the 'one day you will laugh' kind. ;)
Hope this week is less stressful and filled with pj's and reading and rain.
You know what's funny Karen? I actually did laugh that night! The absurdity of it all was just too much! You're right, the lessons we do around our table will eventually blend together, but I will NEVER forget walking through that parking lot in the rain...and back! Theresa, I know EXACTLY what you mean! Wouldn't it be great if life were like Tivo and we could just rewind, or pause, or fast forward? I pray that the last week has been more settling for you guys. And Jessica, thanks so much! The week did go better. I have to agree about the idea of pushing concerns for the future to the back burner. I try to look at each year of homeschooling as a gift. Who knows what next year will bring. If we don't get to continue homeschooling, will I be more concerned that I didn't finish every page in the math book, or that I wasn't able to soak up the moments? The learning always takes care of itself! Hugs to you guys!
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