Taking a Hit Doesn’t Mean to Quit– Homeschooling Through Crisis

I REALLY missed you, but hubby had 3 procedures done in the last 8 days at the hospital.  Since I have been MIA this past week, I guess you probably figured that out.

Taking a Hit Doesn’t Mean to Quit-Homeschooling Through Crisis

Though we have not started on what I wanted to do for summer schooling and I still have my treasure trove of things to share with you, I can say that many times during our journey we have encountered unexpected sickness, trials and flat out tragedies.  I don’t think you ever get use to being off what you have scheduled, but I can say that it gets easier to cope with when something unexpected comes up.

Preparation and planning are key to coping with stressful times.  I’m certainly not saying we have any control over things happening, but we do have control over how we respond.

Though everything from my school to home to business to blog needs attention, here are some things that help me muddle through a bit of rough times.

1. Circumstances Are Temporary.

Even if a sickness is long term, it is ever changing. When my sister was in the ICU and then had to be cared for long term we had opportunities to school together with her girls. The boys loved having two more kids to add to our day and it made for a nice change.  Focus on the positive things. If it’s a sickness, focus on the fact you are aware of it and can deal with it.

2. Taking a Hit Doesn’t Mean To Quit.

Now that I am back home, I have lots of assignments to muddle through, but in all of my tragedies that have hit me I have never felt like it was time to throw in the towel and go back to public school.

Homeschooling is a “lifestyle”change and it is the BEST for my family regardless of what life throws at me.  This is the time to readjust, slow down, change our pace or schedule, but it doesn’t mean we have to quit or give up.

At the risk of sound too cliché, homeschooling with all the ups and downs has proven to be worth all the effort I have put into it.  I have learned that the hard time will pass, but you don’t want to pass up having time with your children afterwards.

3. Don’t Hold Back Tears.

I have shed a few of them this past week  and it helps my boys to see the fragility of life. How precious it is and how grateful we are for every day health.

Life among the ailing and sick for a week helps you and your kids to keep all things in priority through your journey. Tears are an emotional release and a positive way to respond to small changes we have to make in our lives.

4. Homeschool Preparedness.

Living near the Gulf Coast, we have to be prepared for the hurricane season that just arrived. It may sound a little dramatic to compare this to homeschooling, but it really is similar.  If you are human and you homeschool, it is just a matter of time when a storm hits your house.

Having something in your homeschool bag helps to pass the time more quickly while still learning and having fun.

Here are a few things we took in our bag to the hospital over the last week as we sat around with friends.

 

We love anything from the Treasure Chest Series though many of them are hard to find, but we took the Ancient China (Treasure Chests)with us to the hospital for some doodling and fun.

     

Anything from the Fandex Family Field Guides has been a lifesaver for me over the years. They are interactive, fun and educational when you don’t want your kids on the iPad all the time.

Bringing along a geography book we could read aloud and practice the terms I had created and put on a O ring helped to pass the time too.I love Wonderful World of Geography by Brenda Runkle. Did you get the printables on the O ring? If you missed them, grab them here.

Remember, keep it easy on yourself.

Pushing through on new stuff or curriculum while you have your plate full caring for other things bring stress. This is the time to pull out your old work.

We took a couple of our older lapbooks to review while we were waiting at the hospital. Because the kids had not seen this information in about a year or so, it was all fresh and exciting and a GREAT WAY to add in some review.

I sure missed you. We are home and hubby is recovering and I am so excited about getting back to sharing with you. Remember, storms brew in homeschooling, but calm always follow if you prepare and stay positive.

Look at some of these other helps:

• 3 Foolproof Ways I Cope When I Can’t Homeschool (or Blog)
• 10 Biggest Homeschool Burnout Triggers (and how to cope)
• Biggest Challenges to Homeschooling 
• When Homeschooling is Not an Overnight Success (Is it Worth the Risk?)

Hugs and love ya,