Living through uncertain times is a challenge for all of us. This past fall and into this new year all I have been thinking about is slowing down. How can we, as a family, get to a place where we aren’t rushing to another activity, or feeling stressed to make things happen that aren’t important to me. And then something happened. We were all forced to slow down during these uncertain times.
Tools that are Currently Helping me
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When I feel out of control, it is hard for me to move forward. These are some of the tools that are helping me make sense of the uncertain times that we are facing.
- My Journal: This is probably the top tool that I have to make sense of all the uncertainty around me. It helps me process my feelings, and I think of it as a record to look back on, and learn from.
- My Planner: My planner system is actually two-fold right now. I use my Erin Condren Life Planner for my regular week-at-a-glance planning. I am also using an un-dated petite planner specifically for all the lists that I make on the regular. We are still in the process of unpacking, so it is a necessity.
- My Homeschool Planner: This planner is my sanity for all things homeschool and kid-related. There is plenty of space for everything that I need to write down, and if I need to change what we are covering in our day, more space. It really is a sanity saver. If you have been wanting to try this planner, they are currently 50% off right now! New Planners will be released soon, and I will, of course, have an update for you with all the new changes.
Uncertain Times: What do you say?
Honestly, I didn’t know what to say during these uncertain times. Part of me was happy to have a little bit of the stress taken off of me by force. I love the activities that my kids are involved in. We have been very particular about not joining all.the.things. precisely because I preach how to overcome overwhelm, how to slow down. I practice these things in my life daily.
However, going through the sale of a house, the purchase of a new one, all the stress that entails, as well as all the activities, that is hard. And now we face these uncertain times, and the security and rhythm that I have been craving for the past 8 months, well it isn’t quite there at the moment.
So I didn’t say anything at all. I didn’t turn to the one place to really work through my feelings – this blog.
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What I used to write about
I used to spend my time writing here to work through my feelings. Yes, I tried to be helpful and include ideas and tips, even in the beginning. However, there were always posts about how I was feeling, and what I was doing to work through my feelings. I miss that.
Writing is a way that I work through uncertain times. It doesn’t matter if it is a very small instance that only affects me, or if it affects the entire globe. I write to feel better and to have a record of what is going on.
Uncertain Times: Homeschooling
I am blessed in the fact that we already homeschool. The books have already been purchased for my oldest for next year. We are still moving ahead with a lot of the day-to-day normal stuff that we do.
Yes, we are not going to the library. We aren’t going to band or tennis or church. That is the hard part. Even though we homeschool, we still do leave the house! It is funny to see some of the people assume that everyone is now homeschooling because everyone is confined to their homes. Unfortunately, that does more to hurt the homeschool community than to bring people together. We aren’t all hermits!
I had to start reading The Brave Learner again. I needed someone else to tell me that all the uncertainty was OK. That my kids were still able to learn even if it wasn’t exactly the year I had envisioned.
Is this Year Over Yet?
We have been chugging along this year. It hasn’t been the year that I wanted or expected. The planning that I had done during the summer kind of went out the window pretty much immediately. It started with all three kids getting really sick the week leading into the new school year. The same weekend that we were getting pictures taken of our house to list it, and when all the craziness began with house showings every.single.day. for weeks.
When moms are thinking about how difficult it is to bring their public schooled children home and create a learning environment for them, that is how it felt for me every time we had to leave the house for a showing.
It would start with me spending a good couple of hours getting the house ready for the showing, getting the kids and the dog out of the house and to my mom’s, and then waiting for the showing to be over. Try doing school while essentially moving your classroom and materials every single day. It was awful. I don’t recommend it.
It actually helped that I have created some tools already. Tools like my daily habit tracker. Even though I didn’t feel like we were making progress, I could see that we were. When it is in front of you, and you see all of the subjects or tasks that you are completing each month, that is certainty. A breath of fresh air in uncertain times.
Uncertain Times were all around us
And we continued to push through. I had to be that anchor for my kids, the same way that we all have to be that anchor now.
It doesn’t mean that it isn’t hard – I have come to find that most things in life are hard. But, that is what makes it wonderful, the work. You get to put in the work to make your life better.
You hate the stress, and so do I. I am not one for insecurity. I want to know exactly what is coming next, and I work hard to make that happen for my family. But, when we are all in uncertain times, how do you do that? How can you be strong when you are also afraid?
Uncertain Times does not = Fear
Obviously there is going to be fear involved in uncertain times, but it does not have to take hold of you. You have to look on the bright side and be optimistic.
How do you do that? By creating a life-giving home and rhythm. That is what I am working towards right now. And I’m sure you are doing the same.
Creating Your Rhythm
It isn’t easy to create a rhythm in uncertain times. However, a daily rhythm will be something that you can lean on. This rhythm is something that you can work on daily. Think of it as a group of habits that are important to you and your family.
This could be things like a morning routine for yourself before the kids get out of bed. It can be reading at breakfast together, or even family dinner. With everyone together most of the time at this point, all those family activities are going to be welcome.
The discussions, the games, the creativity, making music together, reading together, challenging one another on their ideas. It is a great time to grow deeper together.
The Bottom Line
You obviously need to be secure for your kids. And while your day-to-day homeschool may not have changed, it has for a lot of people. Encouraging one another. Giving each other grace. Learning to live well together. These are all things that I am working on and encourage you to do the same.
Uncertainty may not affect all of us at the same time again, but since we are all in this boat together at this point, let’s try to help one another.
I feel a lot better after I talk to all of you, so please, if you want someone to talk to just e-mail me.
How can I help and encourage you the most? Is it a new tool that might help keep you calm and organized? Some sort of encouragement that you need? Please e-mail me and let me know! Just CLICK HERE!
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