Learning to Let Go, One Plan at a Time

Remember that ice cream unit study I was planning for National Ice Cream Month? Well, unfortunately, things didn't quite go as planned!

I actually managed to prepare most of it, and I was getting pretty excited about all the activities I had planned. We were going to explore the history of ice cream, learn about the science behind making it, and, of course, make some homemade ice cream ourselves! While planning everything, I also had to keep our Orthodox fasting days in mind, since some of our activities involved dairy.

Unfortunately, between some unexpected visitors for a week and sickness lasting three full weeks around the Fourth of July, I never got around to finishing the preparations. Even after I was finally feeling well enough to get out and about again, my voice which I lost, still hadn't fully recovered. That took about another week! By the time I was back to normal, I still had two days' worth of activities left to design and prepare, and July was quickly slipping away.

And, of course, life wasn't slowing down anytime soon. I had though to move the study to this month, but between appointments, our already-planned family trip next week and a playdate at a friend's house, there simply isn't anywhere left to squeeze in the unit study. Especially with nearly half of August falling during the Dormition Fast, when we'll be abstaining from dairy, an ice cream unit study wouldn't exactly work out! Even if I managed to finish preparing those last two days, when would we actually have time to do it?

With everything already on our calendar, trying to make it happen would only add unnecessary stress. Rather than rushing to finish everything and squeezing it into an already busy schedule, I decided to put the unit study on the back burner until next summer.

So, next July it is!

Thankfully, with most of the preparations already finished, I shouldn't have too much left to do when the time comes. I'm really hoping nothing gets in the way next year because the kids were genuinely excited about this one. And honestly, so was I!

I suppose that's just how homeschooling goes sometimes. We can make all sorts of wonderful plans, but life doesn't always cooperate. And that's something I'm still learning to accept: letting go when unexpected interruptions come along instead of getting worked up over plans that fall through. At least the work I've already put into this unit study won't go to waste, and we'll have something fun to look forward to next summer.

Hopefully, next year will bring a little less interruption and a lot more ice cream! And I can't wait to share the unit study with you once we've had a chance to try it out and make any necessary adjustments.