Late last year I suffered an ACL injury. One minute everything was fine with plans for Christmas holiday studies and festivities, and the next I was making plans to keep off my feet and rest. Most of my plans quickly went to the wayside, both plans for the holidays plus the coming homeschool semester. 

I’ve been here before. Sickness, recovery from giving birth, changes in work schedule, moving into a new home. Things like these and others all feel particularly heavy when you are a homeschool mom carrying the load of your children’s education, plus the other responsibilities that come with motherhood. It’s hard to be present and excited about your child’s school week when you are in pain or juggling doctor’s appointments. Crafts and read-alouds start to feel burdensome when you have so many tasks and responsibilities on your mind.

There were moments I was beside myself, coping with tears in my eyes at the disappointing season I was entering, including knee surgery, physical therapy, and a slow recovery. For months I have been dreaming up new curriculum with my team at Treehouse Schoolhouse, and in my family we have planned trips and travel we want to take as a family. 

We are used to being busy and active outdoors, in our community, and in nature. But sometimes life happens and you have to pivot. After getting through the holidays and scheduling surgery, I reluctantly started making intentional choices of letting things go and shifting my priorities for the remainder of this school year. 

I finally had ACL reconstruction surgery about a month ago and I’m learning to appreciate the gentleness of a slower pace in every area of my life. Physical healing is slow and steady. There have been small wins, like my first ride in the car post-surgery, and setbacks, like pain and inflammation after every physical therapy session. 

As for our homeschool, it looks different right now. It’s bedside lessons, pared-down school days, delegating, and a lot of grace. As hard as it is for me, I am finding unexpected peace in the unhurried rhythm.

In this blog post I am sharing encouragement for when homeschooling doesn’t go as planned, plus simple comforts and ways to ask for help when you need it the most. If you are going through a time of setbacks or disappointments yourself, I hope this will be encouraging for you, and a healthy reminder that our children’s education isn’t dependent on how perfect things look or how smoothly our plans go. 

In this blog post: 

• Encouragement for homeschool moms: Hope during healing and personal setbacks 
• 5 ways to feel supported in a difficult time
• Simple comforts I’m enjoying during my recovery

Encouragement for homeschool moms: Hope during healing and personal setbacks 

When you look ahead at your homeschool year, you choose curricula and make plans for books you want to read, activities, and field trips. Maybe you make goals for your family or have academic achievements in mind. In my family, this spring I imagined using Treehouse Nature Study: Spring with field trips to a local pond, the zoo, and planting flowers. I was planning on using An Expectant Easter and filling our March with Easter traditions the kids love, like a daily Scripture Egg Hunt and making Empty Tomb rolls. We also had a camping trip planned that we had to cancel. 

When I zoom out, I see that God’s ways are higher and He can accomplish His work in and through me, even when I am weak and I wish I could do or be more. Here are some things I try to remember as I focus on healing and what I can control.

1. Focus on healing and rest. Whether you are dealing with physical recovery or have adapted your home life to accommodate a need in your family, know that healing is important and necessary. When I talk with my mom friends, we often care for others but reject the idea that we need time for ourselves to heal. Instead, take this moment to recover and fill your cup so that you can give back to family, friends, and community when you have recovered.
2. Lean into the bright spots. Right now for me, I have more time for cuddles and little conversations, playing card games for hours in my bed, afternoon stretches of quiet, and permission to focus on healing and presence over perfection. This is the kind of parent I want to be. In my normal routine, it can be easy to overlook these little moments when we don’t have the downtime to rest in each other’s company.
3. Accept that God’s plan is higher. As Christians we know intellectually that God’s plan is bigger than what we could plan or comprehend. Lean into Scriptures (like Isaiah 55:8-9 or Matthew 6:25-34) and go to God in prayer asking that you receive His grace and serve Him through the trying moments in your life.
4. Remind yourself that this is not forever. Your children’s education is a long journey. A few weeks or even months of what may feel like chaos is a blip on the timeline of their education at home with you.
5. See the value in hardship. Children are learning so much in hard times that they would not encounter in a book, or even the best-planned unit study. In my family, I am seeing my children transform as they learn to serve, have empathy, and work as a family unit. My children are witnessing our family make important adjustments and are learning to self-educate as they fill additional free time with projects, reading, and imaginative play. They are getting a front row seat and participating in real-life situations, which will serve them well in their adult life.

5 ways to feel supported in a difficult time

1. Ask for help. This is necessary, and a hard lesson to learn. I am used to feeling fully capable and being in control of what I do, and doing it my own way. It has been necessary to ask for help from my husband, children, and parents. When people ask if you need something, tell them what you need and accept help. Accept help when you need it, and remember that one day you can repay the favor to those in your life who need help.
2. Lean into independent work. In your homeschool, pause any studies or projects that require your full attention for a short time as you recover. Make a simple checklist for your children to work through each day as independently as they can. Check their work when you feel well enough to or recruit your spouse to help. 
3. Consider a homeschool co-op. Times when you need extra support are a great opportunity to involve your children in a nearby homeschool co-op or extracurricular classes that cover subjects like history or science. This helps keep your children engaged and takes the pressure off of you to do the full load of homeschooling.
4. Give your children responsibility where you can. Now is a great time to enlist your children for help with simple tasks like cleaning up toys, making simple meals, or letting older children read books or do lessons with younger children. Praise your children for their extra effort and thank them for their help and taking on responsibilities.
5. Utilize any conveniences that are available to you. Convenience meals, grocery delivery, house cleaners… if there is something you can outsource that is within your budget, now is the time to use the extra help.

Simple comforts I’m enjoying during my recovery

• These Chocolate Chip Cookies — My friend brought me a batch of these oat and almond flour chocolate chip cookies and they are so comforting and nourishing.
• Cottage Cheese Egg Bites — I meal prepped these before surgery and they’ve been a great option for my husband or the kids to quickly heat up for me in the toaster oven for breakfast. They freeze well too.
• I have been enjoying this cozy book series my friend sent me in a care package. These stories, presented in journal entries, are witty, endearing and just simply delightful. The setting is London and they follow a young woman’s intimate diary as she navigates family tensions, personal loss, and the messy work of finding her own voice. 
• I am rewatching All Creatures Great and Small with my 11-year-old daughter, which we both absolutely love. It follows the story of James Herriot, a farm vet in the Yorkshire Dales and blends veterinary drama with heartfelt stories about community and friendship.
• The kids love to bring card games up to my bed during free time. We are enjoying Phase 10, Monopoly Deal, Skip-Bo, and Trash Monsters. 
• I have been working on family scrapbooks! I do this through the app Project Life. It’s a digital scrapbooking app where you make pretty pages with photos, designs, and text. I tackle one year at a time and once the entire year is complete, I order the pages to be printed and then put them in an album with sheet protectors. 

Have you had a period of setbacks or recovery in your homeschool journey? I would love to hear any words encouragement you have to share in the comments below.