Homeschool: When things don't go as planned

Our school calendar for 2013-2014 includes all the dates we would be actively schooling this year. We began back in July, went for six weeks and then had a week off. And basically we have followed this six weeks on,  one week off format all year. 

At Christmas we took off two weeks. We were scheduled to return to school January 7. Due to the flu and other sickness that took over, we decided to postpone school until next week when everyone is better. 

Here's the dilemma with that...this was not part of the plan. The plan. My plan. 

I've been spending the week finalizing lesson plans and trying to get everything ready to start next week. I decided to take advantage of the extra time and use it to my advantage.

In homeschool, as in any other school, there are always things that get in the way. There are days when you wake up and just don't feel well or just don't feel like doing school. There are illnesses and issues that come up without warning. And the beauty of homeschool is that you can adjust your schedule to fit your life at the moment. 

During my miscarriage, we took off a week we weren't planning to, and then we moved school from the school room to the couch. The couch didn't work for my structured mind, so we moved back to the school room after a week. 

The key to homeschool is flexibility. Everything will not always go as planned. My kids will work slower at some point and faster at another point. There will be days when they're sick or I'm sick. There will be days when other things come up. And that's the beauty of homeschool; being able to start, stop, take a break and pick up where we left off. 

I still think a plan is important, but flexibility with the plan is equally important.

Your turn:

Do YOU homeschool? 

Do you operate with a year-long plan? If so, how do you plan it for your family?

Do you have a set schedule for each day?