This past week marked the beginning of Advent. It feels especially short this year since the first Sunday of Advent landed on the first Sunday in December. I always have grand plans for this beautiful liturgical season. However, between homeschooling and the daily chores of life, fitting in an extra devotional feels nearly impossible.

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I found myself reflecting on how quickly the first week flew by. At first, I felt like I had completely failed. But then I realized—even without a structured daily devotional—Advent preparation was still happening naturally in our week.

Advent Is a Season of Waiting

Advent is, at its heart, a season of waiting. And God, in His graciousness, always seems to place our family in some kind of waiting during this season.

Last Advent, my youngest was in the hospital with RSV (a story for another time). Once the emergency settled and I found myself alone in the hospital room, I realized how fitting it was to be in a season of waiting—waiting and praying for Joshua to be well enough to come home.

This year, thankfully, we are all well. But there are still small areas in life where waiting is required. These everyday delays quietly point us back to the heart of the season—waiting for our Savior to be born.

A Missing Wreath and a Lesson in Patience

I thought I was ahead of the game this year and purchased our Advent candles early. But of course—my Advent wreath was nowhere to be found. A little frustrating, yes, but again… I had to wait. We didn’t get the wreath until Thursday.

Now, the kids light candles at breakfast and dinner. Of course, there have to be turns—each child waits to light the candle and also to blow it out. These small moments become beautiful teaching opportunities, naturally tying our daily routines to the liturgical season.

(Side note: this isn’t always as peaceful as it sounds—but the children are learning, and it usually works out.)

Homeschooling as a Lifestyle

This week was also a beautiful reminder that homeschooling isn’t limited to curriculum. My mother-in-law came for a visit—perfectly timed with St. Nick’s Day—and brought Advent and Christmas books to read with the kids. They loved them!

Some favorites she brought:

• Christmas in Heaven (I’m so grateful for this one since my mom has passed)
• The Night the Saints Saved Christmas
• Carlo Acutis: Holiness for the Third Millennium (so fitting with his canonization next year!)

We also attended the Candlelight Tour at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine and learned more about her life. The event beautifully highlighted Advent as a season of hope. If you’re ever in Emmitsburg, Maryland, I highly recommend a visit. Their living history program truly brings St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s faith to life.

My mother-in-law also treated us to an early dinner at a local spot before our annual Christmas parade, where the karate kids got to walk. We didn’t have much time, with the other events of the day, so I was grateful for her generosity in taking us out to lunch instead.

A Week of Moments and Memories

With Paul away on a work trip in California this week, I’m solo-parenting—and once again, I’m waiting. It’s hard to do it all alone for five days! But there’s also grace in this temporary sacrifice and an invitation to take on the challenge with joy.

Meanwhile, we’re continuing to:

Slowly prepare our home for Christmas (my favorite holiday—we were even married during the Christmas season!)

• Read our Christmas books

• Pray the daily rosary at the breakfast table

Homeschooling Humor: A Reading Milestone

To end on a light note, here’s a bit of homeschooling humor from the week. Theodore is learning how to read. He can sound out the words well, but it’s a slow process.

He was reading a short story from one of his readers, which repeated the same words to build fluency. The story was about a boy chopping wood. Finally, Theodore, clearly over it, exclaimed:

“Ok! I get it! You are going to go chop the wood!”

Wishing you all a blessed Advent season!