Practical Life Question: How do you get errands, apts, etc. done while being a HSer? - Page 2

[sha_lyn]

Over then years it has been all of the above except for paying a sitter. When they are too young to stay at home alone they have usually gone with me for most errands and I would schedule appointments around DH's work schedule when I could. Now on the rare occasion that I feel like I will be gone too long to leave DD at home alone she will go over to a friend's house or if possible I'll schedule on DH's off Friday.

[phathui5]

I take them with me for: post office, grocery shopping, other "errands"

I have dh, a friend or a paid sitter watch them for: dental apts, coffee with a friend, working out, yoga class, doc apts, hair cuts, oil changes

[moondiapers]

For most things, I took the kids with me (including daycare kids so sometimes I had 7 kids with me). If it was a doctor's appt for ME, then I closed daycare down for the day and only took my own kids (I have 3). The only thing I've had DH schedule time off for or have used a baby sitter for is my anual papsmear or if I need actual dental work.

[TwinMom]

I voted "Other." My two oldest are both 17 years old, so they can stay home, but are rarely actually here. The two youngest are 9 and 5, unable to stay home alone. If I *have* to go somewhere without them, like the doctor or a coffee date with a friend then I make sure to schedule that when there is at least one teenager at home. Otherwise, if it happens that I need to run errands when one of the girls is home, they can stay at home. If nobody is at home, well, sorry, you gotta come with me.

[rjruiz_415]

The only time I leave the kids with DH is if I am just going to run REAL quick in and out of a store or post office... Everywhere else, long shopping trips, stuff like that- the kids come with.

[crunchy_mama]

I have 3 kids 6, 3 and 11 months. Dh's parents live close by but are often busy, his dad usually watches the (older)kids for a few hrs once a week- and once every several months we might go on a date and have one of our parents watch the older ones. Otherwise they are with us- mostly me due to his work schedule.

Groceries generally get done on the weekend after church w/ dh. I generally go out once a month w/ friends and leave the older 2 at home w/ dad. We make our dental appts/eye appts/blood donations together and take turns. I work out w/ family. Dh does our oil changes almost always- or I will go through the quick-lube place and we wait in the lobby. I don't do a lot of shopping usually- on Tues I will sometimes run some errands w/ the kids, sometimes dh will stop by places before or after work.

[onyxravnos]

i always have at least two of the kids with me but normally every one is in the car! i try t save boring time consuming ones (like the post office) for days i have the fewest children.

[LemonPie]

I take them with me for most things, but I'm also blessed with extremely supportive parents and ILs who both live near me I have some friends that I would feel comfortable asking, but they don't home school, so I'm reluctant to ask them to watch all three of mine when some of theirs are in school. . . I'd only do that if I was really in a bind or an emergency.

[AnnR33]

We typically do school work in the morning and any running in the afternoon.
The kids go with me 90% of the time and that's just part of their learning. They learn patience, social skills, manners, etc which are sadly lacking in many kids today.

[nathansmum]

Mostly the kids go with me (groceries, post office, paying bills etc) and just think of it as an extension of our unschooled life. If I have things that I need to do on my own (doctors appt, library for myself, getting down time at my own pace etc) then I will do those things on a Sunday or Monday when DH is home to mind the kids. I don't really have anyone to leave the kids with during week hours (and really, it hasn't been a pressing issue where I've *needed* to find someone as yet), so unless I can work something else out, we all do it together.

[Savoir Faire]

Well, first I have a paid sitter who always has things to do and never shows up. Sigh. So if she comes (on a Tuesday) I'll try to do things then.

Sometimes I just wait until my husband comes home from work. But that usually doesn't happen.

Usually, I just try to lump everything together and bring them with me at once. If anything, I might give them a light at the end of the tunnel (we have to go to the library, post office and Target. If you can hold it together and not act like complete lunatics, we'll stop for a McDonalds ice cream *YUM* or watch a movie at home.). It usually works.

[Storm Bride]

We do this:

Post Office, grocery shopping, other shopping, oil changes: These are all things I would normally do with the kids in tow, although I do go grocery shopping in the evening and leave the little ones with dh sometimes (or I take one of the kids, usually ds2). ETA: I'm actually cutting back on how often they all go with me, because they don't like it, and they make it kind of...fraught. But, ds2 really likes to come with me when it's just the two of us, so I do that...and sometimes I bring his baby sister, which he likes.

coffee with a friend: On the rare occasions that I go for coffee alone with a friend, I do it in the evening or on a weekend, and dh watches the kids. More often, I'd have another homeschool mama over and the kids will have a playdate, while we chat.

working out, yoga class: I don't go to the gym or yoga class or anything like that. I do those things at home, sometimes with the kids, and sometimes after they go to bed. I may put the baby in the Ergo, and take the kids for a walk, or do a step workout in the living room (either with the baby in the Ergo, or while the baby is napping/occupied), do yoga with the kids, etc.

dental apts, doc apts, hair cuts: I don't get hair cuts. I don't go to the doctor unless I'm really, really ill. If I need the doctor, I go to a clinic in the evening or weekend. For dental appointments, I could leave the kids in the lobby, but I can't do that with dd2. So, I ask my mom to watch the kids for that. If she can't, dh can sometimes work from home for a few hours.

So, it really varies, but I mostly just take them with me. Doctor and dentist appointments are the only ones when I really have to get someone else to watch them, because I can't supervise them if I'm on an exam table or in a chair. I wouldn't have a problem taking dd1 to either of those, though.

[tankgirl73]

I agree you need an "all of the above". I selected "bring them with me" because that's the default. I TOTALLY agree with the idea that this is PART of homeschooling. This is "socialization" in a broader-society sense.

When I was a kid, I was extremely, debilitatingly shy, and one of my worst anxieties was dealing with any clerk in a store... even the friendly cashiers at McDonald's. I couldn't talk to them... not just because I was afraid to talk, but because I was worried I was going to do something wrong. I didn't understand the social rules, I was scared there would be some rule that everyone else knew but I didn't.

I'm not trying to imply that if I'd have been homeschooled that would have been automatically fixed. I think I may have some Asperger's tendencies. I'm just pointing out how important those skills are, and that I had a hard time learning them.

So my kids come with me for all errands by default.

Of course, sometimes I really just would rather go by myself. If I'm bra-shopping, for instance, or even any clothes, and I need to spend an hour just trying stuff on, rejecting things because nothing fits my bizarre frame, trying more things... the kids get BORED SILLY doing this so it's best for me to do it myself.

Things like that, I'll either do when DH is home, or my SIL (who also homeschoolers her kids) will watch mine (we trade back and forth as necessary), or I'll do it when they're in some activity or other. For instance, when DS has his dance class, usually DD stays home with DH and I'll go grocery shopping then pick him back up.

It really all depends on what the errand is, whether it can wait or needs to be done now, what mood I'm in... heh...

But definitely, whatever your preferences are, take errands into account in your homeschool planning. Maybe you'd prefer to have an entire 'errand day' where you try to do everything one day a week, and so you don't schedule "official" school stuff that day. Or maybe you do school in the mornings, errands in the afternoon, like another poster suggested. Whatever you prefer, just do realize that it will happen.

And you know, I don't think this is necessarily a homeschool-specific question. Because it's not asking "how do you do errands when you're supposed to be teaching all day". It's asking "how do you do errands when you have the kids with you all day instead of away at school." So the same question could be asked of parents with public schooled kids, in the summer. They still get their errands done. So... so can we, year-round.

I always like in the summer when I see kids out and about with their parents all the time. That's the way it SHOULD be IMO... kids are a PART of human society and community and should not be segregated out of it as much as they are, as though they're completely separate and foreign until they reach adulthood.

[umbrella]

They often go with me, but I do find the "serious" grocery shopping to be a little maddening with three kids, so for that, I like to utilize other options, such as doing it when dh is home, doing it when I have a sitter, doing it when the bigger kids have a playdate.

My dh travels for work at times, and when that's the case, if I'm smart, I have a sitter come weekly, and I run errands or just go get a pedicure and read a book, etc. He's been home a lot lately though, so sitters have mostly been for dates.

[Leersia]

I probably shouldn't have voted (other), since this option is not available to all, but my kids are in a one-day-a-week HSing enrichment program, so that is the day when I. e.g., go to the gynecologist. It has been great to have that one day every week, and while not all of the 6 classes that they take are great, at least 4 of them are.

[Smidge]

Mondays are our errand days and sometimes I'll have MIL come over and watch them, but most times they come with. I think it's crucial for them to learn how to shop, but they don't need to go every single time

[philia]

Errands

I pay a sitter to watch the my kids for a couple hours twice a week. I go to stores or stay at home and do housework while she reads to them. This is the only way I know to get it all done. I also plan one big house type challenge for each evening when the kids are asleep. Tonight I am cleaning out the kitchen desk drawers.

[mary3mama]

Ours is a combo thing. I try to structure our schedule such that I can run errands, especially grocery shopping, while the children (or at least 2 of the 3) are with my hubby.

Right now, though, with hubby out of town, we've had to do everything as a team. It's not how they want to spend their time; and it's not how I like to shop...but, it keeps food in the house.

My preference is to take the my youngest (usually the first one out of bed) and go get groceries first thing in the morning.. I try to respect that my work-at-home spouse needs to focus on his work and not leave him to monkey-wrangle too much. So going early and taking the loudest and least-logical of the bunch helps. The older two are very self-sufficient in getting up, getting themselves some food and getting started on their day's adventures. Frequently the wee one and I are back with groceries before the boys even get out of bed. So it is a win-win solution all around.

[mommariffic]

I do both

Right now I have an infant and a 3 year old and my LEAST favorite thing to do is grocery shop with them so I normally plan meals/order online. When the food comes DD will help me unpack it, and I normally get her a little "treat.." for other errands [specialty shops, baby supplies, home stuff...] I tend to bring the kiddos to those because DD has fun helping me pick out things.

Coffee shops and whatever I bring kids, unless I'm doing a "girls night.." but I actually enjoy going for snacks/lunch with my kiddos by myself : ) We started going early on, and DD is great and helps get check/orders her own food. I try to do this with her once a week at our favorite diner.

I don't really do the gym or yoga, but I know the places near me have childcare. I don't know if I'd use it though.

I do get a babysitter a few hours a week so that I can write; it's my passion and my kids are too young to amuse themselves. I like it because I'm home, and can peak downstairs whenever!