I thought of this as I drove the 26 miles that takes 45-50 minutes without traffic to the co-op we’re newly involved in this year.  Traditionally, we don’t travel this far too often.  We have definitely made a similar trip twice before: both times for a specific writing teacher for a half-year because she worked REALLY well with BigGuy (who only ever enjoyed writing with this woman and she really enjoyed him–worth the trip).

Don’t get me wrong, we make trips.  Going into downtown Chicago for museum free days or heading out to a specific location for a special trip–these happen.  Likely more often than most schooled kids; but possibly also more often than many homeschooled kids.  Homeschool families vary in both their tolerance for trekking around and their availability to do so.  My family is out a LOT.  “Homeschooling” is a misnomer because we’re not home as much as people think we are.  Also, inasmuch as there is a TON of stuff right. here. we still wind up driving quite a bit for things that interest us more than what’s right. here.  Most people would do that if they had the time.  We just have the time.

So anyway, off we go on our almost-hour-long journey and all I can think of is “I just FILLED the gas tank on Friday and we are at half a tank on Tuesday… That’s totally not an expense I planned for.”  Because generally, we’re not trekking this far every week.  This year we are.

There are also things for us to do outside of the house on any given day.  I think Mondays have always been the bouncy place; Tuesdays have been rock-climbin, Wednesdays were always the park/church gym (weather-dependent) or gymnastics, Thursdays… homeschool roller skating (which conflicts with something I’m not remembering) and then Fridays, the local YMCA does a gym & swim class but the co-op closer to us does enrichment classes (Girly got into her favorite teacher’s art class for spring!  WOOT!).  These are just the things on my radar.

It doesn’t have to be like this, of course.  It’s just how we are.  Because I’m prone to cabin fever… seriously.  But I know plenty of homeschool families that don’t leave the house a whole lot and they’re very happy, healthy (and loving) people.