When we decided to homeschool L., I thought about a lot of things. I thought about the time I had available, which obligations I needed to cut, and how we would structure our days. I thought about how my introversion would impact homeschooling, and how we could compensate for my hermit-like habits. I thought way too much about curriculum choices.
But one thing I didn’t give much thought to was running errands. Since I consider myself a homebody, I don’t consider errands a major part of my life. A necessary responsibility, yes, but a minor one. But I have to say, 13 weeks into this homeschooling thing, I’m still trying to figure out how to run to the bank, get groceries when the rest of the world isn’t at the store, and pick up the items that Amazon won’t deliver to my home in two days.
Don’t get me wrong: I know I have it easy. I’m homeschooling one boy, and a pretty easy-going one at that. But I just haven’t gotten into any kind of errand-running groove yet. We start school first thing in the morning and by the time we’re done, all I want to do is fold laundry take a nap. Especially this past month, when I’ve been battling colds and a sinus infection.
Errands? They’re just not part of the equation.
But still. They linger in the background, sometimes only coming to mind at 2 a.m when one of the cats has wakened me.
When are you going to pick up that thing Cam needs?
What about that check you were supposed to deposit last week?
Oh, and how about shopping for the Operation Christmas Child boxes that were due last Sunday?
Eventually, I have to face them. Or at least, face the most pressing one.
(I know, I sound pathetic. I feel like I should have a handle on this by now. I have issues.)
Anyway, today was an errand day. After breakfast with a friend while L. happily did “Panera Homeschool” (a much-loved change of routine for both of us), L. and I headed to Target to wrap up our shopping for Operation Christmas Child. There was a tiny bit of complaining about how very long it took (I won’t name names), but I found myself feeling very thankful.
Thankful that we ran this errand together today.
I could have gone into “Errand Loner Mode” (my default approach) and tried to run out late at night. I could have put it off even longer. I could have given in to my exhaustion and promised to finish things when this annoying sinus infection eventually goes away.
But I’m glad I didn’t. We cruised the aisles of Target, picking out items to send to some far-away kids. We talked about what they would like best, what might be confusing or overwhelming for them, and how much we really thought we could fit in a shoebox.
Someday soon, I hope, I’ll have my act together, and running simple errands won’t feel like a major accomplishment. But for today — well, I crossed one off the list. And had a great time doing it.
Kim says
I must admit that I’ve become so accustomed to leaving the kids at home while I run errands. I mean, they’re all old enough, why drag them along??? After reading this post, I realize again just how important it is to involve them in aspects of my life that seem mundane. It’s healthy for the relationship. And I love the “homeschooling at Panera” idea! Thanks for this blog! 🙂
Katrina says
Thank you for visiting and commenting, Kim! We’ve been trying to work out a Panera Homeschool every couple weeks and it’s been wonderful! There’s so much I’m clueless about in this new adventure, but I might be getting that one thing right. 😉
Dianne says
1. How did I miss this? Hmm. . . well welcome back to blogland. I started one this summer; it’s like “can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em!”
2. I have no excuses, but I hate running errands. A good day for me is one in which I don’t have to go out of the house! If I can string a few of those together, it has the makings of a good week. Good call on enlisting L’s company though!