+10 for all of this...SHMIV wrote:MamaBear,
You've indicated, several times, that you home school your children. Do you train your children to carry stuff, if need be? Clearly, this would not be an option for the baby, but the older kids could possibly carry a few pounds of whatever, in a backpack. You could set up an obstacle course in the back yard, and have the kids go through it while carrying a weighted backpack. Make it fun, like a contest. Or, maybe there is a neighborhood playground that you could utilize for the same purpose. If any of the other neighborhood moms question you, tell them that you home school and you are having a PE class... which, of course, would be the truth.
Kids are tough. When I was 7, I hiked the entirety of York River State Park, with my father, in a day. That was about 25 miles (Well, 25 miles in 1986, anyway. The mileage may have changed, since then). Oh, and it rained that day. I had about a 20 pound pack. My sister, who was about 5 at the time, did about half that distance, that year, with a same-size pack. That time took less than a day. Which reminds me; your whole family should go hiking on a weekly basis, if possible. Aside from the benefit of witnessing the awe and wonder of what God has created, it prepares everyone for having to take a long walk, should the need arise. And, it gets the little people used to carrying stuff, too.
We home school ours, don't forget Cub Scouts and Scouting, a great resource for like minded folks, and supervised "socialization" .
SHMIV is right on the money with the hikes, though, - nothing like a long walk to make one consider what they really need to take and what they can do without.
That way if and when y'all have to get on shank's mare, there'll be no whining and panic.
