Jump to content

Menu

Am I Crazy?


Recommended Posts

I am seriously entertaining the idea of taking my four small children on an extended (months long) cross country trip.

 

Context:

 

My husband is seven months into a two year deployment. I live in Hawaii, far from family. I have friends here, but many of the ones I am close to have moved within the last six months due to military relocation. I love home educating the kids. We have a fairly consistent routine.

 

Why shouldn't I just shove all our furniture into a storage unit and use our rent money to drive around America, seeing sights and being closer to family?

 

Perhaps I am in complete denial of the logistical reality of this sort of undertaking. My biggest concern would be where to put the books.

 

But hey, no one is in diapers anymore, so it would be fine, right? Shoot. It would make for a heck of a journal.

 

Let the kids play in the badlands. Eat fresh lobster in Maine. Visit a Nona in North Carolina that we haven't seen in years.

 

This entire thing would probably worry the pants off of dh...

 

Am I nuts here?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nah, you're not crazy.

 

Would you be able to get your house back, or another house once your journey is done, though? That would be my worry if you're living in military housing. If you're not and you'd have someplace to live at the end of your adventure, then go for it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This wasn't cross country but I took my 4dc ages 5 and under on a one-month trip by myself and loved it!!! If I could I would pack everyone's things today and just go for as long and as far as we wanted to. So I say go for it! Make sure to get a list of WTMers along the way to see... :D

 

ETA: Your dc seem to be the perfect age for this type of trip, imo. As they get older things can get more complicated with outside activities/involvement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes you can do this. Get set up with a mail forwarding service, set up to pay all of your bills online and to get all your statements electronically. Don't push for long days of driving get a dvd player with 2 or 3 monitors for the car. Have fun!

 

Oh yeah, leave the books in storage. There will be plenty of things to learn along the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow this is a lot of encouragement. Thank you ladies!

 

 

 

lol I don't know if I could do that! Hello. My name is Shannon. I am a bibliophile...

 

How about getting a kindle and doing some electronic books then? I totally understand the book obsession. I buy that and CD's way more than I should.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We only did it for a month and I'm so glad we went! Our kids were a bit younger (just under 1, 3 and 5 at the time, so we called it "The Great Potty Tour" for all the bathroom stops) but my oldest still talks about it and asks if we could do it again. If you can easily get your stuff into storage and have no pets to worry about then I would go for it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nope, you're not nuts, I would do exactly that.

 

So, perhaps it'd be two of us being nuts.

 

And TOTALLY get a kindle and load it up. I've gotten over 500 free books, all classics, and so worth reading. Read them books after dinner each night, wherever you are.

 

HAve fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a HEARTBEAT! If you are in the position to do it, totally go for it~!!! Don't let other's inability to imagine or think big stop you! So many times we find we don't live out dreams because others could never imagine themselves doing it, and we listen to their own fears. Do it...and stop by Montrose, CO to visit us!

 

Cindy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a HEARTBEAT! If you are in the position to do it, totally go for it~!!! Don't let other's inability to imagine or think big stop you! So many times we find we don't live out dreams because others could never imagine themselves doing it, and we listen to their own fears. Do it...and stop by Montrose, CO to visit us!

 

Cindy

 

I think I just may! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nope, you're not nuts, I would do exactly that.

 

So, perhaps it'd be two of us being nuts.

 

And TOTALLY get a kindle and load it up. I've gotten over 500 free books, all classics, and so worth reading. Read them books after dinner each night, wherever you are.

 

HAve fun!

 

Way off topic, where else do you get classics from other than project gutenberg and amazon for free?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.amazon.com/Road-Atlas-RV-Camping-Edition/dp/159775000X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1344380606&sr=8-6&keywords=rv+atlas

 

When we traveled across the country for over a month we bought this and used it a bunch and used travelocity a bunch. When you get into planning leave yourself some flexibility to stay some places longer or to skip places.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:D

 

Pshaw. You ladies fill my heart.

 

I am off to researching and planning for a bit. Departure likely in the fall!

 

Wow, I hope this works out for you. I would do it!

 

Please keep us posted...we would love to hear about your adventures as you travel!

 

What city in NC?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you more likely to regret doing it- or not doing it? :)

 

I think it sounds awesome! I wish I could do something like that! I haven't gotten to travel much and my dh just isn't that into it, but I get wistful sometimes thinking of all the places there are to be seen and experiences to be had, if only. In your situation? I would go for it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love this idea. If I were you I would start packing that stuff away NOW and get moving. And think of it this way, if it's not working out, you can always bail at any point and go back to Hawaii. If you don't do it you'll always wonder what it would have been like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GO! Listen to audio books in the car if you feel you must "do" school. Your kids will be learning. My only issue would be eating healthy along the way. My uncle had a mini fridge that plugged into his car somehow. It would be so handy to pull over at a park and eat a healthy lunch without always running to the store. I would also want a GPS; sometimes it is fun to take a turn just to see where you go, but it is so nice to know that you will be guided back safely eventually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go for it! I would do it in a heartbeat if we had the money. A few years ago, I took the kids on a month long trip across the country to see family on the east coast. We survived! :)

 

And I totally understand about the books. Take some favorites along with you in the carry on luggage. And the cool thing is that you can stop at libraries all across the country.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ive traveled with my kids since my little one was almost 3. I have done at least 4 trips with my 3 kids and myself without my hubby. I fill a cooler in the middle and take lots of books, games, and movies. We pull over whenever we get tired and usually run around a BK or MCDonalds to stretch our legs. Then we would stop anyplace that looked cool.

 

I took fishing poles to hit local parks and we did hikes around in the mountains.

 

I also would call my hubby and have him book a hotel online with priceline or phone and just tell him a town up the road from me. Now it is easier with a smartphone...but it is just as easy either way. I always got a great price and no hassles. We would stop at zoos or museums. I usually bought one pass and it was good nationwide for members. Pretty cool to visit them all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...