Top 20 Items Carried by Homeschool Bag Ladies

It’s not hard to recognize a homeschool mom out in the public.  As if the harried, panic-stricken look across the woman’s face as she’s trying to corral a herd of children either into or out of her vehicle isn’t enough to recognize her as a homeschool mom, she’s guaranteed to be identified as the one bogged down with a TON of bags!  These unsung pack mules are otherwise known as the Homeschool Bag Ladies.

They’re not just equipped with the standard fare of mom’s bags such as hand bags, diaper bags, snack bags, library book bags or shopping bags, either.  Oh, no-no-no.  In addition to these standard fare bags, these moms shlep a multitude of other bags making it undeniably easy to identify her as a Homeschool Bag Lady.  These bags filled to capacity include, but are certainly not limited to (and not in any particular order):

1. Curriculum, books, magazines, tapes, CDs & DVDs borrowed from someone else to sample.
2. Curriculum, books, magazines, tapes, CDs & DVDS to loan to someone else to sample.
3. Assorted toys, games and craft items to occupy younger children while the older ones are engaged in a separate organized activity or event closeby.  Indeed, some of us even carry duffle bags on wheels for this one!
4. Assorted knitting, scrapbooking or other like hobbies to occupy the moms while the children are otherwise engaged in their organized activity.
5. Days, perhaps weeks, of unopened mail and (now) bills to pay & mail.
6. Days, perhaps weeks, of unread newspapers.
7. Months of unread homeschool magazines & curriculum catalogs.
8. Worksheets and assignments for the kids to do on the go.
9. Audio CDs for kids to listen to while on the go.
10. Sports equipment for various sporting events.
11. Teaching materials and props for co-ops and classes
12. Desserts, drinks or other contributing dishes for a homeschool event.
13. Decorations and assorted craft items for a homeschool event.
14. Assorted craft creations made at a homeschool event.
15. Assorted science or historical materials & props for a private group unit study session.
16. Cameras, camcorders and (sometimes) tripod equipment on the way to…anywhere.
17. Contributions of food, toys, coats or what-have-you for the toy drive, food, drive, coat drive or “Drive DuJour”.
18. Computer laptop and various electronic accessories.
19. For moms with boys: various toy swords, guns and light sabers; and for moms with girls: dolls, Webkinz pets, and play cell phones; as well as for all moms: hats, gloves, or bathing suits, towels and pool toys…all on the way to the next playdate.

    And finally…

20.  Various toys, sippy cups, assorted clothing, and beach towels left behind from the last playdate you hosted…to be delivered back to their rightful owners.

These bags do not include the bags of the Homeschool Bag Lady’s herd of children which increases the number of bags per family outing significantly!

Indeed, with the number of bags to be shlepped, Homeschool Bag Ladies have well learned the ways of the pack mule for you will observe that she can deftly move from Point A to Point B with any number of the above bags on her back, both shoulders, both arms, both wrists, and in each of her ten fingers…and even her in her teeth (that is, if her car keys are not found to be dangling from there).

It’s interesting to note that the relation of the increasing number of Homeschool Bag Ladies is seemingly directly proportionate to the increasing sales revenue of Tylenol.  I wonder if Brian D. Ray, Ph.D. (www.nheri.org) has conducted any formal studies on this homeschool relationship?