How far would you go?
Yesterday I spent my time trying to find hourly child care for our almost 17 month old, just a few times a week, so I could swim/bike/run without a 24+ pound baby in tow (well, during the swim I would be worrying about whether or not she was vying for my attention in the jogger, pool side, not pulling her in a raft!).
I, unfortunately, discovered that where we live in the Fort Bragg, North Carolina area is No-Mans-Land for hourly child care.
Well, hourly child care that would allow me to pack my daughters lunch.
When sugar bean was nursing it was easy to drop her off at the hourly child care center on Fort Bragg because they were REQUIRED to feed her the pumped breast milk I supplied. Now, she's older and eating table food, so she's required to eat whatever they serve-unless a doctor has signed off that she has an allergy/intolerance, which she doesn't. So, the only way to take advantage of the $4/hour child care on post is to throw our chosen daughter's nutrition out the window (or get a doctor sign off on an allergy she doesn't have, yeah right!). This post isn't about child nutrition, but I'll just say, I am not an advocate of what they feed kiddos in day care centers (or schools!), plain and simple. ...there's a reason why 1 in 3 children born in the 2000's will develop type II diabetes at some point in their lives...
BUT, I discovered there are hourly child care centers on the West side of Fort Bragg that WOULD cater to our dietary choices for sugar bean! I'd drop her off at child care and drive to post, just like now, for a swim or a spinning class. All we'd have to do is use my husbands deployment orders to break our (just renewed) lease and move West to the Southern Pines area. Then, not only would I have access to tailored child care, but also a seasonal and weekly farmer's Market, antique/boutique shops, museums, art galleries, restaurants, old fashioned ice cream parlors, a cycling group, a bike shop, a library with toddler story and play time, basic shopping centers, and the list goes on and on...all within less than 8 miles of a potential rental house. So, sugar bean and I could have much to fill our time with for the next 9 or so months, without a ton of driving. Driving exhausts me. Downside? I would have to make all new neighbors and find another reliable 14 year old babysitter (currently, we have one next door). We may not be living in a gated community. The commute time to Fort Bragg is the same, but the mileage is more, ie NO TRAFFIC.
BUT, two girlfriends offered to accept my cheap babysitting rate a few times a week to let me go train until my trusty neighbor girl babysitter is out of school for the summer! Upside to this option is no moving. No change in routine. I currently have access to nearly 25 miles of running inside a patrolled gated community; about an hours worth of cycling within the gated community, which is also safe enough to tow my baby girl in the trailer. I have access to a lake and a 25 meter pool in the summer. I know my neighbors and have two families on speed dial should I need anything while my husband is away. Downside? We are only within less than 8 miles of a grocery store, gas stations, and some fast food restaurants. And, anytime I plan an errand it's a huge and exhausting deal, because I try and knock out as many things as I can when I am in Fayetteville. Gotta make the 44 mile round trip to Target worth it!
I'm only considering option one because, when we were first planning our move to Fort Bragg I met a woman, through a mutual friend, who recommended the community we live in now. She new I was a big triathlete. But, she also said something else: "if she ever moved back to Fort Bragg she would live in the Southern Pines/Pinehurst/Aberdeen area because the quality of life was better". I never pressed her for a further explanation, I was only calculating commute miles to the base. (Which I may add, that even though we are only 17 miles from my husbands job on Ft. Bragg, because of traffic it can take him an HOUR to get home).
But now I get what she meant. I just don't know if it's worth an extra move at the point.
We've been at Fort Bragg for one year, our longest stint in one place so far. We have about 20 months left before we relocate back to Fort Benning for eight months and then onto a different duty station. Every weekend we dream of living in Southern Pines so we could walk to dinner instead of driving dinner. So sugar bean and I could go to library story time. So we could hang out at a local coffee shop on a Saturday afternoon. So we could go on a group bike ride that meets 5 minutes from our house. So we would spend less time in the car!
Olivia
I, unfortunately, discovered that where we live in the Fort Bragg, North Carolina area is No-Mans-Land for hourly child care.
Well, hourly child care that would allow me to pack my daughters lunch.
When sugar bean was nursing it was easy to drop her off at the hourly child care center on Fort Bragg because they were REQUIRED to feed her the pumped breast milk I supplied. Now, she's older and eating table food, so she's required to eat whatever they serve-unless a doctor has signed off that she has an allergy/intolerance, which she doesn't. So, the only way to take advantage of the $4/hour child care on post is to throw our chosen daughter's nutrition out the window (or get a doctor sign off on an allergy she doesn't have, yeah right!). This post isn't about child nutrition, but I'll just say, I am not an advocate of what they feed kiddos in day care centers (or schools!), plain and simple. ...there's a reason why 1 in 3 children born in the 2000's will develop type II diabetes at some point in their lives...
BUT, I discovered there are hourly child care centers on the West side of Fort Bragg that WOULD cater to our dietary choices for sugar bean! I'd drop her off at child care and drive to post, just like now, for a swim or a spinning class. All we'd have to do is use my husbands deployment orders to break our (just renewed) lease and move West to the Southern Pines area. Then, not only would I have access to tailored child care, but also a seasonal and weekly farmer's Market, antique/boutique shops, museums, art galleries, restaurants, old fashioned ice cream parlors, a cycling group, a bike shop, a library with toddler story and play time, basic shopping centers, and the list goes on and on...all within less than 8 miles of a potential rental house. So, sugar bean and I could have much to fill our time with for the next 9 or so months, without a ton of driving. Driving exhausts me. Downside? I would have to make all new neighbors and find another reliable 14 year old babysitter (currently, we have one next door). We may not be living in a gated community. The commute time to Fort Bragg is the same, but the mileage is more, ie NO TRAFFIC.
BUT, two girlfriends offered to accept my cheap babysitting rate a few times a week to let me go train until my trusty neighbor girl babysitter is out of school for the summer! Upside to this option is no moving. No change in routine. I currently have access to nearly 25 miles of running inside a patrolled gated community; about an hours worth of cycling within the gated community, which is also safe enough to tow my baby girl in the trailer. I have access to a lake and a 25 meter pool in the summer. I know my neighbors and have two families on speed dial should I need anything while my husband is away. Downside? We are only within less than 8 miles of a grocery store, gas stations, and some fast food restaurants. And, anytime I plan an errand it's a huge and exhausting deal, because I try and knock out as many things as I can when I am in Fayetteville. Gotta make the 44 mile round trip to Target worth it!
I'm only considering option one because, when we were first planning our move to Fort Bragg I met a woman, through a mutual friend, who recommended the community we live in now. She new I was a big triathlete. But, she also said something else: "if she ever moved back to Fort Bragg she would live in the Southern Pines/Pinehurst/Aberdeen area because the quality of life was better". I never pressed her for a further explanation, I was only calculating commute miles to the base. (Which I may add, that even though we are only 17 miles from my husbands job on Ft. Bragg, because of traffic it can take him an HOUR to get home).
But now I get what she meant. I just don't know if it's worth an extra move at the point.
We've been at Fort Bragg for one year, our longest stint in one place so far. We have about 20 months left before we relocate back to Fort Benning for eight months and then onto a different duty station. Every weekend we dream of living in Southern Pines so we could walk to dinner instead of driving dinner. So sugar bean and I could go to library story time. So we could hang out at a local coffee shop on a Saturday afternoon. So we could go on a group bike ride that meets 5 minutes from our house. So we would spend less time in the car!
Maybe I accidentally created a dilemma for myself...
Maybe moving twice within one year created this itch to relocate at the 12 month mark...
(I mean, I am a pro now at packing and unpacking a household either 6 months pregnant or nursing.)
Nonetheless, I'm probably going to call my mom today. Momma knows best!
Olivia
Oh my goodness, I can't even imagine. Of course, we are the only people we know now not living on post, because for us it was more desirable to live in the city. I have no attraction to living on post. But, I'm also averse to moving often. I moved all of three times in the last two years, so I guess it had the opposite effect on me - I want to wait as long as possible to move again! :) I'm sure you'll find the solution that's best for you!
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