Mum the Taxi

Do you ever have those days when you feel like you have spent the whole time in the car driving here and there and everywhere? Sounds like a great title for a Dr Seuss book: “I’lldrive you here, I’ll drive you there, I’ll drive you everywhere!” Right?!? But not a great way to enjoy the afternoon.

Wednesdays are a PITA. My nemesis, if you will. You see, Wednesdays are the day when all 3 of my children need to be picked up and/or dropped off at least one place each, all with the most inconvenient spacing between appointments. It is not the only day of the week that we have plans, but it is the most heavily-booked.

Grab a cup of your favourite hot beverage (or alcoholic if you choose, LOL), get comfy and strap yourself in for the fun rollercoaster-ride of my afternoon (and some tips on how to organise days like this!)…

An Afternoon in the Life of…

Like, Miss A. and Miss L. ought to get home from school around 1pm, in time to eat the hot lunch I have thoughtfully prepared so they can turn their noses up at it. Then they scrabble through their homework with seconds to spare before we have to pick up younger brother Master C. from Kindergarten (that’s Preschool for you non-German-Residents).Then, as fast as it is legal and possible to do so, we drive across town to deliver Miss A. to her half hour saxophone lesson. Of course, being only half an hour doesn’t allow you to DO anything, except dawdle through the supermarket across the road before walking back and collecting her. We then continue onwards to drop Miss L. at her friend’s house for a playdate. Then homeward bound, hurrah!

… for a mere 20 minutes in which I am permitted to check Miss A.’s homework and she can pack for her next activity, a youth group meeting. So back in the car I get with Master C.-who by now is asking why we don’t get to do anything interesting or fun today-and Miss A. to get down to the church hall on time. Then Master C. and I turn around and drive home; him expressing himself in increasingly grumpy ways and me having the privilege of listening to him.

Literally 2 streets away from home I ask him whether he is tired after his day at Kindy. A big fat “NO!” is his reply. You can see where I am heading with this, right?

When I pull up in our driveway, he is asleep in his seat. (You didn’t see that coming AT ALL, did you? 😉 ) He half opens his eyes, drags himself out of the car and out of his boots, shuffles his way over to the sofa and there the snooze-fest continues.

He gets to enjoy a nap on the sofa for approximately 35 minutes, before I have to wake him and we have to get all those shoes and jackets on once again to collect Miss A. from her group. We then return home and wait for less than an hour, before it is time to all go out yet again to pick up Miss L. from her friend’s house.

Once we return home from that trip, it’s time for me to get dinner organised *sigh*

Am I exaggerating? No.

Why do I do this week in, week out? Because I have nothing else to do with my life? Because I have so much awesome fun while reminding kids for the 12^th time to “Put on your jacket it’s only 5 degrees outside!”? Because I love the time spent waiting for3 kids to all locate and put on their jackets and shoes each and every time  the house and do it all in reverse when we get back home again? (Just wait for the *joy* of winter when everyone needs to put on about 5 more layers!)

No! I do it because I want my kids to do stuff. Just like most parents. I want them to have friends and make new friends and learn music and learn to work in a team and play and move and breathe fresh air and and and…

Sure, the schedule today leaves no room for stragglers or even a long coffee break. If I could choose it any other way, I would. However, these lessons and groups are at non-negotiable times.

Given that we have no family living anywhere near our town (Remember: #expatlife!) and hubby works in another town, any family help is out of the question.  “Why don’t you carpool with another family?” I hear you asking. Trust me, on other days and for other activities I carpool plenty with some fantastic families! Wednesdays don’t work out that way though.

I can just be thankful that, after so much practice nagging my children out the door and planning my calendar to the millisecond (or so it feels), we are rarely late to any of these activities! 😉

How to Control the Crazy Days

This is how I manage these type of days. Maybe some of these ideas will help you too:

#1: Have the times and places saved in my calendar.  This means that at least I remember what needs to happen. No easy task when you are the *Family Manager*.

#2: Tell all the kids in advance, multiple times if necessary of what needs to happen for all family members (often the night before, again the next day). This way all family members are aware of the plan and can perhaps mentally prepare for the day ahead.

#3: Have a routine of how to get out the door and on our way, eg each child has a set place where their jacket hangs and where to find their shoes. This reduces the incidence of “Mummmm? Where is my other shoe?”.

#4: Allow at least 10 minutes to do what ought to take only 3 minutes😉. Things never happen as fast as you wish they would. As any good Girl Guide or Boy Scout will tell you: Be Prepared.

#5: Make sure the kids have a couple of books in the car and a bottle of water to keep little hands and minds busy and boredom at bay.

Important Note!: Despite all my best intentions and planning, do I ever just straight up lose my shit sometimes? Um, YES! I am human after all. Then I apologise to anyone who had been in the firing line, put on my professional, steady mum voice and keep on moving forward one step at a time.

No-one is perfect 😉. We all just try to do our best, right?

What about you? Do you have one busy day that you simply dread? Do you have to take all of your other kids along for the ride too? How do you make these days work for your family?