Regular readers will know I spend an awful lot of time driving my kids round in the ‘mum taxi’.
On a normal week, I do the school run for my younger son every day, including one late finish for rugby. I drive to four dance lessons over the course of three days, my husband drives my son to football, another parent takes my boys to Explorers and I walk my daughter to Scouts. In addition, there’s usually someone who will need picking up from school late or taking to a friend’s house etc.
But last week, things started to step up a gear and the mum taxi really got out of hand…
My daughter is doing her Grade 4 ballet exam in a few weeks. It’s a huge step up from Grade 3 and the whole class are having an extra lesson a week, so now we’re at five dance lessons over the course of four days. Her weekly rehearsals for the new panto started on Wednesday, which meant driving her there straight after her extra ballet lesson.
My son swapped evening football for evening rugby with the local club. He was also able to go back to his athletics club, after that had clashed with football for a few weeks. My husband still had to drive to football as he’s the coach and I had to find another parent to deal with the rugby lifts. I’m not sure if this is a permanent arrangement, or if I’m going to just have to manage it myself in future. Of course I had to deal with the athletics myself.
As a one-off last week, my eldest worked three evenings at his new job and my younger son went into school to help out with the open evening, plus I had my eldest’s parents’ evening.
The whole thing got so ridiculous that one day I literally had to take all three kids out in the car to drop one off at 5, one at 5.30 and one at 5.45. I was out myself for an hour and 20 minutes, just driving round the local area. Then I had to pick my daughter up at 6.50 and the boys up from different places at 8.
On parents’ evening night, there was no time to take my daughter home after ballet, so I just had to take her with me to her brother’s parents’ evening.
And how on earth are we all supposed to eat when people are going out at around 5 or 5.30 and I’m too busy driving the mum taxi to cook? It’s easier for my younger son as he’s home from school earlier, but the other two aren’t getting home until about 4.15 and if we need to go back out at 4.35, and my son is then out until after 8, it’s almost impossible to cook and eat.
One day I resorted to microwave meals for the younger kids and myself – with my son eating at 4, me eating at 6 and my daughter eating at just after 7. My eldest had a pizza in the oven when he got in after 8. There are so many reasons why microwave meals are not a good idea and it’s not something I would want us to do regularly.
It’s the sort of thing that can wake an insomniac up at 4.30.
October 15, 2018
Ugh! You must be going made trying to keep track of where you need to be. The microwave meals aren’t ideal but are a lifesaver at times like this x
October 15, 2018
I do go mad with it! I’m OK with the regular stuff, which is fairly full-on anyway, but when extra stuff is thrown in, I just get confused! The microwave meals are definitely good to fall back on sometimes. x
October 15, 2018
Sarah,
All these taxi-runs, day after day, week after week, would amount to quite an impressive feat even without having to squeeze everyone’s mealtimes into the schedule. It isn’t easy to see what you could do to make things more manageable, short of living in a camper-van…
October 15, 2018
Living in a camper van would be a great idea! I’m pleased to say that my son isn’t working evenings any more, so I’m feeling a lot more chilled this week after a tough three weeks of this non-stop driving. The kids even had roast chicken and jacket potatoes for tea today! OK, so my husband was at home and made that…
October 15, 2018
I’m right with you! There’s one night in the week where I leave home at 5 and don’t get myself and the kids home until around 8.30pm. It involves three kids in different places and three trips round the one way system. I think I cover about 30 miles. That happens every single week. Saturdays are pretty similar. It’s a shame that we don’t have an adequate rural bus service because at least some of the weekend trips could be made on the bus. I wouldn’t want the kids out on dark evenings on the bus on their own. BUT it is my choice really and at least they are all for their sports and activities that they enjoy and gain so much from,
October 15, 2018
I’m glad it’s not just me! I don’t even drive much more than three or four miles from home, but it’s just covering the same ground endlessly backwards and forwards in rush hour that wears me out! We don’t have adequate buses here either. My husband is very keen on saying the kids ‘do too much’, but they don’t really – it’s just that there’s three of them and everything happens at a similar time! And, like you say, I’m glad that they’re doing this stuff because it’s all good for them. Roll on half-term…
October 15, 2018
Oh my goodness, I’m not surprised it’s keeping you awake at night. What a logistical nightmare. That said, it’s great that your children are all so engaged and active with part time jobs and hobbies. I’m sure it will stand them in good stead in the future and they will thank you for it one day… when they are parents themselves and start to understand the sacrifice you made!
Nat.x
October 15, 2018
Ha ha, they certainly don’t understand my sacrifices now. Right now, they just think I’m moaning if I say anything! I am glad they do so many good things though, which is why I won’t make them give them up. And my son’s work will at least be just at weekends from now on, so that’s one less thing to worry about! x