Mum's taxi

kingfisherblue

Like many parents, I find myself taking my children to various places. Usually it works quite well, although there are occasions when I ask my daughter to help out if she isn't working.

Last night, though, a club that my boys attend decided to change its meeting time. This is going to be a bit of a pain, to say the least. Every other week I'll be ok, but on alternate weeks, younger son goes to Young Carers. He loves it and I think it does him good. His self esteem is no longer at rock bottom since joining, and he has found new friends and new interests. it runds from 5.30-7.30.

Every week, my older son goes to Deaf Club. younger son goes when he isn't at YC, and when he is, he goes for the last hour and a half. It runs from 7-9pm.

The two are about five minutes apart in the car.

Last night, Deaf Club told me that they are altering their time to 6.30-8.30. So, every other week, my timetable will be:

5.30 drop younger son at YC
6.30 drop older son at DC
7.30 collect older son from YC, drop at DC
8.30 collect both boys from DC

It sounds ok, but in between I am just going to be hanging around. It isn't worth driving home, time-wise or petrol, only to barely have time for a coffee before going out again. There aren't any libraries close by, and apart from a trip to the supermarket in between (which will end up costing me more money because I am likely to buy stuff we can manage without), the only thing I can think of is Costa Coffee.

I can read my Kindle in the car, but whilst it is still cold, it isn't very appealing. So Costa it is likely to be. First trip with older son, before DC, then two more trip on my own. It will only be until the weather warms up, but I can see me spending a lot on coffee over the next few weeks :eek:

I could use a travel mug for my first cuppa, but it is too cold to sit in the car with older son. I would need to keep the engine running so that the heater can stay on for him (he has breathing problems in cold air).

Time to start rummaging in the bottom of my handbag for any spare change to add to my coffee fund

It also means that I may not be able to attend meetings for two voluntary positions that I hold, unless my daughter is on an early shift those days.

Oh well, not to worry. Sorry for the mini rant, I just felt the need to get it out.

FatVonD

I'm not sure how much petrol is used if the car is just idling but I'd be staying in the car (it has to be less than you'll spend on coffee!)

When my son was small he'd always nod off in the car but he'd wake if I tried to take him out so I'd drive to the petrol station and buy myself a magazine and park outside my house and read until he woke up. It was bliss!

mrcow

Or see if there is another parent you can car share with and do some of the dropoffs/collects on alternate weeks.

How old are your sons? Do they have friends who attend the clubs?

thunderbird

go for a run/walk?

or is there somewhere inside the club(s) that you can wait and read a book?

krlyr

As a slightly cheaper option, do you drink tea? Often cheaper than coffee (I used to have to sit in a Costa waiting for a lift to work in the mornings..bus time meant I had a 20-30 minute wait and nothing else was open, so at least I could sit in the warm for the sake of about £1.20!

lolly_896

I find myself in this predicament most mornings - DS2 goes to nursery. It's about 5 miles away. I take my kindle hot water bottle and flask of coffee. Saves on petrol. When the weather is nicer, i sit in the park.

valk_scot

Sounds like me three evenings a week. But I have a routine. Two of these evenings I go to Tesco to hit the Whoopsies, which are conveniently around the same time. I do any shopping I need to do there at the same time of course and don't go there at any other time.

The third evening I do my Lidl shop.

I don't bother with tea or coffee, it just means I'll need to find a loo.

I still need to fill up some time so I sit in the car and do any paperwork, write my Christmas cards, take any hand mending, knit, read a good book, do my garden plan. In the summer I'll park somewhere nice like the beach and go for a stroll. If it's bad weather I've been known to take our in-car DVD player which is especially useful if I've got a child with me. Though usually if there's a child I'll be making them do their reading homework or somesuch that they need 1:1 time with.

So really, it's only wasted time if you let it be. I do things then to help free time up elsewhere. Yeah, it gets pretty boring but it could be worse, I could be taking them around by bus!

kingfisherblue

Thanks for the replies. Boys are 13 and almost 15. None of their friends attend either of the clubs, so no lift sharing is possible unfortunaltely. Also, no other children from either group live in our direction (we live on the southernmost tip of our town, and it is actually quicker to go into the next town than into ours).

I don't drink tea, and when I do my shopping I take my elderly mum.

There is nowhere inside either club that I can wait.

I did wonder about sitting in the car with the engine idling, but I've always been under the impression that it just eats petrol if you do that. I'm probably wrong though . If it is warm enough, either in the car or later in the year, my older son will happily either watch a DVD or read his books. Despite his disabilities, he loves to read and write. Only yesterday I stopped him from writing yet more Christmas cards :rotfl:. I gave him Easter cards to write instead

I don't drink tea, but nor do I drink fancy coffees - black, no sugar is the only way to drink coffee as far as I'm concerned.

I like the idea of a hot water bottle, and I'm quite happy with a flask. That's something I'll definitely try. I definitely need a drink during a four hour period.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone x

mrcow

Not tryingh to steal your kids; thunder, but are they clubs where you could offer to help out? Even if it's just making the refreshments etc? If you're hanging about anyway, perhaps they could do with the help?

hitatotatus

I do a lot of this mum taxi stuff.
What I do is listen to talk radio, and CATCH UP ON MY SLEEP.:rotfl: Admittedly, my wait is only an hour, but if you wrap up warm you won't need to run the car for the heater, perhaps only intermittently.

LandyAndy

What's this mum's taxi?

What about dad's taxi?