Tag Archives: Middle Child

Sunshine, Volcanos, Spiffy Old Dudes & Tippy Hedren.

Posted on May 28, 2009 | 8 Comments

So. We ventured for the day to North Chagrin Reservation, part of the Cleveland Metropark system. I’ll tell ya…Ohio has some of the most beautiful parks! We were all set for a day of family bonding and fun (Water: Check. Munchies: Check. Bug Spray: Check. Cameras: Check) and it went really well…well, until we got out of the Jeep at the first stop.

Evidently….there’s some type of toxic hormonal mixture that builds when you coop up teenagers in a car for 40 minutes and it’s a recipe for a monumental eruption. As I was left holding tight of what was left of my sanity…. wondering….WHY?????? Why can’t we have just oneouting without an argument???? Just one?

Then it ended. There was sunshine & singing birds. The rest of the day was joyous & pleasant.

: The kids on the the edge of a cliff all in shoes with no treads. (Right after I said, “Don’t go near the edge…your shoes have no tread!”

: One
tall
tree!

: If you enlarge, you’ll see a redwinged blackbird on the cattail.

: A very cool old dude
that we don’t know.
But what a snappy dresser!

: Pretending to dive. (a minute later, Shane pretended to push)

: OMG! It’s stuffed!

: Me & Shane

: Alan and Middle Child
on a fallen tree

: Tree with a very weird knot on it

: Mama and babies waiting for little brother

: Tiny turtle

: Big ass tadpole. Lots of bullfogs here, btw

: See that white egg in front of the big log?

: Tippy Hedren? Oh no!

: What volcanic eruption?

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Posted in cleveland, Nature stuff, Raising Teenagers

Tagged Alan, Kaylee, metroparks, Middle Child, north chagrin reservation

Possible Fallback Career or Summer Job

Posted on April 5, 2009 | 9 Comments

So I gave MC another driving lesson. This one was a 40 minute drive home from a sleepover. A long and winding road she had not traveled before. That’s always fun. I came to the conclusion that a good fallback job for her would be a driving a street cleaning truck because that chick can hug a curb like a security blanket! Which is actually much better than the alternative of driving down the center of a two lane road.

I had to pick the road with the most ruts on the side. You know, like there’s not a sidewalk in site, just mud and gravel which other cars had veered into previously and left deep ruts. It was a similar feeling, I suppose, to driving on the edge of a steep cliff with no guardrails. Only we wouldn’t fall to our death…just ruin a tire or two. Mainly on the right side. We didn’t get into any ruts, but I bet no one could possibly have come within in the 1/10 of an inch of the ruts like she can! That girl has some serious skills!

It was a great ride home. All stop signs were seen and abided by this time (yes, even the one’s with the white border around them) and I only almost passed out once when we took a turn at 35 mph and nearly ended up in on coming traffic. And who says Jeeps roll over easily? I can tell you first hand, you can take a turn at 35mph, over correct (twice) and NOT roll over. Whooo Hooo!

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Posted in Teen Driving

Tagged Middle Child, Teen Driving

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Posted on March 27, 2009 | 10 Comments

So…MILESTONE ! Half way home from drivers ed class tonight, Middle Child decided she wanted to drive home.

“Um, you do know that you’ll have to drive on the main streets…right?”

“Yep. I don’t think there’s that ‘much’ of main street driving til we get to our house”

Pretty much the ‘conversation’ went like this the whole way home:
“Stay on your side. On your side. On YOUR side.”

“Okay, sorry. ”

“Your side. Stay over on your side” (coming to a steep hill) “Give it gas. More gas. Ya gotta give it gas. (a line of cars behind us) Keep on the gas. More gas” “Stay in your lane”

“Oh no, I have to get in the turning lane. I’m scared to get over into the turning lane”

“Just stay in your lane, inside the lines. In your lane! In your lane! ” ((I’m sweating bullets))

“Mom… does ‘having the right-away’ mean that the person on the right…always has the right to go first?”

“No. Pay attention”

At this point I’m thinking how different my two daughters are during the learning to drive stage. With my oldest I was CONSTANTLY yelling….brake…brake….BRAKE! (While grabbing at the door and bracing my leg to the dash.) Not this kid, I have to remind her to get going! lol. And just as I’m thinking that exact thought, we pull into the driveway at 25 miles an hour, kicking up a large cloud of dust at the end of the drive.

“Brake! You have to BRAKE!” (Then we come to a sudden halt. Jolting forward to the dashboard. And…stop.)

“I didn’t know I had to brake”

And then that familiar pit was felt in my stomach.