Guest

They are 6 and 8 (as of June).

Today, I picked them up again, and they were screaming in the back seat and having fun, and I turned and said "now, you know what might happen if I get distracted...". Well, they're onto me now, and continued their usual banter without missing a beat. I guess I'm the boy who cried wolf to them now.

I got one more time to drive them, so I'm going to think of something really wicked to do to them before their parents get back tomorrow afternoon. What to do... what to do....

Koffee

Tatt2Rider

bring some blankets and a rope. warn them before you get moving if they get loud they are getting tied to the roof and show them the rope and blankets (to wrap them in). Let them carry on even if quiet stop and pull over, scream "I have had enough of you two, get out,!" and proceed to scare them with the rope and being tied to the top.

Guest

I'd do that, but then that would require rope and stuff, which I don't have. But I'll think of something. Maybe I'll get amnesia and take them to this other school on the other side of town, force them out of the car and pretend to drive off. That could prove amusing.

Koffee

BostonFixed

I gots another question. Why are they in school in the summer?

Guest

They get bored if they're at home. Believe it or not, these kids LOVE school- so they decided to send the kids to school for the summer. The younger one probably needs it more than the older one. If the younger one doesn't have everything reinforced regularly, he'd most likely forget it by the next school year. The older one is very restless. During his month off, he taught himself multiplication and division with flash cards we got him, and he read like crazy. I actually think he should skip a couple of grades up for the summer so he can be challenged more, but my brother doesn't want the kids with kids that aren't their age.

They're great kids- very bright, but I can't do much with them at home. Besides that (not wanting to sound selfish), I like to ride in the mornings, and both of them work. If the kids weren't at school, it would mean that I would not get my rides on unless I rode in the evenings, and I'm not willing to ride in the evenings.

Koffee

2manybikes

Remember those TV commercials for the mini vans that have a TV screen that faces the rear seats?
Now you know why they sell so many. Do you have a portable DVD player ?

AlanK

I rent a car a few times a year to go hiking or snowshoeing. If you only drive a few times a year, renting a car is much less expensive than owning one.

Guest

I belong to a carsharing program- www.flexcar.com. It's even less expensive than renting a car.

Koffee

AlanK

I looked at that, but renting seemed like a better deal to me. The price to use a rideshare vehicle was about $50/day total, whereas I rent a car for about $30/day (including tax and insurance).

Guest

Yeah, but you miss the point of the car share. It's NOT designed for full day use. It's for people that just need a car every now and then and for a short amount of time. They have a car rental agreement with Enterprise that gives us further discounts on renting when we need to rent for the day. The only time it's a good option for multiple hours is when you use the car overnight during the off hours and end up paying very little for the discounted hours. I used the car overnight and paid about 4 bucks, whereas during the day, I've used it for blocks of 2 hours and paid 18 bucks, but when you subtract out the gas for the number of times I've used their gas card to fill the tank, I actually have a credit, and I have yet to pay them money for using their cars.

Koffee

Zee

Darn! It's probably too late, I have a good one for you... drive out to the boonies with them... pull over, turn off the car and look confused... then when they ask what's wrong, say, "What does 'E' mean?"

Guest

I wouldn't have been able to do that anyway. I don't know where the boonies are!

Still, it was fun freaking them out while it lasted, but I'm glad to be back on my bike. The parents are home and all is right in the world.

Koffee

2manybikes

Having lived through a point in time when my kids were 6 and 8 I can tell you the parents are very glad to have an aunt that they trust to watch the kids for any amount of time no mater how big or small.
It is truly priceless ..

Guest

I know I'm priceless! I'm giving up my summer of working to do it, though I am staying in their spare room for free.... it's an exchange.

Koffee