Sunday after church, I took the kids to a nearby park to do some hiking in the beautiful fall weather. The colors are popping in our area and the temperature was around 80. Some of the kids were less than enthusiastic, but I wanted to spend some time with them anyway, so I forced them to come.
When we reached the park, one of the children offered to put my purse in the under-seat storage container. He had a difficult time getting it to close and forced the seat down.
Some of the kids were disgruntled during the walk. One child refused to climb a steep hill until we left her behind. Another child repeatedly complained about hunger pains. A third child grumbled about the sun being too hot. When another child whined about the stick-tights, I decided to end our wonderful family bonding experience.
I planned to stop at the grocery to pick up chips to go with our sandwiches for lunch. One of the kids tried to open the storage container and couldn't get it open. The child pulled harder and harder, until the strap broke off. A couple of the older children and I tried to get it open, but were unable to find a way to undo the clasp. We returned home without chips.
Our misadventure of the afternoon left me a little depressed. I don't see the children too often now that they are in school. It would be nice to enjoy our time together. Mike suggested that he and I drive down to Indiana to get pizza from a restaurant that boasts the best pizza in Indiana. The drive was only about 45 minutes and we could talk and enjoy the scenery on our journey.
The trees were beautiful and the sunset spectacular. When we reached the small town and located the restaurant, we discovered that it was not open on Sundays. We decided to try one of the several local pizza places that we had passed on our trip. Unfortunately, it was getting later in the day and the local pizza places had closed before we reached them on the return journey. Eventually, we ended up at our local Mancino's and ordered pizza.
While we were gone, I asked one of the boys to make spaghetti for everyone. He couldn't find the sausage....or the angel hair pasta....or any hamburger. The kids ended up eating tri-color rotini with meatless spaghetti sauce.
Mike tried to get my purse out of the storage locker without any success on Sunday night. The kids had doctor appointments on Monday and I knew that I would need the insurance card in my purse.
We have been unable to find local doctors who are able to schedule appointments in less than 4 months. I've called all the doctors in the large city to our north and cannot get appointments in a timely manner there either. The school system would not allow the kids to attend classes after October unless their shots are current. Eventually, I called our former pediatrician in Battle Creek and was able to get everyone in promptly.
We woke up early for the appointments. One of the boys laid on the floor of the SUV and tried to pry open the storage container. He couldn't get it open. About 1/2 way through our 75 minute drive, we all switched places so Mike could work on the storage locker. He wasn't able to open it and we went to the appointment without our insurance card.
I always knew that my purse contained important information, but not having access to my purse made getting through the day difficult. My debit card and checkbook were both inside. Would a policeman understand if I got pulled over and couldn't produce the license that was inside the vehicle. Happily, that situation didn't occur, but I was a little uncomfortable thinking about the possibility.
After the appointment, we headed to Yankee Springs to have a picnic and do a little letterboxing. Mike stopped in Hastings and picked up sandwich supplies. The park was almost empty. We ate our picnic at the water's edge and there was no one in sight. After lunch we drove over to some hiking trails. We were getting our bearings and had started reading some clues to the letterbox.
One of the children decided to be as difficult as possible. It was kids stuff, but incredibly annoying. After awhile, I was out of patience. I couldn't think about the clues with someone singing loudly in my ear. It's difficult to read when someone is throwing stick-tights in your face. Eventually, we headed back to the car without finding any boxes. Why do children want to be "fun-suckers?" I've decided that I am through taking that particular child anywhere for a long time.
This morning, Mike was able to get my purse out of the storage area. My children did all get their physicals and shot, so they can remain in school.
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