Just Can't Wait To Get On The Road Again....NOT!

Well, today, we thought it would be a good idea to take all the kids with us on a 3 hour road trip! 

 Fun family time, right?  

     Well now, looking back, I think know I have to say that there was not an ounce of logic in that "thinking".  

Let me just double check my recipe for a LONG day.....

• 6 Hungry Kids - check
• 90 degree heat - check
• 3 hours to drive (one way) - check
• Traffic accident turning the drive into 4.5 hours - check
• One van with no AC - check
• The two youngest children sitting within arms reach of one another - check
• 2 Parents on a diet suffering from CARB withdraw - check, check

Just stir all of that together with "not enough car chargers for all the electrical entertainment", emergency stops for the toilet, dying battery on the laptop and a Sat Nav that only takes you CLOSE ENOUGH to where you want to go.  Mix all of that up and VOILA!

OH,YES, THIS IS GOING TO BE SUCH FUN!!!!

     We travelled south to take a look at a used 8 seater people carrier (mini van to Americans) for our church.  The 17 seat mini-bus we purchased was costing a small fortune for insurance plus the HUGE amount of expense, time and red tape to get the license to drive a mini-bus borders on the ridiculous.  The laws have just recently changed or will change very soon.  So....Andy decided that we could sell the mini-bus and get the church an 8 seater to be able to use for church outings, Sunday pick-ups, Bible studies, etc.  GREAT IDEA!  Mini-bus sold very quickly!:) Only snag is that there are just so few 8 seater vans available in the northern part of the country so the search always includes traveling hundreds of miles south to the Midlands to find a decent vehicle.  Believe me, we spent hours doing this to find a suitable family car after ours was totaled in an accident involving Andy and an elderly gentleman.  (NOT Andy's fault BTW:)  The search can involve weeks full of days full of hours of driving!! Today was just one such example.                   

     Unfortunately, as can happen, the picture online looked ALOT better than the car itself, so after a SHORT test drive, and a LONG time in the car with the kids, we came back home with only the same van in which we left home.  I have to admit that we did have a nice meal together at a family pub with an outdoor climbing frame (jungle gym) for the kids.  Praise the Lord for the little blessings!  By the time the meal was over, the traffic on the road was running along nicely and getting home was a breeze! (well, as long as you had the windows down!:)

     So, the moral of the story is that maybe it IS better to seek QUALITY time with your children rather that the QUANTITY of time! (especially if it is spent in the HOT car!)  

LESSON LEARNED!!! 

 Next time, we just pay Brie to babysit! :-)