Amanda now
Britania now
They have come a long way since this photo was taken on June 3, 2000!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Amanda moved to Vegas and Britania still lives at home with us. Thomas is in college and lives in one of our rental houses downtown. Charlotte is a nanny in Houston and just started her own photography business. Life goes on and on and on! Even though they are grown up, the car accidents still happen, so watch out!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
My kids are ALL GROWN UP!!! Well sort of ;^/
So our kids are now ages 25, 23, 22, 22,21, and 20 (whew) They all drive, they are pretty much ALL on their 2nd car now. BTW, did I mention that the first car you get them WILL be destroyed some how. It may not be from an accident, but oh yes, there will be fender benders. Maybe they just won't check the fluids, or spill Kool-aid on the front seat! But you get the idea. First cars should be an indestructible TANK. Like an old Jeep Cherokee, etc. Our 3 girls all have their nice NEW cars now and NOW they have learned to take care of them! We have 2 daughters in the new Toyota Corolla Sports and one in a small Honda! YAY !!!! We did it!
love,
MOM & DAD
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Amanda's still alive!!!!! yeah!!!!!!
Well I haven't posted in a long time, but i wanted you to know that she's actually a pretty good driver! No accidents yet, knock on wood. Wait, what's that sound, is that an ambulance and a knock on the door, geez. No, no just kidding. All of our children are now driving!
But now we are hosting teenage exchange students and Tascha, my little german girl, wants to get her american driver license, so she is in driver's ed right now.
And so the saga continues .....
But now we are hosting teenage exchange students and Tascha, my little german girl, wants to get her american driver license, so she is in driver's ed right now.
And so the saga continues .....
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Learning to drive: Day 5
Amanda confesses multi-tasking skills like, signaling & turning while braking are difficult for her, and still has lots of questions about passing. We are discussing the choreographed movements necessary to pass when we encounter a slow moving dump truck in the right lane in light morning traffic. The truck is moving about 10 mph under the speed limit, and rather than follow it all the way to school, we use this as an opportunity to work on passing skills. She makes a head check over her left shoulder and swerves slightly to the left then nervously brakes and swerves back in behind the heavily laden truck. We repeat this several more times, and she gains confidence, eventually finding an opening in traffic is large enough to compensate for her slow response time. She signals, turns into the left lane and hits the brakes! "No, take your foot off the brake, and give it gas!" I say quickly. Nervously she accelerates and pulls slightly ahead of the huge truck. Now moving at a good 10 mph faster than the truck, she asks, "Is it OK to get over now?" I think, it's a little close but remembering the multiple attempts to get into the left lane, and rationalizing that we are moving faster than the truck, I say, "OK." She quickly signals, turns back into the right lane, and hits the brakes HARD! "No, NO, NO, Hit the GAS!" I shout nervously. Obviously the truck was able to hit the brakes harder than Amanda, so she gets another passing grade. This concludes another 30 minutes behind the wheel.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Learning to drive: Day 4
We start every morning like she has never done this before, and I patiently answer the same questions again and again. I know she has passed the written exam but still, "Do I stop at a green light to turn right?" gets asked every morning. She confesses that mom took her out to practice a little too. Today we are working at maintaining speed, and going with the flow of traffic. She starts out slow from a light, then accelerates hard, passing cars on the right, "to make up for it." Wandering back and forth from the left edge of the lane to the curb, she does a good job of not hitting the brakes unnecessarily. Eventually we end up behind a slow moving car in the right lane, and follow it to school. She asks, "If she blended with everyone?" I tell her (as humourously as possible) "at this point, the only way you would blend was if everyone else on the road was drunk." - 30 min.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Amanda's first attempt at night driving
After a quick shopping trip to Kohl's to buy Amanda some white tennis shoes for dance, we head out to the almost empty parking lot to go home. Since the parking lot is mostly empty and Amanda has often expressed her desire to 'practice' driving 'where she can't hurt any body', I told her she could drive here for a little while.
She protests loudly that she doesn't want to, it's too dark and too dangerous right now, but begrudgingly heads to the drivers side. I have been sitting in the car for a minute or so listening to her complain, when I ask her to hurry up and at least start the car so we can have some air conditioning while she painstakingly adjusts the seat, looks at everything, and complains how much she hates the Camry. My requests fall on apparently deaf ears as she continues to find that exact distance between her and the steering wheel and brake pedals with the seat mechanism. I finally order her to START the CAR before I die of heat exhaustion!!!!
She exclaims, "Well how can I do THAT before I am ready?" I say, "Keeping your right foot on the brake, your right foot, your RIGHT foot!!! (She says, "Where's the break, I can't see it." -- I say, "It's in the same place it always is in every car, just put your foot where it usually is." )"Now put the key in the ignition and turn it until the car starts. As long as your foot is on the brake and the car is in park AND the emergency brake is on, believe me, the car isn't going anywhere until you are ready." She says, "Oh, okay, well I didn't know!" (This isn't Herbie the Love Bug or Chitty Bang Bang, we make our cars move here, I think but don't say.)
So, I carefully explain to her how to back out when you are parked next to other cars, so as not to hit them as you back up. First decide which direction you want to go. Then check to make sure no one else is moving behind you. Now back up straight at first, then slowly turn the wheel to keep you safely away from the car next to you. She says, "But what if I am going to hit the car next to me?" I say, "Use the brake, you can always STOP." She says, "Oh, I'm just not very good at that." and start's going in reverse. I talk her through it, she does well.
We agree to begin by parking in an empty row and try to keep it between the lines. We try it about 4 separate times, but she always turns in too early and stops on top of the left line. She doesn't have a real problem with this, but I explain to her that if there were other cars there, she would need to stay between her lines, so I say lets go park next to that truck, you'll be on the right side of him. She panics, but I assure her she can do it. She pulls up wide, I say start your turn and she pulls in beautifully. Now I say, okay, now you have to back up, what will you do. She looks out her left window (completely blocked by the monster black truck) and says, "Auughh!" Then quickly goes inside her left brain, reads the manual, and says, "Slowly back up straight so other cars can see you are backing and stop for you." Good job Amanda. Okay go ahead. She slowly backs nice and straight till we are sure she is clear of any other possible drivers. I say, "okay, you are clear"and she begins turning the wheel to the right, bringing the front of the Camry closer to the truck. I quickly say, "STOP, put your right foot on the brake and straighten the wheel, your turning the wrong way." She looks up and sees how much closer she is to the truck and says, "oh my God". I remind her that you turn the wheel in the direction you want the back of the car to go, and since there is no one on the right of us, it doesn't matter if you cross that line. (she thought if you turned the wheel toward the truck you might hit it.)
Now we are going to just drive through the parking lot and a busy restaurant area. Suddenly a car is coming toward her so she heads off to the right towards a parked car, I grab the wheel and straighten her out, reminding her that there is plenty of room on her left for them to pass.
We go up to a stop sign where you must turn right and they have placed a triangular curb in front of you to force the right turn. She stops 15 short of the intersection and says, "Now what do I do?" I said, "Well, you turn right like all the signs say you have to." She says, "What, where, I can't fit through there, it's like 2 foot wide!" I assure her that there is ample space for her turn and to pull up so she can see the angle. She makes the turn easily, almost "magically", I am sure she thinks. We are now driving in the right lane of a 4-lane divided road and soon approaching a traffic signal where we need to turn left to go home. So I say, " Up ahead is a light, when we get there we need to be in the left lane." She signals and moves left quickly. I say, "Amanda, did you check to make sure no cars were in that lane?" She quickly says, "Nope, I can't do that many things." I say, "Well you HAVE to check your mirrors or you might hit someone." I tell her to pull up to the light and we will change drivers. We switch drivers and begin discussing how to check mirrors and shoulder checks WHILE driving. -- Lesson over for tonight.--30 minutes, Mom.
She protests loudly that she doesn't want to, it's too dark and too dangerous right now, but begrudgingly heads to the drivers side. I have been sitting in the car for a minute or so listening to her complain, when I ask her to hurry up and at least start the car so we can have some air conditioning while she painstakingly adjusts the seat, looks at everything, and complains how much she hates the Camry. My requests fall on apparently deaf ears as she continues to find that exact distance between her and the steering wheel and brake pedals with the seat mechanism. I finally order her to START the CAR before I die of heat exhaustion!!!!
She exclaims, "Well how can I do THAT before I am ready?" I say, "Keeping your right foot on the brake, your right foot, your RIGHT foot!!! (She says, "Where's the break, I can't see it." -- I say, "It's in the same place it always is in every car, just put your foot where it usually is." )"Now put the key in the ignition and turn it until the car starts. As long as your foot is on the brake and the car is in park AND the emergency brake is on, believe me, the car isn't going anywhere until you are ready." She says, "Oh, okay, well I didn't know!" (This isn't Herbie the Love Bug or Chitty Bang Bang, we make our cars move here, I think but don't say.)
So, I carefully explain to her how to back out when you are parked next to other cars, so as not to hit them as you back up. First decide which direction you want to go. Then check to make sure no one else is moving behind you. Now back up straight at first, then slowly turn the wheel to keep you safely away from the car next to you. She says, "But what if I am going to hit the car next to me?" I say, "Use the brake, you can always STOP." She says, "Oh, I'm just not very good at that." and start's going in reverse. I talk her through it, she does well.
We agree to begin by parking in an empty row and try to keep it between the lines. We try it about 4 separate times, but she always turns in too early and stops on top of the left line. She doesn't have a real problem with this, but I explain to her that if there were other cars there, she would need to stay between her lines, so I say lets go park next to that truck, you'll be on the right side of him. She panics, but I assure her she can do it. She pulls up wide, I say start your turn and she pulls in beautifully. Now I say, okay, now you have to back up, what will you do. She looks out her left window (completely blocked by the monster black truck) and says, "Auughh!" Then quickly goes inside her left brain, reads the manual, and says, "Slowly back up straight so other cars can see you are backing and stop for you." Good job Amanda. Okay go ahead. She slowly backs nice and straight till we are sure she is clear of any other possible drivers. I say, "okay, you are clear"and she begins turning the wheel to the right, bringing the front of the Camry closer to the truck. I quickly say, "STOP, put your right foot on the brake and straighten the wheel, your turning the wrong way." She looks up and sees how much closer she is to the truck and says, "oh my God". I remind her that you turn the wheel in the direction you want the back of the car to go, and since there is no one on the right of us, it doesn't matter if you cross that line. (she thought if you turned the wheel toward the truck you might hit it.)
Now we are going to just drive through the parking lot and a busy restaurant area. Suddenly a car is coming toward her so she heads off to the right towards a parked car, I grab the wheel and straighten her out, reminding her that there is plenty of room on her left for them to pass.
We go up to a stop sign where you must turn right and they have placed a triangular curb in front of you to force the right turn. She stops 15 short of the intersection and says, "Now what do I do?" I said, "Well, you turn right like all the signs say you have to." She says, "What, where, I can't fit through there, it's like 2 foot wide!" I assure her that there is ample space for her turn and to pull up so she can see the angle. She makes the turn easily, almost "magically", I am sure she thinks. We are now driving in the right lane of a 4-lane divided road and soon approaching a traffic signal where we need to turn left to go home. So I say, " Up ahead is a light, when we get there we need to be in the left lane." She signals and moves left quickly. I say, "Amanda, did you check to make sure no cars were in that lane?" She quickly says, "Nope, I can't do that many things." I say, "Well you HAVE to check your mirrors or you might hit someone." I tell her to pull up to the light and we will change drivers. We switch drivers and begin discussing how to check mirrors and shoulder checks WHILE driving. -- Lesson over for tonight.--30 minutes, Mom.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Learning to drive: Day 3
My son is quite insistent that if the Jeep is going to be "his" he doesn't want his sisters driving it. Telling him that it has survived three wrecks in the last two months is no consolation.
So, today Amanda and I took the Toyota Camry rather than the old Jeep, and snuck out without the neighbors even noticing. The old Jeep Cherokee has a quarter million miles on the odometer. Like an old horse with an inexperienced rider, it ignores excessive commands and just does what it should. The morning was a little darker than usual, so I had her turn on the headlights while driving, after having stopped in the middle of the road, we resumed our lesson.
The Camry responds like an eager young barrel racer. After a few neck-snapping stops, Amanda got the hang of the brakes, and gently and consistently stopped a car length short of every intersection. She is well aware of this issue, as she claims, "I tell her every time." The steering in the Camry is precise, accurately responding to every over correction. Much like a rider on a "sour" rental horse headed for the barn, Amanda responds with a hearty "Whoaaa" on the brake pedal each time. The other drivers must be aware of what is going on. There is no beeping or gesturing and they simply pass us in the left lane (I still haven't allowed Amanda to use THAT lane yet).
At 30 mph, the rush of wind that is heard while being passed on a major roadway is startling. We agree to work on NOT hitting the brakes simply because she is wandering between the lines. The prompt and precise responses of the car to driver input unnerve her, and she tells me that she prefers the old Jeep. Her tone is a little sad as if she's just peeked behind a magician's curtain and discovered the truth. I figure it's probably better for her to know that training, experience, and occasionally a little luck is what she'll need.
So, today Amanda and I took the Toyota Camry rather than the old Jeep, and snuck out without the neighbors even noticing. The old Jeep Cherokee has a quarter million miles on the odometer. Like an old horse with an inexperienced rider, it ignores excessive commands and just does what it should. The morning was a little darker than usual, so I had her turn on the headlights while driving, after having stopped in the middle of the road, we resumed our lesson.
The Camry responds like an eager young barrel racer. After a few neck-snapping stops, Amanda got the hang of the brakes, and gently and consistently stopped a car length short of every intersection. She is well aware of this issue, as she claims, "I tell her every time." The steering in the Camry is precise, accurately responding to every over correction. Much like a rider on a "sour" rental horse headed for the barn, Amanda responds with a hearty "Whoaaa" on the brake pedal each time. The other drivers must be aware of what is going on. There is no beeping or gesturing and they simply pass us in the left lane (I still haven't allowed Amanda to use THAT lane yet).
At 30 mph, the rush of wind that is heard while being passed on a major roadway is startling. We agree to work on NOT hitting the brakes simply because she is wandering between the lines. The prompt and precise responses of the car to driver input unnerve her, and she tells me that she prefers the old Jeep. Her tone is a little sad as if she's just peeked behind a magician's curtain and discovered the truth. I figure it's probably better for her to know that training, experience, and occasionally a little luck is what she'll need.
Learning to drive - Day 2
Day 2 - another 10 minutes (20 min total).
The first few minutes were uneventful, Amanda released the brake, checked the mirrors and her blind spots, then carefully put the car in reverse and. . . . nothing happened (that was fairly predictable as she had failed to actually start the car). She was quite upset when I explained she needed to hold the key in the start position UNTIL she heard the car start. She explained that last time, I had told her NOT to hold it so long. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since the last time she didn't seem to hear the starter GRINDING against the flywheel after the engine started as she continued to hold the key in the start position... I calmly tell her that she should not use her left foot for braking. I believe she perceives most of what happens as some kind of scary black magic, only vaguely related to what she does in the drivers seat.
I imagine "Checking the Oil" could be the title of an Advanced Placement class offered to only select high school Seniors (apparently none of our children have qualified). I thought about how I'd explained the exception to the left-footed braking rule to her brother on our off-road excursions where a two-footed technique is needed to quickly slow forward momentum while maintaining throttle occasionally arises. I was debating explaining this to her when I realize she was intending to use ONLY her left foot for driving. "I'm left handed, ya know, and my left foot just works better," she begins to explain. We agree she will ONLY use her right foot for driving.
We are making progress. The neighbors wave, pointing to indicate she actually checked to the left for oncoming traffic. Then they grin ear-to-ear as if to say, "better you than me." I think, "should I tell her she doesn't HAVE to get her license at 16?" but, I just let it go.
The first few minutes were uneventful, Amanda released the brake, checked the mirrors and her blind spots, then carefully put the car in reverse and. . . . nothing happened (that was fairly predictable as she had failed to actually start the car). She was quite upset when I explained she needed to hold the key in the start position UNTIL she heard the car start. She explained that last time, I had told her NOT to hold it so long. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since the last time she didn't seem to hear the starter GRINDING against the flywheel after the engine started as she continued to hold the key in the start position... I calmly tell her that she should not use her left foot for braking. I believe she perceives most of what happens as some kind of scary black magic, only vaguely related to what she does in the drivers seat.
I imagine "Checking the Oil" could be the title of an Advanced Placement class offered to only select high school Seniors (apparently none of our children have qualified). I thought about how I'd explained the exception to the left-footed braking rule to her brother on our off-road excursions where a two-footed technique is needed to quickly slow forward momentum while maintaining throttle occasionally arises. I was debating explaining this to her when I realize she was intending to use ONLY her left foot for driving. "I'm left handed, ya know, and my left foot just works better," she begins to explain. We agree she will ONLY use her right foot for driving.
We are making progress. The neighbors wave, pointing to indicate she actually checked to the left for oncoming traffic. Then they grin ear-to-ear as if to say, "better you than me." I think, "should I tell her she doesn't HAVE to get her license at 16?" but, I just let it go.
Learning to Drive - Day 1
"We" gotta lot of work to do with our daughter:
- She can now distinguish the gas pedal from the brake - I explained how important that is but, she assures me she always forgets.
- Next time, we are going to work at stopping and signaling at the end of the street. Luckily the neighbors recognize the battered green Jeep, recall the previous 16yr old operator, and stay out of the way.
- She assures me she will work on stopping but signaling is "really a distraction. . ." I tell her we have plenty of time to work on "that."
- I only yelled "stop, Stop, STOP !" once (I don't know if I'm more proud of myself or her for that one).- I only grabbed the steering wheel once (not proud of it but, we Would have hit a parked car otherwise. . .)
- the Drivers Ed program uses a 5 point system for grading driving performance, we are using a pass/fail grading system. She explained it to me, "no one died, that was good!"
If we need to log time behind the wheel, that was 10 minutes.
Our Story
We have all either been the teen learning, or are/will be the parent with a teenager and his/her learning permit.
My husband and I have 4 teens in high school this year - 15, 15, 16, 17 (blended family, not twins)2 drivers and 2 with learner permits. (ouch!!!) Yes, there have been accidents already. Anyways, Chuck is so funny and he is letting my daughter drive his car to school each morning before he then drives it to work. He sends me an email every day of the mishaps. It's hysterical!!! Here ya go, a day by day chronicle:
My husband and I have 4 teens in high school this year - 15, 15, 16, 17 (blended family, not twins)2 drivers and 2 with learner permits. (ouch!!!) Yes, there have been accidents already. Anyways, Chuck is so funny and he is letting my daughter drive his car to school each morning before he then drives it to work. He sends me an email every day of the mishaps. It's hysterical!!! Here ya go, a day by day chronicle:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)