LEAVE THE DRIVING TO MOM

If "Mom's Taxi Service" were a business, Joanie Skinner would be its president.

Like many parents, the Cape Girardeau mother knows all about chauffeuring.

A teacher by trade, she spends her after-school hours behind the wheel of her two-tone brown van, hauling her four kids to everything from play practice to club meetings.

With her blonde hair and energetic enthusiasm, Skinner appears to be the proverbial All-American Mom. Not surprisingly, she enjoys life in the "family taxi."

Skinner said she delights in being the family chauffeur and picking the children up from school. "I want to be there for the first, `Hey, Mom, guess what happened.'"

Her kids enjoy the ride "because I am real fun," she merrily observed.

Skinner teaches remedial math and reading at St. Mary's elementary school.

But when her school day's over, her drive-time's just beginning. With four kids to haul around, it makes for a busy schedule.

Daughter Natalie, 18, is a senior at Cape Girardeau Central High School; Ashley, 15, is a freshman there; while 13-year-old twins Nathan and Andrew are in seventh grade at L.J. Schultz School.

Skinner's kids are involved in academic endeavors. They're also active in sports. So there's track meets to attend, as well as soccer and basketball games.

"Natalie, fortunately, has her own car, but some things we do together," said Skinner, as she ran her "taxi service" one recent afternoon, accompanied by a Southeast Missourian reporter and photographer.

On this afternoon, she and Natalie, who will finish high school this month, had to stop by the post office to mail off 50 graduation announcements to friends and family.

Then, it was off to Schultz School to pick up Andrew and Nathan from their after-school "Aladdin" play practice. Nathan was the magic carpet and Andrew was "Abu" the monkey.

"This is the best time of my life," said Skinner. "I like palling around with them."

On this particular afternoon, Skinner's travels included a stop at the home of Nathan's piano teacher to reschedule a lesson in preparation for a piano recital.

There was also a stop at the public library, Andrew's costume fitting, not to mention the Schultz School Beta Club honor society induction ceremony that evening.

In between, Ashley had to be picked up from track practice. With track, said Skinner, it's "a different schedule every time."

Some days are just plain hectic. One day, Nathan and Andrew had play practice from 2:30-4:30 p.m., and then practice again from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

That meant picking them up from school, getting them home, fed, and back to school -- all in the space of two hours.

In the Skinner household, quick dinners are often a necessity.

"The boys, they play soccer; they play basketball; they are on student council," said Skinner.

With the family living in Twin Lakes, it's not practical to run home between errands. "You don't want to go home for five minutes or 10 minutes," said Skinner.

But she's not complaining. "(Husband) Roger and I both encourage our students to be involved and active."

For the Skinner family, the day begins early during the school year. "We leave our house at 10 minutes after 7 every morning," said Joanie Skinner. "I take all four of them to school and then I go to school."

She also spends some of her evenings at Southeast Missouri State University, working on a master's degree.

All six members of the family are generally at Sunday dinner. After a typically busy week, it's something they look forward to.

"This is the only time we really get to talk," chimed in Natalie, whose own schedule is filled with senior events, working at Shoney's three days a week, and the activities of the Young Life Christian group.

Skinner said scheduling is the key to being a good chauffeur. "We talk about our schedules every Sunday night."

Natalie noted that her mom doesn't have a lot of free time in the afternoons. "Everything she does has to be planned around us."

Joanie Skinner always has a "things to do" list with her. "I can't stand chaos," she confessed.

With such a busy schedule, Skinner's kids don't dawdle. "My kids know when they see me, they better come running."