September
2006
Becoming One of “Those” People
You know “those” people… the ones with their kids, riding in their vans, watching their dvd player… What!? Yes, we have become “those” people. Mike and I are now the (I won’t say proud) owners of a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan with Stow & Go seats and (note the eyes to the ground) a DVD player. Whew…got that out! Many of you are probably wondering what the big deal is. Others of you who have known us for years are whispering, “sell out”, or, “I knew they’d never be able to hold out.” What is the big deal anyway? Well, for many many years, we have publically proclaimed our distaste for the van lifestyle. Growing up, owning a van had Soccer Mom(TM) written all over it and that is a title I am firmly steering clear of. Besides, vans cost more; they take up more space; they’re annoying to other drivers (how many times have you waited in a parking lot for a van to be able to pull in or out of its space?); and they’re not as environmentally friendly as say, our little Honda. So, “no way”, we said. “That’s not for us”.
So what happened? A torn soft shell carrier, destoyed camping equipment, and a long walk down the highway in the rain… Plus, the fact that living so far from home means we get lots of visitors who don’t arrive in their own car. We looked into station wagons but the make we wanted cost more than our van and didn’t solve the people problem. Now we have the space to get us all in. I have to say the Stow & Go seats are great! And the DVD player has worked amazingly well to keep the kids awake when I don’t want them to fall asleep until we get home. Although we have a rule that it’s not turned on every time we get into the van. I think in this case we were just unrealistic about what we needed as a family. Part of it was that when we were having these conversations we didn’t have twins, or live 2,000 miles from home. But Mike still takes the LRT (subway) and the boys and I walk to the grocery store quite often, so we’re trying to do our part as best we can. Just please don’t confuse me for a Soccer Mom. That may be another post for this category… but not today. 
What about Hockey Mom? Good thing the van has Stow & Go seats or we wouldn’t be able to fit two hockey bags in the back.
I typed you a long, scathing e-mail about how you’ve sold out, but when I hit the send button on my new Treo 700W smartphone, the e-mail got lost somehow. . .the error was: “message could not be sent from sender “Pot” to recipient “Kettle”. Please lower your irony threshhold and try again.”
Is there enough room in the back of the van to set up a mobile homeschooling classroom?
I can’t even express how much I miss you!!!
I was going to leave a comment, but I really can’t compete with Toby’s so I will remain silent
Will cell phones be next?
If so, that’s one that Mike will have to write!
I think Mike’s right–soccer is the American equivalent of Canada’s hockey. I predict that your boys will be hockey kids and you’ll be so proud of their accomplishments that you’ll be posting pictures and updates on your blog daily! But did the van have to come with a DVD player???