Monday, June 18, 2007

We Have Become...

Minivan people. My wife disagrees -- she says we're now people with a minivan, but not minivan people. I say, what's the difference? We traded in the big, gas-guzzling Explorer for a fancy new dark blue '07 Toyota Sienna with rear side doors that open with the push of a button on the key remote, a DVD player in the back for the kidlets, tons and tons of space, a JBL surround-sound stereo system, and -- get this, Paula -- a jack to plug an iPod directly into the stereo. Oh, and about 25 mpg (vs. the 12 we were getting with the Explorer).

We now have a station wagon and and minivan.

We've arrived!

11 comments:

Paula said...

a jack to plug an iPod directly into the stereo

Awesome! Actually that's a nice looking vehicle, and the Toyota blue is cool. My Camry's that color. Enjoy. :)

Granny Snark said...

[giggle]

If I'd told you back when you were a loud, feisty, uber-opinionated 25-year-old that you'd live in the suburbs and own a dark blue minivan when you were your 30s, you would've choked on your Leinenkugel and probably hit me.

{giggle}

Anonymous said...

Join the club!! We sold our Subaru Outback (it was a sad day) to my mom, well she needed it more up north than we needed it here down south. Went out and got this cool looking grey 04 Mazda MPV, leather, sliding doors, 6 CD...

Steve had a hard time at first, but has grown to love it... Still miss the Outback though...

Falling on a bruise said...

It is a slippery slope from a people carrier down to cardigans, slippers and telling the kids to turn the racket down because you can't hear the weather forecast.
Nice looking car though.

Beware: Social Worker on the edge said...

Found your site off of Kim's hope you don't mind if I read and comment once in a while :O)

We have just upgraded to the explorer ourselves and I see a mini van in our future. Getting old sucks.

Teacake said...

But you're not going to be one of those people with the DVD player constantly on, even if you're just driving 5 minutes to the grocery store, right? It's for long trips only, right? Because you'd like your children to do things like converse and think and use their imaginations, right? I should stop judging the other parents now, right?

Okay fine.

I have a station wagon, but as my kid has outgrown most of the equipment you have to haul around I don't even need that anymore. I had these visions that Pippin would ride way in the back and the dog hair wouldn't get all over, but he gave me one look of contempt like the day after we got it and called shotgun and that was that. So no point really.

Kos said...

"Because you'd like your children to do things like converse and think and use their imaginations, right?"

No, we won't always have the DVD player on, particularly for short trips. But you ever ride in a car with 13- and 10-year-old sisters? Converse=argue. I remember a post of yours once long ago about how sometimes, you just gotta put the kid in front of the TV for your own sanity. Exactly...

Kos said...

Oh, and I actually got the station wagon as much for me as for the kids. My hockey equipment, along with my buddy's (we carpool like good environmental hockey players should), ain't gonna fit in no sedan.

Anonymous said...

" But you ever ride in a car with 13- and 10-year-old sisters? Converse=argue. "

Two words:

1) duct

2) tape

:-)

Teacake said...

No, we won't always have the DVD player on, particularly for short trips. But you ever ride in a car with 13- and 10-year-old sisters? Converse=argue.

Well, duh. How else are you going to hone such valuable and time-honored parenting skills as "I'll turn this car around RIGHT NOW!", "Don't make me reach back there!", and "I don't care who started it, I'll finish it!"

I remember a post of yours once long ago about how sometimes, you just gotta put the kid in front of the TV for your own sanity.

Well, no, not for my sanity, actually, it's so I can SHOWER and PEE and do all the things the non-stay-at-home parent still gets to do and therefore still thinks are trivial. But, you know, if you need to concentrate on the road, that seems like a pretty good reason too.

Anyhow putting the DVD on for teenagers is different than putting it on for toddlers, which is more what I was thinking of. Teenagers, by then, you've probably already screwed them up like 95% as much as you're going to, a little TV is so not going to hurt anyone.

Amie Adams said...

Crap! You're making me rethink my whole anti-minivan stance.

Crap!