People Carrier
Jan 22, 2009 A Good Laugh, Family and Friends, Purchases and Reviews
I am embarressed to say that we are now “Van People”. I much prefer the name the British call it – a People Carrier. Sounds less mundane than “van” doesn’t it? Seems to hold more purpose than the term Mini-van which dregs up visuals of tired moms carting kids, sporting equipment and car seats covered in cheerios, goldfish and apple juice.
Sadly, though the lovely white van we will pick up newly waxed and complete with new car smell, will soon have salt stains on the carpet, embedded cheese doodles on the seat, and balled up receipts throughout the cabin. And, it will carry a tired mom, a crying three year old (I want to watch mooooore TV), a squelling 6 month old, and the occasional grumbling husband. Hardly worthy of the name “People Carrier”.
We are taking back our, we only have one kid car (Nissan X-Trail), and getting a Dodge Grand Caravan. By the way, swore I would never be a “van person”, and when I started thinking we might require one I said I would never get a Dodge Caravan. The older models always seemed riddled with problems. In today’s economy (blah blah blah) we had to be reasonable (and dear husband gets a sweet deal on Dodge) so no spending 40K on a “people carrier”. Check it though…the van we are getting has amazing towing ability, spacious seating for seven, and impressive fuel efficiency.
Yeah, that is what sold me.
No.
- Stain resistant fabric. Apparently (according the sales guy) we could literally douse the car in Tide. Well that makes for easy cleaning, no?
- Stow n’ Go seats. Car camping means lots of equipment. Now we can fit it all in and should the weather be horrible…we can sleep in the van.
- There are also some neat hiding spaces…great for Christmas shopping I should think.
- 30 gig hard-drive that will store 6000 songs with a 6.5″ touch screen display (and AM/FM/CD/MP3)
- Back-up cam (if only it would beep, beep, beep too – then I would truly feel like I was driving a big ol’ beast)
- Coffee (cup) holders EVERYWHERE
- DVD player for the kiddies
- Dual media outlets and 115-volt outlet that allows me to attach video game, audio or video system to the DVD system (oh-yeah, can you say Mario Kart!!)
- AND, I can also plug in my Laptop if I so choose (I choose)!
- Silence. The DVD player is hooked up to wireless headsets. I do not need to hear the Cars movie on the ride to Grandma’s house.
Only thing is, as I was test driving it the other day with the kids in the back, and Top 40 tunes on the radio (Wayback Playback of Salt n Pepa) I thought…hmmm… maybe I can’t play this stuff in a van? It seems wrong to be pumping up the Hip Hop. So I might have to switch to Raffi or Barney or something more “mini-van” like.
Popularity: 35% [?]
| 3.2 |
Tags: buying cars, cars, cheerios, dodge, dvd, family, goldfish, grand caravan, kids, minivan, people carrier
A Trip East and Christmas Feast (again)
Jan 1, 2009 Family and Friends, Vacations
What trip home would be complete without some travel mishap, or adventure. Too often the trip from Ontario back East has had its problems. In University, I can recall a long 24-hour train rides, with no berth (sleeping space) and an annoying TA from my Philosophy class sitting next to me talking incessantly about social ethics and Anthony Giddens. Then there have been flight delays, rough landings due to fog, and long drives half way across the country. The joy of living so far from family and friends
We took a flight “stand-by” yesterday (husband works for an airline) and sadly got bumped from our flight.
After a sleepless night due to:
1) Baby’s stuffed up nose
2) Staying up late to participate in Twitter’s #GNO
3) And, lying in bed thinking “I must remember to pack this, and that, and this and that”
I would have turned us around and gone home when the flight attendant said it was unlikely to get on the next flight, or the next one. But, my three year old had been telling anyone who would listen that he was going to see Theodore Tugboat; and an Uncle and Aunt were waiting at the other end to meet their new nephew; and of course I miss the East Coast when I am away for too long – so instead I decided to do a semi-milk run. Flying to Ottawa and then on to our destination. So instead of a four hour trip (airport to airport) we were on the go for over 8 hours door to door.
Fun for who I don’t know.
Maybe this guy:
(Yes, that is chocolate and pizza on his face)
When we arrived I received a text from a friend “Are you here yet? Storm-a-coming!”
We just made it in time. Because by the time we had sat down to our New Year’s Eve Lobster:
lobster training
The snow had started. Today it looked like this:
Snow, snow
and this:
and more snow
But, it made it feel like Christmas again. So, we decided to do it again.
Bear and Gifts
Even the dog got in on the action.
Bear with Dog
Well, obviously it was planned. My sons were both spoiled (again), this time by grandparents and Aunt & Uncle. Of course, it was a “Cars” Christmas this year.
Cars hat
Even Monkey baby made a new friend.
seal
It is likely that the weather will change. It always does here. By next week, it could be mild and rainy.
Next Week's Weather
Popularity: 7% [?]
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Tags: cars, christmas, east coast, travel, weather
Idea for Sale: What a mom wants!
Dec 16, 2008 Consumer Brands, Family and Friends, Marketing & Communication
We are looking to get a new car in the new year. So I have been perusing car sites, brochures and car lots. We are (gasp!) looking at a van. I swore I would never buy a van, it screams “I am mom, hear me roar” and might as well be a box on wheels. But with two kids, strollers, other gear – along with friends and family it only makes sense.
Three years ago when we got the X-trail I don’t recall all these gizmos and gadgets that come in cars….
Popularity: 6% [?]
| 3.2 |
Tags: automobile, cars, family, gadgets, innovation, purchasing cars, technology, vans
