Me and the Minivan

I'm actually considering leasing a minivan. I've always secretly sworn that I would never get a minivan. To me, it seemed like getting a minivan would be something of a surrender--like resigning to wearing nothing but sweats and putting my hair in a fat scrunchie all day and smelling like applesauce. As a young mom I've wanted to also be a little hip and stylish and it seemed to me that doing something major like driving a minivan would be abandoning that dream altogether.

But lately the tides have been changing, and I find myself not only accepting the possibility of a minivan, but actually wanting one.

First, (and I admit this with some trepidation) when swinging open our doors, my kids have on several occassions whacked the doors of other cars and left dings. I always think that maybe I should leave a note, but I never have. When they aren't actually damaging other people's property, I am worried that they will. It is causing me stress.

Secondly, it is a major pain to load them in and out of our car. I have to hoist them in, or wait for them to hoist themselves and then get smashed by the door while I help them buckle because all three carseats are squeezed into the middle row. We could space it out and put one in the back seat, but then someone would have to climb over the middle row and that's a huge pain. The pain of loading and unloading kids is the biggest factor in my change of heart.

Third, who am I fooling? I might drive an SUV and want everyone to believe we are escaping to the mountains on the weekends to hike around and camp and rock climb and canoe and ski--but it's not happening, and everyone who knows us knows that.

Fourth, fuel efficiency. I think we can do better and save a few dollars every month. And it would be so green of us.

So I started peeking at the minivans online. All of the features and options started to dazzle me, insomuch that I actually started to believe that minivans are cute--that somehow they have evolved out of their blobbishness into something hip and sporty (at least the ones I am considering).

I said this to Matt last night, who in response actually quoted this scripture to me, "Wo unto them who shall call evil good and good evil," and then he added, "or ugly cute and cute ugly."

But even though Matt is adament that minivans are still ugly, he is also being wooed by all of the features, and both of us are starting not to care about the ugly factor. At some point in life one begins to care more about ease and convenience than one's own perception of personal coolness, especially when one realizes that one was never cool to begin with.

So I've narrowed it down to two that I like. Here they are, with the reasons I like them:

Toyota Sienna
The Sienna moved to first on my list just last night. It might just have more of the things that are really important to us.

Why I like it:

• Power doors that open with a remote




• Ample cargo space




• Easy for kids to get in and out of




• DVD player




• Available AWD (we need that around here in the winter)




• Good horsepower




• Available navigation system (so I can pretend I'll actually spend the extra money and get it)

Why I might not choose it:

• Not the best fuel economy




• A bit pricier




• Still kind of blobbish

Mazda5

Why I like it:
I think this is a very smart car and has been #1 on my list for several weeks.

• Great fuel economy




• Great use of space inside the vehicle--storage compartments, seats 6, etc.




• Easy for kids to get in and out of




• Totally doesn't look like a minivan. I went to go check it out at the dealership and when I got there I said, "I want to see your minivan." And the guy looked at me blankly. So I said, "The Mazda 5" and he said, "It's not a minivan." (I didn't tell him that all of the online reviewers call it a minivan). And so I could get the secret minivan that has all of the functionality of a minivan, but doesn't actually look like one. When he showed it to me, it really didn't look like a minivan in person. It is cute.




• Very affordable (We could maybe even afford some of the extras. Can you say navigation system?)




• Apparently it is fun to drive. Zoom Zoom. (Haven't done the test drive. Waiting for Matt.)




• I just plain like it.

Why I might not get it:

• Storage Space. The car really is very smart and the use of space is really good. It would do just fine for my day to day needs, I could even manage a trip to Costco. But for a family trip anywhere we'd have to put the little storage pod on top. Not such a fan of that.




• No AWD available. We'd have to stay home in the snow. (Maybe this is a pro?)




• No remote power doors. I really like the idea of pushing a button and having the doors open so my kids could climb in.

So those are the options. The lease on our Honda Pilot expires in a few months, so we need to decide what we are doing next. I'm going to put up a poll so people can vote for their favorite. Also, feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts on minivans and if we should really take the plunge.

Sniffles

After school Allison came over to play. The playing became wild, and so pretty soon I decided that the girls should take their energy outside. Thankfully, they decided that this sounded like fun and headed off to explore the back yard with their pails and shovels.

Pretty soon, they came back in the house carrying a rock. It was a smooth, round river rock. To them, it was a truly mysterious find, because on the rock were words carefully written in permanent marker. They brought the rock to me so that I could interpret its markings and unlock its secrets.

"Here lies Sniffles. Faithful bunny."

Poor Sniffles. I wondered how Sniffles had come to such a fate, and how long he or she had been buried in the back yard. I found myself mourning the poor little bunny, imagining the alligator tears that must have been shed at the funeral, and wondering what exactly Sniffles had done to earn the eternal title of "Faithful bunny." Certainly, it must have been something very grand.

I explained that this rock was a headstone, and that they should return it to where they had found it out of respect for Sniffles.

Well, upon hearing that there was a bunny buried in the back yard, Sydney immediately wanted to go and dig it up. I think that she imagined that after she removed a few shovels full of dirt, a fluffy little white bunny would hop out of the earth and she would have a new best friend. I told her that we were not going to be digging up any bunnies because all that is left of Sniffles is bunny bones. Well, that made her sad.

She asked if Sniffles was in Heaven, and if Sniffles would ever live again. So we talked about that.

Most importantly, for all of the girls, the backyard became a place of newfound wonder. It might be small, but it has its secrets, its history. Sniffles once had a life back there, and now Sniffles rests there eternally. Who knows what other secrets are waiting to be discovered?

I hope they spend lots and lots of time out there exploring. I, for one, will enjoy the quiet. Thank you, Sniffles. Faithful Bunny.

It's Raining Sun!

I had the girls loaded into the car yesterday on our way to Grandma's house. The sun finally decided to show it's face for the first time in a long time. It was a brief showing, and the majority of the sky remained gray and cloudy. But it was very nice to see some yellow rays shooting through to remind us that the sun actually does exist.

The girls were very excited. I realized that they are true Seattlites when Cora declared, "Look! It's raining sun!"