We sold our old car and also bought this used van (a Dodge Caravan) via Craigslist. I was nervous at first about doing everything through private sales like that, but it was easier - and much less expensive - than I expected. The van is in great shape, with practically the same mileage as our previous car...and yet we netted $1000 overall from the trade - with some bonus room-to-grow to boot!
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| Tom refused to be in the shot with us - he's been playing up how embarrassed he is to own a mini-van |
I feel like SUCH a mom now. I mean, of course I've been a mom for several years, but....come on, I'm driving a mini-van! We're (in the process of) buying a house! I'm turning into my parents, man. Not that that's a bad thing. But it seems like not so long ago, I was still a carefree college student...
My younger brothers were all teasing us at dinner last night about "dropping the kids off at soccer practice" in our big old mini-van.
Also, a question for those who have blazed this trail before me: The kids will be ages 3.5, 1.5, and newborn. Any suggestions for the best seating arrangement? I'm thinking of putting the youngest two in the second row (bucket seats), and Sly alone in the back seat. I'll feel bad for him, though, since he'll be too far away to hand him stuff while I'm driving, or to have conversation with :-(
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On a related note, I got my hair cut recently (which you can see in the photo above). The lady chopped off seven inches, and this is the shortest it's been in many years.
Tom has always preferred me with long hair, and has begged me to keep it as long as possible. Ever since Sly was born, I've been tempted from time to time to cut it to a more manageable length, but my dear husband has always expressed his extreme dislike for so-called "mom haircuts". But I finally just got tired of dealing with so much hair, and announced that I was "going short!" I think *maybe* I just said that to scare Tom a little, because I didn't even get it cut that short anyways - still past shoulder-length. But now it's so much easier to deal with!
Tom's response when he saw it: "Ok. It's not as bad as I expected." ...whatever, I'll take it.
I probably needed a new "mom haircut" to go with my dorky new mini-van anyways :-)
Congratulations on the van! You're going to love it! I'm not sure what to tell you about the seating arrangement, but I'm looking forward to seeing what others have to say. Our first two were quite a bit older when our thrid came along so they rotated who got to sit with the baby and still do. Now that I'm three months away from having two children in harnessed car seats I'm in the same boat as you with trying to figure out the best configuration for the seats. I could put the newborn and the two year old next to one another but that leaves me with no one who can help either one of the little ones while I'm driving. But putting the two year old in the third row means I'm climbing all over the place to get kids in the car seats when I go out alone with them. I'm kicking myself for not springing for the extra seat for the second row when I brought the van nearly nine years ago. Of course, back then I never dreamed I'd still have the van this many years later or that I'd have four kids.
ReplyDeleteOh man, you've no idea the debate this post sparked in our house this morning about whether or not we'll someday need a minivan ...
ReplyDeleteHa we were discussing this this morning too... Someone in my house is also convinced we'll *never* get a minivan.
DeleteAre the middle seats captain's seats? If they are, you can take one of them out (sounds crazy but hear me out) and put the newborn in the remaining middle seat, leaving your back seat more accessible for your toddlers to climb into and much, much easier for you to jump in there and buckle them. It's worked great for us, and our 3 are the same age yours will be.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the swagger wagon club.
Yes they are - I heard this same suggestion from another mom earlier this morning. I think it might be the way to go! Thanks :-)
DeleteCongratulations on the new purchase(s)! Ahh, with new children come new expenses (wait until you're shopping for a bigger dining room table!) ;0)
ReplyDeleteI hated going to a van (didn't buy ours until #3 was a few months old) but now I would never go back. It's an awesome ride. We're currently in the 12-passenger debate...I would like some "carpool" room since we're at capacity now.
With three, we stowed one of the captain's chairs so that it was easier to move about the cabin (see Jenny's comment) and the two oldest were in the back with the baby in the middle. I always have the baby in the middle because post-section it's less twisting and reaching.
Enjoy!
Thanks for the suggestion - I think that's what we'll try. Thankfully, our dining room table is already pretty big. It seats 10 comfortably, and maybe more if we squeeze :-)
DeleteWay to plan ahead! We're still using the "bachelor" table...lol!
DeleteI don't think your hair is "mom-ish", though I may be just trying to make myself feel better. I recently gave myself a haircut that seems similar to yours though the picture is small, it's hard to tell. Same length, at least.
ReplyDeleteI adore my full sized van. I am so glad I didn't go with a mini, but that's me. I'm glad you love your new van. As for seating, our middle seat is a bench so it can hold three. I do think you want the baby as close to the front as possible. Do you nurse in the car? (I'm not saying I do *cough*) If you think you might ever feel the need to do such a thing, you'll want the seat next to the baby open. That would mean Stella and Sly get to keep each other company in the back seat. I'm paranoid about newborns so I always ride next to mine. In our van, I sit in the middle of the middle with the twins on either side, and the other three sit in the back. Our oldest can buckle herself, so she sits on the side of the van farthest from the door. The boys, who need help, are closer and closest to the door to make them easier to reach.
You can get one of these bumper stickers, for Tom's benefit.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.iusedtobecool.com/ocs_bumper_stickers.php
lol!! I love it!
DeleteYour hair is still so long! At least by my standards. Tom is funny :)
ReplyDeleteI am super impressed that you guys were able to make a thousand bucks out of this whole car exchange. Way to go! We're definitely excited about joining the minivan club one day - hopefully sooner rather than later!
Hey, we got a mini-van last week too! Ryan's transitioned much more easily than expected. It may have helped that he doesn't have to have his knees on either side of the steering wheel anymore. And it's cool because it's big enough to haul 8x4' pieces of drywall, lumber... you know, manly things. You couldn't do that in a crossover. :-)
ReplyDelete