Nearly six weeks has passed since I gave up Facebook. And it has been far more difficult than I would like to admit. The first week or so, I would catch myself opening up the Facebook app on my phone without thinking about it. It was that ingrained in my routine. I get a lot of status updates as text messages which I hadn’t thought to discontinue prior to saying adieu, so I have continued to hear “from” some of my friends. But it has been difficult not to reply. Especially to those “friend in need” updates. The ones where I would typically post something encouraging or a “been there” story. You know, friends in need of a positive word.
The hardest part has been not seeing the updates from my mom on what the girls are up to. She typically posts photos and videos of what the girls do during the day while I’m at work and I love getting to keep up with them when I’m away. It’s been weird to hear about what they’re up to third party. Like, co-workers coming into work and saying “I saw your girls jumping on the trampoline. They are so cute!” or “I loved that video of Evie and Elly!” when I haven’t seen the videos myself.
As much as I have missed Facebook at times, it has been so wonderful to be free of it. I spent a lot of time updating statuses and uploading photos and checking on what everyone else was up to. It’s been a big relief to not spend the time. But it’s been sad to not be able to talk to my friends. To not share my good days and bad days. To not share pictures of my sweet girls. To not know what my family and friends that I see only rarely are up to.
My respite from Facebook has been refreshing. I will have a much greater appreciation for the connections that I have through the social networking site when I start back up. Assuming of course that everyone hasn’t forgotten about me. But when I return I think I will continue to try to limit the time I invest. And if I log in and have 0 friends…I suppose that will be much easier!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Sharing a tag
I know I've written about this before. But my girls are ever on my mind. And their relationship with each other is forefront. As their parent, there will come a time (God willing MANY years from now) when I won't be there for them. But as sisters, and less than two years between them, they will have each other their whole lives. And I want so much for them to be close.
When I found out that I was going to be the mother of sisters I dreamed of the day they would share clothes, a room. When they'd build forts and dress up as princesses and giggle doing each others make up. Sharing ice cream cones, secrets, heart breaks and lipstick.
When I was young I always wanted a sister. I imagined we would be closer than best friends. So I'm really hoping that dream is fulfilled with my girls.
And despite my fears and worries, we seem to be headed in the right direction!
Evie and Elly are talking to each other now and interacting more. Evie talks to Elly now instead of at her and about her like she used to. Evie shares thing with Elly and wants Sissy to do things that she does. Evie even likes to take turns...sometimes. And she plays "interpreter" for Elly at times, especially by telling when Elly has a dirty diaper. As if everyone couldn't smell it! Haha.
It makes me unbelievably happy and relieved to see these changes. And now they're very close to sharing clothes! Though Evie is not particularly happy about that. Elly is now wearing Evie's stuff from last summer. There have been a few disputes over pajamas and a couple other cherished outfits. Elly just loves new clothes. She doesn't understand that the clothes are hand-me-downs. And doesn't care. Evie however remembers wearing Elly's "new" Dora pajamas and Dog shirt and striped shorts. Some of the items Evie can still technically wear, they're just tight or short or whatever. So I've moved them on to Elly.
So they're sort of sharing clothes. And they're playing together. And if you count a dirty diaper as a secret...haha.
When I found out that I was going to be the mother of sisters I dreamed of the day they would share clothes, a room. When they'd build forts and dress up as princesses and giggle doing each others make up. Sharing ice cream cones, secrets, heart breaks and lipstick.
When I was young I always wanted a sister. I imagined we would be closer than best friends. So I'm really hoping that dream is fulfilled with my girls.
And despite my fears and worries, we seem to be headed in the right direction!
Evie and Elly are talking to each other now and interacting more. Evie talks to Elly now instead of at her and about her like she used to. Evie shares thing with Elly and wants Sissy to do things that she does. Evie even likes to take turns...sometimes. And she plays "interpreter" for Elly at times, especially by telling when Elly has a dirty diaper. As if everyone couldn't smell it! Haha.
It makes me unbelievably happy and relieved to see these changes. And now they're very close to sharing clothes! Though Evie is not particularly happy about that. Elly is now wearing Evie's stuff from last summer. There have been a few disputes over pajamas and a couple other cherished outfits. Elly just loves new clothes. She doesn't understand that the clothes are hand-me-downs. And doesn't care. Evie however remembers wearing Elly's "new" Dora pajamas and Dog shirt and striped shorts. Some of the items Evie can still technically wear, they're just tight or short or whatever. So I've moved them on to Elly.
So they're sort of sharing clothes. And they're playing together. And if you count a dirty diaper as a secret...haha.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Believe Tattoo
So those who knew me growing up know what an active and vivid imagination I always had. Even now, bogged down with the day to day grind of babies and work and chores I try to read a good fantasy book, keep in touch with my inner child, do something creative etc. on a regular basis. I firmly believe that anything is possible if you set your heart to it. It is so important to have belief. In yourself. In God. After growing two beautiful little girls in my body I don't think I could ever doubt the existence of God. I don't see how anyone could. A cluster of cells growing into a living, breathing person! It's a miracle if I've ever heard of one.
I have been wanting another tattoo and wanted it to be special and something that was at least in some way for my girls.
And this is it. Josh doesn't get it but it's okay. The word believe wraps up into a dandelion puff and the seeds are blowing off and as they float away they turn into sparrows. The tattoo wraps around my foot.
The 2 stars next to "believe" stand for my 2 girls. Who I will always support and believe in. Even if I don't agree with them. The dandelion puff is a symbol of wishes to be made and wishes granted. I can remember blowing all the seeds off dandelions and making wishes when I was little. It kinda symbolizes the hope and dreams of childhood. The seeds symbolize abundance and fruits of labor. Dandelion juices can be used medicinally in tea as well as to fight bacteria and heal wounds.
The sparrows mean a lot to me. They are one of the most common birds around here and probably really under appreciated. Sparrows are never alone and as such are a great symbol for family and togetherness. They are also the smallest birds but I always think of the hymn when I see them. How God is always watching over the little sparrow. Also when I was young I heard the superstition that sparrows are believed to carry the souls of the dead into the next life and their was something so eerie about it that I have been really fascinated with them ever since!
The fact that the dandelion seeds are turning into the sparrows is supposed to be symbolic of magic and faith.
So. That is that. Does anyone else have any tattoos? Want any? I actually want more. They are creepily addictive. I know I want one down my ribs. A quote that has significance for me and is about my hubby. And I would like to get something on my bicep. But I don't know what! And I kinda want my two big back pieces colored in.
So see. They're addictive!
I have been wanting another tattoo and wanted it to be special and something that was at least in some way for my girls.
And this is it. Josh doesn't get it but it's okay. The word believe wraps up into a dandelion puff and the seeds are blowing off and as they float away they turn into sparrows. The tattoo wraps around my foot.
The 2 stars next to "believe" stand for my 2 girls. Who I will always support and believe in. Even if I don't agree with them. The dandelion puff is a symbol of wishes to be made and wishes granted. I can remember blowing all the seeds off dandelions and making wishes when I was little. It kinda symbolizes the hope and dreams of childhood. The seeds symbolize abundance and fruits of labor. Dandelion juices can be used medicinally in tea as well as to fight bacteria and heal wounds.
The sparrows mean a lot to me. They are one of the most common birds around here and probably really under appreciated. Sparrows are never alone and as such are a great symbol for family and togetherness. They are also the smallest birds but I always think of the hymn when I see them. How God is always watching over the little sparrow. Also when I was young I heard the superstition that sparrows are believed to carry the souls of the dead into the next life and their was something so eerie about it that I have been really fascinated with them ever since!
The fact that the dandelion seeds are turning into the sparrows is supposed to be symbolic of magic and faith.
So. That is that. Does anyone else have any tattoos? Want any? I actually want more. They are creepily addictive. I know I want one down my ribs. A quote that has significance for me and is about my hubby. And I would like to get something on my bicep. But I don't know what! And I kinda want my two big back pieces colored in.
So see. They're addictive!
A month without Facebook
So I’ve been off Facebook for like…two weeks now? Only two weeks? It feels like an eternity. My Facebook app is sitting on my phone mocking me with its little notification bubble at the top right corner. I have 54 notifications so far. I’m sure by Easter that will have doubled. Maybe even quadrupled. I am really missing keeping up with my friends. And it has been hard to keep myself from thinking in “status updates.” And to not post adorable pics of my little people doing the adorable things my little people do.
On the flip side it has been really nice to spend less time feeding the addiction that is Facebook. It has been a little weird to not know what’s going on, to ignore status updates and messages and pokes or not to be posting things like “Had an awesome day!” or “Elly just took her first steps!” I haven’t shared pictures of my new tattoo or uploaded any videos of Evie singing. Definitely just weird.
I gave up Facebook for Lent. And so far it has definitely been a challenge and a sacrifice. I considered several other things, like chocolate or wine, and while those would have certainly been missed they wouldn’t have been irreplaceable voids in my daily life. I’m kinda trying to regain some religious focus in my life and felt like giving up something really hard for Lent was a good place to start. My family hasn’t really been going to church recently, especially since some interpersonal drama has been going on at the church where I am technically a member. Not being on Facebook has reduced all the social media noise in my life.
So, what am I up to? What have I been doing since I gave up Facebook?
Well, this past Sunday the Dowd family went to Mass at the Catholic church in Mount Airy. I have enjoyed every time I have been there in the past. Since the first time I went back when I was preggo with little Evie I have felt something…a push, a desire, whatever…making me want to go back. My husband works late and isn’t usually able to accompany us to church and with the girls I am a bit outnumbered taking them anywhere by myself. I have always sorta wanted to go to church as a family with my parents and my children so that we are all there together. So despite my desire to go to the Catholic church I was kind of cowed into going to the Baptist church with my parents so that I would have some help with my kids and so that it would be more of a ‘family’ church experience. I’m not really sure why I felt that was so important. But I did.
Now that the girls are a bit older it isn’t quite so daunting to take them places by myself. And I get absolutely nothing from going to my parents’ church about 98% of the time. Occasionally I get mildly offended by someone using church to preach about their political opinions. And every once in awhile I might get something from the message. But most of the time the service was more discouraging than uplifting and rarely did I leave church feeling better than when I went in.
In direct contrast, every time I have left Mass I have been excited to come back. I have felt uplifted and have felt like the message was exactly what I needed to hear. Even this past Sunday, when we were 10 minutes late and both girls were a bit fussy during the service, I enjoyed it. And I’m looking forward to going back this weekend.
Some people have had less than nice things to say about me going to a Catholic church. Which kinda bothers me but not enough to deter me from going. I don’t have an opinion on where other people go to church as long as they are getting something positive from it. I fully support religious freedom and a person’s right to choose where and how to practice their faith. I wish everyone would show the same respect for me and my family. So many people claim to support religious freedom but really what they support is everyone being free to believe the way they believe and go to the kind of church they go to. It really offends me! Some of my friends have been really supportive, even excited for me. Excited that my family may have a church that we can go to every week and enjoy and get something from. Supportive of our decision to go where we want to go, practice how we want to practice and believe what we want to believe. I really appreciate that.
The only thing I don’t really like is that to become “Catholic” or a member of a Catholic church you have to be confirmed first. As an adult you have to take a sort of class and become knowledgeable in the faith and kinda be tested. Children go through it as a normal part of their Sunday school classes and all.
Other than the religious news, I have also taken on a rather large personal task in the last week: I am relearning Spanish. I was mostly fluent when I was in college. I took two years of classes in high school and then two more years in college but after fulfilling the course requirement I pretty much stopped using it. As a result, I lost the language. At my job, I regularly need to be able to speak Spanish and it would be a handy skill to have out in the world. Also, studies have shown how much easier children can learn a second language in the first few years of life. And they have done studies showing how much more efficiently a bi-lingual person’s brain can work. I don’t know that my children will need Spanish in their adult life but I feel like knowing a second language would be beneficial. And they’re already learning some vocabulary from their Dora obsession. Evie has used Spanish words SEVERAL times without any prompting. Like saying “arriba” when she raises a car to the top of the ramp and then “abajo” when she releases it to go down the ramps. I’m thinking I will get back to a regular speaking level and start talking to them some in Spanish as well as letting them listen to the Spanish CDs with me. When they are old enough to start reading and using a computer, they can then use the PC software to learn to speak, read and write more Spanish so that hopefully by first grade they are reading and writing English and Spanish.
Still need to find a couple of Spanish speakers to help me keep it up once I get back to speaking fluently. But in the mean time I have been spending about 30-60 minutes every day working with Rosetta Stone. I have been doing some written assignments and listening to the audio companion that came with the software. I have only finished one unit so far. There are four units in the first level and there are five levels in total in the program. So I have quite a bit of work ahead of me. But I absolutely love Spanish (no really!) and so far, even though it has been time consuming, it has mostly been review for me. The hardest part will be picking back up all the vocabulary and remembering some of the weird verbs. But so far so good! And it feels good to be doing something other than just the same old routine every day. Who would have thought I’d like getting re-educated?
Hmm, what else…?
Still loving my minivan. Driving it is awesome. We made a family trip this past weekend for a birthday party and it went great. We let the girls watch Dora in the back while Josh and I listened to the radio up front. Babies fell asleep on the way home and we easily transitioned them from their car seats to their beds for a brief nap. Life with my two is much simpler with a minivan! Who would have thought?!?
Also got a new tattoo. My first foot/ankle piece. Absolutely love it but dreading having to go back to get it touched up. Because honestly it REALLY hurt. Haha. Pics to follow! Maybe I will even do a post on the whole meaning and reason behind the tattoo.
Hope everyone is doing well. I miss keeping up with you all but Easter will be here before you know it!
On the flip side it has been really nice to spend less time feeding the addiction that is Facebook. It has been a little weird to not know what’s going on, to ignore status updates and messages and pokes or not to be posting things like “Had an awesome day!” or “Elly just took her first steps!” I haven’t shared pictures of my new tattoo or uploaded any videos of Evie singing. Definitely just weird.
I gave up Facebook for Lent. And so far it has definitely been a challenge and a sacrifice. I considered several other things, like chocolate or wine, and while those would have certainly been missed they wouldn’t have been irreplaceable voids in my daily life. I’m kinda trying to regain some religious focus in my life and felt like giving up something really hard for Lent was a good place to start. My family hasn’t really been going to church recently, especially since some interpersonal drama has been going on at the church where I am technically a member. Not being on Facebook has reduced all the social media noise in my life.
So, what am I up to? What have I been doing since I gave up Facebook?
Well, this past Sunday the Dowd family went to Mass at the Catholic church in Mount Airy. I have enjoyed every time I have been there in the past. Since the first time I went back when I was preggo with little Evie I have felt something…a push, a desire, whatever…making me want to go back. My husband works late and isn’t usually able to accompany us to church and with the girls I am a bit outnumbered taking them anywhere by myself. I have always sorta wanted to go to church as a family with my parents and my children so that we are all there together. So despite my desire to go to the Catholic church I was kind of cowed into going to the Baptist church with my parents so that I would have some help with my kids and so that it would be more of a ‘family’ church experience. I’m not really sure why I felt that was so important. But I did.
Now that the girls are a bit older it isn’t quite so daunting to take them places by myself. And I get absolutely nothing from going to my parents’ church about 98% of the time. Occasionally I get mildly offended by someone using church to preach about their political opinions. And every once in awhile I might get something from the message. But most of the time the service was more discouraging than uplifting and rarely did I leave church feeling better than when I went in.
In direct contrast, every time I have left Mass I have been excited to come back. I have felt uplifted and have felt like the message was exactly what I needed to hear. Even this past Sunday, when we were 10 minutes late and both girls were a bit fussy during the service, I enjoyed it. And I’m looking forward to going back this weekend.
Some people have had less than nice things to say about me going to a Catholic church. Which kinda bothers me but not enough to deter me from going. I don’t have an opinion on where other people go to church as long as they are getting something positive from it. I fully support religious freedom and a person’s right to choose where and how to practice their faith. I wish everyone would show the same respect for me and my family. So many people claim to support religious freedom but really what they support is everyone being free to believe the way they believe and go to the kind of church they go to. It really offends me! Some of my friends have been really supportive, even excited for me. Excited that my family may have a church that we can go to every week and enjoy and get something from. Supportive of our decision to go where we want to go, practice how we want to practice and believe what we want to believe. I really appreciate that.
The only thing I don’t really like is that to become “Catholic” or a member of a Catholic church you have to be confirmed first. As an adult you have to take a sort of class and become knowledgeable in the faith and kinda be tested. Children go through it as a normal part of their Sunday school classes and all.
Other than the religious news, I have also taken on a rather large personal task in the last week: I am relearning Spanish. I was mostly fluent when I was in college. I took two years of classes in high school and then two more years in college but after fulfilling the course requirement I pretty much stopped using it. As a result, I lost the language. At my job, I regularly need to be able to speak Spanish and it would be a handy skill to have out in the world. Also, studies have shown how much easier children can learn a second language in the first few years of life. And they have done studies showing how much more efficiently a bi-lingual person’s brain can work. I don’t know that my children will need Spanish in their adult life but I feel like knowing a second language would be beneficial. And they’re already learning some vocabulary from their Dora obsession. Evie has used Spanish words SEVERAL times without any prompting. Like saying “arriba” when she raises a car to the top of the ramp and then “abajo” when she releases it to go down the ramps. I’m thinking I will get back to a regular speaking level and start talking to them some in Spanish as well as letting them listen to the Spanish CDs with me. When they are old enough to start reading and using a computer, they can then use the PC software to learn to speak, read and write more Spanish so that hopefully by first grade they are reading and writing English and Spanish.
Still need to find a couple of Spanish speakers to help me keep it up once I get back to speaking fluently. But in the mean time I have been spending about 30-60 minutes every day working with Rosetta Stone. I have been doing some written assignments and listening to the audio companion that came with the software. I have only finished one unit so far. There are four units in the first level and there are five levels in total in the program. So I have quite a bit of work ahead of me. But I absolutely love Spanish (no really!) and so far, even though it has been time consuming, it has mostly been review for me. The hardest part will be picking back up all the vocabulary and remembering some of the weird verbs. But so far so good! And it feels good to be doing something other than just the same old routine every day. Who would have thought I’d like getting re-educated?
Hmm, what else…?
Still loving my minivan. Driving it is awesome. We made a family trip this past weekend for a birthday party and it went great. We let the girls watch Dora in the back while Josh and I listened to the radio up front. Babies fell asleep on the way home and we easily transitioned them from their car seats to their beds for a brief nap. Life with my two is much simpler with a minivan! Who would have thought?!?
Also got a new tattoo. My first foot/ankle piece. Absolutely love it but dreading having to go back to get it touched up. Because honestly it REALLY hurt. Haha. Pics to follow! Maybe I will even do a post on the whole meaning and reason behind the tattoo.
Hope everyone is doing well. I miss keeping up with you all but Easter will be here before you know it!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Budgeting pressures
It is a lot of responsibility to be in charge of a family’s money. I’m the budgeter. The bill payer. The money person for our family. From talking to my friends, I think that every family probably has one to some degree or other. In many relationships, one person just steps up and takes the responsibility. Or maybe one person is better with money than the other. Or maybe they’re just the control freak. Or all three.
Either way, in our family, that person is me. And I have been since fairly early on in our relationship. I can tell you what our living expenses are each month, how much of that is just bill, what our gross debt is, how much is in savings, etc. I budget relentlessly, obsessively. I try to be prepared and to plan ahead. On big financial decisions, Josh and I discuss things, of course. But on the month to month stuff, he just likes to know it’s all been paid and kind of a rough determination of “this is going to be a tight month” or “we’re okay this month.” That sort of thing.
Recently, we have had some big financial changes and I’m feeling a bit of worry and fear as I face our first month of bill pay since things have changed. In the last month we paid off a credit card, traded in our old car and got a new car. As a result we have one bill that no longer exists, and two bills that will change. My car payment will be a bit more and go to a new place and my car insurance will be a bit higher. Plus, the new van has a MUCH larger gas tank and gets different gas mileage than the Versa. So I’m anxious to see how that plays out over the month’s expenses. Basically, I’m concerned to see how things go. I was careful and did the math and redid the math when Josh and I were discussing getting a minivan. I knew before we went to the dealership what we could afford and what we couldn’t. We’re within our budget of course, but I still fret.
Now I’m also looking to refinance my student loans, which could potentially save us a LOT of money. But again, the fear of the unknown just really gnaws at me. The federal government has approved a “Public Service Forgiveness Plan” where if you work in public service after 10 years of paying off your loans you are forgiven of all further debt. I have to refinance to be eligible which is a pain and there are several refinancing options to choose from. One of my refinance options would be to go with an income based plan and as my income stands now, I wouldn’t have to pay anything on my student loans. However, those bad boys would sit there and collect interest for each month I wasn’t paying on them. Ten years from now all that debt would be forgiven but still…the idea of my loans not being paid on for some unknown amount of time is a little scary.
It’s a lot of pressure to be financially responsible! To plan ahead with the future of little people in mind. A LOT of pressure. Trying to save so we can do annual family trips and vacations. Budgeting for things like gymnastics or swimming lessons. I want to establish savings accounts for each child so that they have a little bit of money to get started on later down the road. Meanwhile, looking a couple of years down the road and knowing that we really need a house with two bathrooms if we’re going to survive life with two girls. It’s a lot to keep up with.
But there is a certain degree of satisfaction at saving up and getting us something we need. Or surviving another fiscal year. We haven’t missed a payment yet or defaulted on any loans. I still have excellent credit and Josh’s credit is getting better. So maybe I’m doing alright. But still…I worry.
Either way, in our family, that person is me. And I have been since fairly early on in our relationship. I can tell you what our living expenses are each month, how much of that is just bill, what our gross debt is, how much is in savings, etc. I budget relentlessly, obsessively. I try to be prepared and to plan ahead. On big financial decisions, Josh and I discuss things, of course. But on the month to month stuff, he just likes to know it’s all been paid and kind of a rough determination of “this is going to be a tight month” or “we’re okay this month.” That sort of thing.
Recently, we have had some big financial changes and I’m feeling a bit of worry and fear as I face our first month of bill pay since things have changed. In the last month we paid off a credit card, traded in our old car and got a new car. As a result we have one bill that no longer exists, and two bills that will change. My car payment will be a bit more and go to a new place and my car insurance will be a bit higher. Plus, the new van has a MUCH larger gas tank and gets different gas mileage than the Versa. So I’m anxious to see how that plays out over the month’s expenses. Basically, I’m concerned to see how things go. I was careful and did the math and redid the math when Josh and I were discussing getting a minivan. I knew before we went to the dealership what we could afford and what we couldn’t. We’re within our budget of course, but I still fret.
Now I’m also looking to refinance my student loans, which could potentially save us a LOT of money. But again, the fear of the unknown just really gnaws at me. The federal government has approved a “Public Service Forgiveness Plan” where if you work in public service after 10 years of paying off your loans you are forgiven of all further debt. I have to refinance to be eligible which is a pain and there are several refinancing options to choose from. One of my refinance options would be to go with an income based plan and as my income stands now, I wouldn’t have to pay anything on my student loans. However, those bad boys would sit there and collect interest for each month I wasn’t paying on them. Ten years from now all that debt would be forgiven but still…the idea of my loans not being paid on for some unknown amount of time is a little scary.
It’s a lot of pressure to be financially responsible! To plan ahead with the future of little people in mind. A LOT of pressure. Trying to save so we can do annual family trips and vacations. Budgeting for things like gymnastics or swimming lessons. I want to establish savings accounts for each child so that they have a little bit of money to get started on later down the road. Meanwhile, looking a couple of years down the road and knowing that we really need a house with two bathrooms if we’re going to survive life with two girls. It’s a lot to keep up with.
But there is a certain degree of satisfaction at saving up and getting us something we need. Or surviving another fiscal year. We haven’t missed a payment yet or defaulted on any loans. I still have excellent credit and Josh’s credit is getting better. So maybe I’m doing alright. But still…I worry.
Adjusting
So, I am excited to own a minivan. It’s true. I love it. I love driving it and have had a great time showing off my automatic doors and trunk. I think it’s a great looking vehicle and I’m really happy with my selection. But simultaneously, I’m sorta having a weird time adjusting. I don’t know what it is exactly. I think it is just an adjustment. Because no part of my identity isn’t “mom” now. Ya know?
My vehicle is nice to drive and it’s aesthetically pleasing. But my vehicle is no longer made to be fun to drive. It’s made for transporting, both people and items. It’s not a sports car or a sedan. It’s a minivan. It’s definitely a mom car, albeit a nice mom car. And it’s the first time I’ve had a strictly mom type vehicle.
So it is an adjustment.
My very first car was a Nissan 240 SX. It was a 1989 model with more miles than you can probably put on a car nowadays. It was a five-speed, manual transmission, and would absolutely fly. Not necessarily the safest car for a 16 year-old. But definitely fit me. A couple of years later I traded that and got a Ford Probe GT Turbo. Another manual transmission but this one was at least front wheel drive. It was another fun little car. After the Probe I got a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I lived in Boone then and needed something with four wheel drive. But when we moved back off the mountain in 2007, I traded the Jeep for a 2001 Ford Escort. In 2009, when I was pregnant with Evie, I needed something four door so I traded the Escort in on a 2007 Nissan Versa. And three years later, I find myself with a child on each hip looking a minivan. It has been an adjustment.
In the decade that I have been driving, I have had a pretty diverse range of vehicles. I’m hoping I can get over this new vehicle every two years thing. I’m hoping that I have found a vehicle which will fit my life needs for many years, not just a couple. I’m hoping that just because I drive a mom car that doesn’t mean that I’m less attractive or less fun or less cool. I’m hoping that it means that I’m practical and reasonable. Planning ahead. Prepared. Dedicated to being a parent.
But it has been an adjustment.
But I am really looking forward to our first road trip. Hoping to find some time go see my grandparents soon. And then need to plan a trip to Boone to visit my in-laws, hopefully next month. In April, we are planning to go to a petting zoo in Virginia and now I’m even more excited about that. It’s going to be their grand opening. (By the way, you can check them out on Facebook, the name is Garden of Eden, located in Martinsville, Va.) And I won four free tickets! Anyone interested on going with me? It’s going to be awesome. Then in April or May I’m hoping/planning to take the girls back to the zoo in Asheboro. This year, my parents could even come along since there is room in our car! Sometime this summer I want to take the girls to the children’s museum in Winston and the historic farm in Pinnacle, Horne Creek Farm.
Now that it is so easy to get my kids in and out, I’m already scheduling a lot more outings. No more being trapped in the house because it is such a pain to try to go anywhere. Nope. We are going to go to the regional museum in Mount Airy. And going to try out all the local parks. We’re going to visit the Mount Airy Library one week and the Dobson library another. We’ll go to Pilot Mountain State Park one Saturday when it’s nice and walk around some and maybe go up one of the trails.
See, an adjustment.
In my previous car, it was such a pain to try to go anywhere. Wrestling both children in and out was so exhausting. But the whole process is so much easier with the van. It’s also easier since the kids are bigger. Evie can get herself into her car seat and actually buckle herself in while I’m getting Elly in. But the van facilitates even that aspect. Carrying Elly and holding Evie’s hand, I can press a button on my key fob (aka the remote thingy) and Evie’s door will begin sliding open. I can help Evie up into her seat, press the button on the van to start the door closing, walk around the van and open the other door. Put Elly into her car seat while Evie is getting her buckles on. Climb in to check Evie’s buckles, recheck Elly’s, climb out and shut the door and get in the front seat. *relieved sigh* Takes probably HALF the time it used to take. Maybe even less. I had to get Elly into her seat while fighting to keep Evie inside the door so she didn’t run off in the parking lot or into traffic, then take Evie around her side, by which time she was usually aggravated and hateful from all my cajoling and fussing while I tried to get Elly in. Now it’s just so easy! I guess if you haven’t done it you probably won’t appreciate the difference. But I assure you that things are WAY simpler with a van.
So yeah, an adjustment. I am truly happy with my life as a minivan mom. I hope that this doesn’t mean I will never get checked out by a random dude again, cause that was always good for the old self-esteem. But either way, life in a minivan is good. And hey, it comes with a built in DVD player! And my very own remote.
My vehicle is nice to drive and it’s aesthetically pleasing. But my vehicle is no longer made to be fun to drive. It’s made for transporting, both people and items. It’s not a sports car or a sedan. It’s a minivan. It’s definitely a mom car, albeit a nice mom car. And it’s the first time I’ve had a strictly mom type vehicle.
So it is an adjustment.
My very first car was a Nissan 240 SX. It was a 1989 model with more miles than you can probably put on a car nowadays. It was a five-speed, manual transmission, and would absolutely fly. Not necessarily the safest car for a 16 year-old. But definitely fit me. A couple of years later I traded that and got a Ford Probe GT Turbo. Another manual transmission but this one was at least front wheel drive. It was another fun little car. After the Probe I got a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I lived in Boone then and needed something with four wheel drive. But when we moved back off the mountain in 2007, I traded the Jeep for a 2001 Ford Escort. In 2009, when I was pregnant with Evie, I needed something four door so I traded the Escort in on a 2007 Nissan Versa. And three years later, I find myself with a child on each hip looking a minivan. It has been an adjustment.
In the decade that I have been driving, I have had a pretty diverse range of vehicles. I’m hoping I can get over this new vehicle every two years thing. I’m hoping that I have found a vehicle which will fit my life needs for many years, not just a couple. I’m hoping that just because I drive a mom car that doesn’t mean that I’m less attractive or less fun or less cool. I’m hoping that it means that I’m practical and reasonable. Planning ahead. Prepared. Dedicated to being a parent.
But it has been an adjustment.
But I am really looking forward to our first road trip. Hoping to find some time go see my grandparents soon. And then need to plan a trip to Boone to visit my in-laws, hopefully next month. In April, we are planning to go to a petting zoo in Virginia and now I’m even more excited about that. It’s going to be their grand opening. (By the way, you can check them out on Facebook, the name is Garden of Eden, located in Martinsville, Va.) And I won four free tickets! Anyone interested on going with me? It’s going to be awesome. Then in April or May I’m hoping/planning to take the girls back to the zoo in Asheboro. This year, my parents could even come along since there is room in our car! Sometime this summer I want to take the girls to the children’s museum in Winston and the historic farm in Pinnacle, Horne Creek Farm.
Now that it is so easy to get my kids in and out, I’m already scheduling a lot more outings. No more being trapped in the house because it is such a pain to try to go anywhere. Nope. We are going to go to the regional museum in Mount Airy. And going to try out all the local parks. We’re going to visit the Mount Airy Library one week and the Dobson library another. We’ll go to Pilot Mountain State Park one Saturday when it’s nice and walk around some and maybe go up one of the trails.
See, an adjustment.
In my previous car, it was such a pain to try to go anywhere. Wrestling both children in and out was so exhausting. But the whole process is so much easier with the van. It’s also easier since the kids are bigger. Evie can get herself into her car seat and actually buckle herself in while I’m getting Elly in. But the van facilitates even that aspect. Carrying Elly and holding Evie’s hand, I can press a button on my key fob (aka the remote thingy) and Evie’s door will begin sliding open. I can help Evie up into her seat, press the button on the van to start the door closing, walk around the van and open the other door. Put Elly into her car seat while Evie is getting her buckles on. Climb in to check Evie’s buckles, recheck Elly’s, climb out and shut the door and get in the front seat. *relieved sigh* Takes probably HALF the time it used to take. Maybe even less. I had to get Elly into her seat while fighting to keep Evie inside the door so she didn’t run off in the parking lot or into traffic, then take Evie around her side, by which time she was usually aggravated and hateful from all my cajoling and fussing while I tried to get Elly in. Now it’s just so easy! I guess if you haven’t done it you probably won’t appreciate the difference. But I assure you that things are WAY simpler with a van.
So yeah, an adjustment. I am truly happy with my life as a minivan mom. I hope that this doesn’t mean I will never get checked out by a random dude again, cause that was always good for the old self-esteem. But either way, life in a minivan is good. And hey, it comes with a built in DVD player! And my very own remote.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
First snow!
Well the girls finally got to play in the snow! Elly's first snow and she loved it. Evie had overheard me and Josh discussing the possibility of snow and when I put her to bed Saturday night she asked me if the snow would come see her. All Sunday morning she looked out the window and watched for the snow. When I put her down for nap she still hadn't seen a flake. But during her nap about an inch or more of snow accumulated.
When she woke from her nap I told her that there was snow and she didn't believe me. Her face when she came around the corner and saw the snow was absolutely priceless. Evie was dumb founded!
It was a battle to get her to eat a little snack and put on some warm clothes before she went tearing outside.
Bundled and psyched we went outside. Elly was pretty impressed. All the cold wet fluffy was neat. She planted her face in it and patted it and stomped it.
Evie stomped around and yammered about how amazing it was and how her foot prints looked. She was having so much fun I let her stay and stomp in te yard while I got the girls a bath ready. It was an awesome time!
My favorite part of the snow might have been that it was mostly gone by noon the next day. Haha. Though I wish we had gotten more play time. It was beautiful and lots o fun.
When she woke from her nap I told her that there was snow and she didn't believe me. Her face when she came around the corner and saw the snow was absolutely priceless. Evie was dumb founded!
It was a battle to get her to eat a little snack and put on some warm clothes before she went tearing outside.
Bundled and psyched we went outside. Elly was pretty impressed. All the cold wet fluffy was neat. She planted her face in it and patted it and stomped it.
Evie stomped around and yammered about how amazing it was and how her foot prints looked. She was having so much fun I let her stay and stomp in te yard while I got the girls a bath ready. It was an awesome time!
My favorite part of the snow might have been that it was mostly gone by noon the next day. Haha. Though I wish we had gotten more play time. It was beautiful and lots o fun.
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