Mom-mobile

Yes, its official. I am the proud owner of a brand new MINIVAN! No, I'm serious. Don't laugh. The VW was fun while it lasted but it was becoming an annoyance to lug the carseats in and out of the tight backseat and the trunk did not accomodate my double stroller. Plus, we may have caused a fender-bender or two and felt like it was time to sell it before maintenance became an issue. So, we decided it was time to upgrade and buy a bigger car. I valiantly tried to resist buying a minivan. I despise all of the connotations and stereotypes associated with minivans. However, the truth is that we couldn't find any other vehicle with the space, convenience, value, and fuel efficiency that a minivan offers. I really, really tried to find an SUV that met all of our criteria, but, unfortunatly it doesn't exist. At least not in our price range. So, yesterday we wheeled and dealed with the car salesman until we were finally able to get exactly what we wanted and we drove home a brand-new Honda Odyssey. I'm probably the youngest minivan owner on earth--I think I aged 15 years when I put my signature on the sales contract. So what if I'm a minivan-driving, soccer mom? At least I'm doing it in comfort and style with my plush leather seats and DVD system instead of squeezing into a little compact, right? I swear that van is like one of those transformer toys--there are a million buttons you can push that make the seats fold up, the doors slide open, etc. There are so many cupholders and storage compartments that I can't even find them all. Laugh if you must--my minivan is cool.