I am about to go crazy in our little 2 door Ford Focus. We have 3 kids in the back seat and the front seat is not far from their bickering!
This, I believe, is why those big vans were ever invented.
We used to have the one pictured above and it was great. The kids could walk up and down the ‘aisle’. They loved the runner lights and lights on the ceiling. And when we had activities to go to where we needed to bring chairs, softball gear, and soccer gear all in one day, there was still plenty of room for people!
I don’t know if you can tell from that picture, but the captain’s chair that is right behind the passenger’s seat is not there. Most of the time, that seat was in our garage. It was so much easier to get in and out with it out of there. Especially for the adult that had to go back and buckle up our youngest in the car seat! We could have put her in a different spot, but since this car was a ‘96, there was no latch system and that seat was the only seat where we could make sure her seat was secure. Plus, the other 2 kids liked to be by her.
Anyway, like I said, that van was a ‘96. Eventually, it died. We could have gotten a new engine for it and kept it a little longer, but the mechanic said that a new engine might fix it. We weren’t really willing to spend the money on a new engine on a ‘might’. So we have been a one car family now for about 6 months. We are all in my hubby’s little 2 door Focus. It’s a good car, but super tiny!
As I said before, I’m going a bit batty at times. Listening to 3 children argue in the back seat is not fun. Argue over things that, to an adult, are not worth arguing over. It gets old. Now, I’m sure we would have the same problem in a bigger vehicle, but I guess I’m just thinking since they would be further away from me, I wouldn’t have to hear it as much. Is my logic skewed?
Well, either way, I want a new vehicle just so it will make life easier. I know there are lots of families that are one car families and it works. And it is working fine for us too, it would just be nice to have another car. :)
Okay, I’m done. Thanks for letting me whine a bit. I feel better.
I know the feeling. We had both kids, one in a britax marathon and one in a chicco keyfit 30, in our little mazda 3. My knees were against the dash and my husband had to drive in an awkward position. We could barely get any groceries in the car and it was our only one. We traded it in and bought a Subaru Outback. The outback is so much better and there is plenty of room for a third carseat. We are still a one car family and I do most errands on foot with a double stroller. As much as I hate the idea of driving a van, I can see the allure.
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Nicole @ Some Call It Natural Reply:
June 23rd, 2012 at 5:35 PM
We live in the country… there will def. not be any on foot errands. That would be nice! And, yes, I really wouldn’t mind being a one car family if it were a bigger vehicle. :)
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Oh my gosh — I am in the same boat (kind of). We have a 12 year old minivan with SO many issues! Only 1 window in the entire van still opens; we only have heat in the back (not really a big deal since we live in Vegas); one of the two back doors doesn’t work… but it runs and it has AC (a necessity) so we just keep fixing it when stuff breaks. It’s our only car and we own it. We try saving for a newer car, but it seems like something always happens to drain the account back down. So frustrating! But we always have enough to fix it. I just don’t want a car payment again!
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Nicole @ Some Call It Natural Reply:
June 23rd, 2012 at 5:36 PM
Thank you for reminding me it could be worse! At least our car runs well (pretty much). I pray you are able to save up quickly for a new(er) car!
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I hear you! We are a one car family and even with the space of a mini van they are still at each others throats! I long for the day when I can jump into my own car any day of the week and take the kids somewhere. Being stuck at home can be draining.
Courtney Fisk recently posted this awesome post!..summer books have arrived.
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Nicole @ Some Call It Natural Reply:
June 23rd, 2012 at 5:38 PM
It sure can! This isn’t the first time we’ve only had one car. Last time, the kids and I were stuck at home a lot! Right now, we are all going to work together so we aren’t really stuck at home and even when the kids and I aren’t going to work with him anymore, the office is close enough we could just drop him off. :)
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All about perspective I suppose :) I have a suburban with 8 people in it, and it is super crowded. No AC, was in a car crash about 6 months ago so all dingged up. But it gets us where we want to go, no car payment, don’t have to worry about dents and scuffs. Beats riding a bike everywhere we go. My suggestion is start tucking money away for a newer, larger car. If you can save each month what a car payment would be, you would be that much further ahead..
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Nicole @ Some Call It Natural Reply:
June 23rd, 2012 at 3:02 PM
You are so right about the perspective! 3 people in a 2 door focus isn’t much different than 8 in your suburban! How much to get your AC fixed?? It’s getting hot out there! And, yes, tucking away money is our plan. :) We don’t have a car payment right now either, and we want to keep it that way!
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