Minivan Madness

 This post is long overdue. I must discuss our "new" minivan.

We bought the 2007 Honda Odyssey this past March after my final debacle with the cursed Dodge Neon. The troubles I've had with the Neon date back to before Ayla was born, but like any sucker, I kept having to fix whatever ailment it decided to have because I was stuck in a car loan. But I worked like a maniac to pay that loan off early and trade in its' sorry ass to the Honda dealership. (And if it remains a lemon, I have no guilt in taking the maximum trade-in value because they are the ones that sold it to me in the first place.)

The minivan has changed my life. There wasn't ever a moment of mid-life crisis... I never had an awesome sports car pre-children -  so I didn't really care about leaving behind my days of carefree, sexy driving.  Having a minivan that starts every time I want to go somewhere, not leaving me stranded in a parking lot with two kids, is pretty sexy on it's own.

 Obviously we needed to upgrade because a family of five needs more room. Regardless of my loser Neon, we had to obtain some third-row seating. The first amazing thing is that I can strap the kids into their car seats while standing inside the car. This may not seem revolutionary, but the space is very helpful when it is (1) pouring rain or (2) when someone is having a massive, squirming temper tantrum about getting into said car seat.

 The second amazing change has been our roadtrip potential. We used to squeeze everything into Gregory's Hyundai Elantra (which dear Hyundai, you never failed us) and hope that I could get my butt in between the kids in the back seat to manage snacks, books, throw-up and 12-hour restlessness. Now we can use the spacious "trunk" AND have additional passengers!  If all of this sounds pathetic and sad, you have to understand where I was coming from. A CD player, automatic windows, dual climate control and back-up sensors were NOT features on the Neon.

The third amazing feat is that the Honda minivan has seemed to cure Ayla's motion sickness. She routinely threw up on every long trip we took... and voila! we just drove to and from Holden Beach without incident.

In honor of our upgrade (and second most valuable possession after our house), I compiled a playlist for my Ipod. Not a cassette mix-tape like I used in the Neon, but a real grown-up Ipod playlist. Check it out:

1. Selected songs from Yo! Gabba Gabba. It puts Jackson (and the rest of us) in an instant good mood.
2. "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" - Billy Ocean
3. "Damn it Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" - Ghetto Boyz  (think of the scene from Office Space)
4. Theme from An American Tail - it has amazing family sing-along powers.
5. "Human Nature" - Michael Jackson. It is my all-time favorite driving song.
6. "I Need A Dollar" - Aloe Blacc. Bigger car = bigger payments.
7. "My Baby's Got Sauce" - G-Love & the Special Sauce. Bringin' back the good stuff. It's what I would have listened to if I drove a minivan in junior high.
8. "That's Not My Name" - The Ting Tings. Ayla's choice.
9. "The Sign" - Ace of Base. Most people know how much fun I had blaring this in my first car. The sentiment hasn't changed much since then.