A RealFamilies RealFun Blog

Jun 17 2009

Why I'm not a minivan type of gal

Category: Just Me

When I drop Nathan off in the mornings, I notice that I'm one of the few parents driving a sedan. I look at the long line of vehicles in the school parking lot, and question why many parents think a minivan is as indispensable as a stroller or crib.

Since I can barely fit Lucie's car seat and a couple of booster seats for Nathan and a buddy in my '91 Honda Accord, I do understand the need for a minivan when you have a big family. But what about families with one or two kids? Maybe it's got something to do with acting like a mom.

Some women embrace the whole "I'm a mommy now" thing. They start quoting Dr. Sears and play kiddie music in the car. They give away their dry clean only clothes and start wearing sweaters with teddy bear motifs. They get practical mommy haircuts and start driving minivans.

Well forget that, I want to be a rebel mama! I want to wear vintage cowboy shirts, and pink Chuck Taylor sneakers. I want to listen to the Ramones, not Radio Disney. I want a funky, multi-colored haircut and nerdy glasses. And I want to drive a cool car!

OK, ok -- I know that a '91 Honda Accord is not cool. In fact, it's kind of a beater. But it's trustworthy and I don't freak out when the kids spill food or puke in the back seat. But, hey, at least it's not...

 

Jun 16 2009

The man does good

Category: Just Me

My brother-in-law Ingmar is typical of many husbands when it comes to gift giving. One year he bought my sister a pair of diamond earrings. While she genuinely appreciated the gesture, the earrings weren't her style, so she exchanged them. No big deal.

The following year, he bought her the same exact earrings. When she pointed this out, Ingmar argued that they were bigger than the previous year's. (They weren't.) She now circles what she wants in a catalog and leaves it on Ingmar's pillow.

Unlike Ingmar -- though my sister says he's getting better -- Paul's an excellent present shopper. When I get a blender for Mother's Day it's because I've been lusting after the cool chrome one at Williams-Sonoma for months, not because he's clueless and doesn't know what to get me.

He was the one who bought me my first crock pot, an appliance I fell in love with and can't live without. And that under-the-counter electric can opener? It's a present from Paul, and a very practical and space-saving one at that.

I think the only time he screwed up was with the pressure cooker, and that was my fault since I couldn't get the darn thing to work. Potatoes would take longer to cook or I'd burn the spaghetti sauce in it. I finally gave up, all the while wondering how the Iron Chefs used their pressure cookers with such skill and success.

While I love to cook and am a complete nerd for kitchen appliances, I do get typical girly stuff like jewelry, clothes, perfume, and purses. But it's not the stuff you see advertised in the magazines. Instead Paul buys me antique Bakelite bracelets, vintage western wear, Jean Paul Gaultier perfume in the bustier bottle, and Lucite purses from the '50s. It's all the stuff that I really don't need, but adore to receive. I'm one lucky mama.