How much is gas in your location?

After passing several gas stations with $4.05 a gallon, when I came across one that still had $3.89 I stopped and filled up. I sure never thought that $3.89 would feel like a bargain. I'm in central Massachusetts.

How much is gas in your area? (Lurkers, please post too.)

Nobody puts baby in a corner! (with apologies to fans of Dirty Dancing)

This weekend is Darling Daughter’s 13th birthday. In New England, a March birthday is a winter birthday. Celebrating is confined to indoors. Unless it’s something involving a snow sport - and March snow is not as exciting as November snow.

D.D. decided she would like to celebrate with a weekend outing to Cape Cod, inviting her best friend along for the trip. A hotel with an indoor pool for the girls would be a fab get-away.

I got a great deal on two adjoining suites, thus ensuring that I wouldn’t be kept up until 2am while they played Guitar Hero (yes, they brought it along). Dear Hubs, sensing an overload of estrogen (and Guitar Hero), wisely decided to opt out of the weekend adventure.

We didn’t leave home until 7:30pm Friday night, for what would be an hour and a half drive. We were so hyped up and excited - we were PSYCHED!!

Half an hour or more down the road, BANG! Power steering was gone, lights on the dash were flashing, and broken belt clunking under the hood. VERY lucky for us, we were near an exit - I coasted off the freeway and into a well-lit parking lot . Whip out the cell phone, call The Hubs, call AAA. Of course tow truck can’t take 3 people, have to wait for The Hubs to come and pick us up.

The Hubs finally arrives in his little commuter car to get us and all our baggage and assorted crappola. I call this car the Clown Car because it’s small enough to be the car that arrives in center ring at the circus and then 47 clowns crawl out of. We’re talking small.

But we manage to squeeze all of us and all our stuff in, and start for home. My thinking was, drop Hubs off at home, take his car and get back on our way. (We are a three vehicle family). We start on the half hour trip home – and the Clown Car loses a hose and power steering goes out. Good Lord, must we call AAA again? No! The Hubs, being a manly man, boldly declares that he don’t need no stinking power steering – after all, the road is pretty straight all the way home!

We arrived home after 10pm. Tired Mom and Dad, disappointed girls. The girls are so disappointed to be back to square one, they ask if they can sleep in the CAR.

How pitiful is that? My baby’s special birthday reduced to sleeping in a clown car?

Are we doomed? Are the Automobile Gods angry at me for mocking seat warmers in a previous post? Is Darling Daughter destined to have a disappointing birthday?

Heck no! MY baby deserves a happier birthday! [shamelessly insert famous line spoken in Dirty Dancing]

After getting a good night’s sleep I did what any good mama would do – I called Enterprise Rent-a-Car. And look what they gave me! [Caution: Put on sunglasses prior to viewing...]

Isn't it the cutest thing?!? I swear just driving it takes 10 years off my age. (Except when I try to put it in drive and my windshield wipers come on).

And the girls are now happily swimming in a warm indoor pool and mom has her feet up and is starting a new book…all down at the Cape. The End.

Heaven on wheels...

OHMIGOD. I found heaven...and it was in a mini-van.

Yesterday I rode as passenger in my friend's new People Mover. It has a seat warmer. A SEAT WARMER. It was a good thing I was in the passenger seat, having all that warmth flowing to my bum and lower back was so relaxing I was afraid I was going to nod off. It was pure heaven. I felt like this...

These new People Movers are really something. Add a potty and you could live in there. Multiple DVD players, satellite radio, seats that pivot around to a table, and bum warmers. It's decked out better than my house. To heck with adding on a family room - I'll just buy one of these all-the-frills minivans!

I can understand the thinking behind it - we mom's spend half our life driving kids around. My time transporting kids really began when my Darling Daughter started kindergarten. This was in 2000. That's when we got our People Mover. It was a bit of an adjustment - sort of like learning to drive a city bus - but I liked it. I was the envy of the preschool - backseat doors opened on BOTH sides - woo hoo!


But we've come a long way baby. All the high tech gadgets they put in vehicles nowdays are pretty amazing. Can't you just imagine what Great-Grandpa would say - "Back in my day we appreciated our automobiles more because we had to work for it! We had to get out of the car and crank it just to get it to start! And we didn't have paved roads, either! We bounced around so much we nearly lost our teeth! And while we're on the subject of you young people, what's with this new music and all the hipping and the hopping???"


The hubs and I have always said when we finally get rid of this People Mover we will get something smaller and more energy efficient. But I now know this: it will not have a seat warmer. Because me driving feeling like this...

...would be way too dangerous for everyone on the road.

The Dog Whisperer

In my house, we really enjoy watching the t.v. program "The Dog Whisperer". The man is amazing - he works with dogs that are so aggressive that they may need to be put down if they don't immediately change.

He has several techniques he uses to subdue the dog. My favorite is when he takes two fingers and gently 'nips' the side of the dog's neck, while at the same time making this little "chhttt" sound. It teaches the dog to be submissive to him, and lets the dog know that HE is the pack leader.

I've been thinking, wouldn't it be great would it be if this worked on people too?

Teenage daughter calling you OLD, and in a big booming voice lets anyone within earshot know that her mom is almost 50?

CHHHT.

Mother-in-law won't shut up about how perfect your husband was as a child, so obviously your kid's out of control behavior is from your side of the family?

CHHHT.

Driving, with your husband as a passenger, and he continually gives you instructions about HOW to drive even though you've been driving for 35 years? ("Why don't you pass this guy?"..... "You're using the brakes too much, you're gonna wear 'em out"..... and my all-time favorite, "It's not a race, SLOW DOWN!")

CHHHT CHHHT CHHHT.

I'm picturing each of them afterwards...shocked and speechless. I think it just might work.