Mommy of Many and Tales of Lil Car

Well, here she is, Lil Car. I’ve had her for a week now and I haven’t driven Big Bertha, the White Whale, once since she’s been here. I was happy that Lil Car was on it’s way to me, but thought I’d feel weird driving something that was so much smaller than what I’ve been used to. I’ve had the van for over 2 years and before that we had Suburbans. But, it hasn’t felt weird at all! I’ve also realized that I really only drive with 3 or 4 of the kids at any given time. Yes, there are occasions like going to church or family outings or all the times in the summer where I had 13 children, that nothing but the van would do. But for a daily driver, Lil Car and I are going to be friends. Here’s an example of how she’s made my life easier AND made me a happier driver;

It’s time for grocery shopping again. I have a Trader Joe’s down the road from me and I regularly shop there for certain items. Because I live in a beach town, parking is always hard to find (though I was recently in a Trader Joe’s in Sacramento and the parking was no better. Maybe it’s just Trader Joe’s parking lots!) and the parking slots seem small. I’ve always had to be patient when it came to parking because of what I drove. I had to keep in mind what was behind me and the fact that the doors on the van opened out and if someone parked too close to me, that I wouldn’t be able to open them to load anything. Parking in the last 2 years has taken some thought and planning. So, here I was on my way to Trader Joe’s. As I passed the store, I made a mental note of the parking along the curb. Normally this would be the perfect place for me to come back to and comfortably park. So I drove to the lot behind the store, thinking I would come around and park. NOPE! I simply slipped into one of the spaces between 2 other cars, gave NO thought to anyone being too close or blocking me in and happily went about my shopping. When I was done, I simply loaded everything in the back and easily pulled out of the lot. Whew! I felt like any other shopper.

Yes, this is just the beginning! Lil Car and I will have many shopping trips, adventures and tales. I’m happy she’s here!

Have a great day~