After waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting my new car is finally able to reserve and order. I still can't SEE it in person, because that would just be crazy, but the light at the end of the tunnel is ON. This is happening. I'm actually getting a brand new car that won't have chocolate milk stains on the ceiling or sticker residue all over the doors or skittles ground into the leather because they got trapped under a car seat. My car will smell like NOTHING and look SO CLEAN and I won't be embarrassed when I have to have someone else in it. I'm so excited.
Of course, now that it's real, my concern is the same as it was when we got the new furniture and carpet. My children will undoubtedly try to destroy it. It's just a matter of when.
Yes, yes. You're going to tell me to just make rules about it. Food and beverage doesn't leave the kitchen, we don't color in there, and blah, blah, blah. I said right away that it's just not practical. I wish we were those people...but we're not. It's our main living area, we do school there, we watch movies there, the adults are allowed to eat...so yeah, we can't make a hard and fast rule. We just put parameters in place (clear liquids, use the trays, no messy stuff), try to catch the girls when they inevitably "forget", and cross our fingers.
So I'm sure that will be life with the new car. I'd love to make a blanket no food or drinks in the new car rule, but it just isn't practical. Between activities and field trips and dance weekends, we eat in the car. We spend time there. It's like our mobile family room.
So now I need to figure out how to set things up for success. We're doing pretty well with the family room so far, so I know the potential is there. Maybe I can't rely on trays from Ikea, but I can get mats to go under the booster seats. I can insist on closed lids on all beverages (hey, it's worked in the family room so far).
I'm determined. It's time to have nice things again. All it takes is the right set up for success!
