Buying a car: form or function?

I'm in the process of buying my first car (shut up; I'm only 33). The process is kicking my ass.

I'm not all that good at easy, inconsequential decisions, like what to eat for dinner or what should I wear? A big, momentous decision like this will likely take me months, if not years, at which time I'll just randomly impulse-buy something because I'm so fed up with the whole thing. OK, it might not take that long, but it will still probably end in eeny-meany-miny-moe. I'm hoping to make a more reasoned decision before it comes to that.

Deciding which car to buy has been taking up serious brain space ever since I finally got my Dutch driver's licence, back in June. I narrowed it down to the class of car and basically decided to buy new, but I got distracted by press releases about the new Renault Clio, which wasn't out yet and decided to hold off on any decision until I could see and drive that one for myself.

Fast-forward four months to now. The car has arrived at Renault dealerships across the country. I've seen the car. I've driven it. I drank the bottle of wine they gave me in celebration of the car's launch. And now I can't make up my mind which one to buy.

I didn't realise the joyous process of buying a car was so freakin' difficult.

These are the two finalists:
Renault Clio IV

Pros: GORGEOUS. Easy Isofix system for child car seats. GORGEOUS. Renault has a good (prestigious) name. GORGEOUS. Total customisation. Fancy touch-screen with GPS.
Cons: More expensive. 2-year warranty. Cheap/flimsy/weird rear door handles. Relatively big blind spot. The clutch vibrates a lot. 4 month wait on delivery.

Hyundai i20

Pros: Cheaper. 5-year warranty. No wait time. Basically no blind spot.
Cons: No 'wow' factor.

I can see that logically I should choose the Hyundai. But aesthetics aren't about logic. Clearly there's something to be said for driving in a nice car, or who would ever buy fancy sports cars? and this is my first car. It's a big deal to me. But how much is the prestige worth? Is feeling like a million bucks worth a few thousand euros and a 4 month wait?

So it's come down to form or function. Do I go for looks or reliability? Am I prepared to pay more and wait longer for the looks? Or should I give in to reason and the amazing warranty (can be extended to 7 years). That's a lot of years of not worrying about my car....

Gaaaa. What would you do?

The Little Ninja has been displaying some frustrating behaviour lately. He hits. He throws things. He doesn't listen. He whines. And most recently, he answers "no" to everything.

Are you hungry? No.
Do you want a banana? No.
What do you want? No.

I thought the whole "no" thing was part of the terrible twos. Did I miss something? I thought that was basically the definition: whiny toddlers that say "no" to everything.

So am I wrong in this belief, or it is the 'terrible twos' that are the misnomer? The Little Ninja, after all, is still  four months away from turning two. Should I expect this behaviour to get worse when he is in fact two, or is he just early reaching this infamous phase?

Either way, I clearly need to do something about his behaviour. I think it's called parenting. Help!

Dora

Somebody shoot me. I've had the Dora theme song stuck in my head for days now. Every time I think it's gone, we watch another episode. Quick! Put me out of my misery!

Do do Dora, do di Dora, do do Dora, do di Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer...

Getting back to normal

Today we put our CDs back where they belong.

Where The Little Ninja's toys had taken over the bottom shelves and where we had removed the CDs from the lowest 4 rows or so in an effort to keep them out of TLN's grabby little hands, there reside CDs once again. We need a new place for TLN's toys, of course, but I'm hoping to use this as an excuse to get rid of some of them. The Box - a really nice wooden playpen that is currently getting very little use - is slowly acquiring a horde of stuff we want out of immediate view (like the Duplo box, for example). Ultimately, however, we hope to sell that too. And then we'll just be swimming in the tidal wave of toys displaced by the missing prison-like enclosure of The Box. Cross that bridge when we get to it, though, right?

For now, I'm reveling in the freedom to actually access music by bands that start with S - Z. Bring on The Tea Party, Yellow Monkey, and X Japan!

Preparing for winter hibernation - anno 2012

I'm starting to notice a trend. I tend to buy more in the fall.

Is this some modern throwback to when we actually did have to stock stuff up to last through the winter? Is there some instinctive compulsion to buy stuff when the leaves start to change?

My compulsion isn't to stock up on food, however, as such a theory might suggest. I just buy all the other stuff I've wanted for too long: a new phone, a new computer, clothes, a new car (I hope I hope I hope).

What is it about fall that makes me want to shop? (And why do I loathe shopping the rest of the year?) Is there an internal resistance the rest of the year that somehow weakens once school goes back?

Or is it indeed the information age pre-hibernation instinct: get all the good stuff in house so you don't have to go out once the winter arrives?

Leave No Child Inside: Holland edition

I am regularly appalled by the stories I read from North America, where there appears to be an alarming trend of children no longer playing outside, be it for safety, security, comfort or other reasons. So much so that there is an actual term for the negative effect of not connecting with nature: Nature-deficit disorder. And there are social movements to take kids back outside: "Back to Nature", "Leave No Child Inside", etc. I read blogs focusing on getting kids outside and promoting independent outdoor activity. Really, it shocks me that they ever left. Such a huge part of my childhood was spent playing outside, I really can't imagine it any other way. I don't want to. Anyway, my personal concern was that such a trend had spread to Holland, where I live.

But apparently, if it has, there are steps being taken to counter it. Just today, I received an envelope in the mail full of stuff about OERRR. I don't know if the letters actually stand for anything, but it's something like Leave No Child Inside: Holland edition. It's a foundation run by Natuurmonumenten (the Society for preservation of nature monuments in the Netherlands), and its sole purpose is to get kids outside! The envelope contained: a backyard nature poster, a card with activities for kids to do outside (in the current season), and a registration/donation form and return envelope.

Step out the door, welcome to the Wild!

And on the website there's even a chant-like thing (or Call of the Wild, if you will) they've created:

Roughly translated, it goes like this:

I am wild! I wander through the woods

I am happy when I smell the wet forest after rainfall.

I chase after butterfleis, I roll down the sand dunes.

I hear the roar of the surf.

I've gotten scrapes and bruises.

I conquer my fears, trust in others, and learn to persevere.

I swim in lakes and feel the weeds brush my legs

I jump over logs and make fires.

I get out of breath.

And I relax on a bed of moss.

I'm happiest when I'm in the place I know best:

Nature

Soon I'll speak in words,

eat with knife and fork,

I won't run across the grass anymore.

I won't shriek in the backyard.

I'll sit inside. Nicely.

I won't be amazed anymore.

For now I just ask one thing:

Give me the Wild,

for as long as it lasts.

The wild is the source of the nature monuments (and the foundation for their preservation).

I think that's a pretty potent poem, actually.

Aside from the huge waste of paper that makes the environmentalist in me cringe, particularly for all the envelopes going to families with no children, where they will likely land unopened in the recycling bin, I think it's a good movement. While the tree-hugger in me mourns the paper waste, however, I recognise the need to perpetuate the environmentalist movement as well. If the next generation doesn't appreciate Nature, well, then basically we're all doomed, as far as I'm concerned. So the part of me that takes a broader look at things (sees past the paper to the pretty pictures and words on it, if you will), applauds the vision and maybe even excuses the waste. And I registered The Little Ninja right away. I look forward to the free activity cards they'll send him four times a year and the things it'll inspire us to do and discover outside. 

Speaking of stuff to do outside, they have BAREFOOT WALKING TRAILS here. They're all on the other side of the country, but that's only a couple hours' drive away. They sound so cool. And fun. And now that The Little Ninja can walk, we're totally going to go next year. I'll write more about them then. :D 

I see the light

I realized last night that I might actually, (finally,) be starting to enjoy this whole motherhood thing. While some of you might smugly be thinking 'what does she know? Her kid's only 19 months old, just wait until.... (insert horrible upcoming childhood phase)', I see it differently. I see it as the light at the end of a grim, dark tunnel.

The last couple of years have taught me some things about myself:

• I don't enjoy pregnancy
• My body does not naturally know how to give birth
• I don't enjoy taking care of a baby
• I have too little patience to deal with a baby

But that is over now. The Little Ninja isn't a baby anymore! And should we indeed choose never to have another child, that I am done with all that shit forever. (Cheer with me!)

The mind-numbingly frustrating period of crying and guessing and not sleeping, called babyhood, is over, and I see the light of childhood. The Little Ninja walks and talks. He can do stuff. He understands what I say (generally). I understand what he says (50/50, maybe). I can actually teach him stuff now. Stuff that he learns and remembers.

But it's such a huge difference, hanging out and playing with this little boy from carrying around the demanding baby. I actually like it now. It almost makes me want to have another! (Insert ironic laugh/cry.)

The Little Ninja who could...

Walk!!!

Obviously my rant a month ago about my kid not walking described a temporary frustration. And it is over! (Cheer with me!)

The Little Ninja has set off from cruising around the furniture and let go of Mama's and Papa's hands. He walks!

Canada, take 2

We've been back almost a month, so I guess I've recovered enough to talk about it. Canada was alright. I mean, parts of it were great, but parts of it still kind of sucked. I'm starting to think the 'problem' however, is just me. I mean, as the Recyclist so rationally claims, you just have to expect some obligation and guilting on a trip like that. And that's true. I understand that my family wants to see me (or, more truthfully, The Little Ninja,) as much as possible and preferably on as many occasions as possible.

I've realized that the part I have trouble with is the people. The constant visiting, and, in the end, even my own little family's constant presence. As a clear-cut introvert, I need time by myself. Without family, friends, or, I now realize, even my own husband and son. I need time ALONE. Making the trip longer to spread out visits, therefore, is not the answer. Making the trip shorter so I can get back to alone-time, well, that might be a better one. Or just taking off on the Recyclist and The Little Ninja, making my escape in the rental car. What? Just for a few days.