I meant- It’s moving day…

Having a blog is a lot like having a party at your house. Except you never know when someone is going to drop in. Which means you sort of have to keep it ready for guests at anytime.

And just like your house, after a while the walls need a fresh coat of paint, the weeds need to be pulled and it probably wouldn’t hurt to clear out some of those junk drawers.

Can you believe I have been blogging now for 5 years? What started out as a way to update family has certainly taken me on a roller coaster ride in that time. That metaphor is totally intended by the way.

Sure, I have been playing around online creating, running, selling sites for the last 12 years as I went about my merry way but my little blog? Pretty much always been my quiet space to just write and talk about the kids.

But a funny thing happened in all those years. My kiddos sort of grew up. My youngest will be a teen very soon and my oldest, driving. And remember how mortified you were by the fact that your parents dared to breathe as a teenager? Well, multiple that by about 1 million times and you may have an idea of how embarrassing it is to have all of this history online about them. I am assured I am quite literally ruining their lives…and apparently I am a little creepy too?

So, dear friends, we are packing up and moving on. No, not just me….you too! The boys are mortified that 1000’s of strangers know that they like their names spelled out in tater tots and that they were completely satisfied that I got rid of all the monsters under their bed by using lavender air freshener. What they don’t realize is that you are not strangers at all. You’re my friends from all over the world. You’re not creepy stalker people AT ALL! Well, not all of you anyway.

So, grab a box—and not just a light one—we have people to see and things to do, and there is something fun already waiting for you! *sounds creepishly like Dr. Seuss, doesn’t it?* Whatever. Get yourself on over to Mom Off Track and check out the new digs with fabulous graphics done by Chris Bird. While you are there, sign up for the new feed and please ‘like Mom Off Track’ on Facebook.  Mom Off Track has a mobile version too! See you soon!

Not exactly a thing of beauty in my eyes. It is one of those car styles that you either love or hate. I happen to not be super crazy about the boxy style but I am super crazy about how well this fits a wheelchair user with little to no modifications. We will be installing a flip down transfer seat like this just to make it as safe as possible. We don’t have a cost yet on the transfer board but I am pretty confident it will fit in the $1200 budget Ford gives for after market mobility aids.

Available from http://www.accessunlimited.com/ In CO ADAPTIVE AUTOMOBILITY can install

I was completely in love with the Buick Enclave but after talking with after market mobility specialists found that it would be impossible to convert to a drop out, swivel seat which Carter would need due to seat height.  One person thought they might be able to but it would be more than the typical $8,000 cost to modify a seat to turn and come out of the car.

The Flex seating is 6 inches lower than the Buick. It doesn’t sound like much to non wheelchair users but when you are transferring you really want to not have any height difference. There is only an 1 1/2 inch difference from his wheelchair.

What the Flex lacks in outer beauty, it more than makes up for inside.

Not exactly roughing it

I am really liking the Ford My Touch Navigation with Sync. It is similar to the Yukon we already own On-Star system. There are things I like about both. I think On Star makes me feel safer with the installed satellite phone but the My Touch has some pretty nifty features, like the ability to recognize up to 5 phones through Bluetooth and sync them all with the car.

I think I will miss driving my Yukon but it is still in the family here with a teenage driver about to hit the roads (dear lord help us all) and I do wish that the Enclave would have worked because it really is a sexy beast of a car. But this car is all about making life easier and safer for Carter and the Flex does that in amazing comfort at a great price.

If you are in CO and looking for a car, both MedVed in Castle Rock and Groove on Arapahoe were extremely helpful to us. GM was more than generous in offering us special pricing but ultimately the Flex and Groove won out because they were just better fits for us personally. I would recommend dealing with Keith or Kyle at MedVed and Jon at Groove.

I am grateful this is done. I did a ton of research online to make this decision and talked to lots of owners which is why I want to share our choice.  I have never found anyone that actually owns one that doesn’t love either the Flex, the Traverse, or the Enclave. A lot of people in the disability community are looking more to the Flex for good reason. It is a good option for people that have the ability to level transfer. It has huge doors and low seats but doesn’t have that ‘adapted’ feel.

In the past, tuberculosis has been called consumption, because it seemed to consume people from within, with a bloody cough, fever, pallor, and long relentless wasting.-wikipedia

and while most of us think of images of Little House on the Prairie or Deadwood when the word consumption is used, I would like to suggest that it is alive and well and sadly, taking its toll in a new form with special needs parents everywhere.

I know I have this new form of consumption.

Carter has been on and off bed rest for close to a year fighting a wound in his leg that appears to have super bugs attached to it because nothing is killing them. This past year our whole family has been consumed by this.

Special Needs Consumption is easy to contract and difficult, if not impossible, to cure. You are often first struck with it the first time you hold your babies hand through something horrific. The first time you whisper ‘it’s ok’ when you know it might not be.

Sometimes SNC (Special Needs Consumption) goes into remission. Yes, there are those brief times that you don’t think about your childs condition, their needs, their appointments, their schedules, their equipment….but these remission times rarely last long. Consumption is a powerful thing and will bring you back to reality quickly.

But what can parents suffering with SNC do to bolster their own strength? That is personal to each afflicted member, my friend Tammy takes long walks around the grocery store alone, my friend Laura took a huge leap of faith and decided to go on a professional writing retreat, and me, I am going to meet a giant mouse in FL this weekend to work and play.

I’m feeling guilty about taking off two weeks after Carters surgery. But yet, his 1 week check up yesterday went amazingly well. There is nothing I can do for him other than entertain him while he is on bed rest and quite frankly, after a year of that, I am not that entertaining. But through the guilt I see that if I don’t put my SNC into remission for a few days, I might drive off a cliff soon. I know everyone here will be fine without me, they always are and I would never go if I thought anything might be even slightly wrong. So, I need to kick this Consumptions butt for a little bit and let myself heal!

I have received some really great advice and suggestions and here is what I have learned:

1. Car dealerships are not open on Sunday in Denver. WHAT is up with that?
2. VW has some of the best, responsive social media reps out there.
3. I may be better off with a *gulp* MINIVAN. Oh, it creeps me out to even type it. I am a truck/SUV type girl.

While a mini-van makes a ton of sense I am just not sure that  I can do it. The big players in the market are the Sienna, Odyssey and Town & Country. Sienna is the ONLY one that offers AWD and that is pretty high on my list. Plus the 2011 has these wicked cool reclining seats that may look gimicky but for long car rides I can totally see how they could help with Carters leg circulation issues. Topping the reason for a mini-van? They can be converted with wheelchair ramps pretty easily. I just don’t know if I can do it though. Toyota’s have had a lot of issues lately although I was happy to see they are mostly manufactured at a plant in Indiana. But, I may have mentioned, it is a minivan!

Topping the list of mid-size SUV’s I need to look at are in no particular order:

• Chevy’s Traverse
• VW Touareg
• Subaru Forester
• Acura MDX
• Ford Flex

Can I just say that I am loving the Consumer Reports videos for helping to make this easier? It $5 for the online version for a month and I just may keep it when I am done with this. It has saved me so much leg work!

I only have two more Saturdays to look, and this one is pretty filled with basketball. Wish me luck.

*Nothing in this post is sponsored or compensated in any way. Promise.

I’m wondering how I can bring social media and blogging into this hunt??? Cause the deal is, I AM buying the car. I have no illusions that by being a blogger I should get any sort of deal, let’s face it, I am not that popular of a blogger~LOL! What I am hoping is that the social media departments of some car companies may help to make sure I find the RIGHT car for us. I am going to be blogging my way through this both here and on Spina Bifida Connection because in the disability world, the right car makes all the difference in your level of independence-whether you are the driver or not. AND for a mom with a wheelchair using kid, it makes all the difference in how much work is involved getting the kiddo out and about. Ideally, as part of this hunt, I would be able to try out several different cars in more than a 20 min test drive.

I would like to really examine some of the options out there. Right now I am pretty open but I have narrowed a few things down.

What I want:

• Super easy access for Carter to transfer into the front, passenger seat. It should have as little of a difference in height from his wheelchair seat as possible. Our current car is too low and the SUV is too high.
• Probably looking for a ‘cross over’-a mix of a car and an SUV. I rented a cross over Kia Sorrento this past summer and liked the overall feel of this style of car.
• Decent leg room all around. While Bob and Connor won’t be the main riders of this car, they are 6’2 and 6’8. They should be comfortable if we need to use it as a family.
• Something with an easy lift up SUV type trunk that I can throw the wheelchair in without having to do any breakdown.
• All wheel drive for those CO roads.
• High crash and safety ratings
• Easy, fold down seats

Somethings that will weigh into the decision if I find a few models with the above criteria:

• Gas mileage. Would love to explore alternative fuel options-not big on the corn fed alternatives though
• Socio-economic and ecological impact of the manufacture
• Cup holders-big ones, in the middle of the passenger and driver–yeah, silly I know but it’s the little things
• navigation system
• ipod jack and satellite radio (we are passed the days of needing dvd entertainment systems for the kids)
• LOVE the safety of ONSTAR in the SUV I have now….would like a system like that again
• High reviews from current owners and places like Consumer Reports
• Thinking I want a silver color-seems like it would blend road sludge the best
• Would like to look at ramp/lift systems but we are not ready to go there yet. Carter can still transfer safely given the right environment.
• Heated seats

SO, who has suggestions on what I need to add to my list or a car they love I should check out? He is having surgery in 2 weeks and I would like to spend this last bit of time we have before the major recoup visiting lots and having him try them out.

That conversation left me thinking about our family trips and how I have always held them as sacred. We have had some real ups and downs on family trips, from panic attacks on the plane (me! Stupid stewardess burned the pilots dinner and I was SURE the plane was on fire) to memories that will, hopefully, last a life time (Carter taking his first steps right down the middle of Main Street, USA). Family trips have bonded us all with common experiences that we have all learned from.

Will my kids someday sit around the dinner table and laugh about when Dad fell off the ski lift, or commiserate over the day I drug them through NASA instead of taking them to Disneyworld????

I hope so….

*Sony’s Open Season 3 will be released on DVD Jan. 25. I able to review the movie early for this TravelingMom.com-sponsored post. We’ll be talking about sweet family travel memories and giving away prizes during our Jan. 24 TravelingMom Monday Twitter party. If you’d like a chance to win, please click here to get the details on how to enter. And, if you’ve still got little ones, they can get a taste of the Open Season characters Boog and his friends with online games Cannonball and Jamboree.

It’s coming to my attention that they way I like things might be a little weird.Maybe a little diva-y?

I guess I have a weird quirk. When traveling I like having my own hotel room. Not when we are traveling with family, but I will get to that in a minute, but traveling on what I would term ‘business’. I really won’t ever explore sharing, even if it means me paying more.

I’m planning on attending a conference in a few weeks with lots of work and personal friends and everyone sort of wants to have a big sleepover during the conference. Sharing rooms and even beds. This is how people typically afford and enjoy blogger conferences. It’s kind of the sleep over type of fun that most girls enjoy.

So, this is where I think I may be a diva.  I LOVE the parties, will stay up late, have a ball but when it comes to sleeping I just NEED my personal space. Even if it is only to catch 3 hours of sleep a night.

This really has bugged me the last few days. It seems like absolutely no one I talk to feels the same way. Everyone seems to be perfectly comfortable finding another blogger, even if they have never met in real life, and sharing a room. So, what the hell is wrong with me???

In my pondering I started thinking about this. In my whole life I can count the number of sleep overs I attended on my hand. Would love to go and hangout but would rather go home and sleep in my own bed. Even as a little kid.

In college I lasted about a week with 4 roommates. I moved out so fast it wasn’t funny to my own dorm. I did move my cat in though. Oh, God, does that mean I am going to become a creepy old lady who dies alone with 80 cats?

Loved being in a sorority and visiting the house rooms. Never in a million years could I have lived there.

So, I guess it isn’t a money thing cause lord knows I am still paying my college loans and living on my own was sure a part of that.

Is it then sort of a spoiled only child thing (all brothers and sisters moved out by the time I was born)???? I don’t know because my oldest is the exact same way. I remember the night we were all on vacation and he was maybe 8 and we were ‘camping’ in a really nice hotel but staying all in the same room. He woke me up with a psychotic look in his eyes and said “I am going to kill someone if I ever have to sleep in the same room with you all again”. From that day on, we have never booked a family vacation where he had to share a room. He just can’t deal without having a little place to escape to and I totally get that. Yeah, we have never really CAMPED as a family either. That idea sends me into little panic attacks.

So, yes. People will tell you that have known me for years that I have these little odd quirks. I do other things when traveling that are weird…I travel and/or stop for two things….my favorite coffee cream and diet coke with lime. I’m just cranky with out it.

Most people would describe me as pretty social I think. So, what is it about the sleeping that makes me so uncomfortable?

Does being un-adaptable make me a diva? I hope not. Does it make me weird? I don’t know….what do you think?

I love haunted houses. House histories and ghost stories are the stuff sweet dreams are made of. So, imagine my excitement when I found the house of my great-grandfather 7 TIMES removed is in the National Registry and tours are offered!!! The Van Wickle House is preserved in an area called “The Meadows” in Somerset, NJ . It’s a modest Dutch farmhouse but, O M G! The house is available with many of the belongings to tour???

Freaking cool, huh?

Even more cool?

It’s been reported in several places as being haunted with 5 spirits-him and his wife are the most prevalent of the 5!

OK, I am about to pee my pants now, or go book airline tickets. Someone hold me back. Or offer me a place to stay if you’re near there.

This tops my 2011 Bucket List….what’s on yours?

• Park City Day 1
• Park City Day 2
• Park City Day 3
• Park City Day 4
• Park City Day 5

Below is video of Carter trying out the new Kart-ski if you missed it on Facebook. He really liked this new ski and I am thinking he will want to stick with this.

I’m happy to report because of our experience at Gorgoza Park, Park City Mountain Resort has taken steps to make the area wheelchair accessible. YAY!

It was a techie Christmas around here and among the presents under the tree were the XBOX Kinect, a new laptop, cell phones, Nook, and plenty of video games. Lots of money spent and it didn’t amount to a whole lot of ‘stuff’ under the tree. I actually miss the days when we could spend $100 on big plastic toys that made the house look like it was going to explode.

I decided not to send Christmas cards this year and I am not feeling guilty about it.

Disclaimer: I am compensated in a variety of ways to participate in the Park City Mountain Resorts Snowmamas program. Yay me!

Disclaimer: I am compensated in a variety of incredible ways to participate as a Snowmama. However, I truly believe PCMR and NAC rock or I wouldn’t bring my family there!