Finding my Cape

*A note: I wrote this about a month ago and for some reason, never got around to posting it. Although it will be posted under it's original date of May 12th, to be honest, it's actually June 6th as I write this. And so, a month late, I give you the start of a beautiful friendship with....WonderVan.

I read the most raucously funny and completely endearing blog post the other day, which I could have written almost verbatim, that detailed one mom's internal struggle while trying to stay hip in a minvan world, and ultimately finding something she wasn't looking for. Previous posts have described my own journey as I wrapped my mind around trading in my "cool" truck for the "soccer mom" blues of a van. A necessary evil, I thought, in my mom calling.

Do you know what I've discovered in the past week I've been driving my new mom-mobile? It. Is. The. Coolest. Car. EVER! Let's start at the front, where from the comfort of my heated leather seats I can, at the push of a button, control everything from the climate of different seats to the automatic sliding doors. Sunshine streams through my sunroof, and a glance at the convex, built-in child mirror allows me to see the entire rear of the vehicle without any turning or straining. A row back you will find my children in their seats, a black bin on the floor between them filled with toys and books. In the floor, cleverly concealed, is a lazy susan with compartments of various sizes that hold a change of clothes, extra socks, sunscreen, wipes, a few diapers, and any other random kidness that may be needed at some time in the future, stashed completely out of the way. Behind this lies a vast space where three more seats can be called up in a miraculous manner from inside the floor when needed, but also, in a pinch, can be used for a small playroom when the seats are folded into the floor. Imagine the whining of kids made to wait in a car disappearing as you unlock them, read your book or catch up on your knitting, and let them play with that tote full of toys in the back, perfectly contained, and yet, perfectly happy. I've experienced it my friends, and it is paradise. When the seats are folded up, you still have a huge storage space behind them, large enough to hold a double stroller and a full load of groceries.

And I've set my personal stamp on it already. Two small throw pillows and a matching dog blanket in zebra stripes spice up the interior, a cup holder caddy holds my IPod, a pack of gum (strawberry for interested parties), and the remote to the DVD player. Ohe yes, the DVD player with dual screens strapped to both front headrests for optimum kiddy enjoyment. I tell you, me and the wondervan are tight, I really don't know how I managed this far into my mothering experience without her. The funniest thing is I feel like I've somehow made it into the club, driving "the official car of moms everywhere". When I see other women drive by in their various forms of van goodness, I want to wave and say, "Yeah! I'm in the club too! Woo!". Actually, I think I actually have done that a time or two, come to think about it. Couldn't help myself. I like to think they know, and gave me a little nod too, because they know what I know, and they couldn't help themselves either.