R.I.P. 1992 Buick Century

We have some sad news. Our car bit the dust this weekend. We took it into the mechanic because it had been making a really loud clanging noise, and the transmission was acting up. After looking it over and test-driving it, the mechanic called back with the bad news. It would cost more to fix our car than it is worth (over $3000). Okay, so we were planning on just driving it until it quit completely, because that is what we pretty much did with our past cars. Nope, not possible, because apparently something unrelated to the transmission, the part that was making the loud clanging noise, is breaking off and when it breaks off completely, the car will come to an instant stop. No warning, no coasting, just a dead stop. Obviously, this would be dangerous in traffic, so we will not be driving our car.

In the meantime (not sure when/if we will buy another car), we are taking the bus. Every Monday and Wednesday I work all day watching a 3-year-old boy at his house. I take both kids with me on Mondays, and Jason watches Rowan on Wednesdays, so it's just Ellie and I then. On Tuesdays I bring the kids with me to work in a church nursery. We take the bus, which is not too difficult, it's just a bit of walking and a lot of waiting. The downside? This morning it was -4, feels like -15, when Ellie and I were waiting for the bus. That is cold! At least we can bundle up and not worry about car seats and bulky coats. Luckily the kids are great ON the bus, it's just the walking and waiting that they don't like. I've dragged two screaming kids down the street to catch the next bus, and it is not fun at all. In fact, it hurts my heart to think about Ellie remembering the days that she was dragged from bus stop to bus stop as a kid, always running. Thankfully we are figuring out the best routes now so we don't have to run; we can go at Ellie's pace. This morning, even though it was freezing, there were no tears and it was actually a good, fun experience.

We also just made an exciting purchase, an electric bike! Here is a link to it: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8467095&findingMethod=rr We paid for it with a couple of walmart giftcards we had, so we only had to spend about $130 out of our bank account for it. We received it last night, put it together, and now I can't wait to try it out! It is a regular bike, and can be used as a regular bike. The difference is that when I am going uphill, or need an extra boost, I can turn the throttle and the battery-powered motor kicks in to help spin the tires. This means I can go much further than my weak legs can take me. Actually, I have ridden a bike once to the grocery store (about 1.5 miles away) and it was extremely difficult coming back for me because it's mainly up hill. Big hills. So, now I can hook up our burley trailer to the back of the bike, ride down to the grocery store, pile the groceries into the trailer, and ride back, hopefully easily. :)

Now our transformation to hippies is complete, wouldn't you say? Natural foods, check! Cloth diapers, check! Reusable grocery bags, check! Growing our own vegetables in an organic garden, check! Homeschooling (possibly) and co-op preschool, check! Bussing and biking instead of driving, check! Anything else we need to add to our list?