So Green We're Glowing

When you mention to some people that you are going to buy a hybrid vehicle it is like they put on an invisible "hybrid haters" persona and find every reason that people shouldn't buy one. Lets recount the comments we've heard.

• It will take you 7 years to recoup the initial higher price by getting just a bit better MPG.
• The battery will only last 70,000 miles and then it will cost $7,000 to replace (followed by a snide "so how's that hybrid sound now?")
• You really won't get any better gas mileage than my family toting Dodge Charger.
• Your wife has a mini-van so keep your Mustang, you don't really need seat belts for everyone. (yea, this was my favorite)
• If you get in a wreck you might as well be dead because the car is so tiny.
• It will take 1 mile to get up to 45 mph.

So, here is a little rebuttal for all the declared and disguised "hybrid haters." It also gave me a little time to improve my brain age score by doing some math.

Prior to 12/31 the van needed gas every 10 days @ 19 gallons per fill up. The Mustang needed gas every 10 days @ 15 gallons per fill up. This equates to 34 gallons of gas every 10 days or 102 gallons of gas per month. $298.86/month

After 12/31 the van has been filled up one time and has been using the same tank of gas for 16 days. The Civic has been filled up once after 2 weeks @ 10.5 gallons. The current usage for both vehicles will be 50 gallons of gas per month. $146.50/ month

So, lets us do some simple math. After the $2100 tax credit the initial higher cost is nill and my gas savings per month was slashed in half. Enjoy your time at the pump.

Springy

While driving around the area we have found one location that is always frequented by people pulled over on the side of the road with empty milk jugs, juice bottles or whatever empty container they can carry. We've always been quite curious as to what these people are doing because the location leaves a lot to be desired; run down houses, a nearly dried up creek bed, trash lying around, etc. We have figured they must be getting water from somewhere but we never had the courage to actually stop and figure it out with all the kids in tow. Last week hubby and I stopped while the kids were at school to scope it out.

As it turns out, there is a natural spring that has been running since anyone can remember and all of these people come to bottle their own water. It must be relatively safe or there would be many sick people in this city! So we looked it up online after talking to the gentleman at the spicket that day and then told the kids about it. Who knew such cool history was all around us?! We emptied a milk jug and told the kids we were going to fill it up with the spring water. We had shown them the article and discussed the history and they were quite excited to see this "natural spring." When we arrived they were less than impressed. Jacob says "In this dumpy place, we are getting water?" Emily commented on the trash and Matthew piped in with one of his brutally honest comments "I am NOT drinking water from a trashy place like this!" Then they walked down the hill and met an older man filling up many jugs and he changed their minds. He told them the spring has run since he was a kid and never slows down (it has been channeled through a pipe and now comes out of a small brick building). He told them it has been tested and it is the cleanest water in Georgia and has NO chemicals in it. The kids instantly changed their minds.

The kids have always liked water but now all we hear at meal time is "I want the best water in Georgia to drink!" I still haven't got past the idea that this "clean" water is surrounded by a dumpy area and pours out of piping that has been in place for at least 50 years. What is growing in that pipe? I haven't even tried the water. I do believe the water has been tested and as the article states it was even bottled at one time but it doesn't help my "ick factor."

Wii-lly sore

My goodness it has been a long time since the blog sense of humor struck. We had a great time over Christmas break (after the initial "these walls are way too small for the five of us" fights the first 3 days) and I was actually sad to send the kids back to school for the first time. The kids were surprised with a Wii for Christmas so the last half of vacation the TV was constantly occupied with one child or another boxing the air in front of them or swinging an imaginary tennis racket.

Matthew woke up yesterday and tells me... "Mom, I had a crazy dream last night that lasted ALL night and when I woke up my shoulder hurt SOOO bad." I'm thinking he slept on it on weird so I rub it; he immediately flinches and squeals. Then Emily pipes up... "yea, my shoulder hurts too, in the same spot." I was a little confused why two of my children would have the same shoulder pain unless one was having sympathetic pains but then Jacob walks in from waking up... "Mom, my shoulder hurts really bad" AH HA-- Wii Shoulder! They all had a case of Wii-lly sore muscles! It was hard not to laugh.

Ridiculous item for the weekend:
Last week hubby and I went out to eat at a local BBQ establishment. They have great food, awesome wings and as we later learned, extremely high priced soft drinks. We each ordered a Coke and when we received the bill, it cost $4.18 for the two of them. Are you serious?! I can buy four 2-liters of Coke for the same price and all I received there was maybe 20 oz. between two glasses full of ice. We'll go there again, for the great food and awesome wings but for drinks we will be having water. Or maybe I'll smuggle in my own 2-liter and a couple of frosty mugs. That will only cost $1.00.