Urban Mama

Cadillac Escalade Hybrid: Five Reasons to Splurge for Practical Luxury

The week before school started, I had the chance to leave my just-serviced minivan "Rosie" (the one that was broken into) permanently parked in my driveway while I experienced the joy of living like a one-percenter, or at the very least a Kardashian -- which is to say driving in major blinged out style in a 2012 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. 

When my elderly neighbor asked why we had traded in our Volvo station wagon (which we had to park somewhere else to make room) for such a "Gangsta" car, I explained we had not, in fact, splurged for a $85,000 car. What I think he really meant to ask was "If you can afford this car, why are you my neighbor and not living in Chevy Chase or Potomac?"

To be honest, I've never driven such a beautifully appointed, top-of-the-line vehicle. And after a week of enjoying all of the tiny touches of engineering genius that the Escalade Hybrid offers, I can see why -- if you had the budget for it -- a family with multiple children would choose an Escalade Hybrid over a minivan. Here are five reasons my family loved our temporary ride.

1. It holds a LOT of stuff. We were hosting a childcare swap we lovingly called Camp ChevingLem with two of our best friends' kids. That meant I had 8 kids, ranging in age from 20 months to 11 years old, to watch two of those days. While the 10 and 11 year old didn't need any carseats, everyone else had to be strapped in somehow. Here's how much gear I had to haul into the car.

2. It fits 8 super comfortably. My Toyota Sienna fits 8, because there is a narrow seat you can attach in between the two center-row bucket seats. But my oldest is always a bit cramped in that seat, and there's no way we could fit a booster in it. The Escalade Hybrid, by comparison, fit my 4-year-old's five-piece-harness carseat right next to my BFF's full-sized convertible carseat. And there was still plenty of room for her 5-year-old to sit in her high-back booster. Bringing up the rear was two 7-year-olds in backless booster seats with my big boy in the middle. I had an 11-year-old friend accompanying me up front in the coveted shotgun seat.

3. It has a three-screen entertainment system. The Platinum trim-level of the Escalade offered my backseat travelers THREE different screens, so nobody had to fight over what movie to watch during our 45-minute drive to the National Harbor. There were dual head-restraint DVD screens for the second row passengers and one center drop-down DVD screen for the back-row passengers. This meant the kids could simultaneously watch "Annie," "Ice Age 2," and "Frozen Planet" while I listened to the XM Radio up front. Even the shotgun seat passenger could've watched along on the Navigation screen, but that would've been distracting, so we kept that screen on the XM radio and navigation map. 

4. It's in the little things. Every day we drove around in the Escalade, one of us discovered something else that made it remarkable. Whether it was the fact that all of the seats, not just the front two, were temperature controlled or that the assist steps automatically went up or down, the detailed accessories blew us away. Just ask my husband (who felt compelled to drive the Escalade with his arm completely extended). Here are his five favorite features.

1. Cup holders that heat and cool your drinks (Not at once, though. You pick).

2. Running boards that automatically extend when you open the door and retract, with a hum reminiscent of airplane landing gear, a few seconds after you close the door.

3. Feeling cocooned in thick, black leather

4. A DVD player for each of your 3 kids. 

5. The sense of being a good steward of the earth while driving 3 1/2 tons of car than an extra $10,000 for a hybrid motor buys you. 

5. It's a flashy but surprisingly functional car. Our friend recently joked as we entered a parking lot: "Which of these 300 minivans is mine?" and it's definitely true that in the suburbs, nearly ever family owns a minivan. That's why we picked a red one, so at the very least it would be easy to spot. But when you're driving a Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, you can't help but feel special. People stop to stare, wondering if perhals someone famous will step out. But for all of the flash, it's got so many practical elements that we wonder why we don't see more Escalades filled to the brim with children. It's definitely the way to go if you've got the funds (particularly for the Hybrid, so the gas mileage -- about 23 mpg -- is on par, if not better than in a minivan) and the family size.

When our week with the Escalade ended, we were all a bit sad, even though it was the First Day of School. My dramatic daughter proclaimed the night before we turned in the keys: "But I thought we could keep it forever!" Um, no, but thanks to GM for allowing us to be part of Driving the Northeast.

Disclosure: General Motors provided me with a week-long loan of a 2012 Cadillack Escalade (Platinum trim level) complete with a full tank of gas. No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own.

Type-A Mom 2011 Highlights

• Amy aka Teach Mama and Joanne aka Pundit Mom are not only fabulous traveling companions and drivers, they're brilliant writers with so much to say. To quote my eloquent friend Stimey, Joanne's new book, "Mothers of Intention: How Women & Social Media Are Revolutionizing Politics in America", " "highlights the ways that women and mothers are relevant, smart, and important. Highly recommended!" The best part of the book is that it's incredibly balanced -- liberal, conservative, moderate -- all voices are represented... And Amy, well, she makes me a better mother. Just today, I had to stop myself from saying "You know this!" to my daughter when she was reading because of Teach Mama's latest tips. She's the kind of mother I strive to be!
• Asheville has an artsy, foodie-friendly downtown, with scrumptious chocolate, coffee, crepe, and tapas places. I owe a special shout out to the Green Sage Cafe, which earns an honorary Pillow Cafe award for being an awesome neighborhood coffee shop where a wireless-less girl could grab a mocha and sit for three hours to work.
• Tissues are in order when Susan aka WhyMommy takes the stage. Her powerful acceptance speech at the Bloganthropy Awards blew the audience away and honored her 19 collaborators at Mothers With Cancer.
• Stacey aka Justice Fergie and I roomed together for the first time and realized we have So. Much. In. Common. Well, except her husband was a former college football player, and mine is a former college newspaper editor, but still! We even wore the exact same style of nightwear: a T-shirt (hers was of her business, mine of my kids' preschool) and print pajama pants.
• It's apparently unanimous: water polo players are beautiful creatures. Sheila and Fiona gave me the scoop, which was necessary for something I'm writing. Thanks, ladies. And also thanks to Amy and Joanne for humoring my obsessive research on the subject.
• My good friend Leticia aka Tech Savvy Mama looks amazing in colors, instead of her traditionally black wardrobe, thanks to her new Fresh Produce ensembles.
• Sometimes just having one amazing conversation a day is worth the price of going to a conference.
• Corolle Dolls and Mamanista graciously donated a huge bag full of mini dolls, so I can give them to A Wider Circle's Well Mother, Well Baby campaign.
• I'm a little bit crazed about lice awareness, so I might have frightened Child's Play Communications' account executive for Fairy Tales Haircare with my intensity on the subject.
• Some women are truly kindred spirits, and I wish I lived closer to them instead of seeing them twice a year at blogging conferences.
• Lastly, I am blessed with THE best regional group of fellow bloggers in the world. I'm not exaggerating. My DC Moms crew is fiercely loyal, supportive and kind. I wish I'd had more time to spend with Lolli and Jill (next time!). It was inspiring to be with Amy, Elena, Leticia, Joanne and Stacey throughout the conference. Whether we were eating delicious bacon and trout-filled meals or just brainstorming for our upcoming venture, you made this a memorable trip. (Ellen and Christina, you were great honorary DCists!)

Myrtle Beach, We're Ready to Visit

Last night, the husband and I went to the Newseum for a tourism board-sponsored tribute to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We don't normally attend vacation-spot events, but we actually have a family vacation planned to Myrtle Beach this summer and figured it was a good way to kick-start our trip planning. Here's three things about the area that we never knew:

1. Vanna White is a Myrtle Beach native. The letter-turning beauty (she's teeny tiny!) was born and raised in the area and spends part of every summer there every year. I haven't watched "Wheel of Fortune" since my grandmother was alive -- so some time in 1989 -- but it was still slightly surreal to see her in person, because to me she only exists when she's in front of next too a series of lit tiles or bantering with Pat Sajak.

2. South Carolina has a state dance, called The Shag (British friends, please don't laugh). I didn't know there was such a thing. There were two pairs demonstrating, and I have to say, it's one of those dances that heavily favors the men, who get -- in my opinion -- all the cool moves. Check it out:

I wonder if Florida's is the Conga, but of course, that's because I grew up in Miami. "C'mon-everybody-do-the-conga!"

3. Gullah culture is alive. My husband knows way more about politics and current events than I do (because I'm usually watching movies, writing about pop culture, or ogling sexy actors, all for work!), and he informed me that Geechee is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' first language! My only connection to Gullah culture was Mel Gibson's movie "The Patriot," in which his children and sister-in-law are taken to a Gullah settlement by a kind employee (his workers were somehow freed blacks). Anyhow, clearly you see which one of us knows more about the real world, and which one of us can remember movie trivia. The point is, Gullah culture and cuisine is still present in South Carolina (and Georgia).

So, I'm excited about our trip, even though I don't golf, and I'm not obsessed about going to the beach. There are some cool family attractions, like the Wonder Works amusement park, a children's museum, and a historical living history farm in Horry County. We may not see Vanna while we're down there in July, but that's all right, we'll be busy learning The Shag.

Blogalicious Favorites

Last year I was so thrown for a loop over my stolen iPhone, I forgot to write about the amazing blogging conference I attended. For the second year in a row, I went to Blogalicious, which is run by the three smart, savvy, hard-working MamaLaw ladies, one of whom is a good friend. I once again roomed with my local blogging pals Leticia and Kim (who celebrated her birthday while we were down there!), and we lived it up South Beach style for four days.

What I love about Blogalicious is that it's smaller than the other conferences, so there's more opportunity for conversation with other women, more access to organizations and brands, more time to get to know bloggers in an intimate setting. It's also well-organized and so much fun. Here are my personal "favorites" from the 2010 Blogalicious conference:

Favorite bloggers I met:

1. Ellen a.k.a. Love That Max: Oh Ellen, how I love you. I could write a sonnet proclaiming how fantastic she is, and after talking nonstop for two hours one night, we realized we're kindred spirits with similar backgrounds in journalism (although hers is definitely more prestigious) and the same taste in friends. Ellen is one of those women who can head an entire magazine, give a workshop on writing, befriend Sharon Osbourne and shake her booty playing Just Dance without an ounce of self-importance. She writes primarily about parenting a child with special needs but also about motherhood in general with a humor and grace that's irresistible. Go read her blog, now!

2. Beti a.k.a. Poly Republic: I literally met her the very last morning of the conference, but we bonded quite quickly over our mutual love of British TV series like Skins and The In Betweeners (and certain young English actors) and decided to chat over twitter about said shows using a #britishtvrocks hashtag. So if you're into British TV (whether you watch it on BBC America, Netflix, or beg your UK friends to send you DVDs), join us in our ongoing conversation about our favorite shows from across the pond. Oh, and if you don't care about British TV, check out Beti's blog anyway. She writes about empowered women who are living passionately and making a difference.

3. Sheila a.k.a XiaolinMama: I've met Sheila before at other summits and blog conferences, but this was the first time we really had the opportunity to hang out together. A fellow food lover, we went to with four other Blogalicious ladies to DeRodriguez Cuba at the Astor Hotel. Not only did most of us have the bacon-topped fufu of our lives, but Sheila got the signature dish, Rabo Encendido en Lata, which as you can see, came in a can! Not only is she an adventurous foodie, she's an enterprising woman who runs the Clever Girls Collective with three friends and business partners, and has one helluva sense of humor. They hosted a fantastic party where the main attraction was playing Just Dance 2. I did some Beyonce-like moves to "Crazy in Love" which were thankfully not videotaped for posterity -- although, then again, maybe my husband would get a kick out of it. Sheila gets bonus points for bringing her gorgeous friend Casey, who like me (and so many of us at the conference), is raising multi-culti kids.

4. LadyBrit just happened to be standing with Ellen waiting for food when we started chatting, and 30 seconds later we were gabbing about some of my favorite topics, namely Brooklyn, the Park Slope Food Coop, and British celebrities and films. It turns out the American Cancer Society is one of her clients, so we talked a lot about cancer awareness among minority groups, and how, of course, cancer is a subject that's close to my heart. She's also, for the record, got an amazing English accent that's ab-fab.

5. Liza a.k.a. LizaWasHere: While Liza (that's LIZ-a, not LIE-za) was fangirling over PunditMom, I ended up with a huge girl-crush on Liza, who is funny and smart and lovely and in one of those it's-a-small-world moments knows my old entertainment-journalism friend Lori Tharps, who not only grew up in the same city as Liza but also went to the same university.

 Favorite Swag:

1. Bali Leggings: Everyone who stopped by the Bali booth received a free pair of black Bali firm control leggings, and I LOVE mine. I wore them under a purple Gap dress that is just a tad too short for the autumn chill, and then added a cardigan and black shoes to coordinate. They're comfortable, form-fitting, attractive and trendy. I'm a size 14 and received compliments on them, so you don't have to be a size-2 to wear them. I can't say enough good things about them and plan to buy another pair when I get my next Macy's coupon.

2. Instead SoftCup: OK, I know it's not something most people talk about in mixed company, but these are a life-saver. You use a lot fewer of them than tampons or pads (they are good for 12 hours of use), they are relatively easy to use (especially if you, um, have had babies and aren't squeamish about your body), and they are a lot better for the environment than the alternatives. I highly recommend and am happy to answer questions if anyone wants to email me about specifics. My brothers and a couple of guy friends read this blog occasionally, so I'm gonna stop talking about menstrual cups now.

3. So-in-Style Barbie: Whoever thinks that only African American girls will play with a black Barbie has never met my daughter and her friends. My daughter, who as most of you know is of half-Latino, half-Chinese descent, and her pals, who are everything from platinum-blonde Caucasian to biracial to South African to Asian to everything in between, adore playing with these Barbies. This is the second one I've received at an event, and they're great, regardless of your child's racial make-up.

4. Mr. & Mrs. Mini-emergency Kit: The lovely folks at OnStar gave these out last year at Blogalicious, and mine was just about down to one nail file when lo and behold they were back with more this year. These emergency kits have come in handy more times than I can count, and if they hadn't been in the car or in my purse, I would've had to make last-minute stops at drugstores... or suffer disastrous consequences and wardrobe malfunctions.

5. The Wine Sisterhood gave us all a purple boa, a stemless wine glass with their adorable logo on it, and a T-shirt I can actually wear to something other than sleep. Their Sweet and Sassy Moscato and Rebel Red were yummy, and Kim and I even shot a video with the hosting BlogRollers ladies about how much we enjoyed unwinding in their wine-tasting suite. And no, neither of us got drunk at the suite.

Despite all of that, the absolute best part of the trip was getting to spend time with my local girls Kim and Leticia (pictured) again. We talked late into each night like middle-schoolers at a slumber party, and it was just what these mamas needed to focus on what blogging, for me at least, is really about -- relationships. Can't wait to do it all again next year.

 

Surviving A Solo Roadtrip With Kids

Every now and then I like to surprise people by doing something completely uncharacteristic. Before I started at Columbia, I went on a pre-orientation program that involved backpacking in the Catskills. I had never so much as climbed a wheelchair ramp before that, but I did it (not that it was easy). Over the holiday break, I did something similar when I decided that I would drive back home to Maryland from my sister's in Plant City, Florida.

See, my husband and I both drove down with the kids, but he had to return the day after we arrived to prepare for an important case. He wasn't sure he could come back down to drive back with me, so I either had to suck it up and do it myself or wait until he or my brother or brother-in-law could drive with me. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that I could do it, but only if I broke up the nearly 15 hour drive into more manageable chunks.

After a nauseating number of conversations with my husband (who has done 90% of the driving on all our previous roadtrips) and siblings (brother Jorge and brother-in-law Larry are experts, having driven long stretches since they were 16, my sister Diana has had to do her share driving with Larry from Texas to the East Coast when they lived in Fort Worth, and oldest brother Louis complains about driving anywhere out of the borough of Queens, but he was in on the planning nonetheless), we (and yes, I do mean it was a decision by committee -- I have never felt more like a baby sister) all agreed I should drive five hours a day for three days. Here's what it took for me to do the 1,000-mile trip, on my own, with three kids (ages nearly 8, newly 5, and 21 months) in tow:

1. Cleaning Up: My 2008 Honda Odyssey minivan was basically a pit after our drive TO Florida, so I knew I had to clean it out before attempting my trip FROM Florida. I found a local full-service car wash and pampered the minivan to a thorough wash, wax and vacuum. Sure, I knew the kids were going to muck it up again the moment they had their first snack in the car, but the wash (and more importantly, the interior job) created a blank slate of sorts for my trip.

2. Gearing Up: My Odyssey, thank heavens, has a built-in DVD player with two wireless headphones. I also own an after-market Garmin GPS, not that I really needed one, since it's basically I-95 North all the way home. It was mighty useful, though, since I stopped off to see a couple of friends along the way. In order to have hands-free conversations, I needed to buy a Bluetooth headset. After reading way too many reviews from fellow iPhone users, I settled on the Jawbone Prime. It's a good thing, too, because I had 23 cell conversations, most of them pep talks and check-ins with my husband, siblings and best friends. Who else was I going to talk to, with the two older kids blissed out on DVDs and the baby asleep?

3. Listening Up: I also bought several CDs, since I had to use the outlet to charge either my GPS or my iPhone. I figured when the iPhone wasn't charged, I would just go old school and listen to actual CDs. Since two-thirds of my six-CD changer was filled with children's music, I replaced them with the Glee soundtrack, Peter Gabriel's two-disc Hit, and The Best of Chaka Khan. The other two discs were Kings of Leon's Only By the Night, and an upbeat compilation "Vamos" my friend Dave made for a relay marathon he ran last fall. Nothing helps you stay awake like singing "Somebody to Love," "Sex is On Fire," "Tell Me Something Good," and "Don't Give Up" quite loudly again and again and again. On the plus side, I finally figured out what the chorus of "Games Without Frontiers" is (Jorge), and it's definitely not "She's so popular"; it's "Jeux sans frontieres" (the title in French). Cool, huh?

4. Fueling Up: My brother Jorge advised me not to drink anything while I was driving. That sounded good in theory (less drinking, less stopping to pee), BUT, this mama needs her caffeine. Trying to be "green," I bought a reusable coffee mug from Starbucks, but it had to be the worst designed travel mug I've ever owned. Unfortunately, it was the only style at the drive-through Starbucks in Plant City, so I had no choice, and I had no idea what a pain the arse it would be to use. The twist-top model required two hands to open, which is quite difficult when you're driving 70 miles-per-hour on I-95. I could NOT get it to open with one hand and ended up comically squeezing the mug with my thighs to add the leverage needed to open it. Needless to say, it's not ideal for solo drivers. At least the old friends I stopped to see both had fancy coffee makers, so the near-useless travel mug ended up worth the trouble.

5. Meeting Up: If you're really in a rush, there's no need to go out of your way to visit people on a roadtrip, but if you're like me and wanted a distraction or an excuse for a break, call, email, text, Tweet or Facebook-mail any friends you have along the way. I saw two of my oldest, dearest friends (both were among my wedding attendants), and it was a lovely way to start off the new year. The conversation and good coffee alone were reasons to stop, but they also provided a spot of fun for the kids, who in my opinion needed something to do rather than watch movies.

When I finally arrived in my driveway, I was on the phone with my brother Jorge. I squealed triumphantly, said "I did it!" and then promptly realized my house keys were not attached to my key-chain anymore. As Homer Simpson so eloquently says, "D'oh!" Thank God for neighbors with spare keys.

Blogalicious 2009: Highlights of an Inspiring Conference

It has taken me a week to find the time to write about my trip down to Atlanta for the very first Blogalicious conference for women bloggers (most of whom were of color). I've decided to break it down into several posts, because there's just so much to say.

1. Blogalicious Helped Me Face My Fears

The trip started when I took off in a loaner Equinox at 3:AM to pick up my very pregnant fellow DC-blogger Kim, who was my carpool partner for a Chevy-sponsored road-trip to the conference. For those of you who don't know this about me, let me express what a HUGE deal this was, because I DO NOT like to drive on highways. I am NOT a great driver. I was in two car accidents as a permit driver during my junior year in high school (one of which was my fault, the other of which I still have scars from as the wounded passenger), and then right before the school-year ended, my beloved aunt was killed in a car accident. I never took drivers' ed (it wasn't required, I knew I wasn't going to get a car, and I was too busy to care), and I didn't even bother to test for my license until the summer after my freshman year in college. Living in New York City for 13 years, I rarely drove, and whenever I did, it was at most, for one hour to relieve my husband, who has always done 98% of the long-distance driving.

This is all to say that driving to Blogalicious and back meant overcoming a phobia. It helped that we had a fully-equipped, brand-new car, OnStar, a leisurely stop at a  Sonic drive in for shakes and burgers, and an iPod hookup to make the drive that much easier -- not to mention that Kim and I both love musical theater, so we spent the majority of the time listening to XM On Broadway singing along to showtunes. When we finally arrived at the W Hotel in Atlanta, I called my husband and said "I did it!," and he was quite proud (I think he was also massively . Of course, he also joked that I'll have to drive to the City the next time we go, but hey, now I know I can!

I'm sure it sounds a bit ridiculous to those who've driven cross-country since they were teenagers, but my fear of driving has been a very real issue. I have turned down countless invitation because I couldn't fathom driving a long way (as in more than 20 miles) by myself. I have caused my husband a great deal of aggravation, because I would snort and sniffle every time he suggested we switch off, so he could rest or work. So among the reasons I'll always remember this first Blogalicious weekend is that it's the first time I fully participated in a road-trip without depending on someone else to do all the driving. It's a big deal, and I'm grateful to Kim, Blogalicious, and Chevy, for helping me get past my fear and unleash my (timid) road warrior.

Oh, and after 22 hours in a car together, Kim and I learned that oversharing is a good way to keep a tired driver from getting too sleepy. Let's just say we'd each know exactly what to say to make the other drink in a friendly game of "I Never."

Seattle '04 Index

1 airplane shirt, 1 airplane book, 1 airplane song
4 planes
1 useless not-aircraft-safe booster seat
12 hours of air travel
4 hours of airport time
14 recitations of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"
50+ pleas to put the tray table up or down
4 patient seat neighbors
2 snack trays consumed entirely by 2.5 year old
3 nights at The Roosevelt Hotel in downtown Seattle
1 trip to a waterfront Carousel
1 fish and chips lunch at the Crab Pot
30 minutes waiting for a bus to Queen Anne Hill
30 minutes of hearing "Is that our bus?"
1 radiant bride-to-be's wedding shower
2 online friends made "real"
2 rides in a "race car" (convertible)
4 trips to Pike Market
1 trip to the Seattle Aquarium
1 mini-nap for the Schmoop
1 beautiful wedding ceremony
2 amazing people exchanging vows
1 drama-filled cocktail hour: 1 guest's broken wine glass, 1 mama standing nearby, 1 sliced thumb, 1 bleeding and crying mama, 1 sweet, unharmed toddler saying: "Is Mama ok?"
1 toddler-obsessed wedding photographer
1 generous bridesmaid offers 15 minutes of relief at wedding reception
1 tired mama has Earl Grey during said 15 minutes
2 hours at Seattle's new state-of-the-art Central Library
2 hours of walking around and window-shopping in Downtown Seattle
1 mandatory trip to Nordstrom's, 1 Kiehl's lip balm + five samples
82 hours of being a single mother
1 well-traveled toddler
1 exhausted but accomplished Mama