The Fit is Go

Today Kit Kat, Momomoko, and I went to another Honda dealership. We took a look at the Vortex Blue we thought was hot. Turns out it looks more like purple. Then we took a liking to the Milano Red color. But they only had it in a more expensive trim. They tried to talk us into taking a subpar color or pay extra. That was not optimal. So we had to roll.

Later Momoko considered paying extra for the higher trim. She then wondered whether we should go higher to another model such as the Honda Civic. We went to the local Honda dealership. It turns out that I don't quite fit in the back seat of a Civic. Now we know. Right now Momoko is checking with other dealers to see if they can lower the price of the Milano Red option. She may have a good lead right now.

No Fiesta For Ford

We had one more small car to see before we made out final decision for the new car. This was the Ford Fiesta. The local dealer final got in some Fiestas. Before work, the family visited the dealership. The first car we checked out was the Fiesta hatchback. I knew we were in trouble when Little Kat got in the back seat and those it was tight.

Next we took a look at the Fiesta sedan. It had more room. But the back seat was still too small. I could fit in the front seat if I moved it back and all the way down. However that was no good. We need a new car that the whole family can sit in. That means we were down to either a Honda Fit that Momoko would buy, or a Chevy pickup truck that I would buy (and let Kit Kat use my car).

I thought about all our goals during the work day. The truck was okay. It was automatic transmission so Kit Kat or Momoko could drive it in a pinch. It also had a nice long 8 foot bed to haul long items. But I was not ready to drive this thing every day. It did not have any options at all. Too basic. The price was right. But it was not the right truck. The right truck costs just too much for us now.

So now we are down to just the Honda Fit. Momoko is making plans on how to get the right trim and color at the right price. If all goes well, we should have the car in a couple days. I am still a little hesitant to get a brand new car that costs what I think is a lot of money. But we have the need.

Going Trucking

We have been looking for a new car that Kit Kat can drive. There was another option. I could get a new truck. Then Kit Kat could drive my car. The weekend paper had some steals advertised on trucks. Today Momoko did my Target shopping so I could go truck shopping.

The dealerships were 30 minutes away. I drove to the Ford. They sold out the super deal on their small truck. That's okay. I took a look at another small Ford. It did not have the room in the cabin that I needed. Their big truck was impressive. It had a V8 engine. It also had a long 8 foot bed, and lot of room behind the seat. However the suspension seemed raised high. I had trouble getting into the truck. They also required me to finance the thing with them to get one of the discounts.

Next I went to Chevy. I got a rookie salesperson. He could not find the truck I wanted to see. He had to run back in and ask his manager for help. We found the truck. It was nice because it has a lowered suspension. Perfect for Momoko and Kit Kat. It was also cheaper than the Ford. The truck is really stripped down. There is not power windows, power locks, CD player, or anything. But you can't beat the price.

I am going to sleep on this and see how I feel about the truck in the morning.

Adventures in Babysitting

I was the first one awake this morning. This will probably continue throughout the summer. So I went to work before anyone woke up. Momoko had scheduled to see Bad Teacher at the movies with some other teachers. One colleague had a young boy. Kit Kat agreed to babysit the little one during the movie.

Apparently the lil guy was 4 years old. I think he spilled Momoko's coke that she left out of the table. And Momoko was talking to the kids about child proofing the house. The lil guy got a kick out of our fish and gerbils. I thought the gerbils were most impressive. But he was interested in our big Dojo fish, which has been swimming a lot around our new bigger tank.

By the time I got home, the movie and babysitting was over. Kit Kat made some cash. That is good because she has not found a summer job yet. Little Kat scheduled a sleep over with his buddy. He had already left by the time I got home. And I thought I left work at a decent hour. I guess when you are off for the summer, you have all kinds of options.

Super Sick

On Tuesday they whole family was watching The Nine Lives of Chloe King on TV. Towards the end of the show I felt a strong need to go to the bathroom. I went upstairs and found myself very sick. I lept into bed and pulled all the covers on. But I was freezing. A bad fever had come over me. I needed some more blankets.

My hope was that somebody would come upstairs and check on me since I left TV time early. I lay shivering in bed for a few hours. Finally Momoko came up. I told her I was really sick. I could not get much sleep that night because I was so cold. The next day I took off from work.

I stayed in bed the whole day. I only got out of bed once to grab a new drink. Since I was terribly sick, I did not eat anything. But my stomach hurt. So I had a few crackers. The next day I realized that we had missed our time to pick up Little Kat's matress we ordered on Monday. So we brought the truck today to pick it up. I was fine until I had to carry his mattress. Then I felt weak and needed to get back to bed. The good news is that Little Kat loves his new mattress.

Good Night's Sleep

Momoko has decided that Little Kat needs a bed that is closer to the floor. He currently has a loft bed which is high up in the air. After some deliberation, Momoko and Little Kat decided we would get a new matress to put under Little Kat's loft bed. He plans to construct a makeshift bunk bed.

Today the family went to Momoko's classroom to finish packing up for the summer. We only spent about an hour of hard work and the thing was done. Little Kat and I went home. Momoko and Kit Kat waited for the principal to check the classroom. Of course it was up to par and then some.

At home Little Kat thought it was a good time to get his new matress. We found an advertisement from the Sunday paper. Luckily they had a store in our city. We brought the truck to buy and bring home a matrees. It was pretty desolate at the matress store shopping center. We sat on a few matresses that were on sale from the ad. They were okay. The sales guy said he could match the ad prices with some other matresses.

After deliberating and hopping from matress to matress, Little Kat chose one. It was more ritzy than the ones in the ad. However it was the same low price. They did not have it immediately in stock. We are scheduled to return in 2 days to pick the thing up. Good luck Little Kat.

Taking a Tour

Today we visited the local Hyundai dealer to look at cars. I drove us there because Kit Kat was tired. Most of the entry level vehicles were too small. I could not fit in the back seat. However Momoko heard that their Elanta Touring Edition was a cool car.

The Elantra Touring is essentially a small station wagon. There was plenty of room in the back seat. Kit Kat and I took it for a ride while Momoko and Little Kat sat in the dealership. The car did not have as zippy of an acceleration as I was expecting.

When we got back to the dealership, Momoko and Little Kat had already become interested in the Mazda dealer next door. We took a look at the Mazda 2 and Mazda 3. They were both way too small. The selling point of the Mazda 2 was the nice green exterior paint. Still it was just too darn small.

Next step is most likely going to be Honda.