Narrowing Down Van Choices

 We're going to Adventure Van Expo this weekend.  I'm excited to see what options there are and what I might be able to create.  A custom or semi-custom van is likely to be my best bet. I came to this conclusion after looking at all the potential RV options for several years.  

First of, it needs to have a minimum of five legal seat belts. Finding 5 legal seatbelts is probably the most restrictive feature, as many RVs do not have 5 forward facing car seat compatible seats.  Class A RVs are not regulated the same way regular cars are, so they have side facing seats with lap belts. Side facing seats are not safe for passengers.  Period.  Even if an RV does have some forward facing seats, such as in a Class C dinette, they are typically not welded to the frame, and do not usually have 3 point seats belts or car seat attachments.  So Class A and C are out. Most class B RVs are designed for two people. The few that are set up for families tend to assume a family is 4 people. So that rules out almost all the Class B RVs as well.  There are a few exceptions to this such as the Hymer Activ or Winnebago Solis, IF you get the rear sofa model which provides 2-3 additional seats. So all really all standard RVs are incompatible, minus the Activ and Solis. 

Second, it need to have sleeping areas for 5 people.  You can sort of add a tiny mattress to the front of a Solis or Activ, but it is not elegant. Many other camper van options also struggle with this.  There are a few companies that can accommodate 5 people, but it's not usually pretty.  Seating areas need to be converted to beds every night.  

The third major exclusion is interior height. My partner is 6'3".  They would like to actually stand up inside and not crouch or crick their neck all the time.  The interior height of a Solis is 6'2".  An Activ is 6' 1".  :(  

So that basically rules out all the commercial or standardized RVs and vans.  It also rules out anything on a Dodge Promaster base, because the interior height of a Promaster is 6'1".  So that leaves a custom or semi-custom van using the classic Mercedes Sprinter, or the increasingly popular Ford Transit.  

The Sprinter vans have a wider assortment of plug and play accessories.  They tend to have a higher resale value.  Diesel vans tend to get better fuel economy and last longer. Some people feel they drive better as well.  The downside is they can be expensive to own and hard to find a mechanic if something goes wrong. You are more likely to find someone who can work on a Ford in the middle of nowhere because Ford trucks use a very similar motor.  The Transit has a better infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Car Play.  The Transit also has an interior height of 6'5" which is 2 inches taller than the Sprinter.  That difference doesn't matter to most people, but it might to my partner.  I added up the options I wanted and they were within $1k in price. So the next logical thing to test drive them, and also figure out which options are possible.  Sprinters are a lot more common among van enthusiasts, so you can find a lot of ready made solutions.  Transits are less common, but are definitely gaining a foothold. 

Ideally I would like to be able to use the van for transporting large amounts of people too, so I need to also brainstorm how seating will work. 

Camper Vans!

 After many years of having a "someday" pipe dream of having a campervan, I finally get to start thinking about actually having one.  It's still some time off -- maybe a year, maybe three-- but at least I get to start thinking about it.  My main goal to start has been trying to narrow down what I want.  Ideally, I would like to have a multiuse van, because I'm a sucker for anything with multiple uses.  

Here are my overall goals:

• Sleeps 5
• Seats at least 5 with beds in 
• Seats at least 8 with no beds (ideally 12)
• All seats are DOT approved
• Interior height of at least 6'3"
• Bathroom
• Kitchen area with sink, portable induction stove, microwave and fridge/cooler
• Windows in passenger areas

Things I'm not sure about:

• Pop Top vs High Roof
• Table in front vs table in back
• How much storage area we need
• Fixed bathroom vs modular
• Where to put the extra seats
• Transit vs sprinter

Failure

I failed pretty badly tonight. I lost my temper and hit A. I screamed at A too. It was a pretty rough day. I had to pick up B at the Mountain school where Special needs school is held. I was running late because I never leave my classroom on time. I was doubly anxious because I have never been there before. It was very windy and rainy. A tree fell on the highway so I had to detour all the way back to the other highway. I was quite late picking B up. There was another downed tree on the way back. B is hard to be in the car with because B NEVER STOPS TALKING. l'm really glad B talks now, but it is very overwhelming. By the time we got to preschool, B's class was done with lunch and getting their nap stuff out. B was distraught by the change in routine. The power was out at home so I decided to go pick up lunch on my way to the chiropractor. Downed power lines and another downed tree. And so many non-functional traffic lights. Today's storm was really a doozy. Chiropractor lost power too, so I headed back to work. More downed trees and power lines. By the time I got back to work, it was 2 hours later! After several failed attempts to focus on important tasks，I cut my losses and moved on to my email. (Do you ever feel like everything you say is a canned phrase that you read or heard？Apparently that's an ADHD / Autism thing.) Picking up B and C was another challenge。They were both very emotional tonight so they cried which is very overwhelming.  I didn't hear back from D, so I went to school to pick up A. A was already gone. By the time I got home, I was very overwhelmed. I survived dinner and started cleaning up. A was being super rude to D. I don't know why he tolerates that behavior。I tried to be helpful and ask A to leave the playroom . I got a lot of push back, yelling and attitude。I walked away，because I was ready to snap .  Then A  slamed the door and I did snap. I yelled back and smacked A on the back. l yelled So hard I peed myself. Then I left before I did anything else. B was alredy crying from us screaming and wanted to be comforted. I really wanted to change my pants. I put B to bed. B was very dy s regulated because there was no lights, no cocomelon and no nightlight。 Too many differences in one day.  Then I still had to clean up the dishes and get C in bed. D asked me to apologize to A before bedtime. So I went in and did that even though I was still mad. But apologizing is important, It's never okay to hit, even if I feel like they really deserve it. I am not my father. The worst part of it all is that D is still mad at me. He will stay mad at me long after A Has Forgiven Me。 

Emails and Power Outages

 Life has been a little wonky lately.  I feel like I'm behind on everything and struggling to crouch down on my hands and knees to reach all the dropped balls that have rolled under metaphorical sofas and tables.  I feel like I'm constantly blindsided by everything that's happening in my life.  

When I vent about juggling a lot, something people frequently tell me that I have to "let some things slide"  and not do ALL the things.  One of the things that often gets dropped is email.  Gmail puts 95% of my emails into the Updates or Promotions category so that I can conveniently ignore them for weeks on end. Until I realize that I missed something. Today I stayed at work late because the power is out at home.  I had a lot of grading to do, but instead I focused on going through my personal email inbox.  It felt really really good to catch up on some of the emails and find things I needed to get done, or that were lurking in the back of my thoughts.  I'm not done yet - I think I have about 5000 more emails to sort through, but I made progress.  And I at least sorted back to February.  I need to unsubscribe to a bunch more.  Anyways, it's time to pick up the kids.  But I feel better.  I did something that is usually considered a waste of time, but helped decrease my anxiety and sense of overwhelm.  Hopefully the power will come back on quickly 😒

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

I FINALLY got to do my Sunday Basket! My course was accidentally setup as a 1 year course instead of a semester course, so I need to export & import all my grades. The baby hit me in the head. Hard. So I'm not feeling so hot right now. 🤕

:(

I feel like a failure today. Nothing has gone well. Maybe that's not true. But it feels like it is. I have such tiny goals, and I still fail to acheive them. Leaving on time and going to bed on time should not be out of reach. And yet, somehow I fail at them everyday. I need to change my mindset.  That's easier said than done though.  Maybe my goal needs to be even easier. In bed by 11pm? That's in 3 minutes. I still have stuff I wanted to do. I guess I should get in bed though.

It's been a day.

And a week. And a year really. I'm trying to get Blogger to work on my tablet, but it's not working.  It just sits there with the splash screen.  Too bad. I was hoping to write instead of swipe. We moved back into the big house finally. The dryer vent is not done, but almost everything else is. I need to shower. I'm sweaty from PE today. We did Power Cleans.