Love my Kids

Thanks for the post, Lorraine Gregory

I love that my kids are finally old enough to be entertained by the TV. I thought for the longest time they were never going to have the attention span to sit through a whole show but all of a sudden they’re able to sit down in front of Sesame Street or Dora and be quiet for a whole half hour at a time. I just can’t believe that after all this time I’m finally getting some time to really get things done and make sure the house is clean and dinner is cooked and all that. Who would have thought I’d be one of those moms who relied on HD cable to watch her kids for her? It’s just really hard when you work from home and you count on being able to have some tie without toddlers hanging off your legs to get things done? I didn’t ever realize it was this hard to entertain kids and I have a newfound respect for my mom because she’s really great about that.

2012 Ford Focus Review

The Ford Focus is one of the most affordable choices around these days. With a base price well under $20,000 it compares well with most others in the compact sedan market, but may not be as sporty. Still looks pretty nice sitting next to your vinyl gazebos.

I had a few minutes to make a direct comparison as I swapped last week’s Chevrolet Cruze for this week’s Ford Focus. Both are fresh new designs and both represent the fastest growing segment of the auto market – the compact or small car, segment.

They happened to be sitting side-by-side as I was swapping one for the other so the comparison was easy. The Focus has a much sportier look especially with the cool black and silver 16-inch alloy wheels. Swoopier exterior styling makes the Focus look more like it wants to go quickly where ever it goes. Cruze, on the other hand, appears more conventionally stylish and conservative. full review

2012 Hybrid Buyer's Guide

When the day comes that I can attack my car to a line on the highway and sleep for 4 hours I will be a happy man. Until then I suppose we have to rely on cars that humans drive that have some electric features and don't use 100% gasoline.

While there aren't many hybrids that can be used to haul stuff around like med carts, I'm sure most that buy them aren't looking for that feature.

The trendiest vehicles on the road today are hybrids, cars and trucks powered by drive-trains that use both internal combustion engines, and electric motors for propulsion or extended range electric generation.

The two current strategies are "full hybrids", which can operate under internal combustion power only, electric power only, or a combination of the two, and "light hybrids", which use an electric motor to aid the internal combustion engine when necessary. New to the hybrid scene are "Plug-ins" which carge the vehicles battereies from various electric sources and in effect extend the electric only range.

See all North American Hybrids Ranked by MPG, MSRP, Horsepower, and capacity

2012 MAZDA5 REVIEW

The 2012 Mazda R5 is really more of a mini-van than anything. 6 passenger hatchback with a lot of cargo space. Designed much sleeker than the old box vans. Much beefier front end with a a 157-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder with Variable Valve Timing. Available in three models, the Sport trim features a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive. Standard equipment included: cloth-trimmed seats; a six-speaker audio system; and steering-wheel mounted controls. With $300 fog lights and a $430 XM radio subscription, total vehicle price came to $19,975.
A bit more than your pa electricity.

HEELS ON WHEELS REVIEW

The Mazda5 now has some honest competition with the new Toyota Pruis v. The two share a like-minded shape and boast extensive cargo configurations for a compact car. But it’s to a point, as only the Mazda5 offers a third-row and room for six. It all depends what – or who – you want to tow.