7 year car loans?

I read in the newspaper yesterday, that people are increasingly rolling over their debt on their cars when they purchase a new car.  They put no money down on the new car and thus owe more on their new car than it was ever worth, even new.  To accommodate them, lenders are increasing loans to 7 or 8 YEARS!

I find this alarming.  The couple profiled in the photo had traded in their 2001 suburban for something like a Ford Excursion.  Never mind the horrendous gas mileage of both cars or the fact that the overwhelming majority of SUV drivers never take them off the road.  If you have to take a seven year loan to buy a car (at which point your interest is double the original purchase price of the car) maybe you should buy a cheaper car that you can afford!

Sure, I could've purchased a BMW wagon or an Audi wagon for $10,000-$15,000 more than my Passat, and could've financed it for 6 or more years, but instead I chose to buy a car that (a) would leave me with reasonable monthly payments over 5 years and (b) I could put a decent down payment on.  Five years later, I have a car that's still worth more than even my downpayment of $5000, mostly because I have only 50,000 miles on it.  Why are people driving cars that they can't afford?  Why are they rolling over loans that should be paid off?  Why are lending institutions rolling over loans in the first place?  Whatever happened to the down payment?

I feel like such a dinosaur.  I bought a car I could afford, threw in a $5000 down payment and financed for five years.  I must admit, I felt bad about financing for 5 years.  I should've financed for four years.  Oh well.  This article made me feel responsible.  Unlike, apparently, many American consumers.

2007 was the year I started to cook

It dawned on me last night that 2007 was the year I started to cook.  On the cusp of my 40's, I bought a new cookbook, got inspired and realized not only was it fun to cook, but that it was also good for my kids.

What did I do before I cooked?  well, before I had the kids, I would go to the restaurant for food, or I would nuke weight watchers frozen dinners.  I had my favorites (WW pepperoni pizzas, lasagna),  and Leone would guiltily eat them too.  Now that I think about it, I spent A LOT of money on frozen foods.

Then Chiara started to get older and tired of eating fusilli from the restaurant every night.  Mario moved out of baby foods and demanded food that he could feed himself.  Most importantly, I started working 60% and now not only had the time to do more cooking, but the financial incentive.  We used to eat out for lunch on Saturday and Sunday and dinner on Sunday at River Kwai.  At this point, we are down to one meal out per week, if that.  Bad for the local economy, but better for our pocketbooks.  It's also a heck of a lot of fun to eat as a family, not to mention less stressful, as noisy and/or difficult children can be more easily contained.

Now Leone comes home at night and eats the fritatta I've left for him in the fridge or the asian chicken burgers I made for the kids that night.

The other part of the cooking equation was the new cookbook I bought.  Prior to 2007, I had pretty much only used a weight watchers pasta cookbook.  I was bored with it.  On Jasmine Payne's recommendation, I bought the Cooking Light cookbook and was totally inspired.  I have made 20+ recipes out of it and haven't even scratched the surface.  I've made popovers, pancakes, fritattas, italian meatloaf, cookies and the list could go on and on.

Now my kids can play kitchen and can whisk and measure items just like mommy does!  I just bought a cupcake cookbook (as cupcakes will play a large role in the lives of my kids over the next few years) and am planning on buying a muffin cookbook and a quick-bread cookbook.  Together with all my new cooking tools (food processor, george foreman grill) I am planning on 2008 bringing more cooking and eating adventures.

children's discovery museum of the desert

After the little red haired boy woke up from his nap yesterday, Grandpa and I took both kids to the children's Discovery Museum of the Desert (CDMOD).  Compared to the last time we were there, the place was packed.  Nevertheless the kids had a great time.  They both shopped in the pint-sized "grocery store" (complete with scanner and cash register), which was a big hit, painted a VW bug and generally ran around like crazy children.  The kids had a fun-packed two hours and were sad to leave the museum.

Once again, I have to wonder, why can't Riverside have a museum like this?  Why do I have to drive to Pasadena, or Rancho Mirage or Santa Ana for goodness sake, to go to a children's museum?

popovers!

I was searching for things to make for breakfast that weren't pancakes or waffles.  We've been eating a lot of those lately.

So I stumbled on a recipe for popovers in the cooking light cookbook.  I had never eaten popovers.  They looked a little like the "egg Puff" recipe I found in the Jessica Seinfeld cookbook, but the recipe required something called a popover pan.

I ordered one from Amazon (gotta love free shipping and no tax!), it arrived on Wednesday, and I made my first batch of popovers on Thursday morning.

The opinionated little girl decided that they were burned (they weren't) and refused to eat any of her popover until I slathered it with strawberry jam and powdered sugar.  That did the trick.  The little red haired boy was not choosy and gobbled his popovers with glee.  The Chef also ate his popovers, which as always, was a huge boost to my ego.  I ate TWO popovers, since the reduced fat recipe translates to two points each!  This means that each popover is the equivalent of a cup of yogurt.  Yeah!

popovers will definitely be made again...

the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

I remember hearing this saying about a band once, in the 80's and thought it was a pretty interesting saying.

I think it applies to the strong willed girl's christmas gifts this year.  A few years ago, Grandpa and Grandma got her a little kitchen.  It had plates, cups and bowls, but that's it.  She really only started playing with it seriously this year.  This Christmas, Grandpa and Grandma got the kids a small table and chairs.  Santa brought them cooking utensils, pots and pans and wooden food.  All were very much enjoyed.

However, the thing that brought them all together was the tent cafe complete with door and awning that Nonna gave the kids.  We took the tent upstairs, put it over the kitchen (so now the tent has an indoor kitchen) and put the table and chairs under the awning.  The strong willed girl and the little red haired boy both proceeded to cook, serve meals (even espresso!) and generally entertain themselves in their bedroom without me having to be there!  Brilliant!  While the other gifts were great on their own, the tent/cafe really brought everything together.  I will have to thank Nonna profusely the next time I see her.  This gift just hit it out of the ballpark.

Santa's big hits-and misses

So far, the toy that has been the biggest hit is the cooking set.  I didn't foresee that both kids would love it so much, but when we came home from Grandpa and Grandma's house on Christmas eve, they both rushed to the pots and pans and immediately started mixing and mashing and preparing foods.  The wooden toy food set is also getting a lot of use.  So far the strong-willed girl has dragged both Grandpa and Grandma upstairs to the bedroom so that she can prepare meals for them.  She has also expressed the wish that the table and chairs that grandma and grandpa bought for them be moved upstairs so that she has a place to serve her meals.  She has also requested more plates and some cutlery.

While the little red haired boy is obviously less verbal in his play with the kitchen, he too has been spotted madly whisking imaginary food in his stock pot and pretending to eat his food.  He doesn't like to come downstairs when he is deep in kitchen play.

The toys that have been the least popular have been the O-balls, which surprises me.  I think they are really cool (and maybe this is the problem) because they are easy to catch and throw and practically indestructible.  The kids have played with them, but not with nearly as much enthusiasm as the kitchen set.

So, Santa made some good picks!  Hooray for Santa Claus!

No bread???!!! A call to arms

I am making roasted red bell pepper/fontina cheese and grilled chicken sandwiches.  I forgot to ask Leone to bring bread home from the restaurant, so I sent my mom off to Ralphs to pick up a baguette or some other type of bread to make the pannini.

Ralphs is closed.  Trader Joe's is closed.  Vons is open, but their bakery section is completely cleared out.  There is no bread in the city of Riverside.  This is a travesty!

Yes, I could have planned ahead and purchased my bread yesterday.  But that would have required actual planning.  Not previously one of my strengths, and certainly not one at this stage of my life.  Emergency phone calls to Leone (who is making orders at the restaurant) are going unreturned.

Coincidentally, I was catching up on my "Splendid Table" podcasts this afternoon and I heard about a book that says you can have fresh, artisanal bread every day in your house in just 5 minutes.

Perhaps this is a sign that I should get the book???

Oh the weather outside is frightful

The Santa Ana winds are blowing somethin' fierce this morning.  By now I'm sure half of Malibu has burned down.  It's a good morning to sleep in, eat some pancakes and relax on the couch under a warm blanket with a book.

However, I have two small children, so I will have to settle for eating some pancakes.  For the moment, I am the only awake Palagi in the house (apart from Trapper) and I am enjoying some time to myself.  Aaaaaaaaah!