Are you kidding me?

Clink! Rattle, Rattle!

"Mama! I think there is something wrong with the car!"

The three kids were loaded into the car and we were on our way to pick up my cousin and mom so we could travel to the Reptile Museum (2+ hours away). We have had the new Tahoe less than a year...it must be a flat tire. Thankfully, I was pulling into the gas station so I had the perfect reason to check it out. Cars were lined up, impatiently waiting like children waiting for a treat, so I stopped along the side and got out of the car. I carefully inspected each tire. No leaks....now what?

I drove out of the way, parked the car, and picked up the phone. My instinct is always to call my mom or husband when something doesn't go right....today was my husband's turn. My husband is usually long gone to work by now but he slept in late because of a late hockey game last night. Boy was I ever happy of that. I quickly called him as he walked out the door.

"You will never believe this...the Tahoe is acting funny and there is an orange light nagging at me."

"Do you know what the light means? Where are you at? I'll come meet you there."

While we waited for my husband to arrive, I flipped through the owners manual in the car. Orange square like object that blinks non-stop like a metronome....found it! It was not a quick and easy fix. Turn off car and restart after 10 seconds. If light continues to flash, slowly drive to the nearest dealership to avoid expensive repairs (my loose translation). Oh boy...this day was not going to go as planned.

When my husband arrived, I gave him the manual and let him take it for a test drive.

"Looks like we need to bring it to the dealership (thankfully it's less than 10 minutes away). Try to use the battery as much as you can."

I climbed back into the car (screaming child included) and began the slow trek to the dealership. We have a Hybrid so the car runs on the battery when you coast, break, or drive with minimal acceleration under 30 mph. I am not a slow driver, so trying to stay on the battery was a bit of a challenge. I hate being the one to hold up traffic...thankfully there were minimal people on the road today.

When we got to the dealer, we were informed that they would try to look at it today but their earliest appointment wasn't until 2 tomorrow afternoon. Are you kidding me? OMGoodess, what was I going to do? Why don't dealerships give you a replacement car when it poops out on you? What do families do that are privileged enough to have multiple cars at home?

We loaded the boys into the back of my husband's Honda and I tightly wrapped my arms around the infant car seat in the passenger seat. This was not ideal, nor safe. Please don't let there be any police out...and keep those crazy drivers away.

We made it home safely and are still waiting for a report on what is wrong with the car. Thankfully it's covered under warranty but I sure hope they fix it quickly. Our cars aren't equipped for three children without it.

 I sure hope that April runs a little smoother than it started out.