How to Use a Minivan on the Farm
See how I use my mama minivan on the farm!
Minivans aren’t typically the vehicle of choice for 25 year old women, but I am a proud minivan owner at the age of 25. I fought the idea of being a minivan mom…I didn’t want a van at all.
After owning my Town & Country for almost a year now I have to say that it was definitely the right decision for us! Minivans can do so much more than just haul messy kids around. If you are thinking of buying a minivan or if you just need a “minivan mom” pick-me-up, then read on:)
From 4-Wheel Drive Truck to 4 Door Farm Minivan
My first vehicle was a hunter green 1997 step-side Chevy Silverado Z71. I used that truck to get to school, work, & church, to haul lumber & a horse, and I might have taken it through a mudhole or two 😉
*Sorry for the grainy image…this was taken before I knew how to take decent photos.*
A couple of years later I purchased another Z71. This one was a 2003 extended cab with mud tires & a lift kit…yep, I was “that girl”.
I got tired of people asking me if I was driving my boyfriend’s or my dad’s truck so I pulled the dashboard out and painted it pink. Pink wasn’t my color, but it stopped the questions. 🙂
I LOVED the way driving a truck made me feel… “That Girl is a Cowboy” by Garth Brooks was my theme song… I felt like I set myself apart from the other girls and made it clear that I wouldn’t follow the crowd even if some people (okay, lots of people) thought I was crazy.
Fast forward to high gas prices and motherhood. I now drive around in a granny gold, front wheel drive Town & Country. The leap to minivan mom status terrified me…I thought that I would fall into the “soccer mom” mold and lose myself. There was no way that I could use & love a van like I did those Chevrolets. Then I started driving this thing! I found out that I can do just about everything with this van that I could with my trucks!
Using a Minivan on the Farm
My minivan is a child taxi, an entertainment system, and a personal party bus (check my dance moves at every red light).
This van hauls the kids to and from practices, church, and play groups while the toddler watches Dora on the DVD player.
The back hatch is the perfect spot to watch movies at the drive-in and it works great for tailgate parties (who said tailgates were just for trucks anyway?).
My minivan also serves as a temporary farm vehicle. If you happen to pass a vehicle that mirrors a scene from Breaking Bad with a man in a hooded suit driving a van, that is just my husband bringing home a wild bee swarm. Every now and then you might catch me unloading a goat or some chickens from the back hatch of my farm minivan as well.
Let’s not forget the features that make minivans great to begin with…This thing has killer storage and fold down seats (ya know, so I can fit a goat in the back)…It has automatic doors so I can make my kids think that I open them using “the force”…DVD player- ’nuff said…backup camera so I don’t run over toys or animals…and all of my kids actually fit!
I am still the same girl that I was in my Chevy(s). I still drive with my farmer grip on the steering wheel while singing Garth Brooks’ songs at the top of my lungs.
Mamas with minivans, don’t be ashamed & don’t let the mommy mobile stigma define you or bring you down. Use that van to its full potential… Make it enhance who you are instead of hiding your personality behind the sliding doors and car seats.
Make it more than a minivan.
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