Our new Highlander has all these features that I keep discovering. First is the fact that I can connect my phone to the car via Bluetooth (which I know is not a new thing, but it’s new to me). The other day I drove to work listening to one of my early morning telecons through the car speakers instead of my headphones. Neat!
Next is the fact that the car has a USB input. I plugged in my iPhone to see if it would charge via USB (it does) and in doing so, discovered that there is a whole iPod/iPhone interface built into the system. I can scroll through playlists and songs straight from the stereo. Another neat thing!
MPG estimator. Also: Yes that says 100 degrees. CURSING ENSUED.
Finally, there is the real-time estimation of the miles per gallon you’re getting. It turns out I am kind of obsessed with watching this number and trying to make it go up. The result so far is mainly that it makes me drive like my dad — no sudden accelerations! start coasting early when there’s a stoplight ahead instead of slamming on the brakes at the last moment! slow down!
Anyway.
Thanks to all those who commented about cloth vs. disposable diapers the other day. Your comments were definitely helpful! Environmental impact seems to be a driver for a lot of people using cloth, but to be totally blunt I’m not really concerned about that. Still, I’ve been leaning towards giving cloth a try — and I don’t really know why. I guess it just seems more comfortable, or something? But I also recognize that I am pretty lazy sometimes, therefore I’m definitely not opposed to using disposables, especially when convenience dictates. So basically? I’m completely wishy-washy on the subject. At this point I’m thinking I will get a few cloth diapers and covers so that once baby is here, we can give them a trial run and make a final decision then. I even came across several places that offer cloth diaper “trial kits,” which may be a nice option.
This is basically one example of my biggest (and really only) frustration with all things baby-related at the moment. I hate trying to predict in advance what is or isn’t going to work for us, or what we will and won’t like!
Love the MPG calculator — I started a new book a few months ago keeping track of my mileage, cost of gas, etc. I have all the information for almost 7 years of fill-ups w/ my Highlander.
P.S. GLAD you’re driving more like Dad these days!
Exactly — there’s no telling what will/won’t work for people. Our son was kind of “meh” about the swing, for example, but other people will SWEAR by their swing and say it’s the only way their baby will sleep. Luckily, ours was lent to us so we weren’t out any money (but you can spend LOTS on all the bells & whistles). You can, by the way, find some pretty decent stuff if you keep checking at the various resale shops around the area, which can help keep costs down. Anyway, yeah… it’s definitely a guessing game.