DCH Honda Of Lemon Grove: Free Oil Change, Free Car Wash, And...Zoobles

Just this past winter, my beloved '93 Corolla had finally required one repair investment too many. I had always loved this car, back when my mom first bought it off the lot and years later when she passed it along to me after I finished college. The engine always remained strong, but unfortunately, many other parts started to give out. The heater broke, I had to replace the car handles after they cracked, the steering wheel started to peel from sun damage, and more. Living in El Cajon, the final straw was when the air conditioning broke after trying to fix it for the third time. I know some people are able to survive without A/C, but I just couldn't see letting my poor kids bake in their car seats.

Suddenly, I found myself in a position to buy a car for the first time. I weighed all of my many options, from buying used or new to buying from an independent seller or a commercial dealership. In the end, we decided to go with a closeout-sale Honda Civic. While we did originally check out the El Cajon Tipton Honda dealer, I ended up boycotting them after encountering pressure sales tactics. In contrast, I was much happier letting my commission go to a totally goofy, green associate at DCH Honda of Lemon Grove.

DCH Honda of Lemon Grove

The absolute sales clincher was Lemon Grove's VIP Program. I realize that the store made a profit off of the sale, and that all of the VIP treatment is their way to build customer loyalty so that they can make more profit off of us in the future. Still, I'm a sucker for deals, and the VIP Program promises us free car washes, free tire rotations, and $20 oil changes (the first one being free).

This afternoon, my husband and I took the kids to Honda to take advantage of our complimentary first oil change, including our usual free car wash. Arriving at the dealer, we dropped off the car keys and headed to the kid area of the lobby to hang out for the hour it would take to complete the job.

Our son setting up his Zoobles in the Honda kid area

Anticipating the boredom factor of waiting around, we let our son bring along a tin full of Zoobles toys per his request. Much to our son's pleasure, another boy his age showed up at the same time, and so he ended up with a built-in playmate. Click here to read my husband's account of what happened with the Zoobles (For context, read Part One about the Zoobles).

Zoobles are for anyone!

It was torture watching our son process the older brother's comment that Zoobles are for girls. It was as if we could hear our boy's thoughts: "Girl toys? No, it can't be. I love these toys, and I'm a boy." The worst part was when the older kid provided as hard proof: "Look at the colors." We could see our son starting to question himself right before us: "Okay, maybe the yellow one is 'a girl,' but the green one is still 'a boy.' Right?"

Where the Zoobles are found at Toys "R" Us

Fortunately, since my husband had immediately spoken up that everyone can play with any kind of toy, Zoobles are still in full effect for the time being. After our car was ready to go, we went to Toys "R" Us so that our son could spend his Easter money, and the first thing he wanted to check out was still the Zoobles aisle. As our boy made a beeline for the section, my husband slyly pointed out to me the sign marking the aisle as "Girls."

It is so touching that our Wittle One is still so innocently free from being held captive by many social norms. We know that our time is surely limited before he turns his back on Zoobles and anything else for "Girls." Sadly, and very likely, the words that older boy planted in his head today will probably continue to grow as he overhears more comments to the same effect. I hope that he will also internalize the advice he gets from my husband and me and not allow others to dictate what he can enjoy and who he becomes, but conformity is an overwhelming force for most kids, and even for most adults. As for today, the extra generous "Easter Bunny" funds from his grandparents allowed our son to pick out four Monster Jam Monster Trucks, a Bakugan with Bakugear, and...two Zoobles.

NOTE: For any little boys out there who may get teased about loving Zoobles, my husband Tweeted his blog posting about today's Zoobles encounter and received encouraging replies from grown men who also  love and collect Zoobles, because the toys are so colorful, cute, and cleverly designed. By the way, my husband is fan of Zoobles, as well. My son had to get his good tastes from somewhere!

Our Saturday Afternoon: An Epic Walk, Amvets, and Scooby-Doo

We love Amvets!

My family and I just returned from one of our favorite weekend activities that we call Epic Walks. On our Epic Walks, we buckle both of our kids in strollers and head out on an urban hike, stopping to run errands and window shop in stores along the way. We have several different routes that we usually take, and today's chosen path happened to include an especially fun destination: Amvets Thrift Store on El Cajon's Main Street.

En route to Amvets, we were very conscious of other pedestrians sharing the sidewalks with us. The one who stood out the most was a particularly scary-looking man we got stuck behind for a few blocks. He had a hardened gait, was covered with skull tattooes, and walked with an appropriately intimidating pit bull. Even other tough-looking people seemed wary of this fellow and kept a careful eye on him as they walked past. We were glad when he finally turned down a different direction, and before we knew it, we had arrived at Amvets.

If you've never been to Amvets before, just know to pay attention to the sign when you walk in that advertises the specials of the day. (Once inside, you can also see the specials posted above the cash registers.) The regularly marked prices on items can be hit or miss, but if you're able to cash in on the extra savings, you can score some really super deals. As you can see in the image on the right, today's deal was for 50% off of all departments, except for items with red tags. What you'll find is that a large amount of the merchandise inside will have red tags. Just look below at the Flowbee for sale, complete with its original box. It is selling for $14.95, and since it has a red tag, there is no discount. Maybe later, when red tags are on sale, someone might spring for it at less than eight dollars. But, even in all of its kitschy glory, who is going to buy it today?

Flowbee aside, all that you need on a trip to Amvets is an ability to dodge the crowds that block the aisles, a discerning eye to pick out hidden treasures amidst the over-packed and picked-through shelves, and a little bit of luck. Today, by the time we had arrived, our son had fallen asleep in his stroller. He's usually eager to check out the toy section, and so although he wasn't awake, we still made our customary stop by that area.

Hidden in a far corner, I spotted a humongous Scooby-Doo stuffed animal. I gave it a once over and determined that it was a fine specimen, very clean and well-manufactured. To sweeten the deal, the $7.95 priced Scooby had a yellow tag, which meant we could bring him home for less than four dollars. My only concern is that Scooby was so big that 1) we would still have to walk all the way home with him, and 2) he would take up a lot of space in our small home. But, my husband said we should go for it since my son happens to be a big Doo fan right now.

I managed to balance Scooby on the sun shade of my son's stroller and before checking out, I also found a cute, like-new Gap messenger bag that, while red-tagged, was only $3.95. With our new treasures secured, we continued on our Epic Walk. Now, however, as we passed other pedestrians along the way, I could see their eyes being drawn to the giant Scooby atop the stroller. There were still plenty of "hardened" looking folks that we passed, but the sight of Scooby seemed to soften them just a bit. It makes me wonder if the pit bull man we had seen earlier would have even walked a little less aggressively had he seen us with Scooby in tote.



Our son clutching Scooby tightly

My husband and I have realized as we've gotten older that, in many ways, adults are still little kids inside. I think that people build up shells around themselves as they age, but every once in a while, something will speak to their vulnerable kid self. Maybe the homeless guy who seemed to give us a longer than normal glance was once able to live in a home where he got to watch Scooby-Doo on Saturday mornings. Perhaps seeing Scooby out on a walk took him momentarily back to a safe feeling he may have had all of those years ago.

The icing on the cake was when our son woke up, and we saw his eyes light up at the sight of Scooby. I think it took him a little while to realize he wasn't dreaming. Maybe someday when he is all grown up, Scooby-Doo will be a trigger that is able to speak to his tender child's heart. I know it is something that will always remind me of this young, innocent-version of him. I can hear his voice in my head asking, "Scooby-Doo, where are you?" He always answers himself in his best Scooby voice, "I'm here!" Tonight that'll be more true than ever. Scooby's here. He's officially home.