Scrutiny by the Masses

Ford Driving Skills for Life

Recently, my daughter and I were invited to attend Ford Motor Company's Driving Skills for Life. (This was a paid for trip, all travel and expenses were paid.) The basis of this program is to teach teenage drivers how to drive safer, in a more aware manner, and - let's face it - live longer. Accidents are the number 1 killer of teenagers.

Teen drivers are a particularly high-risk group because they lack behind-the-wheel experience.  Analysis of NHTSA’s traffic data shows that in 2011 there were about 2,300 traffic fatalities involving teens between the ages 15 – 19. Ford helps teens stay safe behind the wheel through programs such as Driving Skills for Life, which teaches advanced driving skills to new drivers to help them gain critical experience in difficult situations.

• 56 percent of teens surveyed plan to drive themselves to school, 36 percent of those may have two or more passengers in their vehicle. Studies have shown having passengers in the car can contribute to distracted driving for inexperienced teen drivers. 

• More than half of the teens said they become distracted by others in the car, including 56 percent of boys and 63 percent of girls. There are many different sources of distraction including talking on a hand-held cell phone, texting, grooming, eating, drinking, using GPS, and even manually adjusting the radio or MP3 player.

• 40 percent of teens surveyed admit to speeding “sometimes, often or always.” Speeding is a contributing factor for crash risk and higher crash speeds may have a higher injury risk.

And, yeah, when the instructors asked my daughter if she texted and drove, she said, "Of course! I'm very good at it. I'm a master!" Oy, vey. I hid my face in my hands.

We were taught by race car drivers, driving experts who had taught Indy Car drivers, and my kiddo was taught to check the safety of her car before anything. The instructors went over oil pressure, tire depth, and all of the other things associated with automotive safety that, let's face it, kids overlook in favor of the stereo. 

We were taken to a course set up to measure our ability to "drive distracted" - we were asked to mess with the driver, talk loudly, told to change the radio to an unknown station, change lanes suddenly, add the wipers - and send a text.

My kiddo failed. I passed with 100% - the driver complimented my ability to never, ever be distracted. I have good driving habits, y'all.

We tested braking distance, learned how to do doughnuts safely and recover from them,  and talked a lot about drunk and impaired driving - with an impromptu lesson on  avoiding drugs at parties.

These Ford DSFL classes are taught all over the United States, and geared towards Driver's Ed classes - in fact, there was an entire school at the event we attended. Sometimes, with teens, it's very difficult to get them to realize that your lectures and instructions are cemented in the truth - but allowing them to participate in these types of hands on experiments will get the truth home like nothing you could ever say. 

Here is a short little video I made to illustrate how much fun the trip was - including the time I saw my daughter do the drunk "Walk of Shame" (note that she failed - she needed to keep her arms by her side, walk a straight line, take 9 heel to toe steps and count out loud) and her doughnut driving expertise.

 

If you ever have the ability to attend a Fod DSFL event with your teen, or even by yourself, make every effort to do so. It's worth every minute of it.

Go Further with Ford - The Race Track Part

I am not the most car savvy of people. I can't tell you horsepower, specs, size, capacity, turbo or not. I can show you the spark plugs, the oil pan, the coolant, the radiator, and the battery.

That's about it. Despite having a father who was a mechanic - and my father's father was a mechanic, and my brothers are mechanics - I'll give you $1 if you can tell me what movie that's from! - wait, that line was a lie.

Only my dad was a mechanic. Sorry. I got carried away.

Anyway, my long winded point is - you can tell me virtually anything you want about a car and I'm going to stand there and nod along. I'll PRETEND like I understand. But put me behind the wheel of a car, and I'll be able to tell you in about .425 seconds if I like it and why.

I will leave the specs and the intricate details of why the new Ford cars are amazing to a couple of the guys I went on the trip with - Chris DeMorro, Seth Leitman, Jeffrey Powers and Christopher Tracy can hook you up with virtually any specs, information, details, trivia that one might want. They are much, much smarter than I am - but I'm easier on the eyes - and I often wonder how I got in with such smart guys.

I'm still wondering. But, darn it if I didn't have more fun than should be legal on this trip.

The first stop, since I was hanging with the boys, was, of course, the MUSTANG course. We literally RAN from the breakfast table - and we were the first people in line. I rode with Chris, who has yet to share his footage, but I swiped Christopher's footage of his tour with Seth.

 

I drove a Ford Focus Electric - which can go 100 miles on one charge - and I neglected to get my own video chip - so here is one of me as a passenger. I apparently can't remember to do anything - but I can promise you that I loved this car. It was fun and fast and roomy, with plenty of power and didn't lag on the turns or leave me wishing for more.

 

The scariest drive was the off road course in the Ford Raptor. I have two videos - here is one that is not mine (Thanks, Christopher!)  but it shows the course:

 

We had to wear helmets and lining and everything. And when I was in line, I kept telling Christopher - I'm scared, I'm really scared - and he was so kind - I think the exact words he used were Shut up, already.

It might have been Stop talking. It's hard to hear in those helmets.

And then here is my very poorly shot video from my phone:

  

I'm not gonna lie. I want a Raptor now.

The most fun, though, was when Seth and I drove - if you can call it driving, I think it was slightly more spirited than that - a Ford Police Interceptor.

I could describe it - but why? I could give you lots of details and lots of information - or I could just, you know, show you.

 

We had the lights and sirens on. Seth screamed over the radio. We even called people out. Even my son the almost cop. (You hear me saying that we are going to get in trouble because we finished one drive, and instead of letting the next group go, Seth convinced the man that we needed to go again - I seriously thought we were going to get involved in a crowd altercation.)

Mad, mad thanks to Ford, who provided me with one of the most fun days I've ever had, with three of the most fun guys I've ever hung out with, and allowed us to try to burn all of the rubber off the tires on their cars.

It was AMAZING, and I'm not gonna lie - I really, really want to drive that Police Interceptor course again - and I really want a Raptor.

Go Further with Ford - The Classroom Part

Recently, I had the distinct pleasure to be sent to the Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. I was sent to learn more about the future of the Ford company - to learn where they are headed in terms of technology, sustainability, ecology, and the future of a car company that, not too long ago, had one of the worst reputations in the car industry.

Oh. I can say that because my first car *was* a Ford. A Ford Pinto. A 1976 dark green Ford Pinto, with a yellow stripe, and a hubcap size rust spot hidden under the floor boards, so that you could do the Fred Flinstone if, say, your clutch froze and you couldn't go faster than 22 mph on the highway - until your dad did an engine overhaul, giving you a manual clutch that was the envy of all your friends.

Or maybe I'm fantasizing again.

The trip was broken into three days - Day one was travel and a dinner at Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions. I *love* me some football, and so the opportunity to kick a field goal on Ford Field was one that I just couldn't pass up.

Getting my prep lessons from a super patient football guy

 

Yes. I kick like a girl. In a dress and flip flops. Wanna make something of it??

It didn't make it over the goal. Came really, really close, though.

The second day was classroom type instruction. There were four rotations - Technology, Sustainabilty, Design and Innovation. You selected the sessions in which you were most interested and your day was scheduled according to this arrangement

I picked the Technology session for my first, because I'm most interested in it, and I think Ford does an amazing job integrating technology in a customer friendly way. My husband drives a Chrysler, and they have a similar system, but I find it so frustrating to use that I don't even bother. I love my Jeep more than is probably advisable, but the My Ford Touch system that they have makes me more than slightly covetous.

Notes from the session that really stuck out for me:

• 67% of people believe most people would be better off with a simpler lifestyle
• 46% wish lives were less cluttered - I know I do, but I rarely do anything to make it better (except complain)
• Consumer reality - daily commute is 47 minutes a day and they expect on demand connectivity
• Ford introduced voice control in 2007 to minimize distractions. Eyes on the road hands on the wheel. Imbedded voice control brought in (phones) and beamed in and built in.
• Creating a stylish car, a seductive car, means a fun car that will be bought
• Approach your purchases as if you will only buy one for life
• We live in a remix culture - I laughed when I heard this, but it was so very true.

I did shoot a couple of photos of some relevant boards:

The Design panel was next. Apparently, these are famous people. Apparently, I am clueless, because I not only didn't know who they were, but wondered why I was hearing what seemed to me to be a lecture on how important these people were -

when I wanted to see where the design was done. That was the second half, and it was much more interesting. Imagine, if you will, a car, created out of clay. And imagine that your job is to create in that clay - all day long. Wouldn't that be the best day EVER? Watching the gentleman customize the styling, changing this flare or that, and then moving along to the paint and interior, showed me the level of detail that Ford puts into their cars.

 

Notes from the Urbanization session - it was really neat to read the boards from each session

I learned a lot in this session, although I did have to question one fact. It was presented that kids in the 15-20 (ish, I was, ahem, chatting when the figure was represented) are becoming less interested in getting their drivers licenses. I don't see this at all in my life. Not at all. My two who have their licenses, the next up coming, and the hundreds of their friends have all, to a man, been anxious to get their licenses. Maybe in cities that have great public transit and/or really good walk scores (do you know yours? My city rates at a 40 - very low) but I asked for back up on her figure.

I didn't get it. A friend found it and gave it to me - it was on the Internet - and I wonder if I believe facts from the Internet. :)

Maybe my kids want their licenses so they can get away from me. Hmmm.

I am really, really impressed with the work Ford does to make their cars both recyclable and eco friendly. Electric cars, internal fabrics made from recycled jeans and plastic water bottles and so much more that I can't remember.

This day of the trip left me with a really favorable impresion of Ford as a company. I like the direction that they are taking. The next post will tell you what I thought of Ford, the cars, as I participated in a few test drives.

Disclaimer- Ford paid for me & 256 other famous people from the Internet to fly to Dearborn, fed us food, poured drinks down our throats, and forced us to shred their rubber.  I didn’t hurt any tires, but I tried.( H/T to Christopher Tracy for the stellar disclaimer.)

 

Forward With Ford - Technologically Genius

Forward with Ford - part 1

Forward with Ford - part 2

I drive a 2002 Dodge Ram van with an extended cab. Think airport shuttle. Long, long airport shuttle. In fact, once when I went to the airport to pick up my mom, a woman standing on the side waved to me. When I rolled down the window, she said, "Is this the shuttle to the Marriot?" When I said no, she then asked, "Well, can you give me a ride anyway?"

True story.

Like just about any long airport van, it's big on cargo space but short on amenities. I have satellite radio - but only that, and only because I added it myself. Other than that, it's a pretty bare bones vehicle.

I've been a fan of the Ford Sync program for a year or two, ever since I was first exposed. I love technology, love my phone and the ability to integrate the two seems pretty awesome to me.

Here is a really great overview of the Sync program - this video is about 4 minutes long.

 

Let's start with some statistics:

- 2008 really begins technology with the advent of the iPhone

- Touch activation is the newest in the technology menu, to be followed by voice activation. The newest upcoming will be movement activation, as an example - kinect. It's not a leap to imagine in being integrated into cars. This concept actually makes me a little leery - what if you made a movement that the car misinterpreted and you caused a crash?

- Ford is working on integrating phone apps into cars. Sync is the Ford program that is designed to do it all with voice recognition. One of the best examples I saw of this is the Nuance System, with Dragon Speech Recognition. Do you have an iPhone? Download the FREE app - it will literally change your life. You never have to type anything - you speak and it records, converts to text and with a touch, you can update your twitter, facebook, blog, send a text or email. I've used it a zillion times in the past five days and it's my absolute favorite.  The difficulty with much voice recognition is the reality that there are about 32 different accents in the United states. The more you use the voice recognition the more it recognizes yours.  One recognizable area of difficulty is diction, and Ford says that they are working to clear up diction difficulties.

The Ford vehicles offer an open platform. Cool. Right? Well, that depends on if you know what an open platform is. And I did not. So.

What is an open platform?

From Wikipedia: In software and web-based architectures, an Open platform describes a software system which is based on open standards such as published and fully documented external programming interfaces that allow using the software to function in other ways than the original programmer intended, without requiring modification of the source code. Using these interfaces, typically known as an application programming interface (API), a 3rd party could integrate with the platform to add functionality. In my understanding, it's a set of hardware and software that enables you to make changes to the vehicle. You can use any phone - not just an iPhone or droid. There is no giant hard drive in the car. It's instead about connectivity of the devices that you have rather than transferring it all for ease of use. Additional updated Material can be downloaded from USB, the cloud, or a phone app.

The Sync program might remind you of OnStar, offered in many GM cars. What makes Sync better than Onstar? Onstar is essentially a built in cellphone. It is useful but becomes obsolete as soon as you have a phone or have upgraded your phone. In addition, it won't integrate your music or texing.

Long term goal: you say what you want and the car does it. Although I wonder if it will ever come to the point where you speak the direction you'd like to turn, and your car follows. That is really a scary concept to me.

I'm a huge fan of Pandora radio. I LOVE it. And I'm not alone - 50 million people listen to pandora at least once a month. Sync will now integrate a Pandora station to be played. If you have Pandora on your phone, you can't speak to the pandora app -UNTIL you get into a Ford car equipped with Sync. This is something I'd really love. Never again do you have to suffer through listening to a song you don't like because you don't have a music player - you just create a station with your favorites.

The ultimate goal of the Ford Sync for the car is to minimize distraction to the driver. A driver using the Sync can find a song in just over 4 seconds, while a driver using a thumbwheel to look for a song takes more than 20 - so this technology makes sense.

I would dearly love to drive a car with the Sync program. It does everything I want.

 

Forward With Ford - The Aging Population

This is probably the longest post of this series, so empty thy bladder and grabbest a cup of coffee before pulling up the page. It's full of good info and I think we all can relate.

The first session I attended in the Forward with Ford Conference dealt with the realities of the aging population. How do I fit into this demographic?

I'm 41. So not a old person, clearly. (Unless you catch me at boxing class. Then I feel like a dinosaur, working out with guys 18-25.) My husband is 56. My mom is older than him, and my father in law will be 90 in a week. So I do deal with the older people as they are driving.

And may I say that the funniest thing ever - and I love my husband, so I can totally say this - is watching him drive his work car? He drives a 2011, and it has all the bells and gadgets and whistles that one can want - and it's mostly wasted on him. He doesn't have a smart phone, has no interest in many of the technological advances, and turns off his forward collision warning and parking adapters because the beeping makes him crazy. He doesn't really understand Pandora radio, goes online because he has to, and his most common comment to me is Do you have to be looking at your phone every second of the day???

Forward With Ford - The Background

I was delighted to be sent to Detroit to attend the Focus with Ford conference. It was an amazing time, and I never thought I'd say this again in my lifetime - but I want to buy a Ford.

Hold me now, Internetz. The lightning, she be coming my way.

My first car was a 1976 dark green Ford Pinto. Yes, the car that had the reputation - deservedly so - of exploding when hit in the back. The floorboard had rusted out, in a circle of about 7 inches in diameter, and the engine throttle kept sticking, so my dad retrofitted it with a manual throttle. Picture me, trying to take off from a stop light. The car won't accelerate, and so I have to slowly let out the manual throttle -

But not too fast. Because that would flood it and the car would die.

I was HOT. Let me tell you what.

Gatorade Sports Mom

I'm in Chicago on a trip for Gatorade. I'm happy to say that I still love Chicago - it's my second favorite city - and I'm really looking forward to my trip to the Gatoarde headquarters tomorrow to learn about the science behind sports nutrition for our kids.

I'll be participating in a Twitter/Gatorade trivia contest. Are you following me on Twitter? Add me @mttsm and if you answer the questions correctly, you could win one of FOUR Gatorade Sports Mom Survival Packs.

Here are the details of the Twitter event:

What: Gatorade Twitter Trivia Contest with Gatorade Sports Moms
When: Monday, May 2 between 9 am and 3 pm Central Time
Who: Everyone! Anyone on Twitter can enter
Hashtag: Use the hashtag #SportsMoms to mark your answers
Prizes: Winners will receive a Gatorade Sports Mom Survival Pack, which includes:

• Gatorade dri-fit shirt (women’s cut)
• Gatorade water bottle
• Gatorade towel
• Gatorade drawstring bag
• 18.4 oz of Gatorade 02 Powder (makes 4 qt of Gatorade)

 

GSK, The Flu Shot, and Me

I went on a trip to Philidelphia to tour the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine plant. My flight, hotel, cab fare and meals were covered expenses. The opinions represented in this post are all mine and were not compensated in any way.This is a VERY long post, and yet I feel strongly about it and would really appreciate if you would take the time to read it in it's entirety.

I've been writing my main blog for about 8 years now. Maybe a little bit longer, for I remember writing about my 8 year old when she was a baby and mentioning how quiet she was. Yeah, as if THAT continued. I've met some really phenomenal people while doing this awesome thing called blogging, and I've had some amazing opportunites offered to me. I'm not one of those bloggers who makes an enormous amount of money from blogging, doing reviews or selling ads. I've been really lucky to go on some awesome trips and luckily, one of those opportunities presented itself this past week.

When I was a child, I vaguely remember the topic of vaccines coming up, but not ever in a questioning kind of manner. More of an "ugh, why do I have to do this?" type thing. When I had my first child, I remember being scared of vaccinating him, especially as I had friends who were solidly and adamantly in the anti vaccine category. My mother was emphatic in her thought that I absolutely should vaccinate, and my husband was equally adamant.

And so I vaccinated all six of my children, on schedule and fully. Except for the chicken pox. I'll get to that discussion in a minute.

Energizer SmartChargHER - No One Deserves It More!

This is my entry into the Energizer SmartChargHER contest, in which two lucky people will win $2000 to spend at Blogher from 2 different sites - so, by my (admittedly poor) math skills, that makes four.

Your fluffy pink bunny, while cute with his go-go antics and endless drum-thumping energy, has got nothing on me. I'm a mom, so I'm naturally one of the busiest creatures on earth. However, I'm a mom to not one, not two, but SIX children. That means short of having a third arm installed, the highest-powered Energizer battery you've got installed in my back is tops on my wish list. There's piles of laundry, cooking, soccer practice, 3 kids to muay thai practice, a broken down van, always a birthday party to plan and a blog to be written. Let's not forget that each of the half-dozen little darlings needs the TLC that only a mother can give. I'm behind before I even get out of bed.

That's just my Tuesday.

My non-branded batteries get recharged at the gym, when I focus on my me-time by my own training, Muay Thai style. Since we haven't reached Jeston-status and I'm not likely to run off an Energizer battery anytime soon, this is where I go to unplug, recharge, and make sure I'm running on all volts to be a healthier, stronger, happier mom to the kids who have have helped me acquire the title "Mom to the Screaming Masses." We've got Energizers in DS players, in the flashlights that they use to play flashlight tag, and rolling around in the junk drawer. The one thing that REALLY needs an Energizer battery is me - and, believe me, if I could slip an Energizer or two in my back - it'd be sweet.

Pick me! Pick me! I badly need to recharge and regroup at Blogher '10 - cuz it's the only vacation I'm going to get alone for a long, long time.

The Kitchen Ninja is Ninja-riffic!

The EuroPro company paid my travel expenses and my hotel stay for the launch of their new product, The Kitchen Ninja. The company sent me the product, a steam mop and a vacuum for my enjoyment. All opinions in this review are my own. I did love NYC tremendously and this was a great trip. Especially meeting great friends and seeing myself on the Today Show - but I NEVER should have worn those sweatpants! Eek!

The EuroPro company sent me to NYC to see the launch of their new product, the Kitchen Ninja. I always love New York, and, very surprisingly, I had NO Bad Travel Karma. Shhh.  Maybe I lost it. Be very quiet. Maybe it won't find me again. I was put up in a great hotel and after a wonderful dinner out with Ilina from Dirt and Noise, Kim from Hormone Colored Days, and Jenn From Frugal Upstate at Ellen's Stardust Diner, we walked about 100 blocks through Times Square to the LUSH store  (my idea!  Sorry, ladies - I love to walk!) and headed to a sponsored meet and greet. I bailed after about 15 minutes - I was tired and it was just too much noise and too crowded. I needed my sleep.

The next day we walked about another 100 blocks to get to the Mandarin Oriental.  Seriously, the most beautiful hotel ever. Filing into the hall, we were greeted by Food Networks own Robin Miller, who proceeded to show us the many uses and the stunning capabilities of the Kitchen Ninja -

And then we were able to lay our hands on not only the Ninja, but the Steam Mop, the Steamer, and several different versions of vacuum cleaners. We were allowed to select which products we wanted to try at home, and I picked the Ninja, the Steam Mop and a vacuum. All of which came very quickly!

And, you know what? I am impressed with the Ninja! I was really very skeptical, but it actually does what it claims - it blends things smoothly and cleanly. Ice shaves to a powder - especially great for mixed drinks - so say my friends who came over for a fight party. We use this product EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  we make smoothies, chocolate milk, milk shakes, mixed drinks, coffee drinks - the double blades blend everything to a smooth and creamy consistency. My husband drinks the MOST disgusting combination every morning - skim milk, grape juice, carrots, spinach, banana, raw oatmeal, wheat germ, peanut butter - and it all blends to a consistency that is easy to get down.

Not so easy to look at, but whatever. The Ninja isn't a miracle worker.

I especially like that fact that the Ninja won't operate unless the lid is locked in place - which means that my kids are denied access to the double blades - an important safety feature that is vital with my special brand of curious kids. It also keeps the product off my ceiling. No, don't look up. Really. Don't. It's not pretty - I don't recommend whirring hot spaghetti sauce in your blender. Sigh.

The Ninja comes with a the 2-cup mixing bowl and a 48-ounce pitcher, Both the bowl and the pitcher come with lids, so it's easy to store them in the fridge right in those containers. The Ninja retails for about $50 and can be found in various retailers. I am happy to recommend this product!