I'm confused, why aren't you hosting with Media Temple now?
It sounds like you switched from them to HostGator despite how much you like them.
I've been few a number of cheap hosts myself: made2own, dreamhost, hostpc, and others I've forgotten. I ended up with hostgator who has been pretty fantastic thus far.
If Google can successfully integrate Google+ into their other applications like gMail, gTalk, gReader, and avoid making people want to turn it off like they did with buzz, I think they have a very good shot with this one.
Sounds like you should get one of those 9-5 jobs and let your parents figure their own stuff out. If they ask for help, go for it but it's their choice. They are adults after all.
I've been few a number of cheap hosts myself: made2own, dreamhost, hostpc, and others I've forgotten. I ended up with hostgator who has been pretty fantastic thus far.