You’ll Never Believe all the Crap in This Messy Mom Car
(This is a sponsored post but all the comedy is my own.;-)
Since having kids, my car has taken on a life of its own. No matter how hard I try, it becomes a landfill in a matter of hours. Between school drop off and pickups, traveling to Cub Scouts and dance lessons, summer camps, and of course, constant trips to the grocery story, pediatrician, and pharmacy, we spend an average of two hours per day in the car.
My husband and I have a long-standing argument friendly debate about how to keep a car clean. As in, he thinks we can and I think it’s impossible. He believes we should empty out the car of all personal items each and every time we get home. Ha! Doesn’t he know that at any given moment, I could have an urgent need for baby wipes, sunscreen, or a granola bar? Or maybe we get stuck in traffic and I need things to distract the kids–extra CDs, books, coloring books and crayons, etc.. My husband even went so far as to implement a surgical booty system in his car, in an attempt to keep all the sand/dirt/mud from our shoes off the floors. That system lasted for 2.5 weeks before he had to concede that it was not only inconvenient but also ridiculous.
And who are we keeping the car clean for anyway? It’s not like we are an Uber. My husband is embarrassed for our mechanic to see the car that messy if we were to bring it for an alignment, oil change, or a diagnostic.
Cleaning the car just because you are going to the mechanic is like getting a bikini wax before going to the gyno. Not necessary. They’ve seen it all.
I swear, between all the stuff I deliberately keep in the car and all the stuff the kids accidentally leave in there, we could survive a zombie apocalypse in our car for weeks!
You’ll Never Believe all the Crap in This Messy Mom Car
How to Keep Your Car Clean with Kids…
(Disclaimer: I have NOT mastered this myself. But I’m trying! Here’s what we are attempting to do.)
- Have a “clean out before anything else rule.” When we get home from school, my kids fly inside to grab a snack or dash outside to play. I’ve instituted a rule that we can’t do ANYTHING until all of our stuff is emptied from the car. They complain, but they do it because they want to get to snack or playing faster.
- Keep the right things IN your car. Keep a supply of plastic grocery bags for garbage bags. Make kids corral all their snack garbage while you are driving. Also, keep a pack of wipes, even if your kids are well past the diaper stage. Wipes clean everything.
- Pick the right snacks. I’ve been terrible at letting them snack on whatever in the car, no matter how crumbly. No more! From now on, we’re only snacking on things that don’t make crumbs and mess. So far, I can think of fruit/gummy snacks, apples, and apple sauce packages. Anyone have any other ideas?
- If it’s muddy, it comes off. When I pick my kids up from school and sports, they are FULL of mud. I know I should get them to change and put their muddy things in the back of the car, but sometimes (MOST times) I’m in too much of a hurry for that. I’m going to try harder to keep the muddy stuff out!
- Give in and buy a “membership” to a car wash. Some have a $20 or so per month membership for unlimited washes. If that $20 saves you time and arguments with your spouse, it may be worth it!
You guys! One of the stresses of my car mess used to be lugging huge car seats and boosters around. We just discovered mifold-the grab and go booster. Totally compact portable, safe, and MomCave approved! My son is getting to the age where he feels like boosters are for babies. But I want him to stay safe. The mifold is perfect in that it’s less obtrusive, less babylike, and can fit in his backpack! Special discount for MomCavers — 15% off if you enter the code MOM15 at check out.
Bonus: These booties are what my misguided, persnickety husband thought would keep the car clean. Ha! That lasted for about a week.
We once did a MomCave LIVE episode all about the state of our mom-mobiles, with special guest Elizabeth Broadbent. You can check that out, here.
(This post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase through those links, we make a small commission at no extra cost to you. So thanks for your support!)
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11:59 am
I love this so much, Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone!