Have you ever thought about the things you keep in your car? Before I had kids, my car was almost spotless. These days? It’s a borderline nuclear situation at times. Cleaning out my mom car is something that I should do often, yet never do.
Things In My Mom Car
1. I keep a roll of quarters because we are forever parking in town and need change to feed the meters. Also? I they double as lunch money for Malone. Nothing says I love you more than a baggie full of quarters for hot lunch on pizza day.
2. I sort my mail in the car. Weird right? But, when I come in the house I’m likely carrying the baby, Malone’s preschool sized back pack, and the tote bag we use as a diaper bag. It is so much easier to sort the mail in the car, throw the bills in the diaper bag, and leave the junk mail in the car.
3. I use the console of our Subaru to hold things for safe keeping. I have a few family photos of my grandparents as kids and a necklace my grandmother made there. That way in case the house burns to the ground, I’ll still have a piece of them with me.
4. The trunk of our car is covered in sand from our trips to Cape Cod last summer. I’ve vacuumed out the front of the car several times, but I can’t bring myself to vacuum out the back. Every time I see the sand, it takes me back to the waves, sunshine, and my pregnancy with Lola (who was born in August).
5. When Malone gets bored in the car, he takes off his socks and shoes. It usually happens when we are on the way home from being out and about. If he takes them off, he can either choose to put them back on himself or walk in barefooted from the curb to the car. It is a simple cause and effect parenting tactic for us. I bet there are at least seven pairs of socks in the back of the Subaru at any given time, which is why there are never enough clean ones in his drawer. Also? He only took his socks and snow boots off once this winter. I’m sure you can put two and two together to figure out why.
6. Malone is curating a fine art collection worth millions of dollars on the preschool market in the door handle by his seat. Here is where he stores his most prized possessions. In a tiny space the size of an Altoid tin, he’s got a brand new 2014 penny, a rock shaped like a heart, a Match Box Car, and a fortune from a fortune cookie. There is also a blue ink pen that tends to make a cameo. Let’s hope it hasn’t exploded back there some where.
7. When the weather is nice, I keep a just in case tote bag in the trunk. In it contains a beach towel, a pair of Malone’s swim trunks, a change of clothes, and sunscreen. I’ll swap our in case of emergency winter gear bag out (hats, gloves, scarves, and sweatshirts) now that we’re (hopefully) done with the snow.
8. There are no less than 6 baby transporting devices in my car at this very moment. I’ve got two strollers, an infant car seat, a sling, and an Ergo. I have one baby. This is obscene. What is even worse is that both strollers are Snap & Go style. I like them both for different reasons. I should probably just pick one and stick with it.
9. Just like babies come with a lot of gear, preschoolers come with a lot of snacks. Malone’s preferred place to snack is in the car. I am forever finding his petrified leftovers underneath the seat.
10. I pray no one notices the stain on the front passenger seat. My water broke in the car while we were on our way to the hospital. I’ve been waiting all winter for a nice spring day so I could treat the seat and let it air dry. I am equally disgusted by this. Don’t worry.
This post was inspired by the novel The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson. At the age of 44, Rosie finds herself suddenly single and pregnant. She tries to hide in her grandmother’s home, but meets two men that will change her life forever. Join From Left to Write on April 8 we discuss The Opposite of Maybe. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes. I am also linking this up with Lisa and Rabia for their Tuesday Ten series.
What would you find in your car if you cleaned it out? Anything random?
Stuff from the house tends to migrate to the car but rarely back inside, unless I grab it all. Today, I brought inside two Camelbak bladders, a sweatjacket, a science fair medal and a toy hammer. There’s still random stuff floating around in there, mostly garbage. I feel you on the broken water! In January, Alice threw up in the back seat. Fortunately, we had a bright, sunny, warm-ish day soon after so I was able to go to the car wash! (I do the same thing with the mail, except I’m able to recycle the junk right away since we have a driveway and the bin is right there!)
Nancy recently posted..Menu Mondays: Overbooked Edition
We’re a one car family. The backseat is full of the kids’ nature “collection” which entails sticks, seeds, leaves, nuts or whatever random item they find outside.
Thien-Kim recently posted..Book Review: The House at the End of Hope Street
[…] NJ from A Cookie Before Dinner lists all of the things she’s likely to find in her “mom” car. […]
I too would find remnants of my son’s snacks! Somehow more Cheerios end up on the floor and car seat than in his mouth.
Katie @ Pick Any two recently posted..Want to Eat Healthier? Try Seeing the Glass as Half-Full
I am crying with laughter…only because I relate to every single thing you said here! I did carpool this morning at school and had to rescue a shoe from a puddle as a kid got out of the car! ;)-Ashley
thedoseofreality recently posted..Fashion Woes & Wacky Weather in the Springtime
Oh yes, I have some really random things in my car. I cleaned it out to write this week’s Tuesday Ten, but still there were some things that I just couldn’t part with, so left them in my car (just better organized). I loved your list – especially that you included Malone’s “fine art collection worth millions of dollars on the preschool market.” 😀
Marcia @ Blogitudes recently posted..Tuesday Ten: Things I’d Find If I Cleaned Out My Car
What a great confession! My car isn’t as bad as I thought it would be with two kiddos. Lots of crumbs and snack wrappers, tap shoes, a portable DVD player, and a blanket. Oh, and probably 15 containers of baby wipes, along with spare underwear in the glove box. For the kiddos, not me 🙂
Melanie recently posted..Life is Messy, But Sooooooooo Worth It!
I have found a chicken nugget under the car seats and it looked just fine (a little fuzzy), but hard as a rock!! Yum?!
Rabia @TheLiebers recently posted..#TuesdayTen: What’s In My Van, Man!?
I love number six!!!! This made me get up and go check my girls rooms. They both have little memory boxes, and the both have them shoved under their beds. In them are silly things like pennies, rocks, notes… But they are so old, one day they will smile when they see them. Mine are 11 and 16, I am sure they have no idea they are even there….. Love your car…..
Ray recently posted..10 Things In My Car
Glad to have you linking up again – we missed you! I do not miss the baby gear days! I remember having three car seats in my car at one point, plus stroller, diaper bags. etc. My middle daughter (now 9) used to jump in the car from preschool and immediately strip off her Ugg knock off boots. My youngest (3 at that time) would literally cry because her sister’s feet were so stinky!! 🙂
Lisa @ The Golden spoons recently posted..Tuesday Ten – What’s In My Car?
Your car sounds much like mine was ten years ago! Now you would find trash in the side pockets, a million hair elastics, and no less than three water bottles. Once I found a sippy cup of old orange juice that had rolled underneath the back seat. The van smelled to high heaven and I could not figure out why. Apparently rancid OJ smells pretty bad.
Dana recently posted..April’s Luv List
I have SO many things in my car it’s ridiculous. I’m finding as my son gets older, we carry more. I thought it was supposed to be an inverse relationship. I’m with you on sorting mail in the car. I don’t do it that often but I hate bringing all the junk mail into the house.
Ugh, I always ask if people have had their tetanus shots before getting into my car! Lots of food wrappers. And the kids always leave items behind…toys, sweatshirts, soccer gear. It’s like a catchall and I just don’t have the energy. Drives my husband BONKERS!!
Tara Newman recently posted..2014 Goals Review
I have way too many preschool art projects in my car! I don’t want them in the house, but I feel guilty to trash them. And when I finally do, I have to hide it from J or he will dig his masterpieces out of the trash. And way too many petrified snacks. And baby carriers! But only one stroller. I need to switch S to a convertible car seat and non Snap & Go stroller here pretty soon… do you have a bigger kid stroller that you like (that’s small enough to go in the back of a car? My jogging stroller is a beast.) Also, what car seat is Malone in? (argh… help.)
Sarah @ Beauty School Dropout recently posted..Purple spring flowers rise
Oh, I LOVE the art collection one… how sweet! (And I feel your feer on the pin.) And I love the sand one too… I experience the same thing when we come back from visiting family in Washington. Makes no sense, but there it is. What a fun list!
Dakota recently posted..What’s in the trunk Ma’am? Tuesday Ten!
The stain from your water breaking takes the cake. Thanks so much for sharing these :). And WOW on how many kid-transporting devices you’ve got in the car. How do you have the room ;).
lisacng @ expandng.com recently posted..My 3-yr old takes photos again 🙂
The car strollers fold up pretty compactly, and the baby wearing devices are stashed under Lola’s seat. It doesn’t take up a lot of space, but it sounds like a lot when I write it out!
I am LMBO! #10 about killed me. Seriously crying NJ. Here I was mortified by my old cheerios and lollipops sticks- you have me beat for sure!
Haha! I know, right? I know that it is dry at least. I need to get my hands on a handheld steam cleaner! Hmm… I wonder if there is a company I could pitch this project to?!?
There are so many empty (thankfully) snack containers in the c ar. B has a tendency to eat and then throw the container on the floor and I always forget to grab them. r
Kelly @ Cupcake Kelly’s recently posted..Reasons My Kid Is Crying: Review
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