How to Keep Your Car Clean, Even with Kids!

Maintaining a clean car while you're in full-swing parenting mode is a difficult task, to say the least. In my first book, Managing Life with Kids, I didn't even reference this topic because I had yet to find a system that allowed me to keep a clean car. Sure, I cleaned it out about once a week but I could never seem to keep it presentable on a day-to-day basis. Honestly, I was happy if we made it through our school's car line without a baseball or book falling out the door when my kids got out.

Finally, I've come up with a solution that works! It's taken me long enough, but I'm happy with the results I've found by implementing some easy ideas. If I can do it with my four boys being shuttled from school to a dirt and clay filled baseball field every day of the week, then you can too. Follow these simple steps and finally regain order of your car:

Steps to Maintaining a Clean Car:

1. Splurge on a detail job. Find the best deal you can or get a recommendation for a company that does great work. The money you spend will be well worth it because your car will get a good deep clean and you'll feel like you just bought a new one - in fact, after I had our car detailed, my kids thought we did. Starting off with a car that's been freshly scrubbed and cleaned will motivate you to help keep it that way. You can get the carpet and mats shampooed, your seats scrubbed, windows cleaned inside and out, etc. They can even remove the junk that's embedded in your kids' cup holder; this was a big one for me. You'll delight in how great your car looks after a good detail job and it's the first step in maintaining a clean car.
2. Keep a trash can next to where you park your car. This makes it easy for you and your kids to throw away any trash right when you get out of the car. Getting in this habit is key to maintaining a clean car since we all know how much trash children can generate. You have to stay on top of it everyday or it can get out of hand.
3. Purchase a shop-vac and have it easily accessible. Keeping a vacuum cleaner that can quickly be used to vacuum out your car is essential. From general dirt to food crumbs, vacuuming regularly is a must. I used to always promise myself that I'd never let my kids eat in the car again but realistically, I know it's impossible. Since most of us are always going from school to lessons, practices or games, a snack in the car is inevitable and the only way to combat the crumbs and other snack debris is to vacuum regularly. Even kids can do it when it's so easy to just plug in and use.
4. Utilize other trash cans to help keep your car junk free. Scan your car for anything that you can throw out and pitch it as you walk into a store or while your car is getting gassed up, etc. I love using other trash cans because then I never have to handle the trash again. At home, you still have to deal with it because you must empty the trash bag and take it out to the street. At a store, you just toss your trash away and never to have to see it again.
5. Keep cleaning wipes in your car. If you have wipes available, you can use them to quickly clean your dashboard, center console, and doors. This can be done while at a red light, if you're stuck in traffic, or in your school's car line. Don't use the anti-bacterial wipes, however, because they contain alcohol that can dry out the surface and cause cracks. (I prefer the ArmorAll Wipes that you can find in grocery and discount stores.)
6. Use a tub with a lid to store items you need. Keep a tub in the back of your car for items you must have so you can keep them all together and give you car order. Items I find necessary are an umbrella, cleaning wipes, phone book, school directory, basic first aid kit, sunscreen, bug spray (remember I live in the South), an extra water bottle or two, and a flashlight. This way you have everything you need but it's neatly tucked away in a lidded tub.
7. Minimize the food that's consumed in your car. Notice I didn't say eliminate. As a mother of four children and a realist, I know that it's impossible to have your kids not eat in the car at some point. The key here is to minimize it's occurrence. For example, if a snack is distributed after a game, have your children eat it outside before getting in the car. This way, there are no crumbs and wrappers to pick up and you can toss the trash in the garbage can on the field so you don't have to deal with it later. If you packed a snack for you kids or picked up food to eat, turn it into a picnic event. It's more fun for the kids and makes keeping your car clean a heck of a lot easier. It also promotes better eating habits since your kids will see eating as an important event and not something that you mindlessly do while driving from point A to point B.

If you incorporate these tips, I guarantee you will fall in love with your car all over again! I was getting frustrated with how the interior of my car was looking and found myself wanting to buy a new one. By following the steps above, I'm now much happier with my car and have lost the desire to purchase another - well, almost. At least now though, my car is clean which makes me feel better when I get in, and I'm not embarrassed by car debris when I drop my kids off at school. It's also nice to create good car habits now so you enjoy your car more and then when the time comes to get a new one, keeping it in mint condition will be a lot easier to do.

Feeding Your Family During the Busy Spring Season!

With spring sports in full swing, it becomes harder and harder to get your family to eat a nutritious meal since lessons, practices and games can interfere with dinner time. Grabbing a hot dog and chips at the concession stand should be left for emergencies only and not be your family's standard dinner fare.

You have to think a little in advance in order to get your family to every scheduled practice and game on time and still have healthy food in their systems. If you plan ahead, your meals will not only be more nutritious but also easier on the pocketbook and your waistline. Eating good foods will give you and your children the energy you need to keep up with your busy schedule and help ward off illnesses by boosting everyone's immune systems.

Use the tips below to ensure your children continue to eat healthy foods even during the busy spring season:

1. Utilize a slow-cooker. After a late game or practice, a slow-cooker can ensure your family has a good meal waiting for them right when you walk in the door . You can prepare the meal the night before and put the cooking insert with your meal in the fridge until morning, or you can prep the meal the morning you plan to serve it. Remember you can cook both your meat and vegetables together in your slow-cooker to make dinner even easier. Another great thing about the slow-cooker is that simple and easy preparations can make for a delicious meal using inexpensive cuts of meat.

2. Pack a cooler with sandwiches, fruits and drinks. If you're going to pick up your kids from school and then head straight to a lesson, practice or game, you know your kids are going to be hungry and thirsty. That should come as no surprise to you and you should prepare for it. Just a banana, some nuts and a bottled water can help keep hunger at bay until supper time. An after school snack doesn't have to be something that's loaded with unhealthy fats and salt found in most junk and fast foods. You can pack sandwiches, yogurt, bagels with low-fat cream cheese, homemade smoothies, trail mix, string cheese, fruit, etc.

I've found it helpful to keep a case of water bottles along with non-perishable snacks, such as low-salt nuts, in the back of my car. This way, my children as well as myself, can have a quick and healthy snack whenever we need one. Try to provide a snack that contains protein since the protein helps keep hunger at bay longer than snacks such as pretzels or chips.

Get smart about what you have available for your children to eat and you'll help them learn healthy eating habits and keep them away from the "fast food trap" that so many parents fall victim to when schedules get busy and time gets short. Just a little planning goes a long way to ensure your family gets the nutrients they need and to help them establish good eating habits.