Do you find driving delightful?
On the way to tennis recently, I asked my son how he feels about the time he spends driving around town, chauffeured by me. Here’s his answering expression.
My girls before our morning drive to school, posing cheerfully for the camera.
How we really feel about driving morning carpool.
This school year my mom carpool duties include: three kids, three different school day start times, two school campuses, several carpool lines, three different school day end times. Plus, I drive to and from errands, orthodontic appointments, volleyball/cheerleading/tennis practices, games, and more. On any given day, I can easily spend three hours in my car. There were days at the start of this school year that I spent up to five hours driving around in the late summer Texas heat, with my car’s poor air conditioner pounding allergy-laden air into my face. Add to that the backdrop of frequent radio station commercials and traffic updates (not to mention sometimes complaining and/or arguing kids)…. Well. Driving had become not-so-delightful for me.
So I asked my facebook followers for their best tips regarding…
Those facebook followers of mine are geniuses, I tell you! Here are their ideas:
While in motion in the car alone:
- Listen to audible books, fiction and non-fiction! Bethe Wright said, “I subscribe to Audible.com and get one book download a month for $16. Since a typical audio book on iTunes or Amazon might hit $25, it’s a great deal for me. Plus, if I don’t get around to downloading a book one month, you don’t lose the credit, they just stay in your account until you use them. I was worried it might be a scam at first, but my husband and I have been using it for about three years and I read so many books that way (I have a 14-month-old, so I don’t have as much reading free time as I used to).” Amy Drown adds, “you can even download audio book classics for FREE on sites like www.librivox.org.
A doggie selfie of me and my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Sam.
- Use the dictation function on your phone to brainstorm ideas out loud, compose emails, write blog posts, etc.
- Make/return phone calls.
- Some e-readers will ‘read’ your current book aloud to you while you’re driving!
- Listen to daily podcasts of world news.
- Listen to the Bible. My church is reading the Bible in a year and several people I know listen to the daily reading each morning on their way to work.
While in motion with kids in the car:
- Talk. Christy Oates said, ” When the kids are IN the car, I make time for conversation WITH them. No phones, no radio, etc. Just us talking. Some of our BEST conversations happen in the car.”
- Work on memorizing a weekly Bible verse together as a family.
- Sing along to favorite music.
- Keep a stack of kid books in the car so that the minions can entertain themselves or so that older siblings can read to younger siblings.
- Play educational CDs. Preslaysa said, “We play learning CDs for the children which are set to song. We’re learning the states and capitals, history snippets, math facts, science facts, English grammar, Latin, etc. I have all these random facts floating around in my head now. My 4 year old son takes violin and so I play the musical pieces which he has to learn as well.”
Time when you’re sitting still in your car, waiting:
- Read on paperback/e-reader/phone. This one’s somewhat of a no-brainer. We’re all book fans here, after all.
- Nap. One mom knows it’s time to wake up when her kids enter her car and/or when the parents behind her in the carpool line start honking.
Sam is the member of our family who loves carpool best. We call him the King of the Carpool and Carpool Mascot because he gets excited about dropping off and picking up kiddos. If only I could delegate the task to him fully….
- Office from your car! Lots of women told me that they keep a ‘mobile office’ in their car so that they can pay bills, write thank you notes, read emails, organize their calendar, sort mail.
- Clean. This one never occurred to me, but lots of you are apparently using this downtime to clean out your purse and/or the interior of your car. One lady keeps wet wipes and mini trash bags stashed in her car for just this purpose.
- Work on your Bible study. “If I’m by myself I try to pray, pray, pray! It’s a good quiet time,” says Lanna Webb.
- Keep a notepad and pen in your car so that you can make lists of menus, groceries, errands, Christmas gifts.
- Get craftsy. Several women told me that they take their craft projects with them. Things like crochet, simple sewing fixes, stitchery. One industrious lady even scrapbooks in her car!
I’ll close by saying that I’m currently testing out the 30 day free trial that Audible offers. I decided to download a research book for my next novel onto my phone, which was super easy to do. I haven’t even messed with ear buds. I just prop my phone up whenever I’m in the car alone, and hit play. I LOVE it! I mean, I really love it. The book is great, I’m learning a lot, I’m entertained. Most of all though, it really helps to pass the time. Lately, I’ve actually been pulling into my garage and turning off my phone with a sense of regret because I’d become so engrossed in my book.
How do you make driving productive? Do you already use any of the above tips?
Becky Wade
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While driving the kids and I pray together every morning and shout our mantra. “Today is a good day. Today is my day. Today I will glorify God.” We sometimes sing and I play referee…a lot. Alone and waiting, I will read, read & read. I also sort through mail, pay bills and pray.
I’m not in the car for too long so I really can’t get much done, so I keep it to small tasks.
Today is a good day! Today is my day. Today I will glorify God!
I love that! Amen! 🙂
LOL — I don’t have a car so this gives a whole new spin to my don’t have a car blues. Don’t forget to add puppy massage for Sam, the noble looking beast. You could get in some quality canine bonding time in your car excursions! 🙂 The great thing about taking the bus is I get to read…and read…and read. And if I’m reading a really good book I don’t even mind if the bus is late and I’m waiting…and waiting…and waiting.
Kav, I don’t have a car right now either. I know we aren’t the only ones. But I do thank God that I live close enough to work that I can walk. My last job location I took the bus and I did sometimes read. It wasn’t a long commute, just ten minutes. Being without a car can be a drag at times but I thank God for my health and having a job. Happy reading, Kav, because that is one little joy that makes me happy. Blessings!!!
Reading makes bus and car rides so much better, doesn’t it? I can remember reading through all the LONG car trips my parents took me on as a middle schooler and teenager. When it would get dark, I’d hold up my book and try to read thanks to the headlights of the car behind us.
You’ve given me some ideas here, Becky! I’m going to put together a small basket with cleaning wipes and thank-you notes. Love the idea of cleaning up and catching up!!
Thanks for stopping by, Jill! I thought the cleaning wipes and notes were especially good tips, too!
Thank you for this post. I also like the mantra. Today is a good day.Today is my day. Today I will glorify God! Enjoy your conference!
Rather than educational cds, I bought the entire set of Psalty the Singing Songbook and my daughter and I have been listening to that together (when we aren’t talking). I grew up listening to those cds and they have me an arsenal of Bible verses and praise songs so I want to instill those in my daughter. She also listens to them while falling asleep, choosing them over her Frozen soundtrack. (Yes! lol) Now I need to get my hands on the Patch the Pirate cds, too!
I’m not familiar with Psalty, but it sounds wonderful. Thanks for the recommendation!
That time of my life is behind me now, but your daily schedule resonates with me. I remember I once commented to my sweet mom that if a mother’s job is at home, why am I always in the car?!?! But, I can tell you, it was all over seemingly before I could blink an eye, and I do miss those days. All those suggestions are good ones! I usually read, knitted, or did some kind of needlework, keeping both books and a needlework project in the car. I encourage moms and dads to LISTEN to the conversations — it is amazing what you can learn!! It’s almost as if you have become invisible and these kiddos talk about things they’d never mention otherwise!
So true! I love to listen in when my kids are talking to their friends in the backseat. It gives me a real window into their lives, schools, feelings, friendships.
Great Ideas! Great post!
Thanks, Becky!
Great, Becky! Driving back and forth from Royse City to Rockwall often is exhausting. Some days, I’ve thought, will I ever get home? But my daughter has been playing our favorite songs on her phone … she loves Fall Apart. Isn’t that ironic?! It really helps the time to pass though … and special memories with her and me singing our heads off! Enjoy the conference … wish I were there. Next year, I heard the conference is in Dallas … I so plan to be there!
Next year the conference IS in Dallas! You should definitely come. For me, the best part is having face to face conversations with other writers. It’s so encouraging to be surrounded by authors who understand this job and have the same interests and hardships.
I’ve learned more about my kids while driving in the car. They tend to share more and I can also instill my beliefs and thoughts to them. A captive audience so to speak.
One thing I’ve always loved doing in the car with others is Mad Libs. One person fills in the blanks in a story by writing random words for adjectives, verbs, nouns, etc to fill in the blanks in random stories. Not only is it fun but it’s a great way to teach kids better English and grammar without them ever knowing it! I’ve even had to pull over before because I was laughing so hard I was crying and couldn’t see!