Hi, I’m Chantelle and I blog over at Mom Went Crazy. As you can tell by the name I have a notoriously short fuse.
I have learned a lot of patience since becoming a mom, but, like most of you, I need my own downtime.
Last Saturday was a particularly trying day for me. Lack of sleep combined with a teething baby doesn’t do much for the soul. My poor three year old took the brunt of it after the one hundredth round of “why mommy?â€
At 3:05 my husband came home from work. At 3:06 I was in my car.
My car is my refuge on days when I’ve had enough.
When I was a teenager it was a way to escape my house, my parents, and the rules.
I was so excited to get my driver’s license. I’d go get milk, pick up my brother, or drop off the dry cleaning. Hell, I’d do it all and more just to get a chance to get behind the wheel and cruise.
When my first love broke my heart, I got in my car and drove around, crying and listened to love songs.
My car took me to more parties than I can count. It took me and my friends to prom. We smoked dope in the backseat and drank mickies on the hood at the beach.
When I was in my twenties I loved having the freedom of my own apartment. I didn’t need my refuge as much. The car became just a tool like any other. It was necessary to get me from point A to point B.
Now that my house has a man and two short people, I’ve rekindled my romance with the steering wheel.
When I’ve had enough, I escape my house, my kids, and the responsibilities.
I roll down the windows and don’t worry about which child is cold.
I blast the radio and it’s not “wheels on the busâ€
I get ice cream and I don’t have to share.
In my car, there are no bills to pay, no kids to feed, and no house to clean.
I’m that girl again.
In my car, I’m me.
Love this! My car is my escape from reality too. There's nothing like just driving around without having to worry about everything else in life!
No way KIM! I think you look great. Every one of your pictures, you look azimang. I will say starting at the 3rd pregnancy is when I look 4 months at 3 weeks. Thankfully, I stay put in that figure for 5-6 months. And then I am slow to progress until about the last month. I am finding it azimang how different everybody’s body changes with each pregnancy. I am thankful, each pregnancy is handle better by my body.I still think you are looking awesome![]
The minutes I spend in my car by myself are very limited so it never feels like freedom. Maybe I should start escaping into my car for long car rides on the weekend to get a break.
I love it!!! And I completely relate. Weather permitting, when I'm ALONE in my car, I open the sun roof (even if I have to turn on the seat warmer!) and listen to whatever music I like…without worrying about the lyrics. I took one day trip (a crazy down-and-back, about 550 miles round trip) to host my BFF's baby shower, when my girls were 14 months old. I loaded the CD player with the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, and I went through the Mickey D's drive-thru without guilt. Ahhh…freedom!
On the other hand, I hate when I get in the car by myself and turn on the radio, to find a kiddie CD still playing. The crazy thing is, it's not unusual for me to start singing "Wheels on the Bus" for at least a couple of blocks before I realize what I'm doing! HA!
Such a great post. Isn't it funny how our cars were our lives when we were young and now they are just a money pit PITA?
My escape from reality is my office. I close the door, jump on the computer and zone out! If I cant do that, Starbucks is my break. I will go out to "run errands" and end up at Starbucks. Coffee and free wifi is a win in my book!
Loved this! I've been known to hide out in the car (or at least take the long way home from the grocery store) myself. Every minute counts these days, thanks for reminding me to open the windows and crank up the good music next time I have the chance!
My escape is my computer. It is where I can express myself; I can connect to others; I can hear/talk about something other than teething and potty training or I can express my frustration to a sympathetic audience; I can learn about what is going on in the world and read all the news; it is where I find new music, advice, or simply lose myself for a moment in a world that is not mine.
Ahhhhh…my car. My first one was a black neon and I can remember driving with my tunes…ones with cuss words blasting without worrying about virgin ears.
my life has fully changed since i became a mom. i no longer go out with friends, malling and shopping a lone. i can't sleep early until my darling baby is asleep, no more ME, MYSELF and I moments. But, this is the happiest moment in my life. I've never been this happy all my life seeing my daughter, a reflection of my life.
Mom Blog
I do the same thing. There are days where I'm waiting at the door for my husband and make up an excuse to get out of the house, just so I can get away.
Oh, the drive. I don't get enough of these! Excellent idea!
Oh I love being in the car alone. I can listen to whatever I want, daydream, or just think uninterrupted thoughts. Sometimes I wish I had a long drive to go on just so I can listen to more music!
"Me time" is one of the most important parts of parenthood! I remember the one time I got in the car and took a very similar drive to the one you describe. I literally THREW the kids at my husband and was out the door. I swore I was going to get my very first speeding ticket as I was flying down the highway with my windows down, radio up, and singing at the top of my lungs. I knew I was being irresponsible, and it felt GREAT! Oh, that is embarrassing to say. I went home after about a 50 mile drive, and was recharged for the next day.
Now I find my "me time" in a much calmer fashion. I wake up at least an hour before the rest of the family and get some computer time in. Now that the girls are in school I also substitute teach so I can feel I am doing something I love.
Very cool. I can't enjoy driving anymore. It's either my car or the price of gas!
No kidding, eh? It's soooo expensive now.
For me, choosing a mdecial specialty is easy. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work as a Dermatologist Tech prior to moving to Alaska. What an amazing field! No two cases are the same and more than one type of procedure can be performed in a day. Working for a dermatologist provides the benefits of both a private office setting and hours along with the experience of surgeries and unique treatments. Cyst removals and cancer treatments became the most interesting procedures to me and I can not wait to get back into the field!There are not many positions or specialties I would turn down when it comes to the mdecial field. If I had to pick one, however, it would have to be gynecology. Why would this be the field I turn down? I am honestly not sure. I must be lacking the gene the would cause me to be interested in the subject! For whatever reason I would choose to work anywhere else before choosing gynecology. Specialty clinics are like sushi I guess. How do you know you don’t like it if you’ve never tried it?!
That's nice, isn't it? Finding balance feels so good. It makes you a better mom.
Sometimes you just have to get away. It's only fair!
You're right! Being a mom has made me happier than I ever thought I could be. Finding the balance between who I am versus whose mom I am has been tricky for me, but we'll all get there eventually.
So true. I think that's why we all blog, isn't it? To pour our hearts out in a forum where other people will understand. That's why they say it takes a village to raise a child. It really takes a village to keep the moms from going NUTSO
That's why I'm pumped to go back to work. I can head to the office (flower shop, lol) and I have my balance back! I wish I had a starbucks close by. Actually, I'm glad we don't. I would be there All. the. time. Hot chocolate….boo yah
You actually make it seem so easy with your pastentreion but I find this matter to be actually something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it! 0Was this answer helpful?
OMG! I totally do that. After I drop Emma off at daycare I head off on my way still humming "skip to my loo." Then, like, two blocks later I realize I'm doing it *facepalm*
DO IT! even twenty minutes is so nice just to get a break and be yourself.
For sure! It feels great
Oh I can so relate.
I love to be child free, driving around, music up.
It refreshes me.
I get that. We all need our escape and your car is so perfect for that.
Even if it's using it to go grocery shopping withOUT the kid, it's an escape. 🙂
Yikes. For me, car equals stress. I just took the french driving test for the third time today and am waiting to see if it was a pass or a fail.