Last week, I was trapped in car line grid lock to pick up Lainey with fifteen minutes left before the bell rang. Dash was tired and hungry, and I hadn’t thought to grab anything when I frantically swept up the little ones and ran out the door. Try telling a two-year-old that there’s nothing for him to eat while he’s strapped in a car seat of a parked car. People in other cars started looking over, his screams transferring from window glass to window glass, and I did what any self-respecting mom would do. I smiled the famous nothing-to-see-here mom grin while desperately scanning the floor for a rogue piece of Halloween candy, a stale Fruit Loop, a leftover Goldfish cracker that may have escaped an old lunch box. On any other given day, I could have scraped together a Thanksgiving feast from the floor of my car, but my dad surprised me and cleaned it when he watched my kids. Nothing. Not even a petrified nugget. If crash dummy trials test a car for its strength, then this! This is the patience trial for motherhood. Thinking of having kids? Think you can dance? Foodless minivan. Hungry kid. Stopped traffic. 15 minutes on the stop watch. Ready, go.
Sanity a bare thread from snapping, I thought to look in my purse, hoping for at least a too-minty piece of gum that would possibly buy me 30 seconds of distraction before the too-minty part set in. Mom time is like dog years: 30 seconds equals 4 hours, I’ll take it. I dug around for a bit, past the crumpled receipts, under the tangled mess of airplane headphone cords and four pairs of cheap sunglasses and there. Behold. Was the savior. Like literally the saver of my soul: a bag of Go Organically® Fruit Snacks. Sanity in a bag. I heard the chorus of angels, my heart slipped out of tachycardia, a calm seemed to settle over the car line.
“Hey buddy!” as if I knew I had them all along, “Look! Fruit snacks.”
Below the snot stream…a smile. And all was right with the world.
So here’s what I’m thinking. I went to a baby shower a couple weeks ago where we all left bits of advice on index cards for the expecting mom, and I wrote something about trusting that your kids only need you–just as you are, in the moment–nothing else. I take it all back now.
Do over. New card. New advice.
Dear New Moms,
Listen up, here’s what you do. Buy a box of fruit snacks. Head to your car and hide them, one at a time. Shove one in the glove compartment, the back seat pocket of the driver’s seat, put one in your purse. Tuck one under the floor mat, wedge one under the spare tire. Got an umbrella? Cram one up in there too. Sunglass holder, front console, side door pocket, hell–duct tape one under the fender. This won’t make any sense now, but it will all come together later. Trust me and you’re welcome. Oh and while you’re in there, slip a diaper under the car jack. Doesn’t matter what size, you’ll make it fit when you’re desperate.
The folks at Go Organically® are helping you out for this mission by providing yummy better-for-you USDA-certified organic fruit snacks that are made with real fruit and are preservative-free. They come in three varieties – Fruit Medley, Mixed Berry and Tropical – and my kids love them.
And since practical motherhood advice should involve double uses of things (strap a diaper over your camera to protect the lens!), let me tell you what else you can use Go Organically® Fruit Snacks for: learning.
We use fruit snacks with Nella and Dash to practice counting…
…patterns…
…and sorting.
And if your Hi-Ho Cherry-O game is missing all the cherries? Switch them out for fruit snacks, and winner eats them all.
To find Go Organically® at a store near you, visit the store locator and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
Thank you Go Organically® for sponsoring this post and for providing better-for-you fruit snacks for lunches, treats and car line meltdowns.
Julie says
This made me laugh in that “this is so real” sort of way, just Monday we took my brand new 2 year old to the children’s museum for his birthday – I strapped on the newborn, my husband shoved a diaper in his back pocket, we were parenting pros, four free hands to chase a toddler. We had this on lock down, we knew we had clean clothes in the car if necessary, we weren’t going to lug about a diaper bag or backpack.
We forgot snacks. And the trek through the cold rain after hours of play? 2 year old was DONE. Downtown at noon means all fast food places have lines out the door. And then I remembered. Fruit snacks, in the very back of the car, shoved there by me on a previous road trip. Day. Saved.
Kelle says
What is it about forgetting snacks? I remember to bring something weird like nail clippers before snacks, and I don’t know why I don’t learn!
Gabby says
I hide wipes, diapers and snacks like it’s my favorite brand of makeup that’s going to be discontinued. #gottahavethemall A hungry baby is worse than a sick husband, no lie!
Jennifer B. says
I came across an old video recently. My son had just turned 3 (he’s almost 6). I was interviewing him about things he liked … favorite color, favorite toy, favorite TV show, etc.
When I got to favorite fruit, he cracked us up by saying “Fruit snacks!” He thought for a second before saying, “Umm. Strawberries.” He knew he was being funny!
But even I love a bag of fruit snacks every now and then.
nereyda Rose says
ps. I’m speaking from experience. I get my 7 year old up every morning in time to get her ready, and get her out in front of our house so the bus can pick her up and bring her to school. Then I get in my car and drive to work. Totally mundane and boring I’m sure, but tis life!
erniebufflo says
I’ll do ya one better and say: keep a plastic tub of snacks in your car. My friends call mine “The Apocalypse Snack Box.” I keep it stocked with bottles of water and apple juice, fruit snacks, luna bars, kid cliff bars, peanut butter crackers, and apple sauce pouches. There are also take and toss sippy cups, which often come in handy when we end up at a restaurant without kid cups. No kid or mom shall get hangry on my watch! Other stuff I keep in the car are spare clothes and a diaper kit.
Kelle says
Apocalypse Snack Bar may have just been added to my vocabulary. Thank you.
SSutherland says
YumEarth Organic Suckers work too. They’re small and easy to hide.
Nicole says
I keep a box of crackers in my glove compartment. I had way too many days of driving home from daycare with the kids being whiny and cranky and I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. One day I happened to have a snack with me and it totally transformed the drive home. That day I found whatever I had in my cupboards and filled my glove compartment. Now I buy boxes of crackers just for my car-works wonders!
Lesley says
I NEVER go to the store w/ my 3 year old grandson without having something to eat in my purse to bribe, YES BRIBE, him into sitting in the buggy! Otherwise he wants to WALK, which in 3 year old language means anything but WALK. Will have to try these fruit snacks…thanks for sharing!
Shannon says
Sister, I hear you. I once handed a lipstick to my screaming daughter after a doctor’s appointment where she had gotten a shot. A lipstick. We were driving back to the babysitter’s house and in desperation I looked around for something (ANYTHING) to quiet her down. It worked alright…
I dropped off a snowsuit-clad jackson pollock painting to the sitter who looked at me like I was nuts. Oh, for some fruit snacks that day…
Kelle says
This just made me laugh hard. I’ve been there. SO many times. Where handing something like a lipstick to your kid, knowing it would make a mess, was actually the better option to the alternative.
Ellie says
Well, I’ve being carrying around a backpack with healthy snacks, fruit juice etc ever since my first daughter started screaming on our way back from a ride 4 years ago. Lesson learned right there. Now, I’m afraid we’re waaay on the other side of the moon in this. Every time we get in the car to go someplace -even if it’s a kid’s bday party and food is definately in the equation- both my girls ask me what I carry in my bag for them to eat. Every time!!!
p.s. You must be driving my car. The description was way too accurate… Just before I got to work today I found out that -apart from the Elsa doll, a Dr McStuffins doll, a baby doll (along with a baby blanket to keep it warm-of course!) and some toy cars (cause, you know, mama’s car needs some friends to keep it company)- there’s a forgotten small taperware with a spoon my eldest daughter took with her on our way to school the other day, to eat her cereal (don’t ask). And then I wonder about my disappearing cutlery. No hope..!
Bobbie says
I am sitting in a doctors office, my appointment 20 mins ago 🙁 and clicked on your blog to pass the time and have literally been laughing out loud!!!! I honestly haven’t read your blog lately due to just not making the time for it. But in this waiting room today, you have made me laugh. Thank you!
Tracy says
I never comment, but I just have to say ~ I love that your sponsored posts are so YOU, and don’t read like a ‘sponsored post’ (like every other sponsored post I’ve ever scrolled quickly through does…) (I also really love those yellow boots! 🙂 )
Rhiannon says
This is so great. While mine is only 7 months, so no fruit snacks just yet, I have these fears. Fears of hitting the shopping center that’s only 20 minutes away but you have to take the interstate. What if there’s a 10 car pile up and poor E is strapped in her car seat for an hour, screaming. I always take an extra bottle because of this irrational fear 😉
Karen says
I ran out of diapers ONCE and made due with a dish cloth, first aid tape, and rogue bits of grass.
kaydee says
This is the best story ever!