4 Ways to Escape Your Commute

There are few times I can remember actually enjoying being in my car. Or driving, for that matter. I was never really one to enjoy the open road, wind in my hair sort of thing. I’m sure my parents are shaking their heads at me right not; road trips are a part of my family’s bloodline.  Twice a year we would make the 24+ hour trek from our home in Ontario to my grandparent’s in Manitoba. I don’t remember loving it.  3 hour or more hikes were also common for (insert sport here) tournaments. Driving was just something we did. Part of life, if you will. Traffic jams on the 401 and all.

When Driving Was Fun //

Even though I only bought my first car at 30, as an adult, some of my best memories in recent years are road trips with my husband. We’ve done some awesome trips including renting a Mustang convertible to cruise Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles and then work our way up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco. For our Hawaiian honeymoon, we rented an open-air jeep on Maui, driving the Road to Hana over the course of 8 hours in one day. Our Canadian destination of choice is the short trip from Toronto to Montreal, though the traffic can really make or break our desire to do that one.

Driving With Twins //

Now, as a mom, I am not a fan of being in my vehicle. Because being in our vehicle is not a solo event for me, with peace and quiet or, alternatively, excessively loud 90’s hip-hop. Oh no. These days it usually means that the twins are in tow and they have also decided that they are no longer a fan of our SUV. As of recently, they have chosen to use it as what I’m guessing is vocal practice for a burgeoning opera or voice over career for horror films.

Screaming. They scream in the car. All. The. Time.

I tell myself over and over and over again, that this is just a stage, and –surely—they will relearn to love the vehicle as they once did before they were so damn self-aware. But, today is not that day. And if you’ve ever been stuck on the Don Valley Parkway parking lot on a rainy Saturday afternoon with at least one screaming baby in your backseat, then you definitely understand where I’m coming from.

4 Ways to Escape Your Commute //

(When “not going” isn’t an option.)

1// Leave Traffic Behind (with Armor All Essential Blends)

Essential Blends are specifically designed to Awaken (Pink Grapefruit), Energize (Citrus Pomegranate), Focus (Lemon Bergamot), Refresh (Eucalyptus Mint), and Calm (Vanilla Lavender) you with the health benefits of essential oil. And let me tell you, anything that helps you find your zen AND mask the odor of that McDonald’s wrapper that got wedged under the passenger seat or your partner’s lone hockey sock that has been “missing” for weeks but you magically found the first time you looked, is a winner. They come in vent clips and review mirror hangers.

2 // Set a Departure Reminder

Mapping out your route is a must (hellooooo sidestreets), but I argue it’s more important to mark your ideal departure or arrival time beforehand so you can check if traffic has changed. Because few things suck more than getting on an on-ramp to gridlock.

3 // Go Commercial Free

Forgo DJ duties and plug into a podcast or full concert via your smartphone, satellite radio, or –gasp – a CD. Personally, I’m all about the mixtapes and am considerably less stressed when I don’t have to toy with the radio or listen to the same (insert teenage pop diva I’ve never heard of here) song on every channel.

4 // Pack All The Snacks… For You

This may seem obvious but considering moms’ brains are full of everything else on the planet, forgetting snacks happens. A lot. Oh, I don’t mean snacks for your kids; for sure you will have those. You probably have 3 types of cereal treats and juice boxes for them. But what about you? You do know how terrifying you are when you’re hangry, right? Keep some water and easy one-hand snacks in your console so that instead of throwing it back and threatening to, “TURN THIS CAR AROUND RIGHT NOW!”  you can shove a delicious (insert your guilty pleasure that won’t melt or freeze here) in your mouth.

Do you want to #EscapeYourCommute? Enter the Armor All giveaway for your chance to win one of:

• 25 Grand Prizes of WaySpa Gift Cards (valued at $150 each)
• 10 Instant Prizes of Armor All product (valued at $100 each)
• Frequency Essential^TM Blends air freshener prizing

How do you escape your commute? Which of  the Armor All Essential Blends would you most like to try? Share with me in the comments!