I can clearly remember the day that I first laid eyes on my current car. As it sat there on the dealership lot all shiny and new, my mind played lovely visions of me cruising on the freeways, so plush and relaxed as my favorite tunes played on the radio. As I signed the sales paperwork, I was excited about all of the ways that my upgrade from a much smaller car would better suit the needs of my then-expanding family.

Little did I know exactly how much, nor did I know how skewed my pre-purchase visions were.

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On an average Busy Mom day, I put about 100 miles on my car.  Yes, you read that number correctly: 100.  On really busy days, it’s even more. And I’m not cruising carefree at all, but I’m focused on navigating my list of places-to-be for the day. And I’m too busy listening to my kids share the events of their day or someone on speaker phone to hear my favorite song on the radio.  On a slow (and fortunate) day, I put about 60-70 miles on my car, but days like that are few. When I tell people these numbers, they look at me in astonishment, but the truth of the matter is that I am pretty much on-the-go from sunrise until sunset and most times beyond, running a business, taking care of home matters, being a wife, and being a mom (aka “Tami Taxicab”—but that’s another post. 🙂 )

Sometimes my car gets a little bit of a break on Sundays, but not that much. With four children, there is always a last-minute event that has to be attended, always a late-notice item that has to be purchased. Add to that the frequent instances of travel and whatever else is going on for me, my husband, and my extended family, and you have a person that probably sees the inside of their car more than the inside of their home.

I absolutely love and adore my car—so much so that I always say that if it gives out on me I would just purchase another one just like it, color and all….

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…but with 100 miles per day, I pray that moment comes much later than sooner. 🙂