Disney's in the Desert

3 Car Hacks

Technically I’m going to share 4 car hacks with you today! The first is probably the biggest key, but not something I can link for you. Although I’m a mom of four, having a clean car is a non negotiable for me. Yes, it gets messy – I’m far from perfect. My kids eat and snack in the car. They spill. Things happen. But every single month I take myself (and potentially all 4 of them) to get a car wash. We usually make it a family thing and we do the $8 car wash drive thru and then we all get out and use the self service vacuums. They are more apt to keep the car clean throughout the month this way too because they know in 30 days they’ll be vacuuming up and helping me wipe down whatever was spilled or dusted all over the car, haha.

Okay, so let’s get to the 3 other hacks that I can actually provide you resources for!

Handheld Portable Vacuum

This is great to easily grab and go – it’s small and compact and charges with a USB cable. The battery actually lasts quite a while, too! Even though we do a deep vacuum clean at the car wash each month, having this thing handy for the messes that occur in between that time is really nice. Comes in multiple colors, too! There are tons that look super similar to this on Amazon but at least $30 more. The one I’m sharing is from Belk and much more affordable!

“Emesis” Bags

Oh man. I was introduced to these actually at our pediatrician’s office a few years ago. Colly wasn’t born yet and I had my 3 solo at the time at the doctor – no one was sick, but the boys were there for their well check (perk of having multiple kids born in the same month! :)). Suddenly, Cole randomly had a wave and knew he was going to throw up. The nurse gave us some of these blue bags on the way out for the car – and I thought, “HOW GENIUS!!!?” I immediately went home and Amazon’d them to keep some in my car, C’s car, Gammy’s car, and extra to keep in our medicine cabinet for ‘who knows what/when’ haha. They are so useful to have in the car now for long road trips or the sudden wave that can happen with kids.

Car Can

Leak proof, and hangs conveniently on the back of the headrest! It also has storage pockets for wipes, water bottles, and whatever else you may need to hold. Ours actually is lined and can be used as a cooler too, but it’s out of stock so I’m linking a similar one + one more that’s a little cheaper!

Hope this helps give you some ideas on how to tackle and prevent the messes that can happen in the car! I’d love to hear any hacks you may have for this, too!

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Pantry Snacks We Love

It always peaks my interest of what people I follow stock their pantries with, so I thought I’d share mine! With 4 kids now (3 of which are now in school full time and needing lunches/snacks packed daily), I had a major clean out/clean up moment prior to.

I also wanted to simplify what we had – it seemed like endless snacks, and even the ‘healthier’ ones were making it really hard to maintain and keep up with. I kept the essentials and things we love and cleaned out the excess. Doing this also allowed me to free up extra space which was also a big win, yay!

I’m not going to go over the containers of cereal, snacks in the OXO containers, or baking containers just yet – that will be a future post. This one I want to share what we often restock via Amazon or Costco and have been staples in our pantry through and through!

Breakfast Faves

Belvitas, Nature’s Bakery fig bars, and Nature Valley (cashew… yum!) bars are 3 we can’t live without. We also give the kids the option to have these in the mornings before school with a yogurt or banana.

Lunchbox Snacks

Easy for me to pack and them to snack! These items are also awesome grab and go snacks for when we’re heading to the field or gym. Mini goldfish + pretzel bags, Smartfood popcorn, Go Go Squeeze pouches, Annies fruit snacks, and granola bars from Costco are super helpful to have on hand for these times.

OOOOH! I have to mention these alternatives to Rice Krispies treats. I found these crunchy rollers that are made with brown rice but still have a little sweet element to them, and my kids are obsessed! I wasn’t sure if they’d like them because they’re healthier but they literally ask for them now. They’re cheaper at Costco too btw!

Misc + Extras

I randomly found these baby banana softcorn bites for Colly on a whim recently. She loves them, and they’re easy to pop in my diaper bag when we’re heading out. I love having them on hand when we run errands or go out to eat so she has something to snack on and occupy her a little to keep the fussing at bay.

My kids also love the kids Clif bars (best prices are usually at Costco for a big box!) and these Made Good granola balls are new to us but equally loved. Also great the for lunch boxes too!

That wraps up our current faves we have on reorder often. I hope it helped give you some ideas for lunchbox snacks or something new to try for your family!

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Mom Hack: Home Hand Sanitizer Stations

LOOOONG before the pandemic started, our family had implemented these ‘hand sanitizer stations’ because let’s face it: kids can be gross, haha. I love having these in our high traffic areas (upstairs, in our loft and downstairs, in our kitchen) where we come and go.

This is where we keep the one upstairs in our loft – where our kids play, do homework, and we chill as a family!

These soap dispensers can totally double as a sanitizer holder and they work like a charm. Of course, washing hands is essential, but having these around where we frequent has been key for us.

Kinda hard to see this one but it’s in the corner of the photo, lol. We keep one next to our sink/the door to our backyard!

We buy a large container of hand sanitizer and then just refill these as needed. I’ve found we aren’t buying as many plastic bottles with this method, too.

Let me know if you try it!

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