My daughter has this fascination with other people's automobiles.  Anytime we have friends over she wants to see the inside of their car/suv- sorry friends.  She has mentioned several times she wants me to get one of those BIG family cars (she means SUV).  I have explained we have a family car w/the same number of seats, but it is just a little smaller.

My mission this morning was to clean the my family car after a summer of abuse.  My hubby usually does the honors, but he doesn't REALLY clean like I do.  As I wipe the sweat from my forehead I have decided I live with two little pigs.  I found the following items:  the lost Nintendo DS, a DS game, three sports magazines, two hats, baseball, tennis ball, golf ball, enough pens and pencils to begin school, two beach towels, a french fry, two water bottles, a John Grisham book, hairband, hand sanitizer, endless gum wrappers and stuck on skittles and gum.  I failed to mention the sand.

Questions after my adventure:  Why do we have fabric, leather or carpet in family cars?  The inside would be much more suitable if it resembled the interior of McDonalds- ceramic tile flooring and hard surface seating with booths or swivel chairs.  Why not lap trays that swing from the side of the seat when needed.  Why hasn't some car manufacturer designed a built in wastebasket that you can take out, empty and snap back into place?  A mini refrigerator and microwave would also be nice.  I must also question why Britax goes the extra mile and designs car seats with such plush fabric?  Our beautiful car seat is stained with grease, red drink, Skittles and grime.

I'm not ashamed to post our sins because I know the autos of most families are identical in description.  I have attempted to tell the kiddos to clean cups, food, toys, etc. each time we get out, but evidently I have failed.  This morning, I scrubbed, scraped and vacuumed before spritzing a little febreeze.  It will never be like it was when we drove it off the lot, but a least someone would ride with us and not be afraid of critters.  My friend Carmen at Mom of Redheads recently posted about driving her van until the wheels fall off.   I must say I am in complete agreement.  Even more, I think my children as teenagers should drive the very cars they treated with such care.

My friend Amber has submitted an entry in Kelly's Korner weekly show off.  You can check out her blog at The Dowdys Doings. 

Lately, we have enjoyed leftovers from several meals.  Last week I made meatloaf.  This is one of my favorite entrees.  The next day I enjoyed an even better meatloaf sandwich.  This simple sandwich consist of toasted wheat bread, freshley torn lettuces, a slice of locally grown tomato and my own special sauce.  The sauce is nothing more than mayo, mustard and sweet pickle relish.  Yummy!

Since returning home I've realized the kids will return to school in about a month and I feel a sudden sense of urgency.  Time to start cleaning out closets to determine what fits and what needs to go to the local thrift store.  Thank goodness we can wear summer clothes until late October so we will really only need to find new shoes.  I truly believe fresh air, swimming and sunshine makes kids grow by leaps and bounds.  My son's foot has surpassed mine and is most likely the same size as my hubby. My five year old is beginning to want more say so in what clothing she wears.  In the next few weeks we have to load up on needed school supplies and establish that back to school schedule.  I hope to sew a few things for Miss Priss.  In the mean time I want to dwell on memories of a glorious summer.