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Guest Drive: Kim Moldofsky of Chicago Moms Blog, Traveling Mom
May 11 2009 by Sara Lacey
Kim Moldofsky is one busy lady. She’s a mother of two boys, ages 9 and 11, and she writes for numerous blogs such as Chicago Moms Blog, Scrambled CAKE, Traveling Mom and the Dr.Seuss-inspired Hormone-Colored Days.
With Kim’s family travel expertise, I thought Kim would be a perfect candidate for our MotherProof.com Guest Drive series, where some of our favorite mom-bloggers answer questions about their life in the car.
Kim has followed many career paths, including a dolphin trainer (like our Chief Mama Kristin) and a corporate creativity trainer. Now she’s gotten down and dirty with motherhood.
1. What’s your current mom-mobile?
It’s a hand-me-down Olds Silhouette minivan that I recently acquired so I could fit in my four-kid carpool. I drove a Subaru Outback for eight years, but when our twice-weekly carpool grew to four kids, I couldn’t fit them in anymore.
2. What features, if taken away, would make your life in the car less happy/peaceful?
I absolutely need the extra space of a minivan (twice a week). And, even when I’m not driving carpool, I do enjoy the ability to put my boys in separate rows. This cuts down on a lot of fighting! I love that the van remembers my preferred seat configuration, so I can adjust it with the touch of a button after my much-taller husband has been driving the car. Though I feel like I can do without it, if we didn’t have the built-in DVD player/entertainment system (especially with wireless headsets), I’m sure road trips would be a little less fun.
3. If you could design your own car, what would it look like and what types of features would you add?
I’m more about function than form. I would add a hand vac that charges while driving. That would be sooo handy. I’d love a compact car that could have an attachable back end, so when I need the extra seats for carpools or a trip to the hardware store, I could attach it and have the extra room. But when I’m puttering about town running errands or only driving my own boys, I’d enjoy the smaller, more efficient version of the car. I’d also love a shield like they have in taxicabs to put up between me and my passengers when they’re grumpy; though as they get closer to their teenage years, they’d appreciate the barrier as well. And maybe the ability to send a small shock to a seated child with the touch of a button (like the Invisible Fence does to a dog) when he’s misbehaving would be nice.
4. What kind of terrible mess has occurred in your car?
We once had crayons melt onto fabric seats. The wax came off, but even with carpet cleaner and a bit of elbow grease, we never got all the color out. Goodness knows every now and again it needs a good vacuuming because the backseat starts to look like the crumb tray of my toaster oven. I always keep a travel pack of baby wipes in the car. Sometimes if I’m waiting for [my boys] at pick-up time, I’ll use them on my dashboard, steering wheel, etc.
5. Does your family have a favorite pastime to help endure long road trips? What sure-fire road-trip tricks can you share with us?
I enjoy family road trips. We’ve driven from Chicago to Orlando, Fla., (twice) and later to the Smoky Mountains without a DVD player! When we drove to Florida the first time, my boys were quite young, 18 months and 3 years. I prepared tons of little goodies and wrapped up toys and books; we burned CDs with our favorite music, and I had a lot of plastic Easter eggs that I filled with change (to buy treats at rest stops), stickers and other little goodies. However, I used all my tricks on the way down to Florida. I had nothing left for the way back, when the kids were overtired and burnt out from a week of Disney. It was hellish. Now that they are older, we find DVDs and Nintendo DS help pass the miles, though we still limit screen time. I like them getting a feel for the size of our country.
6. Do you consider yourself a multitasker while driving?
I can neither confirm nor deny this.
7. Describe the view and the passengers in your ultimate joy-ride:
I’d love a trip down [California’s] Highway 1 along the Pacific Coast with my husband — with him driving. I’m easily distracted, especially by beautiful scenery. We’d nibble on fresh fruit and cheese from a nearby farmer’s market as we talked to each other in our grown-up voices. Uninterrupted. Sigh. We did this once, long before we had kids.
