Car Care and Informed Women

April is both National Car Care and National Informed Women Month and a perfect opportunity to get empowered to care for your car! Did you know that in the United States the average age of cars and light trucks on the roads today has reached a record high of 9.4 years? That means it´s more important than ever to take proper care of your vehicle.

With the informative Web site www.MotorOilMatters.org (created by the maker of industry-leading brands Pennzoil and Quaker State) you can easily locate key information about how quality motor oils can help prolong your engine´s life and improve overall efficiency, as well as help answer other questions you may have about motor oil. In addition, the site offers a fun, educational game for you to play called "M.O.M. Knows Best" where you can put your motor mind to the test with an interactive quiz.

Did you know?

• According to a recent survey from the Automotive Service Association, more than 54 percent of customers who take their vehicles for service and repair are women


• Using a high-quality motor oil in the right grade can help maximize fuel economy


• Low-quality oils that do not meet industry standards or the vehicle manufacturer´s requirements could cost consumers in the long run by potentially damaging the vehicle´s engine or possibly voiding the manufacturer´s warranty


• Another reason to look to a high-quality motor oil - like Pennzoil and Quaker State - is that it is designed to meet the demands of today´s engines

The information contained in this post along with the gift card I received were provided by Shell Lubricants and www.MotorOilMatters.org through MyBlogSpark.

Growing Up

I hate that my boys are growing up. I feel like it wasn't long ago I was crying over moving Youngest from his crib and finding toddler beds for both boys, and then trepidatious about watching them learn to ride two wheel bikes. Now they want to learn how to use bows and arrows and bee bee guns. Of course there are times like tonight when Youngest is in the tub playing with his batman submarine and characters while Oldest is outside playing on the slide. Still I know that time is moving faster than I care to think about.
It is hard for me to realize that it has been 15 years since I graduated and 13 and a half years since I said I do. It just doesn't seem that long ago. This has been a hard year and a half for me. I have been dealing with depression and am trying to keep looking on the bright side but days like today seem to get me down. Hubby and I are struggling through some things and motherhood isn't the rosey, dreamy state I thought it would be. My kids DO get mad at me and I DO mess up and am not always the attentive, caring and calm mom I always said I would be. And I'm definitely not cool. I hope my boys know how much I love them and how much I struggle to not let the stress of life interfere with how I treat them but I know I fail in so many ways.
So for now I'm going to stop thinking about those toddler beds days and focus on the boys in the tub and on the slide and cherish what time I still have with them. Tomorrow is for tomorrow and I shall just look on today. So now I'm going to get of this computer and curl up on Oldest's bed with both my boys and read a book. How do you cherish your family and what do you enjoy with your kids?