• Fire extinguisher

  • Choose a small one that is easy to store.

• Road flares

• Spare tire

• Tire jack

• Tarp

• Multipurpose tool

• Duct tape

• Flashlight and extra batteries

• Rags

• Rain ponchos

• Drinking water and non-perishable snacks

• Jumper cables

• Scent-free baby wipes

Some optional items for your roadside kit include:

• Collapsible shuttle

• Ice scraper

• Cat litter for slick roads

• Small battery-powered fan

• Blankets and/or warm clothing

Other Pro Tips of things you can keep in your car to be prepared for an emergency:

• Cell phone car charger: Keeping your phone charged up when you’re on the road can help you reach out for assistance in an emergency. In addition to a standard car charger, also consider a solar charger.

• Cash for gas: If the power goes out due to inclement weather, it’s nearly impossible to get gas with just your credit card. Cash always works, so keep some safely tucked away in your car.

• Clean, empty, refillable gas jug: This won’t fit in your every-day emergency kit, Just remember it’s never safe to keep a full jug in your vehicle, as gas is highly flammable and unstable.

• Check all car fluids before a long drive: including oil, antifreeze, and transmission fluid. These should be clean and full to make sure your vehicle is running in tip-top shape.

• Deck of cards, book, or other entertainment: Literally any kind of entertainment that doesn’t require technology. I know that as someone who’s every move uses her cellphone, it’s a hard pill to swallow that I may not have the ability to charge it should an emergency arise. So have options.

It doesn’t hurt to be prepared for the worst. It provides with peace of mind that you can handle any situation you end up in. I recommend plastic bins in the trunk so that you know exactly where everything is and can easily access the. So get your bags together and keep that trunk organized!

Out of nowhere, everything went dark. I couldn’t see a single thing even a foot in front of my car. Guys, I’m not nocturnal. As cool as that would be, not to mention how EXTREMELY helpful it would be, I am very much someone who requires light to see. LAME. It quickly became apparent that my headlights went out. So to recap, I’m in the middle of nowhere in the dark. I had to call my sister to come and get me and go get my car in the morning.

Now, my car was relatively new at the time, I’d only had it for about a year, so I was so confused as to why the lights went out. I brought my vehicle to Younger Nissan of Frederick and they were so helpful. They checked my car over thoroughly to make sure everything was ok. It appeared that a mouse had chewed through several wires in my car, including both to the headlights causing them to go out. Fortunately, they were able to fix everything up and I have been a bit more vigilant about the mice in my garage, let me tell you. I even let the cats out there from time to time to act as guards. No more mousy snack time for my car.

If you find yourself without headlights always pull off to the side of the road and call for assistance. Risking the lives of other people on the road in cars or otherwise is simply not worth it. To get your headlights checked or repaired you can stop by Younger Nissan of Frederick and we’ll be happy to get your car back in shape.

By the time spring came around I had a healthy collection of clothing that I could easily use as bedding if I chose to sleep in my car. I didn’t, but I could if I wanted to. The pile of clothes kept growing. You know how spring is. That first few weeks of warm weather you’re still not used to the warmth of the sun, how could you have forgotten, and then you inevitably have to shed a few layers that end up on the floor of the backseat.

Now it’s just out of hand. The clothes have fully taken over my car. I didn’t even realize how spacious the Altima was until I had accumulated almost a year’s worth of clothing in here without a second thought. The thing that blows my mind is despite the insane quantity of clothing in here, THERE IS STILL ROOM! Like how?! It doesn’t make sense. Space aside,  I won’t let me friends get too close lest they decide that my packrat tendencies are repulsive. I NEVER offer to drive when we go anywhere because I don’t have the kind of time it would require to clean out my car before they arrive.

I do, however, have that kind of time today. So here we are, cleaning out my car. Once my car has returned to its former glory I have placed a bin in the trunk of my car so that when I have a bunch of clothes at the end of the week I can put the clothes in there and bring them back into my apartment and hopefully avoid this terribly embarrassing situation from happening again.

Before Each Driver Training Session

• Take time to plan out your route rather than winging it. Choosing quiet side streets, and avoiding busy thoroughfares would probably be a solid choice. Make sure you go over the route with your teen. It will help them be prepared too.
• Have an agenda of what road skills to work on before each drive begins.
• Adjust the passenger side mirror so that your teen has to adjust the mirrors themselves. It’s a good practice to get into.
• Stay calm and try not to raise your voice. If you’re calm, your teen will be too. No use in making them more nervous than they already are.

Driver Training On the Road

• Be sure to give your child plenty of advance notice when they will need to turn, or if you want them to perform a specific road skill.
• Keep talking to a minimum so as to not distract your child.
• If a mistake is made have your teen pull over and explain the error so that it’s fresh in their memory.
• Speak and instruct in a calming tone. If you feel like your teen is starting to get frustrated end the lesson for the day.
• Be on the lookout for potential hazards or dangers as scanning their environment is a learned skill that your teen doesn’t yet have.
• When starting, keep the lessons short, maybe 15 or 20 minutes. As your teen gets more comfortable get up to around 40 minutes of driving per session.
• Remember that the information in drivers education is the be-all end-all and you shouldn’t contradict what was taught in these classes. Put your ego aside while keeping in mind that your teen’s drivers’ ed teacher is a certified instructor, specially trained on how best to teach new drivers.

Home, After the Driver Training Session

• Go over the entire session, explaining mistakes, but still accenting the positive.
  Ask your teen to assess how he or she drove and what was learned.

Congrats! You’ve made it though. Your teen is ready for the road test and you are probably ready for a nap. Parenting isn’t for the faint of heart, so don’t worry, you’re doing a great job!

My daughter brings me an endless amount of joy. Watching her little personality develop into the intelligent and funny little woman that she is both amazing and terrifying. Sometimes I look at her and see my own face looking back at me. It’s startling, really, to see how many of my mannerisms she has picked up. Seeing those faces always makes me wonder what other characteristics of mine she has watched, learned, and made her own.

Logically I know that she is absorbing just about everything that I do at this age, it’s just what two-year-olds do. They soak up everything around them like a sponge. So I know that she is taking in both the good and the bad. As such I’ve been worried that she will pick up on my insecurities and unsteady confidence. She’s pretty independent and strong willed now, but she’s two so the trick will be to continue to continue to support her independence and confidence as she grows. With that in mind, I have been making a more concerted effort to be the woman that my daughter thinks I am and to be the strong and confident mother she deserves, but it’s hard. Everyone needs a little confidence boost to get through.

Some people put on some makeup and high heels and feel ready to take on the world, but I feel truly on top of the world in my Nissan Midnight Edition. Honestly, it’s hard not to. When I’m driving I feel in total control. It seems that my daughter picked up on that and decided to give her trike an “upgrade”. What was once a pink trike is now painted black “just like mommy’s”. She’s been driving around the neighborhood like she owns the place.

I may not always be a perfect mother or role model for my daughter, but I’m learning to Be One as I go and trying my best. If my daughter learns nothing else from me, I hope she holds onto that confidence and spark. Life has a way of making you question your confidence, but if her current little personality is anything to go by, I don’t think I have anything to worry about. Parenthood is hard, but as long as I can make my daughter’s life even a little bit easier I’ll have done my job.

Now, my friend lives in a one bedroom apartment and the new apartment is completely furnished, so she, fortunately doesn’t have mountains of clothes to contend with. What it really comes down to is moving her TV, clothes/shoes, books, kitchen supplies, and tchotchkes. It’s a lot of stuff, in varying sizes, but I have faith that we can do this with a few easy steps.

1. Organize items in groups of similar size and shape.
2. Wrap up the breakable items, like the TV in a sheet or towel to protect from scratches.
3. Place the larger non-breakable items first toward the cab of the truck.
4. Then, starting at the cab end of the truck place items from largest to smallest in the truck bed.
5. If possible put the TV or other fragile items between the bags of clothes to add extra cushion.
6. Tuck all of your possessions in the truck using a tarp(or two), securing the tarp with bungee cords so that nothing flies out of your truck.
7. Take longer bungee cords and add an extra layer of security across your items so that everything stays in place.

Having finished our game of high stakes Tetris and feeling that everything is secured and ready to roll, we 100% did a well deserved happy dance. There is something extremely satisfying about fitting everything into one trip. Fortunately, the 2017 Nissan Titan, was capable of handling the job. Now, after all that hard work, I think we deserve some ice cream from Sweet Pea on our way to D.C. It was quite a workout after-all.

If you find yourself in need of a vehicle that is capable of making moves, stop by Younger Nissan of Frederick today, located at 7418 Grove Road, Frederick, MD 21704 to take a test drive in any of our exceptional vehicles. We’re sure to have the right one for you and your needs.