Part II: Volvo + The Art of Slow Living this Holiday Season

December is always my favorite month but also the busiest for work. Finding balance can be a challenge sometimes, but this year I’ve teamed up with Volvo Car USA. If you read my post here then you know between recipe testing, writing, shooting and editing I’m taking a breath and practicing the art of slow living between the mad rush of life and the holidays.

Not that I need a reminder, but a little nudge from my boys and one of the safest cars isn’t so bad, right? By reminders I mean my boys telling me things don’t need to be perfect and Volvo’s XC90 gently bumping me back to the center of the lane if I inadvertently drift from a lack of focus. So between running around from work to carpool to shuffling kids from sports to music, I’m savoring the quiet moments. The moments when my boys get to be boys—not little athletes, or practicing musicians or classroom students—just care-free time that, as we all know, passes way too quickly. 

Working as my co-pilot to get from one place to the next is Volvo’s new XC90 that I’m absolutely crazy about. It’s like driving with heightened Spiderman senses. Who’s going to say no to features like blind spot alerts for when another car enters your blind spot or approaches too fast and then will gently steer you back in your lane or the Pilot Assist that when it’s engaged will help you follow the flow of traffic. But one of the coolest features that I love, and my boys are mesmerized by, is the 360 camera that gives you a birds-eye view of the area surrounding the car. This is a massive assistant when I’m pulling out of school parking lots and little kids are darting in and out from every direction.

So a few weekends ago, we went to El Capitan, a glamping site that we usually go to during summer. Where we play outside, dine outside and the only inside time is when the camp fire burns out and we close our eyes to the lulling sounds of nature. I know my ten-year-old likes going there because he’s able  to enjoy me as the mom who is playing ball rather than the mom fielding emails. And the mom who actually sets a table rather than doing dinner on disposable plates.

But the best moments are when we play until we are red in the face and fall to the ground. That’s where he moves from telling me why I missed catching that last ball to life as he sees it from his world.

His voice and words carry and nudge me back to the center lane of life, where our laughter silences all distractions and slow living unfolds from one uneventful moment to the next. The moments that make me want to hold his boyhood close to my chest slow the time if only for another year or two.