McGyver and my Pillow

by Sharon on September 29, 2009

I was driving south to my parent’s house right in the middle of nap time when it happened.

The bright sun was streaming into the car, keeping a very cranky baby from falling asleep, and I had my moment of pure genius.

It doesn’t happen to me very often…

(I mean, pure genius* doesn’t happen to me very often.  From what I hear the sun shines from the west every 24 hours or so).

In that moment, all my powers of creativity and resourcefulness aligned with the available tools on hand and I became McGyver.** I saw what needed to be done and I stepped up to the plate to do it.

I tethered my pillow between the glass and the window pane.

It wasn’t too long (like the blanket had been).

It wasn’t too thin (like my sweater had been).

It wasn’t too distracting (like the map had been).

It was the perfect sun shade.

I didn’t mind that a few inches of my pillow case were flapping outside of the car door, showing my dirty laundry to every passerby. 

It was okay with me that I lost all visibility on the right side of the car and had to triple check my mirrors four times over before I changed lanes.

And I won’t let it phase me that the whole world now knows that I travel with my pillow.

Nope.

None of that matters, because in five minutes I had this…

… which lasted for an hour and a half.

That’s what Worked for Me this Wednesday

You can find more WFMW tips at We are THAT Family each week!

*There was that one time, six weeks after the Little Guy was born, that I realized that his bouncy seat reclined into a sleeping position.  And while, at that moment, I felt like the heavens opened up and sang the Hallelujah Chorus, I don’t think that counts as a moment of genius.  I think that counts as a brief moment of mental clarity amidst the fog of sleep deprivation.

** …. and I became McGyver.

You know I couldn’t resist that one!

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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

togetherforgood September 29, 2009 at 9:26 PM

LOL We have done that more than once. Not with pillows but with blankets. Whatever it takes to make the screaming stop, right?

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Kelly @ The Miller Mix September 29, 2009 at 11:08 PM

I keep trying to find something that fully blocks the "NO BRIGHT LIGHT!" but even screens only cover half the window. Guess I'll be trying this method.

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Sarah September 30, 2009 at 1:43 AM

Pure genius!! The things we will do for a few minutes of nap time!! Here in Australia we have Window Sox – fantastic idea – no sun, but you can still see through them! Thanks for visiting my blog! Have a great day!

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Beth P. September 30, 2009 at 8:17 AM

How creative of you! And yay! for a sleeping baby. Awesome job.

Thanks for stopping by my blog – I loved reading this post and am going to catch up on more!

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jmberrygirl September 30, 2009 at 8:43 AM

=) Good work, McGuyver!

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Raising Z September 30, 2009 at 1:58 PM

Brilliant! You make a very good looking McGyver. Anything for a quiet drive home :) I know I just found you but I love your blog and gave you an award today on mine :) Feel free to check it out.

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Deborah September 30, 2009 at 2:12 PM

Love it! We'll be doing a lot of traveling next year, so I'll have to keep this in mind… :o )

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Beth P. September 30, 2009 at 6:09 PM

I'm back to thank you so much for the encouragement on my latest post. I know everything will work out, I was just experiencing a moment of weakness this morning (or at least… thats my excuse for now!). I appreciate your comment!

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Clueless_Mama September 30, 2009 at 10:43 PM

This post cracked me up! I love when I have my McGyver moments:)

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AngiDe- Nana's Box October 1, 2009 at 8:54 AM

Hi, stopping by from SITS!

Great idea to use your pillow!! Anything to keep the babies asleep right? ;)
I hope you'll come by and check out my GIVEAWAY going on!!

http://nanasboxnonprofit.blogspot.com/2009/09/designs-by-best-friends-giveaway.html

Angie
Nana's Box

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