Over the years, whenever I’ve had an extra mom or two around, I’ve mentioned in jest how I sort of understand where the “sister wives” are coming from, minus the sharing a husband thing. Well, this year, I’m participating in a carpool with two other families, and I am just so grateful to be sharing the load with two amazing women and our three husbands.

All three of our families were fortunate to receive slots for our preschoolers in a public magnet school. The only downside (which feels awful even saying because free is free) is that the trip to and from the school adds about 45 minutes to a commute. Now though, by sharing that drive with two other families, there are days of the week when I’m able to get into work earlier or make a complete dinner for my family. By coordinating calendars and responsibilities with four additional people the chaos of practices, meals, school activities, and late meetings no longer falls solely on me, my husband or our babysitter. We have formed this little community of support and it’s been amazing.

The other fabulous side effect of our carpool is the time I get to spend with the kids. Most times when I drive carpool I have my son, daughter, and two other little girls. The conversation between the children is hilarious and make the trek so enjoyable. We’ve also developed our own little carpool rituals, like rocking out to the Zootopia song, racing to the front door of the school, and meeting up at the waving window to say our final goodbyes.

I recommend a carpool to anyone struggling to make the day-to-day work. I’m so happy to have my “sister moms” to share in this adventure called parenting.