Speaking of a sore shoulder: what’s in my MOM BAG

 I had fun showing you the contents of my work bag the other day, so I thought I could have even more fun showing you the contents of my mom bag!

I have a range of bag options for momming, and they vary in size from a tiny Lulu crossbody to a slightly bigger Lulu crossbody; to a few mid-level designer options that are pretty roomy; to a couple more high end bags, one big one little; to an Esprit tote bag that I love for its nostalgia. Did anyone else HAVE TO HAVE this bag in middle school?

Anyway, the one I will show you is the big kahuna— my giant former diaper bag that is still my go-to kid-stuff hauler even though our diaper days are mercifully behind us. As I told you in my previous post, it is in SORRY SHAPE, even though it has BEEN REPAIRED.

But, I mean, it’s a Louis Vuitton purse— how bad can it look, really? **shrug**

Here is all the stuff I decided to cram inside it to take Minnie to an ENT appointment* and then, later, to the dance studio where Dorothy had a single 45-minute class, so dropping off and picking up was awkward.

Let’s take a closer look at this actual garbage, yes?

Here we have a coloring book and a baggie of haphazardly chosen crayons, which is pretty self-explanatory and always good in a pinch. More notable, perhaps, is the truly random assortment of small dolls, plus a bracelet and a blue jewel that’s actually a pool toy. I just grabbed a handful of stuff from the bin of TOTALLY RANDOM toys we keep in the laundry room because— and this is a pro tip— when you are planning a screen-free distraction for your kid, the more random the stuff, the happier your kid will be with it. Seriously, the last time I asked Minnie to grab some toys to bring along, she found an old silk scrunchie of mine, a Fisher Price donkey from the Little People manger scene, and a wooden lamp from her dollhouse. These are the things she keeps in her cup holder in my car to play with on the go, and they keep her busy EVERY TIME. Preschoolers are WILD.

I also grabbed two sad Barbie-sized dolls who have had a rough go of it, Spot It cards (a big hit with the 5-8 year-olds at dance with whom Minnie loves to play), bubbles in case she wanted to play outside at dance, a tiny notebook and some tiny markers to go with it (because sometimes she is too cool for a coloring book and crayons), and my keys (duh) which are also my wallet.

I always have these in my purse— why not whiten during a kiddie commute?

Never enough wipes, you know?

Also never enough hair ties— I always have one for me, one for Dorothy, and one for Minnie. And! This bag is where my extra tweezers live because WHY NOT pluck my eye browns in excellent light while parked and waiting for kids? Also, I have very neutral lipsticks for always and might add a specific color as needed (I also have a pink long-wear lip crayon in my car that does the trick). Here you can see a random Clinique tube, Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick, and my favorite Glossier balm.

Snacks for all moods

ALWAYS hand lotion and sanitizer.

Book, readers, sunnies, and Minnie’s water. WHAT ELSE COULD I POSSIBLY NEED? (My giant water bottle du jour also stays in my car, but Minnie needs hers from place-to place).

All packed up!

At the last second, Minnie grabbed this cool LCD writing tablet my brother got her for Hanukkah, and I am glad she did because it was CLUTCH at the doctor and later at dance

*Speaking of the ENT! Okay, so, we made the appointment in APRIL when Minnie got ANOTHER ear infection. She had either an ear infection or a sore throat (OR BOTH) at least once a month from October 2023-April 2024. But! She did not have quite enough ear infections to get an immediate appointment. I knew when I saw the appointment on my calendar this week that it would be a waste of time to take her because SHE IS FINE RIGHT NOW THANK GOODNESS. Buuuuuuut, I also think if she starts to get sick a ton this fall/winter, we will get a faster follow-up appointment than we did an intake appointment, so we went. She had a really cute hearing test with two lovely audiologists (they played games while she listened to bird sounds on her headphones, and one of the games asked her to add toppings to a pizza when she heard the sounds, and they asked her what kind of pizza is her favorite, and she said FROZEN—ha!) and passed it with flying colors. The ENT said her tonsils are huge but do not seem to be causing a sleep disorder so they don’t need to come out, and everything else is fine. Cross your fingers that it stays that way.