Been Away, Here's Why

It has been a crazy couple weeks for me! We went to Disneyland! Came home and we've been sick. One of our cats run away. There are plenty of posts coming but Christmas is right around the corner and I'm finally starting to feel better after being sick almost a week. I haven't given up on this, just been crazy busy. Thanks for all the love! I will post again soon!

Diaper Bags for 2 Under 6

My kids are growing up so fast, it's not something I can stop. But as they can older, there is less and less that I need to have with me at all times. We are going to California in about a week and a half and I decided to go through my diaper bags to see what I need to bring along with us. In going through my diaper bags, yes I have three, I discovered that there are a lot of items that I had packed that I don't really need anymore because my oldest is in school now so it's really just me and my youngest most of the time and my youngest is not a baby anymore.

My Fully Loaded Bag:

This is my JJ Cole messager bag in Leaf Print with matching pacifier pod.

In the front pockets I have my oldest's flush-able wipes.

Sunscreen in stick form because it goes on better than the lotion kind and tissues.

Cardboard book, Monkey Mat, Mamga-Doodle and toy tethers

The blue toothbrush holder has bendy straws and the other container has eating out supplies.

Inside there are tons of pockets that I love! Everything fits perfectly!

I have sipper pouches with first aid needs.

Another zipper pouch with medication.

The back pocket holds my stroller straps that came with the bag and an owl that I loop around a cart for my oldest to have a place to hold on to and stay close.

Here's everything from my bag laid out!

 Top Row: Pacifier wipes, Boogies Wipes, Wipes, small Apple Juice, a clean onesie, a burp rag, a swaddle blanket.

Second Row: Arm and Hammer diaper bags, Clorox wipes, Marshall snack box, Lysol travel spray, toothbrush holder with bendy straws, eating out container, Manga-Doodle.

Third Row: Skip Hop Walk-Along Stroller Handle, diapers, Ipsy bag with medication, Monkey Mat, toy tethers, tissues.

Last Row: Wuby pacifier animal, zipper bag with first aid supplies, cardboard book, sunscreen stick and Flush-able wipes.

 That's a ton of crap! Here's a closer look at what I carry in the zipper pouches and containers:

First Aid Pouch: Pad, Diaper Rash Cream, Band-aids, thermometer, baby lotion, Neo To Go Spray, chap stick and teething gel

Medication Pouch: Gas Drops, Pain Reliever tablet, Pepto Bismol tablets, liquid Pain Reliever and dropper

Snack Box: I love this box! May gifted it one birthday and it's awesome! It's hard so snacks won't turn to crumbs. I keep a pouched baby food, crackers of some type, fruit snacks and cookies.

Eating Out Container: This was a Pin I saw to use a Crystal Light plastic container to hold things. At the bottom is a folded up napkin to keep the bottom clean. May found these toppers for the baby food pouches that screw on so it's easier for my youngest to drink them, toddler spoon and fork, water bottle attachments to make it easier for my kids to drink from and not spill, a fold up spoon that came with my husband's tuna pouches, disposable bib and regular bib. 

That was my normal, use everyday bag. I have a smaller bag that is easier to just grab and go:

I got this from my Aunt when we announced our pregnancy for our oldest! I love this little bag.

It holds just enough!

This is everything from my little bag laid out: Sunglasses for both boys, Ipsy bag, Swaddle blanket, wipes, tissues, toy cars, disposable fork & spoon set, toy tether, diapers, and Flush able wipes

Ipsy Bag: disposable place mat, disposable bib, fold-able spoon, extra pacifier, lollipops, boogie wipes, rash cream, medication for both me (pink case has allergy medicine, pepto bismol and Aleve) and the kids, baby lotion, band aids and a pad.

And finally, I have a back pack that is a cross between a diaper bag and my purse. I use it when we go to the zoo or hiking or whenever I don't feel like carrying 2 bags: 

This is my Thirty One Sling Back Bag and I love it! It looks small but it holds everything I need! On the sides are two mesh pockets that I put sippy cups in.

Inside there is a ton on room! 

The front pockets are perfect for the small stuff. 

Normally I have in this bag: an extra set of clothes for my youngest, diapers, stick sunscreen, tissues, pacifier wipes, hand sanitizer, chap stick, lotion, wipes, Flush able wipes, and my Ipsy pouch. I normally only need to add my keys and my wallet in order to take this bag.

Inside the Ipsy pouch: a pad, disposable bib, boogie wipes, pill case with pepto bismol & allergy medicine, a lollipop, Aleve, diaper rash cream, band aids, antibacterial ointment and kids' pain reliever tablets.

Those are my diaper bags! Next week I'll be posting my carry ons for our trip and in a few weeks, I'll post how I pack my Toddler diaper bag. 

Happy Mommy-ing! 

Coupon Binder

I am by no means an extreme couponer. But I do like getting things cheaper than normal. When I go grocery shopping I have all my coupons laid out, I have my store loyalty card digitally pulled up on my computer, I write down a list of dinners for 2 weeks (our pay period) and check off what I already have on hand. It takes me a good couple hours to get ready to go grocery shopping. Why would I do all that work? Why not just go shopping and not worry about planning ahead or the fuss of coupons? Because I save, on average, $24 to $30 dollars on items we use all the time!  That is what makes it whole it to me! 

My original coupon binder looks like this:

I organized it in order by most important, when my kids were really little the most important thing for us to save on was baby items. Now that my kids are older and I've been doing this for a few years I only really shop at one store. I used to write everything down that I needed on a pad of paper and then rewrite it in the order that I get them at the store that takes a lot of mental work. So I figured there had to be a better way that I could go grocery shopping and not miss using any coupons for items that I was buying. And I'm a mom so remembering last minute is always so stressful. So I decided to reorganize my coupon binder in a way that reflects the items within the store I go to. 

First I wrote down seven different categories for my 7 different dividers and this is what I came up with:

Then I came up with subcategories per divider like under the food there is boxed in canned food.

Next it was time to redo my coupon binder. The simple as getting my label maker out and relabeling my dividers.

Then I rearrange my coupon so according to their new dividers and subcategories.

And finally I had this many pencil pouch left over from my busy bags that I purchased from the dollar store. I figured it was a better place to hold all the coupons I am going to use for my next shopping trip instead of the plastic sandwich baggie I was using because the pencil pouch actually fits in the binder.

And that's it I'm ready to go! Not only do I have all my coupons better organized, and a new place to put all of my coupons I'm going to use, but my list fits perfectly in the pencil pouch couldn't be simpler!

Happy Mommy-ing!

UPDATE: What's In My Purse

I did a post about what I keep in my purse (link here) for life's little emergencies a few months ago and the organizer I had was not really working for me. I love many of the Thirty One products and they have come out with a bigger purse organizer called the "Super Swap It Pocket" and it works so much better! 

The size difference is very noticeable!

 I also added some eyeliner, dental floss, pre-packaged individual tooth picks from a restaurant and a fold-able brush to my "just in case bag" because you never know. I now have a full mini makeup kit in my purse. I'm a mom and it's always nice to be able to look your best in a short amount of time. 

The "Super Swap It Pocket" has so many pockets! It holds everything and it gets its name because of how easy it is to Swap it from one purse or tote into another. Now I don't need to take everything out of my purse when I need a bigger one of my stuff and the kids, now I just lift it up and out and into another tote! 

I have always believed that the more organized you are, the easier life is. If you have everything in its place (and put it back once you're done using it, that is key!) then you will always know where to find it! Thirty One products offer many great organization solutions for everyone! check them out at https://www.mythirtyone.com! 

Happy Mommy-ing! 

Easy Mom Halloween Costumes

Halloween is a fun time! I have such great memories dressing up as a child but once I hit about 20 years old, I stopped spending tons of money on a costume. And now that I'm a mom of two boys, all my money goes to them first. But since my oldest is in school and will be trick or treating longer than 7 houses, I wanted to dress up too! Here are some very easy, fairly cheap, throw together ideas:

1. Baby: this costume is so easy! I was a baby for a few years in a row. I have a little mermaid pajama bottoms and a matching shirt, I put my hair in pigtails and bring a stuffed animal.

2. Biker Chick: I wore black pants, black boots, a black shirt, plaid shirt (or leather jacket I'd you have one) and dark bandanna on my head.

3. Pirate: Nearly the same as the Biker Chick but I smeared my eye makeup to look more smoky, painted my nails black, added my black lace gloves i have had over a decade and some skull jewelry.

4. Cat Lady: Wear your jammies (happy dance!) complete with slippers and a robe. I tied together a bunch of stuffed animal cats and wore it like a scraf. And I threw my hair into a messy claw clip. So simple and comfy!

Other easy ideas I don't have all items for:

- A Princess: fancy dress & tiara
- Identity Thief: sweater with a bunch of "Hello...My Name Is" stickers on it with names
-Woods Person: plaid shirt, jeans, boots, beanie and toy axe
-Ghost: white sheet with holes cut out
-Nurse/Doctor: matching scrub top & bottom (I'm sure you can get them cheap someplace)

There are so many awesome, last minute costumes you can whip together in a short time! Pinterest is an amazing source! Don't let your kids gave all the fun! They'll look back and remember you joining in the Halloween fun with them and it'll make that memory all the more special!

Happy Mommy-ing!