New Mom Bag

I recently discovered Lily Jade bags and I really really wanted one. I spent almost $300 on a freaking diaper bag! 😮Why?! Why would I drop that much money on a diaper bag?! I soon won't have a kid in diapers anymore!!! They are very highly recommended by thousands of women. And apparently they are super high quality leather but WHY?!?!? 

I consider myself pretty low maintenance, just don't ask my husband lol! But no seriously when it comes fashion and stuff like my hair, I am low maintenance. I go for as long as I can, many times well beyond the recommended time frame for getting my roots colored to cover up my grey hairs or paint my hair as my two year old says. I will fully admit I am not fashionable dresser but I am trying not to be that housewife in sweats either.

What I do love is bags! I am a sucker when it comes to a big bag with lots of pockets. I have done many posts about my numerous Thirty One bags and how I love organizing them: Mommy Purse and my most recent In-Flight bag to name a few. I am in that toddler stage where I do not need so many things when we go around town for either of my kids. My almost six year old needs basically nothing but something to eat and drink when we leave the house. My toddler really only needs snacks and diapering items to keep him happy. Of  course every mom has those miscellaneous items like medicine and first aid that you do not need daily but need to have on hand.
After looking at countless YouTube videos and watching the site daily to see if the price would drop, I was determined to save up and buy myself one for my 30th birthday after Christmas this year. Well much to my surprise, my husband told me I didn't have to wait! I never really do anything for myself and he said to just buy it during a Memorial Day sale. I felt a mixture of pure joy and excitement and at the same time selfishness and shame for spending ALMOST $300 ON A BAG FOR MYSELF!!! My husband kind of understood, last Christmas he purchased for himself a genuine leather jacket with a price tag of over $200. He loves that jacket and looks mighty fine in it 😉. So he was very supportive in my purchase of a high quality bag. I spent days looking it over, Lily Jade has many  bags to choose from but I kept looking at this one.

I loved it! After purchasing, I panicked a little about the money but once it came - I was so happy I had bought it! It's big but not heavy. I did have issues trying to pack it using the insert that comes with it and almost returned it because I just couldn't get the insert to work for me. One of the ladies that I had been talking to on a 'Buy, Sell, Trade, Chat' page on Facebook suggested I try packing it without the insert. Thank goodness for her telling me that because I love it so much more now that it actually works for me!

This bag is big enough I can carry all my crap: make-up, my snacks, 2 wallets (regular and budget envelopes), loyal cards (tip on those), Ipod, keys, phone, sunglasses...plus all my kids crap and miscellaneous items as well!

Did I mention that this bag turns into a backpack!?!? I have my Sling Back Bag from Thirty One I normally use if I know I am going some place where I need to be hands-free like the zoo or the kids play gym. But normally I'm okay not having a backpack, until I got this bag! I absolutely love that I have long straps to wear it as a normal purse and the backpack option when I need it. We went to the zoo with this bag, I take it to the library with the kids (I normally have to wear it like a backpack when we are leaving because my youngest has a meltdown over leaving and you just can't have a screaming kid at the library), I took it to the movies for Father's Day, heck you can even see it hanging from my stroller in the picture of me above!
It is my everyday bag and I feel more put together wearing it! I am completely happy with this expensive bag! I am so glad I bought it!

Happy Mommy-ing! 

Surviving Summer 2018: Weeks 2 & 3

Week 2:
We are in the second week, first full no school, of summer and after the disaster last week - I really stepped up my mommy game!
Monday, of course, was a holiday so we spend time together as a family. We went to the splash pad/park with our neighbors and then got ice cream after because it was so hot! I packed this Thirty One Utility Tote with all our splash pad/park essentials:

Towels, Swim Diaper and swim shorts for my youngest, an extra pair of clothes for him as well, sun hats for both boys, swim shorts for my oldest, all our snacks in the Summer Fun black caddy, a sunscreen stick and their cups with ice water

Everything fit with room to spare! I wore my Sling Back Backpack from Thirty One so I could be hands free with my family at the park. They loved it, first they played on the play set and then we changed the youngest into his swim diaper and my oldest into his swim shorts really quick and they jumped over to the splash pad. It was so hot that I was at the edge of the splash pad (water shoots out from the ground and kids can run and play in it). 

Tuesday we went to our local library for Family Story Time. We were almost late because this mama had a very hard time getting up and getting everyone ready to go out the door for our 20 minute drive but work in progress. We got there just as they were starting the program and thank goodness we were not the last ones in. The staff started with two interactive songs, then a story was read aloud, another two interactive songs, a second story read aloud, two more interactive songs and finally finished with a craft. It killed a good 30-45 minutes there and of course a 40 minute around trip drive. It was good to get out of the house for that time, better than sitting on the couch. I signed both boys up for the library's summer reading programs for their age groups and that starts in a few weeks. Defiantly going next week, even if it's a far drive it is only once a week. 

Wednesday we stayed home the whole day because of the heat outside and the fact that sometimes the AC in my car stops blowing cold air and it always seems to be when it is super hot outside and we are away from the house. We did go walking around the block with my neighbor but my youngest threw a fit not to have the stroller because he wanted to walk with brother, that lasted 10 minutes... 😒  

Thursday and Friday were hot as well, so being outside was very little due to the heat. Saturday we spent cleaning and decorating the house for my husband's birthday party the next day. 

Sunday we went to the Zoo and had a great time! It was hot and my AC did stop halfway home, which was 30 minutes away, but it was fun. (New Blog about how we take our kids to the zoo soon!)

Week 3: 

Unfortunately my husband had to drive across the country due to a family emergency so I have been flying solo this whole week, also why this post has 2 weeks instead of 1. It has been a full and hectic week with my two little men by myself. Because my husband left Monday afternoon around nap-time, the kids and I spent time with him before he left and then were unhappy and missing him the rest of the day. 

I did not sleep well Monday night, I never do when he is not there, but we still barely made it to the local library for story time. Then ran a few errands and I got my hair cut and grey hairs "painted" over at the salon... complete with my two boys there with me. And to my great surprise, they were very good! I took my fold-able plastic hand basket with their tablets and headphones and my Summer Fun Caddy filled with snacks and snacks and more snacks!

Wednesday was hot again, I mean I do live kind of in the South and it is summer -- so when is it not hot?! We did go walking with my neighbor around the block in an attempt to tire out my boys before nap-time. And this time I took our wagon and did not allow my youngest to dictate whether he was walking or not; I am the boss after all. 

That night both of my boys were up every hour for some reason: the youngest pooped and needed a diaper change, the oldest heard the cats fighting and they hit his bedroom door, the oldest heard the fire station sirens go off as they left to fight a fire.. things that they normally don't wake up from. I decided, even though I was SO TIRED, to wake up an hour before them in order to get out of my grumpiness. I was very very tired but I woke up at 7 AM instead of rolling out of bed at 7:59 AM when they normally come downstairs at 8 AM. We went to Walmart to get a few things and some caffeine for this mama. Then made it home it time for a walk around the block with my neighbor before nap-time. That night I decided to set my alarm for a "bedtime" alarm so that I could get my butt off the couch, stop crocheting and get myself ready for bed and then into bed at a decent time. It worked! I was in bed and asleep by 10:30 PM and thank all that is good we all slept the whole night!!! 

Yesterday I did more to play with my kids, we built Legos and played video games and watched a movie during dinner (hey, it is the only way I can get them to stop playing around and eat when their daddy is away.). I cleaned out my dresser drawers and got rid of a lot of too small clothes. 

This morning while the muffins were baking for breakfast, we did some yoga moves and other exercises to get them awake and get some energy in them (not that they need more!) and I was able to start working out a bit too, got some weight I want to lose. 

Summer seems to be a work in progress every week but that is life with kids! I bought myself this shirt because it pretty much defines my life: 

Happy Mommy-ing!