Mommy Cards

So there's a new trend happening today among Stay At Home Moms, or SAHM, "Mommy Cards". Sounds like stationary or greeting cards but it is actually business cards for moms. Wait, I am a Stay At Home Mom... that means I have no job. These are business cards, typically used for people with jobs. So why the need for these "Mommy Cards"? What would I, as a mom, need business cards for in my life? I'm a wife and a mom with a personal blog. Not business worthy. Why invest in business cards that are probably going to get lost in my purse (link here)? 

Actually as a mom, there are many opportunities for these "Mommy Cards". This lady's blog (link here) was very informative and gave many reasons to have these cards handy as a mom:

• Setting up kids' playdates
• To leave with the babysitter
• running into someone at the store
• at offices like the dentist and doctor

Vistaprint even has many different designs for their Parent Cards as they call them (link here). There's a place for your name and then it prints out "parent of blank". Like typical business cards, there's places for address, phone, email and company name. There is also a place to put it your kid has an allergy to something, which I thought was very helpful! 

Personally, I am now volunteering at our local YMCA and I am meeting new people every week. It is much easier to hand one of these cards out to a fellow volunteer than it is to try to exchange information well kids are running around us screaming their heads off. I almost pulled out a card while I was at the bank the other day because it's easier to show my information than it is to tell it but that might just be me. I'm hopeful when summer is over and my oldest is back in school that I'll be ready to give them out to the moms. I think it is a great idea for shy people, like myself, as an ice breaker.

HAPPY MOMMY-ING! 

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! 

Corralling Gift Cards and Freebie Cards

I love getting gift cards as presents and love getting those freebie cards from Bath and Body Works and Victoria Secret in the mail! I mean who doesn't like free stuff?! The issue I have with those freebie coupons are they tend to get lost in my purse/wallet. I have a Thirty One Perfect Cents wallet that I love!

But the issue was that with all the freebie coupons (most stores send out 2 to 3 at a time that you can use together) and the gift cards we have- it was bulking up my wallet a little too much.

Well while watching some YouTube videos on a new diaper bag I'm thinking of purchasing soon. So Jordan Page from fun, cheap or free shared this tip in a video (link here) while she was pulling things out of her diaper bag, or what she called a "Black Hole". I did her tip in literally a minute and I already had cashiers at the stores comment on how smart or awesome it was - so I had to share!
Take a binder ring and open it up:

Next take a hole puncher and punch a hole in the corners of all the gift cards and freebie cards and thread them thru the ring.

And that's it! I like to have the freebie cards in front of the gift cards because I will probably use them first, but you organizer however you see fit for you! Now all my cards are in one place in my purse where I can easily find them without bulking up my wallet! I love this tip! It's so easy and kind of like, "Why didn't I think of that?!" 

Happy Mommy-ing!

In-Flight Bag / No Stroller Flying

I recently flew home with my youngest for a family emergency and decided to travel light since it
was just him and me. Yes, No Stroller! I took a 2 and a half year old, by myself, on a 6+ hour flight. As per my norm, I over packed my bag! I purchased this wonderful Deluxe Organizing Utility Tote from Thirty One [link here] and it made for the perfect In-Flight bag / diaper bag while I was in California.

This bag is huge! There are 2 side mesh pockets that are big enough to hold 2 bottles of whatever in each. I packed an empty sippy cup to get us through security and then once we were thru - purchased a soda for myself and some juice for my youngest.

There are 2 outside pockets - a zipper pocket on one side and a Velcro pocket on the other. They were perfect size for our boarding passes (so I could find them easier) and my toddler leash [review here].

Inside the bag I packed everything I thought I would possibly need to keep my youngest happy.
Comfort Items for him like his blanket, a pacifier attached to a stuffed animal called a Wuby (because if it fell, it was easier to find than a simple pacifier), a stuffed animal for him to cuddle with and my shawl (for me or to cover him, lay him on, change him on, as a pillow for either of us. This thing was a huge help!).

Food Items are always a must when going ANYWHERE with children, I think! All of his favorites like fruit snacks, mini cookies, crackers, pretzels, cereal bars, puree pouches, etc. An array of foods helps keep kids happy and calm, and no one on the plane wants to hear them upset!

Toys are always a great idea when traveling with kids, especially non-electronic toys because even though kids' tablets are amazing and compact - they do eventually need to be charged and in the middle of a 4 hour flight is not the ideal time for it to die and then your kid to have a meltdown because of it! I packed just a few things like stickers, a giant pad of paper he could place the stickers on or draw, a cardboard book with his favorite character on it, a toy car that's bigger than normal (again in case it fell, it was easier to find than a hotwheel), a McDonald's toy that is like Hungry Hungry Hippo game, a PEZ dispenser without the candy in it, and a dollar photo album I put animal flash cards in.

The tablet we have is a Kindle Fire and we did purchase the Amazon Freetime Unlimited for it (great value! $4 dollars a month for thousands of apps, videos, books and games my kids just love! We have a storage issue because my kids love it so much!). I also brought with us a portable charger, 2 charging cords, a tablet stand, my Ipod charger (which I had my Ipod in my purse), a jack splitter and his headband phones. Everything fit perfectly in a Thirty One Zipper Pouch!

And finally the normal diaper bag necessities: diapers, wipes, sanitizing spray, sanitizing wipes, boogie wipes, medications, toy/pacifier/cup leashes, band-aids, lotion, sungalsses for my youngest, etc.

This bag was huge and heavy but it was prefect for flying alone with my youngest without a stroller! I had all my stuff in my purse and all his stuff (plus a few things of mine) in this amazing bag, with room to spare!

Happy Mommy-ing! 

Mom Bag: No More Diaper Bag

There's a new trend going on these where moms of older toddlers (above the age for 2 years old) are letting go of carrying around a huge, fully loaded diaper bag. I know I have stopped doing so, unless we are going super far away from our house. I used to have a smaller diaper bag always packed and ready to go (link here) but it got to the point that I hated carrying around 2 bags still. Mom of 2, running after a toddler that refuses to sit in the cart or hold your hand - juggling 2 bags was NOT working for me. Or I would leave the small diaper bag in the car and then he would need a diaper change - so that did not work out either. So there are lot of moms on YouTube that were doing "What's in my bag" videos calling them "Mommy Editions". There are also a few Pins on Pinterest about "Ditching the Diaper bag" and "Mom Bag Essentials", both of which are good things to Pin and read later.
So what is a "Mom Bag"?! It is a diaper bag and a purse all in one! There are numerous versions out there but in my case it is a pouch for my kids' needs inside my everyday purse. Stuff that I may need when we are out grocery shopping or other errands. Mine is very basic, very bare minim because I have redone my car to have more of the kids' needs inside it so I can carry less on me (post coming soon on Mommy Car).

When we are out running errands there's really only 3 things that will keep my youngest happy (most of the time my oldest is in school while we are running errands) 1. a sippy cup of juice, 2. my phone or my Kindle Fire with kids apps on it and finally 3. tons of snacks! As long as he's eating, he's happy. So like I said, there is not a lot I carry with me at all times. My new purse is from Thirty One and it's the Cross-body Organizing Tote and I love it! It took some moving around to get use to it but I love it! Everything that I had in my purse (post link here) is in my Thirty One Super Swap It Pocket, so I just took that thing out and placed it in my new purse no problem. This new tote has 2 mesh side pockets which are perfect for my youngest's sippy cup and I bottle of soda for me (mom of a toddler - we need caffeine!). Then it has 2 outside front pockets for my cell phone, sunglasses, mittens because it's February, and Ipod. Even the Kindle in a case fits in these front pockets! Not sounding like too much kids' stuff right?

I carry with me at all times a Thirty One Pocket a Tote, clear zipper pouch with 2 size 4 diapers, a travel pack of wipes (when this runs out, instead of spending $2 for 18 wipes, I am just going to put some wipes from home in a Ziploc baggie to save some money), some fruit snacks to stop those terrible-two meltdowns and small suckers as a last resort.

In addition to that clear zipper pouch and sippy cup, when I know we are going out to run errands I throw in tons of snacks for him: cereals bars, crackers, cereal, cookies and a pouched food of some sort (not all of these but a few things) and I'm all set! So as long as I have a sippy cup, snacks, entertainment and diapering needs for my youngest.. my purse is the perfect Mom Bag!

Happy Mommy-ing!