Mom’s Magic Bag of Tricks {What’s in Your Purse?}

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I’ve always been a good (if slightly overzealous) packer. I would have made an excellent Girl Scout because I believe in being prepared in as many situations as possible. While we were dating, my husband used to call my purse my Mary Poppins bag because I was always pulling out random things that never seemed to fit. Thankfully that gift didn’t go with the way of my brain cells when I became a mother. My mom bag purse has been packed with an ever evolving laundry list of “necessities” since the moment I felt like I could ditch the diaper bag (when my youngest was about a year). 

Now I’m sure you’ve heard to never go through a lady’s purse, but it’s okay, you’re invited to take a walk on the wild side and dive into my daily bag with me! True to my organized nature, I’ll unpack my bag for you pocket by pocket to keep it neat and tidy!

Pocket one: “It happens” stuff. I carry a small supply of what I call “it happens” stuff. This includes: band aids, hand sanitizer, a small container of vaseline, a few feminine products, and an extra set of contacts. I use all of it on the reg and am always happy to share with a mom in need! 

Pocket two: “Make momma pretty” items. There are many times I leave the house with my children ready to go, and myself, not so much. One of my small pockets is dedicated to some toiletry items that help me feel a bit more put together: emergency earrings (it helps dress up that messy bun), headbands (one of the workout and one of the fancy variety, also for said messy bun,) lip gloss, hair ties, mints, and lotion. It’s a good pocket.

Pocket three: Checks and balances. Here I keep my checkbook, pens and pencils, and a small notepad to be used for little hands to draw little pictures.

Pocket four: The Big Mama. My purse is a messenger bag style and it’s big pocket is larger than it may appear. This means I have lots of room for all manner of items. But I’m sure you know that in a big bag, it’s easy to lose items (found a dusty mint lately?) To prevent this from happening, I have a few different organizational tools for the main area.

The wristlet. This carries my essentials.  Credit cards, driver’s license, insurance cards, cash, a feminine product, my phone. My phone doesn’t normally live there, but it does fit in when I just want to run in somewhere, or I am childfree (le sigh). An important part of any mom bag is the “grab and go” item so that you can leave the full sized version in the car!

The drawstring. Many years ago I got a small drawstring bag for free at a Thirty-One party. I’ve used it for many different things, but it has been put to the best use in my purse as a toy carrier. In here I have three hotwheels, three tiny playdough containers (dollar spot at Target has the BEST and least messy playdough ever), three woolly willy boards, and a set of question cards courtesy of Chick-Fil-A’s kids meals. These items can be used separately or together to entertain my children for long period of times, and they love them.

Side pockets. In these inner pockets live items that I want to access easily or don’t want to get crushed in the bottom of my bag. I have three, and I keep my tiny vaseline, my phone, my car keys, and two packages of Smarties (for emergency bribes).  

Free and easy. I do have some larger items that just float around in there. Because they are larger I rarely manage to lose them inside my purse. (I am especially talented at things like this though so never say never.) These floaters include: my kindle, a ziploc of crayons, a set of Wikki Stix, a small mermaid pillow, two small containers of snacks (normally raisins, nuts, or something that lasts a long time), a small package of wipes, and my planner. (Yes, a paper planner because I refuse to use the calendar on my phone, and my mom brain means I can’t remember anything).

And there you have it. My purse’s secrets laid out for everyone to see (and silently judge). I realize it seems like a ridiculous amount of stuff to cart around, but it’s less than I used to bring. When my boys were in the recently potty trained season I also had two diapers and a set of underwear in there! I still keep a small bag of clothing changes in the car, but I don’t feel like I need them in my purse at this point in our lives.  

The momfession reason I have so much in one little bag is it relieves my stress levels (anxiety stricken mommas feel me on this one). I feel prepared to conquer most things that my kids and life in general are going to throw at me. When I’ve got my magic bag of tricks, I’m more likely to be able to go with the flow because I have options in my bag. Whether it makes the hour-and-a-half wait at the doctor’s office survivable, or enables me to talk for five more minutes with a friend over lunch with all our kids, I’m grateful for the tricks in my purse. And so are my kids.

What do you keep in your purse?

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