Bag of Tricks

I’ve heard that women live longer than men. I’m guessing this is because we carry a purse and have more emergency items than men can fit into their pant pockets? In any case, if this is true – I will be living a LONG time! Especially if the emergency happens later in the week as I tend to clean out my bag over the weekend.

Monday I cleaned out my purse (which has been mistaken for a suitcase) which I hadn’t done for a while. I had to plan this activity while the kids were napping because I wasn’t sure what I would find that they’d be tempted with (sucker, McDonald’s toy, etc). Turns out, not only will I live a bit longer (aspirin, band-aids, allergy medicine, a variety of skin ointments) but I’ll look good too (5 tubes of lipstick, two combs, a bottle of hairspray, tide stain remover, mascara & eyelash curler and two pairs of sunglasses). My kids are all set for all of their needs too (diapers, wipes, bibs, extra pants, baby spoon, one bottle, formula, rattle, two pairs of little girls’ sunglasses, a baby’s winter hat) and we will all have plenty of entertainment should we ever be stranded (Droid, itouch, frisbee and two small blow up beach balls).

Crazy right? That’s just the stuff I put BACK! I I threw away a couple of old grocery lists, some candy wrappers and other crap that didn’t really belong. My kids know that if they want to make sure something comes along with us on an outing, they put it in ‘mommy’s bag’. Making my (almost) weekly clean out session an adventure and a trip down memory lane for the week.

I have a closet full of purses but I have carried the same one nearly every day for four years. When I was working my ‘bag’ led a double life as a briefcase and a purse/ diaper bag, but I never accumulated the variety of items I find now that I’m at home all the time (pretty sure they wouldn’t have let me through airport security with a butter knife in my purse!).

Not surprisingly, L often accessorizes with a purse of her own. Usually she uses it to carry other ‘necessary’ accessories (necklaces, sunglasses, etc). Sometimes I extend my clean out to L’s purses and occasionally find something surprising (a partially eaten bagel, a toy hammer). I’m thinking that there will be a time when I’m looking through her purse in search of something more than silly bands (SO not looking forward to that!).

Lessons I learned today:

·       As much as I wish, light bulbs do not change themselves.

·       A visit from the in-laws will give me the extra motivation I need get my to-do list for the week finished early.

·       They don’t make a purse big enough to be prepared for everything – going with the flow and figuring it out as you go are crucial qualities for a mom.