moms have it IN THE BAG There's method behind purse madness PARENTING ON THE RUN
Moms are always pulling random flotsam out of their purses at the oddest moments. What do we end up carrying in our Mom bags?
Date published: 1/23/2007
YOUR TURN: Hey moms! What's in your bag. Post your comments (or confessions)!
By KIM BAER
orget fashion.
These bags are chosen for function, not form.
The No. 1 requirement for a Mom Bag is simple--it must be big enough to stuff the whole world in.
After all, it is the repository for sticks of gum, barrettes and hair scrunchies, dried up leaf bits, Happy Meal toys, extra socks, Lego pieces and crayons.
Moms of young children pack diapers, wipes, an extra change of clothes and little toys in their bags. There also must be at least one snack item, "just in case," and sippy cups or juice boxes.
These essentials fulfill the four needs, said Sarah Dewees of Fredericksburg: the food need, clothing need, diaper need and entertainment need.
Eating utensils are important, too. Dewees, who has a 2-year-old son, recalled digging for a pen in her bag at work one day. She never did find the pen, but she did pull out a baby spoon.
Dewees and her son were enjoying some time at Fredericksburg Memorial Park one recent day. Other caregivers--armed with Mom Bags, of course--and children were also there.
Harriet Poole of Fredericksburg, the caregiver for 2-year-old twin girls, said she's stopped carrying spare clothes. But she does carry extra socks because "you never know what will get in their shoes," she said.
The oddest item Antonella Dalla Torre of Fredericksburg carries in her bag are fake eggs. The wooden white eggs look real and her 2-year-old son loves to play with them.
Mom Bags also hold found "treasures," typically bits of nature.
For months, for instance, Poole found acorns in her bag--acorns the twins had collected on shopping trips.
Dru-Ann Sgarlato of Spotsylvania County's bag was filled with pine cones that her twin 5-year-old boys collected.
Sgarlato carries a diaper bag and her Mom Bag, which is tan with a fake fur fringe. In her Mom Bag goes the antiseptic gel and Eclipse gum.
She also carries a pocket knife for protection and matches and a lighter, even though she doesn't smoke.
Her mother, Marilyn Sgarlato, with her on this park visit, stopped her right there.
"Why in the world do you carry matches?" she asked.
"I'm Joan the survivalist of the forest," Sgarlato laughed.
Seriously, Sgarlato said, if she and her children were abducted she could use the matches as a weapon. Otherwise, they come in handy for lighting candles at birthday parties.
Sgarlato also has her "keys to the universe" she said, pulling out a wad of keys.
She carries $10 to $15 worth of quarters to feed game machines and drink machines. She carries her YMCA cards and emergency contact information.
On this day, she has several bills to mail. She usually packs a Game Boy and crayons, too.
As for what else lurks in her bag's depths--who knows?
"There might be a dead body down here at the bottom," Sgarlato joked. "Or my long-lost fourth child."
To reach KIM BAER:540/368-5028
Email: kbaer@freelancestar.com
What to pack
pen
wallet with ID and money
appointment book
cell phone
any makeup you like to retouch
tissues
checkbook
grocery lists
small first aid kit
headache medicine
prescription medicine you need on the go
emergency information, including: contacts, medication information, allergies, organ donor card, etc. Try to get it all on one small sheet of paper and keep it close to your ID.
lip gloss and moisturizer
--Wikihow.com
Keep it organized
Ask yourself: Does everything in my bag earn its space and weight?
Separate daily necessities from items that may be important but can be carried elsewhere. For example, makeup, lotions, seldom-used keys, toys, edibles, hair brushes, wet wipes, the story book and so forth can be carried in a basket in the car.
From wikihow.com:
Clean out your purse at least once a week, otherwise it will get chaotic.
Get a purse big enough so that if you need to carry a book, or a camera or a drink or anything, that it will be able to hold it.
Consider using small zipped bags to carry similar items such as cosmetics or note cards for catching up on thank you's. These bags prevent you from digging through your purse for things.
--suggestions from professional organizer Sue Marie Bowling of Stafford |
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Date published: 1/23/2007
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