At the end of every day, I’m somehow always left feeling like 24 hours just isn’t enough. I have a lot of people ask me how I do it, and I always give the same answer, “I go crazy“. But in all honesty, I’m just really great at finding “Life-Hacks“, to keep myself organized and the kids occupied, on the days where staying home all day just isn’t an option. Not to mention, after your first kid, you’ve already learned all the tricks, so imagine where I’m at after four (and still figuring it out, I may never stop)!
So I thought I could share my top 6 must have’s for busy Mom’s on the go, with hope I can save someone the stresses I’ve experienced, before I knew what to prepare for.
Must have #1: Baby Wipes
(These are my jam. They’re better quality than the other brands, for basically half the price.)
This one should be pretty self explanatory. Baby wipes, snot rags, wet naps for sticky fingers and mouths, makeup wipes, dashboard wipes, whatever you use them for, you need these. Even people without kids should keep these. There are too many reasons to need them, and not enough, to not. Seriously, if you aren’t already packing these, you need to reassess your life.
Must have #2: Water
If you look in the back of any busy Mom’s SUV/mini-van, you’re going to find a case of these bad boys, guaranteed. If every time you have to bring the kids into the grocery store or stop for gas you buy your kids a Bug Juice or Snapple, you’ll break yourself and your bank account. A case of water is UNDER 4 BUCKS, FOR 24 BOTTLES! It takes up pretty much no space, and kids won’t chug water like they do sugary drinks, so it will last them a while, and you get to check “Make sure the kids drink water today” off your good mom list. You know you don’t want to share that iced latte with them anyways, girl!
Must have #3: Nutri-Grain Bars
“But Katii, why Nutri-Grain bars and not Goldfish or baggies of cereal?” BECAUSE THEY WILL DUMP THAT SHIT EVERYWHERE! Sure they could just as easily crumble these in the backseat, but mine seem to thoroughly enjoy these, and they can double as breakfast when I’m late getting out the door to drive them to school. Not to forget, there’s almost always a coupon for these guys, in the Sunday paper.
Must Have #4: Hand Sanitizer
So, keep in mind these are in no specific order, because this one is pretty damn important. You pump gas, you sanitize. You go through a drive-thru, you sanitize. You pick up the kids from school, you sanitize them. Seriously, I don’t think I really need to elaborate this one any further. WASH YO HANDS!
Must Have #5: Grocery Bags
Grab the stash you have hidden under your kitchen sink, and stick it in your glove box, right now! These come in handy every single day for us. My family of 6 procures more garbage than you can imagine, even when confined to the space of our mid-size SUV. And if you’re unlike me and have time to clean your floorboards… ever… these would be excellent for tying up muddy shoes after playing in the park or whatever your family does.
Finally…
Must Have #6: The Disney Story Central App
So, if you don’t already know about this app, prepare to get learn’t. This app reads stories to your kids FOR YOU. If you have a way of connecting your phone to your car, the app can keep your kids entertained for hours…yes HOURS. It comes with several free stories, which my munchkins will read, over and over. You can find codes for new stories on things like Kid Cuisine and Pop-Tart’s. Or you can just do what I do and buy a subscription to the app, and have access to all the books (It’s worth it, trust me).
Now a few things I don’t advise
(but only if your kid’s are tiny assholes, like mine):
No-No #1: Markers
You- “But Katii, my kids love to color, and I just want them to embrace their creativity!”
Me- Actual photo of my youngest two.
No-No #2: Goldfish, Cereal, Popcorn or anything small and spill-able:
See “Must Have #3” for my reasoning, then refer to the final sentence of “Must Have #5” for further explanation.
And to wrap this up, No-No #3:
These may be alright if you have older kids, but if you’ve got toddlers BEWARE! This will get squeezed (squazzed?) into the floor, into the car seats, into their palms, EVERYWHERE. My 3 year old isn’t allowed to have anything but water in the car, because of how many times this that happened. Seriously, the value of our car probably dropped significantly because of these sons-of-B’s (There goes my dream of a Range Rover).
Take these into real account. You can thank me later.