LOL/LOL: You can’t take it with you when you go…

…Well, sometimes you can. It just depends on whether you're, you know, "GOING" or just going.

Welcome to week seven of LOL/LOL, a blog series started by a fabulous mama who blogs at Zehlahlum Family. LOL/LOL stands for Lots of Littles/Lots of Laughs. It is a blog series by moms who are overrun by small children have 3 or more little kiddos, talking about parenting, marriage, & life. After you read this post, make sure you check out Jamey's take on this same topic at Zehlahlum Family. And then please play along! Discuss your take on this topic in the comments OR blog about it and post a link in the comments.

Today we're talkin' turkey about purses. I am not sure how to feel about this topic, because it means that I have to admit something to you all… My name is Katy and I am a purse-aholic. ("Hi, Katy!") It all started shortly after I had my first baby. I had never been "into" purses or shoes or makeup or any of those things… but I think I suddenly felt the need to remind myself that I was a woman too and not just a mommy. So I turned to purses (and shoes, but let's save that vice for another day). It started innocently enough, with just getting a cute free bag with my makeup purchase (not one of my vices, I'm still totally clueless there)… and then it was just a quick impulse buy with my Kohl's Cash… and then one day I met my dear friend Vera Bradley. Ahhhhh, the fun that Vera and I have together. She's not exactly a cheap date, but she is soooo worth it. I only wish I could see more of her in my closet. OK, I'm going to stop now—this is starting to sound dirty.

Here is most of my collection…

Some of those double as diaper bags… some are strictly for kid-free outings… some are knock-offs… some are apparently still out in the van. All but… mmmmm… maybe one or two of them get used. As a matter of fact, after I took this picture I gave one of them to Lamb because I have never used it and it was covered in a layer of dust. Betcha can't guess which one!

Now diaper bags. I have also gathered a collection of those over the past 5 years, but for a different reason—I seem to wear them out! When Lamb was born I had the gigundo Eddie Bauer bag that fit everything I could ever possibly need, just in case I got stranded along the side of the highway with my newborn and she needed an extra outfit or six. OK, I'll admit it—there were times that I even put extra clothes for myself in there. This bag still makes an occasional appearance, but only if all three kids are spending the day with Nana and Papa or something where I feel like Roo might need extra stuff AND the other kids (Monkey) might need something (extra underwear) too. This bag has held up extraordinarily well, considering that my hubby once RAN OVER IT when we were on a little weekend trip with friends. (Remember that, Mine???)

When Monkey came along 20 months after Lamb was born, I had just started using a much smaller bag but went back to the mammoth since that I had to carry stuff for two kiddos. At this point, I bought my first cute diaper bag. Unfortunately, that bag is no longer with us. But the idea of it is—why do I have to carry around a plain old boring diaper bag when I could carry something AND LOOK GOOD DOING IT????

So by the time Monkey was a year old I had switched to using a big purse for a diaper bag. My favorite was my Java Blue purse from Vera, which is one bag that is currently in the van. Obviously, it's still getting some use. J

Now I basically have two smallish diaper bags which I use if I am A) dropping Roo off somewhere and carrying a separate purse for myself, or B) in survival (not cuteness) mode, like, say, on a trip to Giant Eagle. I was going to post a picture of them, but apparently those are also in the van. Both of them. And yes, apparently I really need to clean out my van. Anyway, one of them is a backpack style bag, which is what I got free from the hospital when Roo was born. I actually really like it, and it's the one I use the majority of the time… unless I'm trying to get ready to go somewhere and it's… you know, in the van.

My newest and greatest addition when Roo was born was this little gem…
























The diaper pod carries wipes and a changing pad inside, and about 2 diapers on the outside. The small pouch carries a binky. It is won.der.ful. I can just stick that and a bottle in whatever bag I'm carrying, and I'm good to go! If I were a good mom who was still nursing, I wouldn't even have to worry about the bottle! It's such a handy little thing.

Let's see… just in case you're not asleep yet you are dying to know what I carry along on our outings, here's the typical breakdown:

• My diaper pod
• 1-2 bottles (Since the Similac recall over a month ago I haven't been able to find powdered Similac anywhere, so we're doing ready-to-feed…)
• A burp cloth, which I stick under my messy son's chin when he eats
• A sippy of milk for Monkey (because he goes through 2 gallons a week…!)
• My wallet
• My phone
• My planner, when I remember (That's a new addition. Even when I remember to carry it, I don't always remember to check it. That's kind of an important step in using a planner…)
• If I'm feeling reeeeaaaalllllllllllllllllly spunky, I'll toss my lipstick in there so that I can re-glam as needed.

And that's really it. I've become much more sparse in my diaper-bag-packing over the years. Sometimes, if I know I'm just running to the grocery store for one or two things, I only take my wallet. Yep, no purse. No bag. No bottles. No extra diapers. I live on the edge, what can I say?

And oh look, my purse wasn't in the van after all--it was downstairs.  So here's a quick shot of what's inside--it was a baby-free trip (Thanks, Nana & Papa!), so it contains only grown-up stuff...

I do highly recommend that book, by the way.  Yes, I sometimes carry two wallets.  One of them is my "real" wallet, and the other carries all of those perks cards, membership cards, Get $1-off-when-you-spend-$500 stamped cards, etc.  I've got a lot of them.  Oh, and the little green thing on top of my planner is a cute little picture holder that I got when I was pregnant with Roo.  I rarely carry that, but I was out with only Lamb and thought I might need to show off the cuteness of all three kids while I was out.  I was wrong.

Since I've started this post, I've been trying to think, "What's the ONE THING that I don't like to leave the house without?"  I don't really have a good answer for that.  I don't have a go-to coffee mug (because I don't drink coffee) or a special toy for my kids or anything like that.  I guess it would be my cell phone, especially now that Lamb is in school and my cell phone is the number that they have (which came in handy yesterday when I took her to school for the first time since last Wednesday and the school nurse called me before I even made it home...!).

So… hmmmmmm… I guess that's it. Now it's your turn to spill it. How many purses do you have? How many do you actually carry? What's in them? And what is YOUR one thing that you don't leave without?  Post your thoughts in the comments, or if you post about it on your blog, make sure you put a link in the comments so that we can find you. And don't forget to read Jamey's thoughts on this topic too! J