dump-my-purse

Giveaway: 5 myCharge Razors + 5 $100 Visa Gift Cards

It’s funny how drastically your on-the-go necessities change when you have kids. Remember when all you needed was lipstick and a credit card hanging off your key ring? I didn’t even have a cell phone back then!

Now, I don’t just need my phone, I need an additional charger to make sure I have enough battery on my cell phone at all times. I need snacks at the ready to meet Mazzy’s demands at after school pick-up. I can’t leave the house without a sandwich baggie full of crayons and a coloring book just in case we ever stop for something to eat with the kids.

But don’t you go to work during the day?

I do. But if I take that baggie of crayons out, I will forget to put it back in and then the next time we are out to eat with the kids, my husband will look at me like I’ve failed at motherhood for forgetting the crayons.

I still carry a little make-up bag around, but in addition, I cart around a carrying case for diapers, wipes and cream. I’ve got a wallet which is so stuffed, it can barely close. I carry an assortment of hair bands and clips for various hair emergencies.

But that’s not even half of what I have in there. I dumped my purse and searched every inner and outer pocket for all the random goodies inside. Then I laid them all out on the floor so I could see what was what.

in-mom-purse-2

I separated everything into two categories— necessary items and unnecessary items. But I’ll warn you— there are many items that straddle both.

Things in My Purse I Can’t Live Without

• diaper carrying case (2) with diapers, wipes and diaper cream

• a coloring book (3)

• My overstuffed wallet (5) including my money, credit cards, Metrocard, license, health insurance cards for all the kids and various receipts for items I’ve been meaning to return since 2009

• Boogie Wipes (7)

• a myCharge razor (8)

• a sandwich baggie of crayons (9)

• keys that look like they belong to a super of a building (13)

• a nail file (15)

• Over the counter allergy medication (16)

• prescription cream for my eczema (21)

• cheddar bunnies for after school pick-up demands (20)

• my make-up bag with lipstick, under-eye concealer, eyeliner and mascara (23)

• baggie of crackers for secondary after school snack option (25)

• sunglasses (27)

• my new rainbow coffee cozy (28)

• a pack of tissues (29)

• headphones (30)

• a pen (33)

Things in My Purse I Could Probably Live Without

• a plastic baggie (1) with Anna’s boots and Elsa’s shoes and gloves inside (Mazzy took them off while we were out and said she no longer wanted them- we’ll see about that)

• Anna (4)

• Littlest Pet Shop figurine (6)

• a pack of Splenda (11)

• Tinkerbell (12)

• a ticket stub for the Mystic Aquarium (14)

• washi tape (17) – no idea where this came from or why it is there

• a drawing Mazzy made for me (18)

• a button that says “Macy’s Santaland” (19)

• Ariel (22)

• a lollipop (24) given to her by the teller at the bank and put in my bag for later (there will never be a later)

• a plastic knife (26)

• a letter to Mazzy’s new pen pal that I was supposed to put in the mail last week (31)

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stickers Mazzy got at the doctor (32)

• two additional pens (34) to my one necessary pen (a fourth pen was in three pieces so I threw it out)

• Tattoos for a stuffed animal (35)

That appears to be it. Although, I should mention, in the past I’ve found a friend’s remote control in my bag (stolen by Harlow) and a pair of My Little Pony undies put there after an accident and then forgotten about until they dried on their own (ewwwwwwwwww).

And— the only reason why you see no random change is because my Metrocard ran out yesterday and I scrounged every last nook and cranny for $2.50 in change to get Mazzy and I to school on the public bus. I came up a dime short and a friendly stranger came to my aid, thank goodness.

After taking everything out of my bag, it is glaringly obvious that I should CLEAN OUT my bag. Lighten the load, if you will. Did I mention I cart around my laptop amid all that mess most of the time? It’s a wonder my right arm is still attached to my shoulder.

The one item (besides my phone and my wallet), I will definitely be returning to my bag is my super light ultar-thin myCharge Razor Plus. It takes up very little space and delivers 13 hours of additional talk time to my iPhone.

mycharge

I have to say, since I’ve become a mom, I really can’t risk my phone battery dying. Before kids, the phone was used mostly to make plans to go out, but now I need it to communicate with Mike and our nanny about the kids throughout the day. I need the school to be able to contact me if necessary, I need the girls to be able to facetime with Grammy, I need to email back and forth with my co-workers while I’m shuttling the kids to various after school activities, I need something to entertain the kids if I’m stuck on line at the bank, I need to take a video of Harlow if she suddenly breaks out into song— you know, all the important stuff.

Have you ever been at a dance recital or a soccer game when your phone suddenly died? Murphy’s Law of Parenting is that’s when your kid will stick the landing or score a goal. HAPPENS EVERY TIME.

The fact is, my phone is now my lifeline. When I run out of battery, I panic. Having a myCharge on hand, whether it’s a Razor Plus or a HUB (which I always take on longer trips since it delivers 27 hours of additional battery power), makes me feel like my bag has an emergency back-up plan.

Today, I’m giving away FIVE myCharge Razors along with Five $100 Visa gift cards to FIVE lucky readers.

mycharge-prize

Give away rules:

1) To enter, you must sign up for the myCharge newsletter. Once you sign up, you will get 20% off any purchase at mycharge.com delivered directly to your inbox.

2) After you sign-up, leave a comment below telling me the most necessary and least necessary item you currently have inside your purse.

3) For a second entry, you can also leave a comment on the Mommy Shorts facebook page.

4) For a third entry, you can tweet the following and then leave a comment saying you did so:

I just entered to win one of five @myChargePower Razors and five $100 Visa gift cards from @mommyshorts! http://bit.ly/15al2lZ

You can find the full rules here.

Good luck!

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This post was sponsored by myCharge, but my obsessive need to have my phone charged at all times is my own.