What's In Your Purse Episode 2

Today's the day for our first guest post of "What's In Your Purse" and I'm so excited!  Our first brave lady to bear the contents of her purse is my beautiful sister, Allie.

Allie and my precious niece, Emma.

Allie is my best friend, and one of the most organized people I know.  I miss her and that awesome little girl more than they will ever know.  Well here goes!

"Hello “The Helms Family Blog” readers! My name is Allison Lundy and I am the lucky sister of Mrs. Julie Anna Helms. I have been an avid reader since Julie Anna started her blog. She is a witty writer and has so much to share. Julie Anna mentioned in a previous post that she moved three hours away from “home” when she got married. The awesome thing about her blog is that it has somehow made her seem not so far away from us anymore. It is fun to see what her everyday life includes. 

Anyway, enough with the mushy stuff… I was honored when she asked me to be a guest blogger for the “what’s in your purse” post.  I am a fairly new mom with a 19 month old little girl. I, like most women, love purses, bags, satchels, etc. Before Emma (that is my precious 19 month old) was born I was sure that my bag always matched my outfit and held everything I could possibly need for any emergency. Since the birth of Emma, carrying a 20 pound bag on one hip and a 28 pound toddler on the other just doesn’t work (forget the matching my outfit part!). I very quickly realized that something was going to have to down size and it wouldn’t be my growing toddler. That is why Julie Anna’s request for me to be a guest blogger came at the perfect time. Earlier that day I had purchased a new “mommy bag”. This bag is totally not fashionable, a small book bag type purse that is black. When purchasing the bag, I felt a small tinge of “what has happened to my fashion?” and then I was quickly jolted back to my beautiful reality when Emma pulled on my finger and said “ub you mama” (translation “love you mama”) Emma is worth all sacrifice of this so called “fashion” that I thought would be lost when throwing this “book bag” over my shoulder.  I have realized that, while the need to be prepared is still present, I don’t need to be over prepared. One bottle of lotion is sufficient; I do not need one in every scent. This little “book bag” has been a life saver. All of my downsized items fit perfectly and a spare pair of panties for my potty training daughter fits as well. So yada yada yada…being a mommy with a mommy bag is well worth the sacrifice of “fashion”. 

Behold, the mommy bag:

   Below are my downsized bag contents. This is my old bag with its contents. The personal items fit inside the small bag…

1. one bottle of lotion for me and one bottle for Emma 

2. hand sanitizer

3. hair clips 

4. lip gloss and chapstick 

5. floss 

6. pill fob with aspirin

7. nail file 

8. deodorant wipes. 

These are the things that I designated as necessary:

9. Wallet in the middle holds all my cards and envelopes for cash. We use the “Dave Ramsey” budget system and love it!!!! This keeps me accountable for what I spend. If there is no money in the envelope then there is none to spend. 

10. Mints and gum: Evidently I like to have fresh breath with two cans of altoids and two packs of gum. 

11. Emma loves to draw, so a pen and paper are definitely necessary. 

12. The little brown and pink thing is a bag that folds up into this little pouch. This comes in so handy when shopping at Aldi. 

13. And lastly, my iphone…don’t know what I would do without it. 

All of these items fit perfectly into my new bag. The best part about this book bag it that its regular price was $62. I paid $9.99!

Thanks Allie for being my first blog guest!  Have a question for Allie or want to volunteer to show us your purse?  Comment below!