I thought I'd let you in on how I *try to* stay organized, starting with disaster area 1, my van.
I say disaster area because things never stay in their place in the van. My attempts are futile as long as I have littles riding with me, but I think the key is to not stress about it.
Part of me not stressing is knowing that I'm prepared for the many happenings of parenting two preschool boys.
Here's the grand list of what I keep in the van:
1. The first and MOST IMPORTANT is an extra set of clothes for each child wrapped in plastic bags. I have been without this for far too long and run into many problems in this area. Yes, my children have ridden home in their underwear. Yes, my children have worn Grandma's clothes home before. Yes, I have let my children stink up my van while riding home in pee-soaked clothing. Yuck. We most definitely need those extra clothes.
2. Lawn chairs. I don't know how many times this has come in handy. Just 2 bagged chairs is enough most times. This mom can't take much ground sitting (thank you for that, childbirth) and soft cloth lawn chairs (bonus* cup holders that hold little kid "treasures")
3. Lap blankets - one for each kid at the moment. Nice for those chilly nights, picnics in the park, and building impromptu forts.
4. First Aid Kit- not an official one, but itch cream, bandaids, antibiotic cream, sunscreen, lotion, and chap stick to name a few items.
5. Spare change- You never know what's going to happen, where you'll end up. Having a little spare money for a water bottle or snack or even a sucker is nice some days. The boys get a kick when I let them each have a quarter to buy something at the gas station.
6. Jackets for everyone- ok, more like sweatshirts, but almost the same thing. Again, used many, many times over the course of summer/fall months.
7. Car Kit- This is an actual kit that I received and I'll be honest to say that I've looked in it once. Thankfully I've never had a serious emergency that I'd need to break out the kit for any reason. Flares, anyone? Let's pray those never have to make an appearance.
There may or may not be items like snacks, toys, movies, cd's, Kleenex, umbrellas, napkins, sunglasses, pens, notepads, tire pressure gauge, work gloves, and ice scrapers (yes, year-round....you just never know around here!) at any given point.
I'm still getting my routine down for making sure these items are replaced after being used. And, actually cleaning the van? Is that even worth it when kids will get back in the van at some point?!
I think I clean out garbage, vacuum, and wipe surfaces 4-6 times a year? :S I feel like this is a good chore for two certain boys when they get older.
What do you keep in your vehicle? Do you have any good storage solutions? Please share!
I say disaster area because things never stay in their place in the van. My attempts are futile as long as I have littles riding with me, but I think the key is to not stress about it.
Part of me not stressing is knowing that I'm prepared for the many happenings of parenting two preschool boys.
Here's the grand list of what I keep in the van:
1. The first and MOST IMPORTANT is an extra set of clothes for each child wrapped in plastic bags. I have been without this for far too long and run into many problems in this area. Yes, my children have ridden home in their underwear. Yes, my children have worn Grandma's clothes home before. Yes, I have let my children stink up my van while riding home in pee-soaked clothing. Yuck. We most definitely need those extra clothes.
2. Lawn chairs. I don't know how many times this has come in handy. Just 2 bagged chairs is enough most times. This mom can't take much ground sitting (thank you for that, childbirth) and soft cloth lawn chairs (bonus* cup holders that hold little kid "treasures")
3. Lap blankets - one for each kid at the moment. Nice for those chilly nights, picnics in the park, and building impromptu forts.
4. First Aid Kit- not an official one, but itch cream, bandaids, antibiotic cream, sunscreen, lotion, and chap stick to name a few items.
5. Spare change- You never know what's going to happen, where you'll end up. Having a little spare money for a water bottle or snack or even a sucker is nice some days. The boys get a kick when I let them each have a quarter to buy something at the gas station.
6. Jackets for everyone- ok, more like sweatshirts, but almost the same thing. Again, used many, many times over the course of summer/fall months.
7. Car Kit- This is an actual kit that I received and I'll be honest to say that I've looked in it once. Thankfully I've never had a serious emergency that I'd need to break out the kit for any reason. Flares, anyone? Let's pray those never have to make an appearance.
There may or may not be items like snacks, toys, movies, cd's, Kleenex, umbrellas, napkins, sunglasses, pens, notepads, tire pressure gauge, work gloves, and ice scrapers (yes, year-round....you just never know around here!) at any given point.
I'm still getting my routine down for making sure these items are replaced after being used. And, actually cleaning the van? Is that even worth it when kids will get back in the van at some point?!
I think I clean out garbage, vacuum, and wipe surfaces 4-6 times a year? :S I feel like this is a good chore for two certain boys when they get older.
What do you keep in your vehicle? Do you have any good storage solutions? Please share!
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