Make Going Out with Kids Easier

Happy Wednesday, friends! It’s been a quiet week for us so far. This mama caught the flu, and in between the fevers + sore throat I’ve been doing a bang-up job at keeping things lazy as can be. I’m pretty good at being lazy when need be, if I’m being honest 😉 . But the quietness never lasts for long with my bubbly crew. These 4 kids keep things wild and fresh. They were the cutest maniacs, driving their strollers around our local, outdoor mall. I’m glad the baby was in my bassinet and not their’s! They were a riot, loving every second of it. Breathing it all in. But I started to have a hard time balancing my need to control the situation versus letting them just. be. kids. They’d get a bit too far for comfort or would bump into oncoming shoppers and I’d raise my mean mama voice to grip control. Me feeling like they were driving me crazy might be more of a reflection of me than it is of them. They’re all 5 and under and their ability for self-control is fairly low on the scale, especially when measured against my own. And so I’m working on that today. Controlling less, guiding more. And being kind as I do. Thank heavens kids are the most loving and forgiving tiny people. I’m pretty sure Heavenly Father was purposeful in making my babies be lovingly resilient. Big happy sighs… because that makes my role be one filled with a bunch of mistakes and a whole lot of grace.

I’ll always remember being super pregnant with Avery and I went grocery shopping with the twins and Savannah. Aaron was with me and we had just walked out of Little Caesar’s with my Hot n’ Ready cheese pizza (college + pregnancy cravings HA!) and Aaron was helping me unload the groceries into our vehicle, which happened to be parked right next to a corner Starbucks. It was a gorgeous day and 2 elderly ladies were loudly chatting about my obvious “full hands”. “You see, THAT’S why I never had children.” UM, if she only knew how hard we worked to get these spirits into our family. They are wanted. They were needed. I shot back a comment to the lady, “But you’re missing out on SO much joy.” I wish that I hadn’t. I was more concerned about hoping she’d never say that to another mother than her simply expressing a feeling that even a lot of us mamas feel sometimes in desperation while venting to our bff’s after a rough day. I get that parenting is not for everyone, whether it’s by their own choice or mother nature’s. More importantly, I respect that. Here’s to expressing love and encouragement through simple acts of kindness extended to those we meet in passing.

SO, in hopes of not appearing like a crazy mama in public I’ve put together a list of my favorite necessities to make running errands with 4 kids aged 5 and under feel as simple as possible (insert lots of winks and nudges)!

A few of my FAVORITE essentials include:

• Lily Jade Diaper Bag
• Uppababy Vista All In One Stroller
• Cake Lingerie Nursing Bra  ( I love the Cotton Candy, Zest Flexi sports, and Waffles 3d)
• Covered Goods 4 in 1 Nursing Cover
• Burp Cloths
• Lillebaby Carrier
• Baby Toys  (I use the toys from this gym also for her car seat! It’s perfect.)
• Extra set of baby clothes
• Tic Tacs (Y’all, I’m not above bribery)

I am so excited to share about this Lily Jade Rosie bag in camel & gold! I LOVE diaper bags. I literally have like 8 that I adore and can’t bear to let go of. My hubby laughs at me for my obsession and collection. But let’s be honest about it, diaper bags have come so far. And this particular bag is one that most mamas can’t believe is actually a diaper bag when they ask where my cute bag is from. It doesn’t look like your typical, nylon diaper bag! When I first took it out of the box I was stunned with the feel. This is a CLASSY, beautiful, and designer-quality bag! And it carries all that I need for my 4 babes. It can be worn over the shoulder, as a messenger bag, or as a backpack. My favorite feature is the unique backpack straps! It’s 1 long, thick leather strap that slips through 3 rings. As I’m wearing it, the straps never slide off either of my shoulders. It might seem like such a small issue but it’s the first thing I noticed! It’s brilliant. Since my hands are overflowing with toddler and baby hands, a non-backpack bag isn’t very functional most of the time. The other big plus going for this particular bag are the pockets!!! It has TONS of pockets that help me keep things organized. It comes with a removable AND washable jade-colored insert that has 12 pockets for diapers, wipes, changing pad, etc. It can really hold it all! One mistake I made was purchasing a cheap diaper bag back when I was pregnant with my first baby. When I fell pregnant and had twins less than 2 year later, I needed to purchase a new bag since my first had already fallen apart. Lesson learned, get a great diaper bag that will last! And this full grain leather Rosie bag in their rich camel color with gold hardware is worth every penny!

This Uppababy Vista Stroller System is the creme de la creme of strollers. It’s one of THE most popular strollers on today’s market. I love it’s ability to grow with the family starting from the bassinet and infant car seat on to the larger toddler seat and ride along board for older kids. And it’s seriously the most user-friendly stroller/car seat I’ve ever used. It’s certainly a major investment and when you consider that it’s with your family from the very beginning  on through all the babies for the long-haul, it’s worth the price. Avery can ride along for the next 4+ years and and since I bought my first stroller system 6 years ago, a great stroller system to accommodate a growing family might be worth the purchase.

A few of my favorite features include the LARGE undercarriage basket (holds 30lbs!) which is the biggest in the market. This makes trips to the grocery store or pool with floaties, bags, and sunscreen an absolute breeze! Every mama who’s had  small, limited storage in the under basket knows exactly what I’m talking about. Another favorite feature is the bassinet. It COMES with the stroller! The bassinet holds a baby up to 20 lbs. Vents are all over for perfect air flow (including the perforated, soft mattress pad), and a huge canopy unzips from the inside to cover the entire bassinet with a 50 SPF screen. It’s beautiful! And it’s roomy enough to keep inside the bedroom for baby to sleep for naps or overnight. I would purchase this stroller just for the bassinet! Although this is the heaviest stroller I’ve had, the versatility far outweighs this setback. I also have the infant carseat that accommodates babies weighing 4lbs -35lbs. A bug net + rain cover is also included. They seriously thought of everything! My toddlers LOVE the Piggyback board option! They can ride along while the other twin enjoys a stroll. They usually take turns and thankfully 1 twin is always feeling a bit more lazy (usually my boy 😉 ) and prefers to sit in the Rumble Seat, which is the full size toddler seat. I also got the cup holder and snack tray for the travel system because I hate to stroll without my dranky dranks. This travel system is the most user-friendly stroller on the market and I’d absolutely recommend this to my best friend! Have a favorite essential or tick to make errands easier with kids in toe?! I would LOVE to hear it! Leave a comment below to help me and all the other readers! Thanks for following along!