My handbag obsession is legendary. I love bags large and small. But mostly large. You see I am one of those people who drags round everything except the kitchen sink "for fear".
I was never one of those people who could run out of the house with keys and loose change in my pocket anyway. I inherited my mums love of handbags and have carried one for as long as I can remember.
But when I started having children it became even more important to me to have stuff in a bag for every eventuality. I started to explore the world of the baby/changing/nappy bag and am proud to say I was always that smug mother at playgroup who could produce a spare nappy/arnica/drink/wet wipe/suncream etc.
At one time with a child newly in pants and one in nappies with another on the way I had a bag almost as big as cabin baggage with spare clothes, foldup potty, nappy bags and nappies, cream, wipes, plus suncream, bite/sting relief cream, small toys for cafe entertainment, pencil crayons, bits of paper, dummies, sunhats, spare socks, pack-up raincoats, hayfever meds, cuddly toys and my giant folder ( and sometimes a small plastic pot filled with wee) for the antenatal clinic.
All of my offspring are out of nappies now and past the toilet accident stage so I have returned to my usual handbag.
Currently it is a slouchy Cath Kidston, bought for me by DS1, which I love (apart from you can't wash this model and its looking distinctly grubby!) It is almost always filled to bursting.
We visited friends yesterday for a lengthy lunch party and so I took this bag and another bag with electronic gadgets, the kids favourite teddies and food for the party.
We had a lovely day and preparing to leave (with an hours drive home ahead of us) my friend kindly offered to prepare snacks for the children to eat on the way. Bless her, she patiently made a variety of sandwiches, all different of course, and when she got to grumpy toddler he asked for loose ham and cheesy biscuits. She wrapped them carefully in a paper serviette for him and gave the package to him to carry. He managed until we got to finally leave but as he tried to put shoes and coat on clutching his packed tea he realised this was not going to be easy and handed them to me to put into my handbag.
Which my friend's clever daughter pointed out was now a ham-bag!
I've had some funny things in my bag before but I do think this is actually the first time Ive ever had boiled meat products nestling among the hand-creams, headache tablets and old receipts.
You'll be glad to know it was only in there for a few minutes -grumpy insisted on having it back as soon as he was strapped into his car seat and, falling asleep almost immediately, clutched it in his hot little hand until we arrived home when he ate it, complete with stuck on bits of paper napkin. Lovely.
I am sure I am not the only mum who has had odd things in her bag. Tell me the oddest thing you have ever had in your bag and why - best answer wins a prize!
I was never one of those people who could run out of the house with keys and loose change in my pocket anyway. I inherited my mums love of handbags and have carried one for as long as I can remember.
But when I started having children it became even more important to me to have stuff in a bag for every eventuality. I started to explore the world of the baby/changing/nappy bag and am proud to say I was always that smug mother at playgroup who could produce a spare nappy/arnica/drink/wet wipe/suncream etc.
At one time with a child newly in pants and one in nappies with another on the way I had a bag almost as big as cabin baggage with spare clothes, foldup potty, nappy bags and nappies, cream, wipes, plus suncream, bite/sting relief cream, small toys for cafe entertainment, pencil crayons, bits of paper, dummies, sunhats, spare socks, pack-up raincoats, hayfever meds, cuddly toys and my giant folder ( and sometimes a small plastic pot filled with wee) for the antenatal clinic.
Currently it is a slouchy Cath Kidston, bought for me by DS1, which I love (apart from you can't wash this model and its looking distinctly grubby!) It is almost always filled to bursting.
We visited friends yesterday for a lengthy lunch party and so I took this bag and another bag with electronic gadgets, the kids favourite teddies and food for the party.
We had a lovely day and preparing to leave (with an hours drive home ahead of us) my friend kindly offered to prepare snacks for the children to eat on the way. Bless her, she patiently made a variety of sandwiches, all different of course, and when she got to grumpy toddler he asked for loose ham and cheesy biscuits. She wrapped them carefully in a paper serviette for him and gave the package to him to carry. He managed until we got to finally leave but as he tried to put shoes and coat on clutching his packed tea he realised this was not going to be easy and handed them to me to put into my handbag.
Which my friend's clever daughter pointed out was now a ham-bag!
I've had some funny things in my bag before but I do think this is actually the first time Ive ever had boiled meat products nestling among the hand-creams, headache tablets and old receipts.
You'll be glad to know it was only in there for a few minutes -grumpy insisted on having it back as soon as he was strapped into his car seat and, falling asleep almost immediately, clutched it in his hot little hand until we arrived home when he ate it, complete with stuck on bits of paper napkin. Lovely.
I am sure I am not the only mum who has had odd things in her bag. Tell me the oddest thing you have ever had in your bag and why - best answer wins a prize!