5 Must Haves: For a Suburban Mom

Hi lovelies. Meet Jen.
The gal I'm about to introduce to you is so smart, talented, adorbs, successful, helpful, sweet as pie, and... a fantabulous, "pseudo" blog mentor! While the title is not official, she (along with her awesome hubs!) were instrumental as I got this blog up and running. And, they continue to be.

Beyond that, I'm so freaking impressed how she does it all. She has the super popular blog, TheSuburbanMom, does freelance projects and is a full-time mama to a totally adorable little blondie. Is that photo precious or what?? 

So, you can imagine my excitement when she more than happily agreed to guest blog on my little ol' thing.

Check out, in her words, 5 must haves... for a Suburban Mom (and other non mamas, too!)

Hi gals, I am so excited to have been asked to share TheSuburbanMom’s 5 must haves. As a busy mom of a toddler juggling working from home, blogging, keeping house and more, I am always looking for products to make my world easier and more fun! My 5 must haves are all things that fill both needs, and I can’t live without them.

Laptop
My number one must have is my laptop. Call me a geek, but the ability to stay connected sitting on my couch, at the kitchen table, in the play room or even on the road is imperative to help me juggle life. Once upon a time, I was an avid paper scrapbooker, today even my passion as a scrapbooker has gone digital. Forget the manly, simple grey laptop, I recently upgraded to a girly, fun pink laptop. Practical and cute, I even incorporated it into my blog’s logo! Yes, my laptop is my must have.

Reusable bags
I am obsessive about using reusable bags. I don’t think of myself as super granola, but at the same time eliminating waste and helping to preserve the world around us is something I think everyone should be passionate about. (Hello, have you seen Wall-E?). Reusable bags are one way I eliminate waste on an almost daily basis. At first I balked at the idea of having to carry my own bags around, now I can’t live without them. In fact, I have an entire arsenal of bags for various uses. If you are interested in learning more about using reusable bags, check out My Green Bag Story. If you are still stuck using throw away bags, I encourage you to take reusable ones on a test drive. I promise they are prettier and more functional!

 

Coupon organizer
Another must have for TheSuburbanMom is a good coupon organizer. If being a stay-at-home mom (now a work-at-home mom) has taught me anything, it has taught me the real value of coupons. When your budget is streaked thin, you look for creative ways to make it stretch a bit further, and I have become an expert at using coupons to do this. But with everything going on in my life, if I didn’t have a good organization system there would be coupon scraps all over the house. While my organizer isn’t very pretty, it is super functional and it helps me afford the pretty things we want.

Pandora bracelet
I ♥ my Pandora bracelet. Seriously, it is a must have for any gal. I got my bracelet for my 30th birthday, and now my husband automatically knows something he can buy me for each holiday (without spending a fortune). A charm ranges from $25+ (the gold ones are +$100, but I am a silver girl anyway), so it makes a nice little gift, and I love looking at my bracelet remembering each occasion. In fact, my whole family has gotten into the act – my mom, sister (not a mom), cousin, (not a mom) MIL, SIL and nice (also not a mom) all have Pandora bracelets and love to receive charms for them. Pandora is stylish, fun and practical for hubbies who have a hard time shopping for us ladies!

Baby wipes
My final must have might make you laugh… I MUST have baby wipes! Even though my daughter is (recently) out of diapers, I cannot envision a day when I will not carry baby wipes in my car and purse. They are a must for cleaning little hands, wiping off tables at restaurants and so much more. Of all the products for babies, this is one product that is great at any age. Go baby wipes!
TAGG tip: I have to brag for a moment on behalf my fab friend, M. See the baby on the Huggies "naturally refreshing" wipes? Umm yeah, that's her little girl, A!! How stinkin' cool is that?! VERY (if you ask me).