Working Mom Purse Essentials: What’s in Your Bag?

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I won’t deny it – I have a thing for purses.  Brown, black, pink, blue, white, I dare say there isn’t a color or style that I don’t already own…but there’s always seems to be room for one more in my closet (and thankfully my husband doesn’t freak out when he discovers a new one!).  Of all the bags that I own, the bigger purses are my favorite because I like to carry a lot of stuff.  A whole lot.  I’ve been accused of having a Mary Poppins bag from time to time.  But the reality is, my day to day essentials are very few.  Here are my absolute essentials I can’t live without in my purse:

Wallet, Keys & Phone – I feel like this goes without saying – I’m not going anywhere without my phone, keys, check card, and driver’s license.  A little cash never hurts either.

Mints – My husband got me started carrying mints years ago, and now they’re a must.  They’re perfect for that unexpected meeting with clients after that garlic-filled lunch and great when I find myself in a small mediation room for hours on end trying to work out a settlement with a mediator and opposing counsel.   My favorite mints to carry are Centrum VitaMints.  No chalky taste, just cool mint flavor.  Look for them in the vitamin aisle, or you might miss them though.

Business Cards – It never fails, I leave my business cards at home and I need one (like that time I almost got kicked out of a federal courthouse for not having one!), so now I carry them with me everywhere!

Hand Sanitizer – With 3 kids and a job that often has me running around ships, my life is messy and washing my hands isn’t always possible.  Hand sanitizer holds me over until I can get to some hot water and soap.  It’s great to have on hand for when the kids are with me too!

Emergen-C Immune+ Chewables – During cold and flu season, I always carry Emergen-C Immune+ Chewables with me.  If you’ve never tried them before, here are just a few of the benefits:

• More Healthy Days, More Healthy Nights
• “Let Your Healthy Out”
• Immune support

Sunglasses – Winter sun is brutal, and, for some reason, it always seems to be in my eyes.  Even if it’s overcast, I never, ever leave my house without my sunglasses!

Advil Tablet Vial – Picture it, you arrive at your child school for their after school production of Annie only to find out that the recorder club at school will be putting on a 30 minute opening performance before your child ever hits the stage.  Yes, that really happened.  And yes, I already had a headache when I arrived, so the recorder recital before my child’s stage debut didn’t help.  I was so, so grateful for my Advil in that moment…and so were several of the parents around me who asked if they could have some.  Luckily, the vial holds 10 tablets.  Why do they even let kids play the recorder anyway?  Surely there has to be a less squeaky and screechy instrument for kids to learn on in this day in age.

Pacifier – This one will probably be phased out in the very near future, but for now, you’ll pretty much always find me with a pacifier in my purse.  After one too many times of getting stuck out late, I’ve learned the hard way that I need to always have one.

ChapStick Total Hydration – While I’m big on purses, I’m pretty minimalist when it comes to makeup.  Since I typically don’t reapply makeup throughout the day, I keep ChapStick Total Hydration with me and apply it throughout the day.  The coconut flavor is light and summery, even during the colder months, and provides all the hydration necessary to ward off chapped winter lips.  Here are just a few of the things I love about it:

• 100% Natural
• Age defying
• Advanced nourishing formula with argan oil and avocado butter and rose hip oils
• Instantly smooths and moisturizes
• Visibly renews lips
• With omega 6 & 9
• Clinically proven healthier looking lips

Chocolate – I know, I know it probably sounds like a bad plan to keep chocolate in your purse, but it’s a lifesaver for me.  It’s the perfect pick me up when I’m having a rough day and need a little boost to make it to the finish line…although often the kids get to it before I do.

So that’s it for me, what are your working mom purse essentials?