Do you know that sleek businesswoman striding along with a briefcase in one hand and an infant child in the other, looking like she’s in control of the universe? Maybe you remember her from commercials. That’s how I thought I would look as a busy professional woman and mother. I was wrong. I’m more often slouching along while carrying a kid and trying not to look like a terrible mom as I attempt to balance a laptop, a purse, and a diaper bag that I can’t seem to make look glamorous.
There’s a reason my diaper bag can’t look glam, though. It’s more like a survival kit. (A striped survival kit, at least.) Here’s my most recent inventory of what gets me through my day:
• Wipes, diapers, etc. (as should be expected)
• An old cell phone (battery removed as a fun play thing, and a teether, if I’m not watching)
• My new cell phone (always thrown in for convenience’s sake; haven’t confused them yet)
• Baby Aspirin
• Mommy Aspirin
• Scattered business cards that are bent and battered
• KIND Plus Gluten-Free Snack Bars as my favorite alternative to lunch (but I prefer lunch)
• About $5 in quarters and dimes that probably got tossed in there while driving through Burger King
• A tablet and some crayons, but I know I’ll buy a handheld video game thingy someday
• Fake money that I pay my kid with to be quiet if I get a business call
• Plastic container full of cereal, allegedly for my child and often for me
Did I mention the diaper bag is striped? I keep hoping that makes it look like a designer bag (so don’t follow that link and find out how inexpensive it is). At least it’s not covered in cartoon characters or kitty-cats. I still look forward to the day that I can retire my diaper bag as business attire. But from what I’m told, I’ll miss carrying around the cereal someday.
