Day Trip Bag

I have found through the years that it's handy to have a "day trip bag" always packed and ready to go. That way anytime my husband says "hey, let's (spontaneously) go do this or that right now!" I'm mostly ready to go. It's the common picture of the husband standing by the door, keys in hand while the wife is still "getting ready". Even if it's to throw necessary items into a bag, men hate waiting.....and I hate being under pressure to think of what we might need. A "day trip bag" solves a lot of this.

The bag we use is a hibiscus print tote that was from Hawaii. We naturally call it "the Hawaii bag". Keeping it already packed with items we might need to go out for just the day has saved time and sanity. I didn't start using a "day trip bag" until we were done with diaper bags and I felt like we still needed a diaper bag to hold all of our stuff for outings!

Our "day trip bag" actually goes with us just about everywhere....it's useful for:

• going to someone's house for dinner (I often have a few special toys in it to keep my kids occupied if there are no children there to play with)
• running errands (again, I keep some books in it that my kids are reading and snacks) to help get through shopping
  
• going to Grandma's house for the day (has anything they would need for over there)
• going to the zoo, museum, picnic, beach, lake, site seeing, road trips, short drives, etc.
• vacations
  
• concerts or performances
• on the airplane
  
• even took ours to church on Sundays when the kids were younger
• church picnic, potlucks, Bible study gatherings
• short meetings when my kids needed to be occupied for a few minutes (like signing loan paperwork, buying furniture or a car, etc.)
• doctor office visits
  
• and many more places
  

Some items that have worked well for our day trip bag are:

snacks (probably the most important item! no sooner am I somewhere with my kids and they are asking for a snack, I wish I had a snack to keep them quiet, or they need a snack because it's taken longer than I thought!)
sunblock
handy wipes
lip balm
sunglasses for the kids
hat for the kids
fresh hankies
small first-aid kit
bug spray
bottled water
camera
small toys
books
kid's sleeping blankies (if needed)
mittens
a pen

What is in our bag changes with the seasons and changes with the ages of our kids. I often clean it out and throw stuff back in. The best part is that my kids know the purpose of the Hawaii bag and so when we are getting ready to go somewhere they are old enough to think of something they might want or need and toss it in the bag as well. My husband also will throw his cap in there or his sandals for example.

Make life easier for yourself and put together a "day trip bag" that is ready to go by the door. With or without kids, this concept is a time saver.