A Tale of Two Diaper Bags

Is it crazy for me to think that a diaper bag could change my life?  Because I seriously think I've found the one to do it.  I honestly have visions of this diaper bag preventing poopy diaper explosions, toddler tantrums, and mommy meltdowns.  Even if it only prevents one of the three, it will be worth it's weight in gold!

I have never owned a diaper bag before.  Well, strike that, I actually have, but I'll get to that in a minute.  I have always just used larger purses and put our necessary accoutrements in there.  And that worked alright.  My favorite was my LeSportSac bag.  {I love me some LeSportSac!}  But, it really didn't have enough pockets to hold all of our stuff and my stuff would get mixed in with Olivia's stuff and it just became sort of disorganized.

It's super cute though, right?

So, I knew that when Baby #2 came along I was going to need something that would work for me.  Well, remember when I ordered all of the new crib bedding from Pottery Barn Kids with our rewards money?  Well, the nice gentleman on the phone sort of upselled {upsold?} me into buying a diaper bag from them.  So, I ended up with this:

The minute I opened it up out of the box, I knew I had made a mistake.  Pink and green is cute for Olivia's room, but it's not so cute for me to carry on my shoulder.  I am not that preppy.  Fortunately, I was going to be visiting my parents soon after it arrived and figured I would return it to the PBK store near them.  Unfortunately, when I tried to do that they informed me that the bag had been purchased on sale and couldn't be returned.  Grrr.  I listed it on craigslist and had no luck selling it there either.  I tried to fall in love with it, but it just wasn't happening.  The pockets weren't very functional and it just didn't work for me.

Enter the  Skip Hop Madison Diaper Bag {in steel}.  Mom and I went to Babies R Us after dropping Michele off at the airport on Tuesday to pick up some diapers.  {They were doing a reward where you buy two boxes of diapers and get a $20 gift card.}  We wandered around the store for a few minutes and I set my eyes on this beauty.

And, I'm pretty sure I heard angels singing in the background.

The price tag was a little more than I wanted to spend on a diaper bag, but knowing that I had about $75 in gift cards gave me that extra push that I needed.  Plus, this thing is a total life changer, right?

I went home and immediately started organizing the bag!  I seriously love everything about it.  First off, it doesn't look like a full-on diaper bag.  {Or does it?}  I love the color combination and the fact that it will go with anything {because, you know, I'm totally in to dressing like a fashion model these days}.  The inside is roomy enough to hold all of our essentials - I have a separate pocket for Sydney's diapers/wipes and one for Olivia's diapers/wipes.  There are also two inside, side pockets that I have dedicated to a change of clothes for each of the girls.  I can keep my camera, blankets, burp cloths, snacks and my hooter hider in the middle section of the purse for easy access.  I love the front three pockets because it holds all of MY stuff.  The front two hold my wallet and iPhone and my sunglasses. The long pocket holds my Vera Bradley wallet {thanks Irma} where I keep all of my coupons and gift cards, a notebook and pen.

The two side pockets are still pretty empty, but I put my keys in one of them when we are out.  And, there is a pocket on the back side that holds the cleanable diaper pad.  Also, there are straps for hanging the bag on the stroller and hooked onto that I have a pacifier pod that my mom scored for $1.99 at Target.  Ya'll, I'm gettin' organized!

And, now that you know all about my diaper bag, you are free to have a wonderful weekend.  You're welcome.

Happy Friday from the Valley of the Sun