Mommy Morsels: meet Crissy of House of Marlowe

Crissy is a multi-tasking mama who makes "doing it all" seem real easy. Mom of three gorgeous daughters, loyal wife, provider of comic relief and the creative inspo behind House of Marlowe...one of my favorite family blogs. She's a Midwestern maven who's worn the corporate hat and the creative hat and that's why I love her. Did I mention she's moving to Switzerland in the very near future? I was lucky enough to have her host today's post figuring there's a lot we I could learn from a woman who can juggle it all and still maintain the appearance of a super-stylish mom on the go! Meet Crissy!

Many thanks to Johanna, for inviting me over today for “Mommy Morsels” and to share the “tips and tools” that help make my life easier with my three sweet girls ages 11, 6, & 2.   I thought I’d focus on car essentials today since I’ve just returned from a lengthy Spring Break road trip, Summer is upon us, and in general, I find moms spend a heck of a lot of time in the car each week running errands and shuttling kids here and there.  

1.  A tote (LLBean is a favorite)....... I think of it as a secondary “first aid” kit of sorts.....helping me to keep my cool  young ones entertained in a restaurant, Dr.’s  office, soccer field, or traffic jam.  In that tote, you will find the following:  

2. A stash of barrettes or bows (and rubber bands for me and my older two)...... because if you have a little girl you probably already know that these have a way of “vaporizing” in the back seat; and well, it’s important to sometimes look presentable.

3. & 4. iPad....... yes, sometimes you just have to resort to technology to make it thru dinner and the “Bubble Pop” app is absolutely the best at keeping my 2 year old entertained when everything else has become a bore.

5. A Doodle Book (My Wonderful World of Fashion found on Amazon)..... I love these types of doodle books because it’s actually still “cool” enough for even my tween to engage in.

6. Crayola CRAYONS...... because coloring is a creative and fun activity (and  marker isn’t always so easy to get out of leather seats, the Easter dress, or a restaurant tablecloth).

7. Wipes...... long after I get my little one potty-trained, I’ll still be keeping wipes on  hand for those dirty fingers, “boogies”, and “oops!” moments that inevitably only  happen when we are going somewhere important.

8. Usborne sticker books...... absolutely my favorite children’s publisher, these are a special “treat” for my girls during a long car trip and all three of them have fun  working on them together..... (they make great boy versions too!)

9. A sweater (this one from Target)...... because “mama” always said so and she was right......restaurants are cold! :)

10. Trail Mix & some type of liquid...... because “Murphy’s Law” says that even if I’ve they’ve just had something to eat and drink at home, they will be dying of thirst  and starvation as soon as you hit the highway. Plus car snacks are just plain fun.

11.  Books.......I often joke in my “view from here” post each week about how my girls are always doing something with books (and unfortunately it’s not always reading). Nevertheless, I want to foster a love of reading so we always have some on hand 

Add in some of their favorite tunes (my husband is still the master of the “mix CD”) and we are generally a happy bunch!  

Thanks again, Johanna!

Cheers Crissy...I will be filing this one away for the future. Fabulous resources for those infamous "Are we there yet?" questioning sessions! xo