Last month, I blogged about #plannerlove and as a nice Notebooks & Honey companion piece to that, this month, let's chat about the almighty #momlife. ( Get it, I talked about the "Notebooks" before and now I'm talking about the "Honey" ... I digress. ) Now, if we are broaching this subject in general, well, the wonderment of being a Super Mom is endless ... we are the family scheduler, fairies that get things done when nobody is looking and we somehow know, Husband, that your favorite pair of hiking socks are in your sock drawer on the right side, next to your black dress socks. Since we are talking about a vast well of psychic mom power, let's hone in shall we? Today, I'm going to talk about how moms are always prepared because, well let's be frank, we carry a bag that has all the things. Need a wipe, snacks, extra socks, more snacks, water, lint, you got it ... it's in my magical Mary Poppins bag, also known as the Notebooks & Honey bag. A part of always being prepared is the anticipation of needing something and then being ready for it; which means, we know what you need before you know what you need, ahhhh. Let's face it, we wear many hats and our ability to make something that our kids don't even know that they need appear is just pure wizardry.
Mary Poppin and her magical bag
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As part of being the most prepared ever, I carry several "restaurant toys" in my bag at all times. They are basically small toys that kids can occupy themselves with when you are at a restaurant, waiting for food or while you are eating because the kids refuse to eat anything other than fries, they need something to do, right? Of course, you have the oldie but goodie marker + paper trick, but let's be a bit more creative here. We want our precious kiddos to be occupied with something fun while they wait and preferably with something that does not include a screen and stimulates their brains in a positive way (this also helps relieve any guilt for keeping them waiting whilst we imbibe another drink). I call these kid occupying objects "restaurant toys", but they are for any type of waiting around, i.e., in the car, at the doctor's appointment. You know what I'm talking about, I've seen y'all with versions of these; it starts from an early age, you have the baby toys to keep the little ones occupied and now that they are kids older, they still want something to do and I'm always reluctant to hand them my iPhone. I've compiled a list of my faves that are great and easy to carry in my Notebooks & Honey bag that are super fun for most kids and adults. I say "most" because of potential choking hazards, but enough about the adults ...
( one ) // ( two ) // ( three ) // ( four ) // ( five ) // ( six ) // ( seven ) // ( eight ) // ( nine )
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As mentioned, a big bonus is that most of these toys are kidult friendly, let's say for example in the carpool line or at a brewery. Breweries ... speaking of breweries, since I have this public internet space, I just want to say how much I love craft breweries. They are typically very family friendly, often serve good food, are a great way to experience the city/town and many of them have large outdoor beer garden style spaces for some great fun in the sun time. Here is a link to some fantastic family friendly breweries in/around Atlanta. There are so many kid-friendly breweries, I'm hoping to be able to have my own review on this very blog one day ... anybody game for some brewery hopping?! If you haven't taken your kids to a brewery yet, I highly recommend it and make sure to bring your restaurant toys because I guarantee you will be staying for a while.
Yee Haw Brewing in Greenville, SC