Being a full-time mechanic and a mom means I’ve learned pretty quickly that anything that makes my day a little easier is worth keeping. I’ve worked in the diesel industry for 12+ years, and when I leave work, my day isn’t necessarily over. There’s daycare or school pickup, snacks, dinner, animals, errands, workouts, and everything else that comes with being a wife and mom. I’ve learned that I don’t need some elaborate organization system. I just need a few things that help me stay ahead of the chaos. These are some of the things that make my everyday life easier.
1. A Bag That Actually Fits Everything I need a bag that can handle my stuff, my kid’s stuff, snacks for both of us, an extra change of clothes for after work, and whatever random thing I realize I need throughout the day. I’ve found that having one good bag that can go from work to mom life is much easier than carrying five different bags around. I like having options depending on the day. A large tote is great when I want to throw everything into one place. A backpack is perfect when I need both hands free. And a convertible tote/backpack gives me the best of both worlds.
2. Pack It the Night Before This might be the simplest thing on this list, but it makes one of the biggest differences. I pack my bag the night before. My snacks go in, my kid’s snacks for the ride to and from school go in, and an extra change of clothes for after work goes in. Anything else I know I’ll need the next day gets packed and ready to go .That way, morning-me doesn’t have to make decisions. She just grabs the bag and goes. And if you’ve ever tried to get yourself ready for work while simultaneously getting a kid ready, you know that removing even a few decisions from the morning can make a huge difference.
3. Keep an Extra Outfit With You Working in a shop isn’t exactly clean work. Even on days when I don’t think I’m going to get dirty, somehow I end up with something on my clothes. And sometimes I’m going straight from work to pick up my kid or somewhere else I don’t want to show up looking like I just crawled out from underneath a truck. So I keep an extra change of clothes with me. It doesn’t take up much room, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been thankful that it’s there.
4. Snacks. Lots of Snacks. I keep snacks for both of us. My kid gets snacks for the ride to and from school, and I make sure I have something for myself too. Because a hungry mom who has already worked a full day is not someone who needs to add “find food immediately” to her list of problems. Having snacks packed also means we’re less likely to stop somewhere simply because we’re hungry, and it makes those transitions between work, school, and home a little easier. Nothing fancy. Just things we actually eat.
5. A Water Bottle You Actually Use This one is simple, but I’ve found that I’m much more likely to drink enough water when I have a bottle with me. Work gets busy. It’s easy to realize halfway through the day that you’ve barely had anything to drink. I prefer something that holds enough water to last me a while, doesn’t leak all over my bag, and is easy to take with me. The important part is finding one you actually like enough to bring with you every day.
My kiddos favoritecup with a handle!
My kiddos favorite spill-proof tumbler
6. Keep the Things You Always Forget in Your Vehicle There are certain things I’ve gotten tired of realizing I left at home. So I’ve started keeping some things permanently in my vehicle. Extra essentials, chargers, backup snacks, personal items, and other things that I know I’ll eventually need. It’s one less thing to remember every morning, and when something unexpected happens, I don’t have to make a trip home.