What's In My Baseball Bag

As a baseball mom of a son who plays on a rec team as well as a travel team, and has a daughter in ball, we are at the fields almost daily.  Some days it's a quick BP, others it's a full tournament day from sun up to long after the lights come on in the evening.  My organization skills come in extremely handy.  I not only organize my van (HERE), but also my bag.  I having a separate bag that is always packed and fully stocked with the essentials makes getting out the door so much easier.  So today I am sharing what's inside, and some tips for what works for me. To see my full video you can watch at the bottom of this post!

1.  For me a backpack is the way to go.  Trying to carry a bag, cooler, chair, and occasionally a screaming toddler takes both hands.  While a backpack isn't the most fashionable, it is the most functional.

2.  Using the compartments within the bag to organize items makes them easier to find.  Also using pouches to corral items helps keep your bag tidy. 

My essentials pouch is known as the "Marry Poppins" bag.  I try to have anything and everything anyone would need.  A few items in this pouch include: pens, pencils, scissors, eye drops, baby powder, stapler, tape, childrens medicine, hot hands, quarters, tweezers, tissues, chap stick, Aleve.

Snack.  Snacks are by far one of my go to items at the field.  I use small snack size baggies to portion out pretzels and crackers.  I try to stay away from things that will crush or melt.  Candy.... it keeps toddlers happy.  I purchase sour patch kids in bulk and then separate them into baggies.  That way if there is no snack bar, there is still candy.  Lollypops and ring pops are another favorite.

As a coaches wife, I am responsible for a lot of paperwork, order forms, scorebooks.  I keep this all in my back pack as well.  

In addition to my bag that I carry with me, I also keep my van fully stocked with essentials.  I usually take a bag with extra clothing, and a full first aid kit as well.  My cooler keeps fruit, fresh snacks, drinks, and cooling towels when the weather is hot.  

All the gear is my husband and son's responsibility.  :)

What are some must have items in your bag?  I would love you to leave me a comment letting me know below!

5 Tips For Organizing A Closet

1. PURGE Often.  There is no way around it, getting rid of things you do not wear, need, or like is the biggest step to an organized space.  Especially with clothing, taking the time to sort through makes a huge difference.

2.  Built in's make a huge difference.  Our current closet was completely custom from the previous owners.  It was such an easy process moving our things in.  In our old house my husband built the custom shelving in the boys room.  It was so inexpensive, but made them sharing a room (and closet) so much easier. ( you can see how HERE)

{ A look at the closet plans and finished product}

3.  Sometimes "hacks" aren't worth it.  There are SO many fancy Pinterest photos and blog posts with the latest way to hack an organized life.  Some are incredible, but others just create more chaos in a space and add clutter.  That is why in our closets you won't normally see those things.

4.  When organizing your spouses things, don't try to overstep.  Just think if your husband were to walk into your closet space and start telling you how to change it or what's wrong with it.  I don't think it would go over too well!  Although your solutions may be better, letting your spouse control his space is important.

5.  Functional doesn't always mean pretty.  I don't know about you, but I am over picture perfect rooms being shown in magazines and blogs.  IT ISN'T REAL LIFE.   Please remember this when organizing a space.  Find ways that make your life easier.  Even if they aren't the most pretty, or photo worthy, THEY WORK.  That is the point to organizing something.  FUNCTION.

Whether you have a small closet or large, there is ALWAY a way to get it organized.  Below are both videos.  The organization of my small closet in our old home, and the new closet in our current home.