Tools of Motherhood

There are two small tools that have saved me on a number of occasions, and it's been in the back of my mind for a while. I depend on them so often that I should really share them.

The first mom tool is a carabiner on my keys. I didn't start using it until I had kids but it's good for anyone on the go. I hook them to the diaper bag, my purse strap, the stroller, my belt loop-- and a few times to my bra strap because it was the only loop-y thing available. Silly, but better than losing keys. Keys always seem to find the lowest, most ridiculous place to hide. Hooking them to something, even if you do forget where it was, makes them more visible, less likely to slide into the dark depths of a bag or stroller and harder for little hands that love keys to run away with them. The carabiner I use isn't even one of the fancy climbing ones, though I think maybe I should put one of those on my holiday list. Who knows when I'd need to Macgyver my way out of a five-story building? I could totally crochet a rope from duct tape in 30 seconds or less.

via. sort of.

The second mom tool is a case for my phone that holds my ID. I loved the first one I had because it wrapped all the way around the edge of the screen in the front. That's critical for inevitable falls.

It held three cards in the back. Four if two of them were thin. No longer was I searching for my ID on the way out the door to preschool because I'd switched bags or jackets and was too lazy to carry my entire wallet so I'd just dropped my ID into a pocket BUT WHICH POCKET WAS IT... or am I thinking of what I was wearing yesterday... and did I really leave the house without it the first time I went out today OR WAS IT IN THE JEANS I WAS WEARING EARLIER? Maybe you don't have this problem. Maybe you're 57 times more disciplined than I am about your ID/wallet in the first place. But for me, attaching the phone and the ID, and also a form of payment for gas, food, emergency coffee has been a lifesaver.

The first case is durable and fantastic. But black. Which means it attracts shadowy depths and at a glance can be confused for some other device. I've envied a lot of cute cases with fun prints, but the card-carrying functionality couldn't be beat in my book. Definitely couldn't see buying the same case in a different color just for fun, although they've added a few color options since I first got mine. And a few weeks ago I spied this case... still wraps around all sides of the screen in front, but is a higher visibility pink.

And the back side-- opens! I can now carry 3 cards, a blank check and a bit of cash. The mirror isn't all that necessary for me, but it's fun.

And it does this:

Perfect for Skyping with Dad when he's traveling or propping up a show to watch when we're stuck in a miserably long line somewhere and I've run out of entertainment ideas. I seem to run out even faster when stressed by the long line cranky kid scenario.

The pink one is chunkier, but the function is worth it. I haven't had a tiny purse event to attend since I got it. If I could fit lipstick in there too this would BE my tiny purse.

The pink case is now backordered, but you can see more about it here. The first case is available here, and it's still on stand-by for me if there's an unexpected problem with the pink one. The options in this realm are only going to get awesomer, but it's already as awesome as I need it to be. No more searching for my ID! (Adrianna is probably going to pop in to tell me that "awesomer" isn't a word just like "funner" isn't. Buzzkiller.)

So... are there mom tools you've come to depend on and now wouldn't want to live without? In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of a gadget girl.

Unrelatedly, thank you for your kind words yesterday. Today is a new day indeed.