The Crazy Bag Lady

Have you ever heard the reference to wearing many different hats? Well if you’re an SLP like me, you probably feel like the crazy bag lady! I change directions so many times a day, and inevitably, I grab a different bag just about each time!

I’m asked constantly how I juggle everything. The answer is a massive amount of organization and a whole lotta planning. I thought I’d let you guys see my daily schedule by showing you my different bags! (And for my family, this is an explanation of why I ask for new bags every year for Christmas!)

Before I Leave Home

My day starts at 5:00 am, but all of my bags are packed the night before. I wake up, jump in the shower, feed the baby, put the baby back to sleep, dry my hair while checking my social media accounts, get dressed, grab all my bags, and am out the door by 6:15 (6:30 here lately.) Before I leave, I put the milk bag and diaper bag on the table for my husband, who takes the baby to our wonderful sitter (the grandmother!) All the other bags go with me.

The milk bag is packed the night before and stays in the fridge. It houses pre-made bottles and a container of extra milk. Also has a frozen cold pack thingy.

Halle Jane’s diaper bag also gets re-stocked each night. I try to keep it ready to go so my husband only has to grab it and go. (Some days it still gets forgotten!) It always has diapers, wipes, diaper cream, extra clothes, bibs, pacis, teething toys, socks, and burp cloths. Babies need a lot of stuff.

The Bags That Travel With Me:

The Purse:

Can’t leave home without my purse. I love this bag (Charming Charlie’s), but my husband regularly refers to it as the “black hole.” There are things that have gone in that just do not ever come out. They are seen one minute and never heard from again the next. But it mostly houses my wallet, my checkbook, my husband’s checkbook, my make-up bag (see below), a brush, Tylenol, band-aids, my coupon bag (see below), and my sunglasses case. It also has a bunch of random stuff, such as approximately 3 hair-clips, around 42 paperclips, a multitude of pens, chapstick, and inevitably game pieces from school the previous day.

The Makeup Bag:

Ok, so I try to never leave home without the makeup already on. But let’s face it. I have a 3 month old. I’m sleep-deprived. I’m lucky if I leave home with my clothes on. Whether or not I already have makeup on, I rarely leave home without the makeup bag. You never know when you need to freshen up or when you’ll get peas thrown at your face during feeding therapy. It includes powder, blush, foundation (which I never wear), q-tips, lipstick, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, an eyebrow pencil, and chapstick.

The Laptop Bag:

Next up is the laptop bag. This is by far the most important, the heaviest, and the most jam-packed of all my bags. It is inevitably the reason for my daily back-aches. It contains my laptop, charging cord, iPad, iPad charger, a bunch of computer manuals and cds I never took out and my planner. Also usually included is several pens, even more paperclips, student folders for evals I bring home to write but rarely do, and 5-15 books for started-but- unfinished TPT products.

The Lunch Bag:

This is the lunch bag. I always pack this the night before, although I’m not sure why. I rarely eat my lunch during the school day. I’m so busy that I mostly eat in the car at 2:35 on the way to pick up the little one. It includes a coke zero, water bottle, sandwich or leftovers from the night before, a breakfast bar or oatmeal pack, some kind of fruit cup, and a bite-sized piece of chocolate.

Extra Bags for the Purse or Car:

Next up is the coupon bag. This is normally housed in either my purse or the floorboard of my car. I started couponing a few years ago, and I really enjoy it. It’s like a puzzle or challenge for me to pay as little as possible for something. It’s a mathematical exercise for me and less money and a full pantry for my husband. I spend about 3 hours a week on coupons, and I never go into a store without the coupon bag.

My School Day Bag:

I get to school around 6:45. Teachers have to be there at 7:05, and we leave at 2:35. This is my school therapy bag. I see some kids in my room, and others I see in various crevices around the school. (By the time I get 5 kindergarten kids all the way across the school to my room, half of the session is up.) I throw my books, games, activities, stickers, and treasure box items into this bag at the beginning of the day, and I unpack it every afternoon.

Private Therapy Days:

I leave school at 2:35 and one to two days a week, I head to see private clients. For my private kids, I take stuff from school as well as from home. I pack this bag during the day on the day-of, and I unpack it when I get back to school the next day. This week, we’re talking about farm animals. It includes pig, horse, cow, and sheep stuffed animals, 5 farm books, a few TPT products, and my iPad for animal sounds.

After Work

On the day I have private therapy, my husband picks baby up and brings her home around 6:00. I spend two hours with her and then she’s off to bed. This is why I only see private kids one to two days a week. On non-private therapy days, I get to grandma’s about 3:15, visit for a minute, and get home around 4:00. I walk the dogs, and the baby plays for a few minutes while I iron my clothes for the next day, cook dinner, pick up the house, wash bottles, make formula, feed the dogs, make my lunch for the next day, and pack my bags. Then I bathe the baby and dress her for bed. The husband comes home, and we eat dinner and play with the baby. Then she has her bottle and is normally asleep by 7:30-8:00.

After the Baby is Asleep

After baby is asleep, I wash more bottles, clean the kitchen, walk the dogs again, watch an episode of something with the husband while checking email and then get myself ready for bed. I then spend about two hours blogging, making TPT materials, and/or social media marketing (which I try to keep some kind of grasp on throughout the day). Then, absolutely exhausted, I fall asleep around 10:30-11:00.

In the Middle of the Night

Baby wakes up around 3:00 am to eat, and then I’m back asleep until 5:00, when the new day begins. And this doesn’t even include incidentals, like getting my car serviced. Since about every moment of every work day is planned out, you can imagine how much I do not like hiccups or schedule changes!

Gosh. I just got tired writing all of that. And it’s 11:00 pm. Right on schedule. Whether or not you have a baby at home, I’m certain if you’re an SLP, you know a little something about bags. Do you ever feel like the crazy bag lady.?

Good night, friends!

Before I Leave Home

The Bags That Travel With Me:

The Purse:

The Makeup Bag:

The Laptop Bag:

The Lunch Bag:

Extra Bags for the Purse or Car:

My School Day Bag:

Private Therapy Days:

After Work

After the Baby is Asleep

In the Middle of the Night

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Before I Leave Home

The Bags That Travel With Me:

The Purse:

The Makeup Bag:

The Laptop Bag:

The Lunch Bag:

Extra Bags for the Purse or Car:

My School Day Bag:

Private Therapy Days:

After Work

After the Baby is Asleep

In the Middle of the Night

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