What it is not is light, compact, or easy to carry. It also has real metal zippers which look snazzy but are completely impractical and tear the skin off of my knuckles every time I try to use the small pockets in the front.
A few weeks ago I was running through Target (literally, running) to buy a breast pump. I was on my way to a photography workshop in Boston and I conveniently forgot to pack my pump. Which I didn't realize until I woke up in a hotel, on a Sunday, four hours away from home. It. Was. Awesome.
My wonderful husband dealt with me crying like a fool on the phone, while I scrambled to get ready and attempted to hand express (I so do not recommend doing this. Ever.). Of course, my MapQuest app did its best to destroy my last thread of sanity by zeroing in on the fact that I was staying in a hotel who was a paid advertiser on their site and thereby completely disabling my cell phone. Joe did what any husband who has a wife on the brink of a nervous breakdown would do. He sat on the phone with me and searched for any store open on a Sunday in a 15 mile radius that would sell breast pumps. Lo and behold there was a Target close by. He called ahead and had customer service hold a pump for me at the front desk. All I had to do was go in, pay, leave. Simple enough.
I got to Target and customer service was on the side opposite of the entrance doors. As I ran frantically through the main aisle, I ran by the display of pocketbooks and handbags and one, in particular, caught my eye. So I did what any person running late for a workshop in a strange city who still needs to pump her leaking breasts would do. I stopped and evaluated the bag, found a mirror, modeled the bag on my arm, started to look through the bag to evaluate its storage, slapped myself across the face for wasting time, threw the bag back on the shelf and ran to customer service to pay for my pump.
The hoarder in me wanted to buy the bag and evaluate it later. I figured I could return it to a local Target when I got home if it sucked. But the part of me that had just thrown the mother of all tantrums over my missing pump while my husband patiently helped me navigate my world in my fragile state decided that there was no way I could explain the purchase of this bag to the Mr. when I got home. ("You see...I was running frantically through Target when I decided to stop and try on bags...")
Home I went. Bagless. But I could not stop thinking about the bag that got away. It seemed too good to be true. Cute, functional, ample storage space, and CHEAP. I love me a good bargain.
Last week I ran into Target with all three kids, alone. I don't know what was worth doing that for, people, but I did it. And the red
The answer was, I did.
Here it is. And I am telling you RUN, do not walk and go get yourself one too. People, this thing holds EVERYTHING my much larger, much heavier, much more expensive diaper bag held and then some.
Proof.
{ everything my bag holds }
Here's a close up of my bag's contents, in it is the following: one case of travel wipes, four diapers for the twins, four diapers for the baby, munchkin poop bags (love these!), hand lotion, change purse, checkbook, wallet, two kinds of sunblock, bug spray, earbuds, tissues, hand sanitizer, hand lotion, lip balm and lip glosses, keys, cell phone, sunglasses and planner. Oh, and I usually stuff a nursing cover in there with the rest of that too.
I recently downgraded from a Erin Condren Notebook planner to a Paper Source planner because the Erin Condren planner is a monstrosity. But even that big arse thing fit in my bag, no problemo.
{ le contents in le bag }
And the bag was only $32 before my red card discount. Steal. The material is some sort of synthetic leather look alike, which sounds awful, but let me tell you it means that the darn thing is water proof and wipes clean. So far it has withstood a torrential downpour and an unfortunate incident with a juice box. The liquid just beads right off of the bag.
Several colors are sold in stores (mostly tan, cognac and grays from what I have seen) and there are even more colors online. Happy Shopping!
