A little back story… My grandparents died a few years ago. Both of them led long, fulfilling lives. My mom was in charge of sorting through and passing out some of their more sentimental heirlooms.
As I was helping her, I noticed a bag of my grandpa’s swiss army knives. Grandpa was a very manly-man. He always had some sort of project going on- fixing this, upgrading that.
Since there were a few knives in the bag, I politely claimed one, tossed it in my purse, and forgot about it (as I do with almost everything I toss in my purse).
Fast-forward 1 month to the super-store parking lot… My husband and I took our 3 year old twins to get a toy. One of them picked out a fancy race car and the other picked out a truck with some little men on the side. Simple enough, right?
WRONG!!!
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHY DO THEY PACKAGE TOYS LIKE THAT???
In order to unwrap 1 car and 1 truck, I needed a screwdriver, scissors, and 3 shots of tequila. Of course the kids wanted their toys, so they alternated between grunting, whining, and screaming bloody murder. It was stressful, to say the least.
But wait! I suddenly remembered the treasure lying at the bottom of my purse. I had every tool we needed! I gave the swiss army knife to my husband. He quickly cut the zip-ties and unscrewed the men. We were saved! (Thanks Grandpa!)
Since that hellacious event, I’ve used that knife at least once a week. It took a little ‘brain training,’ as I wasn’t used to having so many tools at my immediate disposal.
That baby has a bottle opener, a corkscrew, scissors, a knife, a screwdriver, and that’s not even a fancy one. I fully intend to upgrade mine during the holiday season. After doing a little research, I’ve got my eyes set on one of the bigger models.
I’ll admit, I feel a little salty not having one of these bad-boys before. I’ve wasted precious time and energy trying to wrestle open diaper boxes and Amazon packages… Searching through my husband’s toolbox just to put a swing together. When all the while, the perfect tool could’ve been right in my bag.
I mean, Damn! My 50 pound purse is already filled with stuff everyone else needs. It has an inhaler, Epi-pen, crayons, toy cars, and band-aids. Why not have something that will actually help ME? I bet Mary Poppins had a swiss army knife!
Moms are no longer sitting home all day. We’re in the trenches of parenting. We are driving, working, cuddling, coaching machines! So, we need tools that make our lives easier. Having a swiss army knife is like having my own pocket-sized tool box right in my purse.
Maybe this revelation isn’t world-altering, but I sure have felt more empowered by my new knife. So, I felt it was my duty to share my life-hack with other moms… especially moms who could use a couple shots of tequila after opening a new toy.
21 replies to "The #1 Thing Every Mom Should Have in Her Purse"
I’m never without some sort of handy tool/knife. Leatherman is another good one to check out for Christmas.
I wondered where that other Swiss Army knife went!
Oops! 😉
Good advice! I might get one for my 77 year old self!😊
Yes!!!
Good idea, Marilyn!
Handy knife seems to be a good option. It can also help in case of unforseen situations.
That sounds really useful!
Now you just have to remember to take it out when you fly! It’s be so sad if it was confiscated!!
That reminds me of a whole other story. 😂😂😂
I see you have a travel blog. Mohamad Al Karbi has a great ‘Around the World’ series on his blog. I wrote about my city, Virginia Beach. You should check it out!
I know exactly what you mean with ‘brain training’, so that might be THE sign for me to start looking for a knife like yours!
Yes! I just wish I knew how awesome they were before I hit 35. 😂
You’re a freaking genius. My brother has one and uses it for everything and it never dawned on me to get one. My kids are older now, 10 and almost 12 but I still have to open packages that are both kid proof and parent proof. Thank you for writing this. Amazon here I come!
Yes, Genius is my middle name. 😉 Thanks for reading! â¤
Hahaha!
What a great idea! I’ve carried a folding scissors in my purse for years but I’ll bet a swiss army knife would be even more useful. 🙂
I just used it today to open the diapers and wipes. I feel so empowered. 💪😂
Looking at your website, you definitely need one! I shared your basket article on my fb page. â¤
You are amazing! Just found your blog this morning. I am convinced now that I need a Swiss Army Knife too! So flipping practical! I can’t believe I haven’t thought of getting one before!
I wish I could wake up every morning to a comment like that! 😉 I know! Now that I’ve started using one, life has gotten a little easier. It’s an awesome stocking stuffer for little girls. â¤
Just the other day I could have used it! For some reason my Ford Escape’s child lock for the back doors is not a flip switch but a small screw-type device you need to use a flat-head screw driver to put the door into safety mode. My Escape’s door latches had been recalled and I just got them replaced. In the process the child lock was undone. I was away from home and my daughter discovered that her door opened. I didn’t have the screw driver and a pen didn’t work… Swiss Army knife would have worked brilliantly!