Diaper bags

I've been looking at diaper bags on-line recently. The price and style ranges are mind numbing - and for exactly that reason I am loath to buy anything without seeing it in person and really pawing through all the pockets. Video reviews are helpful . . . . but still. I've also decided that the absolute perfect diaper bag has yet to be manufactured for me. I'm hoping that maybe a company when doing product research will randomly stumble upon my post and design my bag - and of course give it to me for free :-) But this is crazy talk. Still, I'm going to link like mad in the random hope it might happen.

My bag would be lightweight like the Fluerville re-run Hanna. It would also be similarly sized to the Hana as well as the Skip Hop Studio and sadly discontinued City Chic. After much measuring and estimating - my ideal bag would be 16 x 10-12 x 6. This sized bag is wide enough to access everything, not too deep to lose everything, and not longer than the bars of my stroller. It would not be overly bulky, but would allow me to carry the essentials for lets say 2 kids and myself with the stroller basket having kid toys in it.

My perfect bag doesn't have insulated compartments. I don't reheat things for Saphira, and fortunately we didn't have to bother with bottles, but frankly I don't want the weight.

In appearance, I also like the Hana in that it is nondescript. It doesn't look too much like a bag, or too much like a fancy purse. Still, I love the idea of the purse bag - the going out to dinner and having a nice bag that is your diaper bag and purse - just like the well organized and super heavy Amymichelle bags.

My bag would come with stroller clips/ties, have good organization pockets, and have a wee clip that could be fastened to your belt loop, or an Ergo strap, to keep it anchored, but not have to switch to a backpack mode as that just looks stupid. If I wanted a backpack, I'd get a backpack. This clip is vital. If you have a bag on your shoulder and you bend forward, the bag flies forward. It doesn't matter the size of the bag, small or large gravity pulls it forward. And if you happen to have a small child in the path of the flying bag . . . . . . Well lets just say I can't imagine why such a clip hasn't been invented yet.

My bag would cost $30, $40 max and would still be quality enough to hold up to sand, crumbs, water, and being banged around. One reason I don't want to buy a bag online is that despite what seem to be very positive designs of the Hana and Studio bags - there also seem to be a goodly number of reviewers who had problem with quality - and well, I can't really return it can I? The cheaper bags, the k-mart, wal-mart variety may work - my ideal may even be out there - but they don't really have reviewers and video bag tours do they? This would be my only bag. I've never liked switching things from bag to bag - the only time I might want something else is when we fly - and then I will just want something Big (cram that 10k in!) - so it would need to be functional and sturdy for everyday use.

I thought about a messenger style bag - it would be handy for Alister to be willing to carry a bag, but when I thought realistically about how often he would need to carry the bag, and if the bag was small and compact, he wouldn't need to carry it anyway. I'm also unconvinced about the organization of the messenger bag. I think I'd really like to see it. Plus, I just want to feel a bit more feminine so an elegant bag is more up my line.

So for now, I found a really cheap bag at the rinok and am making some hack changes to see if I can make it do some of the things I want. Granted, it is a bit smaller than my ideal, but I only have one kid and think I can make it work. Trial run this Sunday - which is the ultimate test since I have to be prepared for a 9:30 - 3pm absence from the house and from any amenities. We'll see.

Double Dog Dare You

Back on the playground as a mom, I sometimes feel that not much has changed. The kids are running around, flocking to whatever looks interesting, and doing what they see the other kids do. Eventually they'll get older and while they might not immediately do what the other kids do, they will be urged along and dared to do the same or even greater fits of daring. But what I didn't expect is that to some degree, the mothers are still repeating the same pattern themselves. We talk; we chat; we sidle over to the group that seems to be having the most interesting conversation. We find out who is eating what, buying what where, and doing what to counter some behaviour - then we go out and do the same. We make suggestions, receive suggestions and find ourselves under motherly peer-pressure to perform. I double dog dare you.

One mother always come to the playground with her crocheting. She has crocheted three sunbonnets and when last I saw her she was halfway through a child's dress. She also manages to make jewelry. (I wish I could manage to have the dishes washed each night). She is amazing. I mentioned to her that I also crochet and soon found myself in possession of multiple crochet patterns, a book of crochet stitches, and links to an on-line crochet forum.

Now, I do know how to crochet - but I haven't been truly taught. My Aunt Helene taught me how to crochet a basic rag rug and a loopy doily. She taught me without the use of terms or books and the only term I knew was a Chain stitch. Fifteen years later, I made friends with various grannies in Croatia and they made doilies and tablecloths and all sorts of lovely, lovely stuff. They resurrected my past learning and taught me to look at a doily and make a copy. That winter, I spent lots of time huddled under a blanket making little doily copies. Finally, I attempted my first pattern. The pattern was in German. The women spoke Croatian. We looked at the signs and symbols and I managed to get far enough to ask them what to do when I hit a hard spot. I left Croatia in 2005 and in 2008 I finally finished that 10x10 doily. I've since made three baby blankets, 1 rag rug, and a pair of mary jane baby booties. I still can't read a pattern and I still don't know the English, German, or Croatian terms. Without YouTube, I would be lost. Now, I suddenly have a pile of Russian patterns. It's like handing a sheet of music to someone who can only play by ear.

I made some copies of the crochet book patterns and dutifully looked at the websites and magazines. When I returned the book, I told her I made copies and then wondered to myself why?, when will I find time to do it? Most days I feel over booked with Saphira, ministry secretarial duties, church, house, Seminary accounting, editing, the baby book I'm trying to put together, and the long overdue book I'm trying to get together for our nieces and nephews. Still, a few days later, walking home with Saphira I suddenly remembered a little skirt that some friends at church gave to Saphira and which has only been worn once for lack of a shirt that coordinates. I was walking past the market and suddenly charged into it and headed straight to the yarn stall. How many skeins do I need to make a shirt, I asked? And soon found myself in possession of 200 grams of fine cotton yarn and no idea what I was doing.

Too many days of internet research later and this is my goal. We'll soon see if I manage to finish something before winter, before she grows out of it, or how much mischief accepting a double dog dare will get me into.