don't leave home without it...

at least, that's the way that i feel about my market basket. there comes a moment in every mama's life when schlepping a piled-high diaper bag gets a little bit old. ask any mom of two if there's such thing as a big enough bag and she will likely tell you that no, there is not. seriously--these kids need a lot of stuff.

so, i put my diaper bag into (temporary) retirement, and am now toting along this basket. it's roomy enough to hold an assortment of cloth diapers, wipes and covers, a spare change of clothing for both kids, our lunch, our klean kanteens and our "car potty." essentials (keys, wallet, phone) ride in the small zippered pouch.

of course, i originally intended to take this basket to the farmers market. have you ever noticed how many plastic bags are used there? it boggles my mind--especially at my favorite organic stand where mostly everything comes pre-bagged. i'm an un-bagger in this situation--much to the vendor's good humor and genuine confusion. i guess on account of the fact that i'm un-doing all of her hard work?

my little farmers market sidekick got a miniature basket of her own. she totes around toys in it, mostly, and the occasional snack or thrift shop score. her basket actually has a top closure--making it much cooler than mine, but i digress. the closure nearly doubles the capacity of the basket--i told lucy she could fill her "bas-ick" with toys to take on our camping trip and was totally amazed at the amount she was able to pack in!






so, there you have it: an anomaly in the valley girl home. not handmade, not thrifted. plain ol' brand new stuff. functional, eco-friendly and seemingly built-to-last. but not a run-of-the-mill purchase by any means. i like to thing that we since we buy so much used/secondhand stuff, there is a little wiggle room for a special new purchase here and there. what do you think?