It's in the bag...

Here are a few items that make my life a lot easier... They are in my bag at all times!

Holy Oil

I've always liked to keep a bottle of holy oil with me in case the kids get hurt or for those days when I run out of the house and realize halfway down the street that I didn't bless them before we left. The only thing that drove me crazy were all the little used up q-tips and cotton balls that piled up and required burning. So my brother-in-law told me how a friend of his got a bottle of holy oil from a monastery in Greece that was in a roll-on tube!

I got on Ebay and found several sizes to choose from. The one in the photo hold 1/8 oz. and it's the one I keep in my purse. I got 4 of them for $2.00. I also ordered 1 oz. bottles to keep in our prayer corner, where we usually bless ourselves and the kids in the morning/evening.

Icon Card Ring

The boys love these! This particular set of icons is from the Greek Archdiocese Department of Religious Education. I got them when I graduated Sunday School--a loooong time ago! They still carry them but they're a much newer version. They have different sets such as the Life of Jesus, Miracles of Christ and Saints of our Church. They're only $3.75 for a pack of 20 icon cards. (pg. 17 if you d/l the catalog)

I laminated them, punched a hole in the upper left corner and slid them onto 1" clip rings. They tell the story of the icon on the back. Ace has always loved these and they helped him learn many things about various saints and icons. Now that Lucky is getting older they usually fight over them so I'm working on collecting a bunch of the little paper icons that we get from various places to do the same thing with for him. They keep them quiet (and learning) while waiting at doctor's offices, restaurants and during church services.

Rose Marigold Tonic Water

This may sound cheesy but I LOVE this stuff! It's a face spritzer from Sephora. Living in Florida is pretty rough during the summer. We love being outdoors but the heat can really get to you quickly. Someone gave me a bottle of this a few years ago and I honestly didn't know if I'd ever use it. I kept it in my bag for awhile and one day while we were outside playing, Ace sprayed himself in the face with it and thought it was the coolest thing. Then every so often he'd run up to me to tell me he was hot and I'd spray him and he'd feel better. Once I smelled it I knew it was a keeper! It's not perfume-y at all, it's very fresh and light. I started using it too and it really is refreshing!

I will never be found without a bottle of this in my bag during the summer!

Our Sephora doesn't carry this exact bottle anymore, this one is plastic (1.7 oz) and was only $15, but they carry a much larger version (8.6 oz) for $35. I use the larger bottle as a refill for this little one. I sometimes add a bit of plain tonic water to it to make it last even longer. :)

What's always in your bag??