Inside ToteSavvy

After a year of staying close to home, our family is ready for a change of scenery and a much needed vacation. As the founder of a company geared around organization, I take a lot of pride in packing my family's things in the most organized way possible. My carry-on bag always holds a ToteSavvy with a narrowed list of my top essentials, and my kids' outfits are neatly stored inside their own ToteSavvy Travel (our newly launched travel clothing organizer).  I've learned a few tricks over the years to help make our trips run smoothly––all of which I'm delighted to share with you. Let's break it down to show you how an expert organizer packs for a family trip.  MY CARRY ON PACKING LIST Chargers (phone, watch, laptop) iPad + headphones  Phone, wallet, keys Pens + notebook Makeup bag with (lip balm, rosewater spray, sunscreen, hand cream, mascara, cream blush, hair ties) Small jewelry case  Compact first aid kit Gum  Snack bars Water bottle Alcohol wipes (non-toxic for skin but also kills every germ) Extra masks (for whole family) KIDS CARRY ON PACKING LIST iPad + headphones Applesauce squeeze pouches + snack bars  Water bottle Alcohol hand wipes  Coloring book + stickers + pens Magnetic games New chapter book series (oldest is at this stage 🙌) Extra outfit Lovey or stuffed animal MiFold booster seat PACKING TIPS Let them carry their own stuff. Each kid carries their own backpack as a carry on. This trip they also each have a small rolling suitcase with all of their clothing and accessories inside. My kids have been carrying their own backpacks since the age of 2. Even if the backpack gets clipped on a stroller through the airport, it's still easier on the plane for them to have their own bag filled with snacks and games. Now that the youngest two are six, there's no stroller and they'll carry it all themselves.  A clothing organizer will make your trip so much easier. Planning kid outfits for a trip tends to be the easiest task when packing. The chaos that ensues every morning of your trip, however, is not. Using a clothing organizer will allow you to pack one outfit per pocket (I'm talking pants, top, socks, underwear/diaper) all rolled up into an easy-to-grab package for your little one. Instead of rummaging through your suitcase, they'll grab an outfit and leave the rest perfectly organized for another day.  Don't overpack. This tip is something I constantly struggle with because I love to have lots of options. With that said it's much easier to pack when you narrow your list to a capsule collection of items that all mix and match together. You likely won't wear that 5th pair of shoes anyway. This tip works for kids clothing too! Instead of the capsule idea, I pack one outfit per day (or just 7 outfits if we're staying longer than a week but have access to a washing machine). A week's worth of clothing is plenty! Bring a laundry bag. When clothes are dirty, throw then inside your laundry bag instead of your suitcase or the hotel room floor. This will give you a clear picture of what outfits are still usable and which are not. If you're using ToteSavvy Travel for your kids, place the dirty clothes back into the pocket they came from to keep everything contained. Keep it simple and keep it organized for a seamless getaway!

and why I'm loving this minimalist setup Hi 👋. I'm Lauren, founder of ToteSavvy, and mom of three. My littles may not be babies anymore but that doesn't mean I don't use ToteSavvy products every day to keep my on-the-go life ultra organized. With the launch of our new Change Kit, I've LOVED trading my tote for this minimalist crossbody.  Generally, my trips out of the house are quick so I don't need to carry a lot with me. I like to keep it simple with the few necessities that I know I'll need, without the extras that weigh me down. The new Crossbody Change Kit is the perfect bag for achieving just that.  MY PACKING LIST alcohol wet wipes  disposable kid size masks cloth adult mask hand sanitizer lip balm hair tie sunglasses small card wallet keys phone THE BEST PART Our Crossbody Change Kit was designed to give you easy access to wet wipes by just flipping open the flap. This comes in so handy when you're carrying your baby and only have one free hand. Though I'm past this stage of motherhood, I can't help but adore this feature during a time when having sanitizing wipes at your disposal is so crucial. From wiping down the grocery store cart to giving that park bench a quick once-over, this feature helps me feel extra confident in my outings away from home.  Because the Crossbody Change Kit is made from a wipeable nylon material, the entire bag can be wiped with disinfectant wipes as well. I don't have to worry about ruining my nice leather bags which is a huge plus.    Shop our new style using the link below!  Shop Crossbody Change Kit  

The new year is here and we can't help but think about a fresh start for the year ahead. Last year wasn't what any of us expected (to say the least!) but that doesn't mean we can't look forward with a little optimism and a plan to make it truly the best year yet. One of the best ways to feel renewed and refreshed is to declutter. Whether it be cleaning out your home, office, car or even your mind, a few easy steps to bring order to your things will dramatically impact your mood and boost productivity. Keep reading to learn 3 easy ways to declutter today!    1. Clean Out Your Bag Your handbag is your home away from home and the most important item you carry when on-the-go. Our new world requires being prepared with a face mask, hand sanitizer, and anything else needed to keep us safe on the go. Keeping those items clean and organized within your daily bag is paramount now more than ever.  Utilize ToteSavvy bag organizers to keep your essentials safely tucked away yet accessible in an instant. You can designate one pocket for clean masks and another (or zip bag) for dirty ones. You can store your other essentials safely inside the remaining pockets.  Take the time (10 minutes max!) to dump everything out of your bag, throw away the trash, and reorganize within your ToteSavvy organizer. We promise this small task will feel incredible when you're on-the-go and need to quickly reach for an essential.  The end result not only looks pretty, it will keep you feeling together throughout your day.  Shop Bag Organizers   2. Declutter Your Living Area A home with kids is undoubtably a home that's messy 90% of the day. We're not here to judge (who has the time to tidy all the time??) but we do have a simple hack to help keep the clutter at bay. It takes less than 5 minutes every day and will keep you on track throughout the week so weekends can be spent enjoying family time instead of organizing.  Here's the trick. Purchase a cute bin (like this one by Pehr or this one from Target) to leave in your main living area like your kitchen or family room. Any time you walk through and see an item that's not put away (like a toy or clean clothing item) quickly pop it in the bin to keep your floors and counters clear. At the end of the day, take 5 minutes to find a home for everything in the bin. If the item doesn't have a home then you may not need it and can choose to donate or recycle the item.  If your home is multi-level, we suggest keeping one bin on the stairs for items that need to be put away upstairs!    3. Plan Outfits In Advance A stress-free morning really sets the tone for a happy and productive day. One of the best ways to streamline your morning is to plan your child's outfits in advance so they can quickly grab and go. This takes no more than 10 minutes on a Sunday to plan for the whole week ahead.  Our travel organizer is perfect for keeping prepped outfits grouped together and and easily accessible for young children so they can see each outfit and easily dress themselves. By allowing them to "select" their outfit in the AM you'll encourage their independent nature while keeping their look put-together. Plus, you'll put a stop to the morning power struggle instantly by using this little trick!    Pro tip! Roll each outfit together before placing inside its own pocket.  Shop Outfit Organizer    

  As a parent, you're constantly juggling more than you can carry (literally and figuratively). Having your hands free to carry your baby, chase your toddler, or hold them with one hand while you quickly change a diaper with the other, is all too familiar.  We're passionate about making parents' lives easier, and of course, more organized. For this reason, we created the ToteSavvy Change Kit. It's part changing kit and part crossbody bag––a hybrid design helping you keep your hands free so you can easily access a diaper, a wet wipe, or anything else you need at that moment.     

When I offered to throw my sister-in-law a baby shower for her sweet baby girl I had no idea we’d be swapping our girls luncheon for a virtual gathering. While I watched my typical party-throwing playbook fly out the window, my biggest concern was how I would make the event feel special without the flowers, fun banners and themed cupcakes. More importantly, how was I going to recreate the energy that comes with women coming together, physically, to celebrate the mom-to-be? Through a little research and the help of some fantastic Etsy shops, I was able to pull together a thoughtful shower to celebrate both mom and baby. I’m excited to share my tips for pulling off a virtual shower that doesn’t disappoint.   Pick an online hosting platform like Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Skype.  I chose Zoom out of comfort and ease. These days, through business calls and homeschooling, most people have used the platform and are familiar with how it works. Plan the flow of the shower You’ll want to give guests something to do throughout the shower like playing games, chatting with mom-to-be, or watching her open gifts. I chose to play two guessing games (The Price is Right and Guess How Many) along with Bingo as our mom-to-be opened her gifts. We also scheduled time for open conversation at the beginning and end of the shower. I highly recommend having a few talking points ready in case there’s an awkward silence. Choose your activities/games and prizes I chose three games to play and purchased templates from Etsy so the games looked cohesive with the theme of the shower. When you’re unable to decorate with balloons, flowers, and more, you can still add little details that help it feel like a special event. More on that later!  You can either email everyone their game cards or print and mail them to each guest. Depending on the level of safety you’re optimizing for you may want to email the cards and have everyone print their own.  For prizes, I chose digital gift cards from giftcards.com that I easily emailed to the winners after the shower.  Create a custom background (if using Zoom) The lack of an actual venue makes an event less appealing than most so to create a little fun you can create a custom background and send it to everyone to use during the shower. Etsy again is a great place to find backgrounds or have one custom made for you. Because of quarantine, this is now a thing.  Send invitations and a rundown of the event at least 3-weeks in advance Use a service like Evite or Paperless Post to send invitations for the shower. Let guests know the event will take place online and forward to more details to come closer to the date. To build excitement, think about telling guests about a game or two you plan to play and that you’ll have mom-to-be opening gifts live. It’s nice to give everyone a heads up as well so they can plan to send a gift that can be opened. Make sure everyone is aware of where to send gifts (to mom-to-be) so there’s no confusion. Send a reminder email 24 - 48 hours before the shower This is the time to give everyone the link to the virtual shower and explain how to use the platform for anyone who’s unfamiliar. Sending this email a day or two in advance allows guests to download the platform app or familiarize themselves with it.  In your email be sure to include your custom background (if using) and instructions for how to upload it and access it during the shower. It does take a little time to set this up for anyone unfamiliar with Zoom but totally worth it when you see the end result.  Send mom-to-be flowers the day of her shower As a sweet gesture, send mom-to-be flowers that arrive on the day of the shower. She’ll feel extra special looking at her beautiful stems during the event, making all of this feel a little more normal.  Give guests a 10-minute buffer before you begin As the host, make sure you’re logged in on-time and ready to start chatting with guests as they arrive (virtually). Give around 10-15 minutes of time before you jump into the first activity allowing everyone to sign on and get settled. During this time have a few talking points ready to fill any awkward silences.  Open gifts during the shower  Virtual showers are immediately less personal than an in-person event so think about having the mom-to-be open her gifts live in front of her guests. We played Bingo while gifts were opened adding a fun element. Thank everyone for coming and being flexible!  In a time when we’re all craving in-person connection, thank everyone (including mom-to-be) for being flexible and open to a virtual event. These are crazy times and we could all use a little appreciation. 

  Since launching ToteSavvy in 2014, the contents of my bag have dramatically changed. I remember as a new mom, I packed copious amounts of diapers and the largest pack of wet wipes one could find. My "diaper bag" was actually a small weekender with a ToteSavvy Original inside for extra organization. The pairing worked brilliantly!  Now that my kids older (4 and up), and potty trained **happy dance!**, I'm able to pare down my list of essentials and pack a somewhat minimalist bag that gets me through my daily routine with little fuss.  // WHAT'S INSIDE MY BAG //  wet wipes hand sanitizer  mineral sunscreen mini first aid kit chapstick + lipstick hand cream notebook highlighter + pen laptop snack bars x3 for the kids snack bar x1 for me sparkling water wallet / keys / phone      These are my absolute essentials that I make sure to have inside my ToteSavvy Deluxe at all times. Wet wipes, hand sanitizer, and a mini first aid kit are key for the ages of my kids. They seem to always have sticky or dirty hands and tend to need a bandaid more often than not. My beauty essentials are pretty pared down based on what I really use when away from home. Anything I don't use regularly is removed to make room for something more crucial. My work items are also minimal due to everything being digital these days. I do have a weakness for beautiful notebooks and prefer taking notes with pen and paper. Everything else is on my computer or phone. Snacks and sparkling water are other musts for my ToteSavvy. My kids always seem to be starving so packing snack bars for them is imperative. Anything to avoid hangry preschoolers!  Since the launch of ToteSavvy Deluxe, I've pretty much switched over to using Deluxe every day. I love having a dedicated space for my laptop and a pocket to keep my sparking water cool. It's also a perfect fit inside the Clare V. Simple Tote (pictured) and my MZ Wallace Metro Tote (large) which are my go-to bags at the moment. 

  As a mom of 3 (my oldest is 6 and my youngest two are almost 4) and a business owner, I find it crucial to always have a well-packed handbag. My needs change as I shift from work to home life, and a prepared ToteSavvy allows me to quickly grab and go as I move from one role to another. Now that my kids are a bit older I don’t need to carry quite as much, which has allowed me to pare down to my essentials, which subsequently has also opened up more handbag options. WHAT I’M PACKING Lately, I like to use ToteSavvy Mini for most daily outings and when I’m taking my kids from one afterschool activity to another. Since my little ones are now all potty trained, I don’t worry about packing diapers or a change of clothing for quick trips. Instead, I pack snacks, sunscreen, hand sanitizer and a few other “just in case” essentials. Here’s my full packing list: sunscreen (lotion) sunscreen (face stick) hand sanitizer spray antibacterial wet wipes band-aids and ointment 3 kids protein bars 3 boxes of raisins 1 RXbar (for me) Dior lip glow balm Sweat Cosmetics foundation powder stick with SPF Glossier boy brow  hair ties mints small wallet keys   All of the above fits inside two tall pockets and two short pockets of ToteSavvy Mini. That leaves me the inner flat pocket and insulated pocket open. Before heading out the door I’ll fill a bottle of water or grab a La Croix to slip inside the insulated pocket. My phone slides into the inner flat pocket for easy access.   WHY I’M LOVING THIS SETUP While I love ToteSavvy Original and Deluxe for work, travel, and other big outings, it’s freeing to carry a smaller handbag or lighten the weight of your large tote when you’re just running around town. ToteSavvy Mini still fits A LOT of essentials and keeps it easy for me to quickly switch bags. I don't mind having extra room around the organizer and actually like the open feel. Plus, as the weather keeps warming I like having a ToteSavvy that can be easily switched to a backpack for park trips.     I highly recommend giving ToteSavvy Mini a try if you're looking to pare down your essentials and pack a little lighter. Even if you're just organizing your own items, it's a great size to keep everything together and easily accessible.  

As a mom of three young children and business owner, I get asked the same question quite frequently. How do you manage to do it all? The truth is, I don’t. I don’t come close to “doing it all” because I simply can’t. I have a full-time job running ToteSavvy and I have three kids under 6-years-old. Without adding more time to the day, it’s just not possible to put in a full day of work and a full day of focused parenting. What I have learned in my 6 years of being a CEO mom, is that compartmentalizing my life is the best way to get things done and not feel like I’m running at a full sprint all day, every day. I can’t be engaged with my family when I’m trying to get work done, and the same is true for doing quality work when I’m half focused. After a lot of trial and error, I discovered the key to my success was learning how to compartmentalize my day in order to stay focused and get stuff done.   THE STEPS TO COMPARTMENTALIZING   Step 1: Areas of Focus -  The first step is to determine what areas of life you need to segment. For me, it’s family and work. These are the areas I value most, and subsequently where I want to spend the majority of my time. In order to compartmentalize these areas of my life, I schedule periods of time during the day to solely focus on one segment. For example, if I’m with my kids I focus on just being a mom. I try to stay off my computer so I’m not tempted to jump back into a work project. The same goes for work time. I put aside everything I need to do that falls into the “home life” category so I can solely focus on work.   Step 2: Make a Plan - In order to get the most out of my time, I like to strategically plan out my week in advance. I find it helpful to know what’s expected of me and how I’m planning to accomplish each task within the hours of the day. This goes for both work life and family life. I find that I’m able to get more done and feel like I’m putting in a “full day’s work” to both being a business owner and mom when I have a plan and set goals. More on how I plan and prep below! Step 3: Divide and Conquer - In order to feel like I’m adequately spending enough time and energy of each life segment, I divide my days and weeks accordingly. My kids are in school (most days) so I’m able to plan my work time during their school hours. During family time, or when I’m getting together with friends, I completely shut off from work (mentally) so I can focus my time and energy on who I’m with. This may seem super obvious, but it took me about 5 years to figure out how to live my life this way and it’s helped tremendously. PLANNING MY WORK WEEK To organize my work life I like to chart big monthly goals, then define smaller tasks within those goals to help achieve the larger goal according to schedule. I use a planner that includes blank pages for big-picture planning and both monthly and daily planning pages to organize the small tasks. Generally, at the beginning of each month, I’ll define those big goals or carry one over from the previous month. I take each goal and break it down into easy actionable steps that I can execute in a day or less. Then I determine which projects and tasks are a priority over others and plan my work week accordingly. It’s not a perfect science but it helps me have a path every time I sit down to get work down. Because I “turn off” my work life during time with family and friends, it can be difficult to pick up where I left off. This planning helps me remember where I was so I can jump right back in. Helpful Hint: I love using square sticky notes for my big goals or projects and smaller rectangular sticky notes for the tasks. I’ll set up at my desk and cover it in sticky notes before adding action items to my planner. I love doing this because if I mess up or want to redo something I don’t have to cross things out in my planner. My planner stays clean which further helps me focus during work hours. Another tip is to not schedule too much into one day. I used to be so eager to finish all of my tasks that I’d plan more than I could realistically do in one day. Now, I try to plan 2-3 tasks per day allowing for time to clear my inbox and handle other issues that come up. If I finish my set tasks early, I can always work on something from the next day and get ahead. FAMILY WEEKLY PLANNING Just as planning is important in order to do my job well, I've found it’s crucial in not feeling like a disaster of a mom. While I don't plan everything, I like to have the basics charted weekly so we have some direction. For instance, every weekend I plan our meals for the upcoming week. This includes every meal of the day our family of five is eating. On Sundays, I brainstorm recipes, write a grocery list, and grocery shop. If I'm short on time I’ll use a grocery delivery app like Amazon Prime Now or Instacart. Breakfasts usually aren’t too complex. I buy healthy cereals, oatmeal (or make overnight oats!), and/or eggs. Lunches are all packed in advance (thanks, Lunchbots!). I pack Mon-Wed lunches on Sunday and Thur-Fri lunches on Wed night. I plan to either cook or order takeout (or eat out) each weeknight so I have a plan after I pick my kids up from school. I try to cook 3-4 nights a week but it’s not always possible with busy schedules and general parent fatigue. And by the way, when I say I cook it’s not a 4-course meal. I love crockpot meals, sheet pan recipes, pre-made salads, and things that can be thrown together in 15 minutes or less. Weeknights can be stressful and the last thing I want to worry about is cooking. Outside of meals, I like to plan and prep the night before for activities and school. We have a backpack station near our back door where our kids hang their backpacks and store their shoes and jackets. We use an Ikea Kallax cubby system for the shoes and jackets which has worked out really well in helping the kiddos be more independent with getting out the door. That said, I still have full on power struggles with my 3-year-olds about putting their shoes on or wearing pants in general. #momlife For after-school activities (we do ballet and soccer!), I like to have their bags packed the night before or even on Sunday night. I’m really good at forgetting stuff (just ask my 6-year-old) so setting it out by the door in advance is mandatory for me. All of this prep work may seem like a lot of work for a Sunday but I’ve found it gets easier as you continuously do it, and it truly does help the week run a little smoother. Of course, I still have my moments when I forget something important or miss a deadline but I’m less stressed about when I’ll get everything done when I have a plan.

This past week our family of 5 spent 3 magical days at Disneyland. The last time we visited the park I was pregnant with the twins. We only had one toddler to chase around, making the trip much different than the most recent one!  The trip ended up being a huge success. Our preschooler, who is obsessed with the princesses, got to meet her idols and secure their autographs. Our twins were elated to meet Mickey and Minnie and explore the wonders of both Disneyland and California Adventure.  Leading up to our trip, I strategized how we would approach having two additional kids to chase around. I knew we'd need a plan for diaper changes, snacking, hydration, and potential accidents, so in order to keep from taking the entire nursery with us, I planned to divide and conquer.  Our "diaper bag stuff" was split between two areas: under the stroller and inside my ToteSavvy Mini. Here's what I packed and why.    UNDER THE STROLLER DIAPER CHANGES Our Deluxe Changing Kit was incredibly useful! While ToteSavvy has a changing mat included, I love the convenience of the Deluxe Changing Kit because the changing mat just rolls out quickly and offers immediate access to wipes (without taking them out of a pocket). This is 100% why we created the Deluxe Changing Kit, and it proved to be a valuable asset during this trip.  COMFORT / WARMTH Los Angeles is notorious for having weird fall weather. It's cool in the morning and evening but can get up to 80˚ during the day. Knowing this, I dressed the kids in lightweight clothing, then packed a sweatshirt and blanket for each child. The blankets were folded nicely under the stroller (as were their sweatshirts) and came in handy when the twins wanted to take a nap mid-day.  We ended up draping the third blanket over the stroller to give them shade. This worked great! If you know one or more of your kids will nap at the park, definitely pack an extra blanket (breathable) to drape over the stroller.    EXTRAS We always have a Mommy Hook on our double stroller, allowing us to carry bags or hook my backpack when needed. Such a great product!  Additionally, our stroller has an organized attached to it (we love this one by Baby Jogger) for holding water bottles and extra items. The middle compartment, which has a magnetic flap, was the perfect place to store our autograph books and pens.      INSIDE MY TOTESAVVY MINI In an effort to pack light and not carry a huge bag around with me, I opted for a ToteSavvy Mini and my Henri Bendel Jetsetter Backpack. LOVE this combo!  Inside my ToteSavvy Mini, I stored the following essentials: antibacterial wet wipes hand sanitizer diaper bag buddy (includes first aid necessities) high-protein snack bars wallet cell phone extra diapers room keycard Disneyland passes misc. trinkets This is the lightest I have ever packed for an all-day outing with my family and I can say it was more than enough. We used the hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes often, dipped into the band-aids a few times (to keep my shoes from rubbing), and ate all the snacks while waiting in lines. I had enough room around the ToteSavvy that I could have added more. This came in handy when I needed to throw any extra water bottle in my bag, or carry some special trinkets we picked up.               There you have it! An efficient and necessities-only diaper bag for our Disneyland trip. Every item is neatly organized with ToteSavvy Mini, allowing us to enjoy our day and not stress about finding what we need. 🙌          

When I first founded Life in Play back in 2014, I was looking to prove my little idea was valuable and hopefully grow that idea into a real product. Over the past 3 years, I’ve witnessed the growth of our small business, and I began to think about our path forward. What type of company are we, and who do we ultimately want to become? Now, more than ever, the answer is clear. We want to be a company that gives back and supports our global community. We’ve hinted recently about an exciting limited edition ToteSavvy color launching this Spring. While the color may make this ToteSavvy special, what it represents carries the deepest meaning for our company. Our limited edition “Magenta Love” ToteSavvy was inspired by a close friend of mine who is currently battling metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The bold magenta color represents the fire and passion I’ve personally witnessed in her throughout her battle with cancer. No matter how tough the fight, she has remained true to herself as a gladiator for life. Today, I’m more honored than ever to announce our partnership with METAvivor. METAvivor is a volunteer-led, non-profit organization that uses 100% of their donations to award research grants towards finding better treatments for metastatic breast cancer (MBC). 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Of all early stage breast cancer patients, 30% will metastasize (meaning the cancer has spread to non-adjacent organs, such as lung, liver, bones and brain– classifying them as stage 4). MBC is fatal in 97-99% of cases. Sadly, only 2-3% of breast cancer funding goes towards research for MBC. METAvivor was the first non-profit organization to solely fund research for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, and today remains the only US organization dedicated to funding MBC research. I’m proud to announce that Life in Play will be donating 100% of our net profits from this limited edition ToteSavvy to METAvivor. Our partnership with METAvivor means more funding will go towards grants for research, with the hope that someday we will discover better treatments that improve the longevity and quality of life for MBC patients.   Thank you for being a part of our ToteSavvy community. I hope that you love our limited addition organizer and are eager to support the wonderful cause behind it. If you’d like to learn more about METAvivor, our limited edition “Magenta Love” ToteSavvy, or my dear friends battle with MBC, please follow the links below.   METAvivor "Magenta Love" ToteSavvy Cancer, You Can Suck It