Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Confiscation for Allocation in a Specialized Bag

I have to say... for some reason, I get REALLY excited about allocating certain items for The Mass Bag and The Restaurant Bag

When I encounter a toy or an activity that lends itself well to one of these event bags, I joyfully confiscate it, promising Liam that he'll encounter the item again the next time we go to mass or out to eat.

The Restaurant Bag always stays in the car, and it's loaded with just enough stuff to keep our boy interested and engaged when we're out and about and in need of staying stationery for a while. 

The Restaurant Bag was our saving grace when we met with a builder the other weekend.  For an hour, I was completely engrossed in the discussion of square feet, optional upgrades, and available lots.  I was completely oblivious to the darling little boy on my lap who busied himself quietly with a wooden activity board, some interlocking plastic gears, and a wind-up car that moves so slowly it will never fall off the table.  Cha-ching!  These treasures are invaluable to a mama!!  I rotate the contents every few months.

The Mass Bag is our ticket to a peaceful, family-friendly hour in God's house, especially when we prefer to sit in the front row.  Its contents I change quite frequently, since Liam and I usually get to daily mass three times during the work week.  And of course, everything in The Mass Bag must be faith-focused.  I love the challenge of finding quiet, entertaining, faith-inspiring goodies for our boy to examine.

New to The Mass Bag this week is a hand-held crucifix I used often in my early 20s, and I tucked it into a little velvet drawstring pouch to keep things interesting.  Also new is this simple creation, which I slipped into a small zippered pouch:


A simple hole punch and a ring solved the problem of only taking only TWO holy cards to mass (one for each hand), plus we don't have to worry about them slipping out of tiny fingers and falling to the floor.  :)