The Pick-Up-And-Go Bag! Organizing the Car

YIPPEE!! This has been another big week in our house! I got a new car! Well, it’s new to me, and I L.O.V.E. it! I am absolutely determined to keep my new car squeaky clean and super organized (anyone who had ridden in the Green Machine knows that it wasn’t the tidiest vehicle…).
It’s also coming up to summer and we spend as much time as possible out and about in the summertime. We are always running off to the water park, swimming at Baba’s pool or to the beach. I love to be able to just pick up and go and not have to worry that we have forgotten something at home.

My plan today was to merry the hope to be organized and the need to be ready for anything. I gathered up all of the necessities: snacks, extra clothes, towels, a picnic blanket and sunscreen for the “Go-Bag.” I also gathered up a first aid kit, reusable shopping bags, and a cooler, plus a big basket to contain it all!

I like to have the “Go-Bag” filled up and ready to take to the park. The girls each have a whole bunch of bathing suits, so it’s convenient to keep one in the car so we can hit up the water park and run wild on hot days.

I keep a bottle of bubbles in the Go-Bag, just for fun. Who doesn’t love bubbles in the park?  I only pack one towel in the bag, since if I am really planning a trip to the water park, the kids will already be in their suits and can pack their own towels and gear.

Each year I also pick up a few new containers of sunscreen; one for the front stoop, one for the car, one for grandma’s house, etc.

For snacks, I try to pack things that won’t melt when in the car for long periods of time, plus bottled water. I always try to have a regular juice box in the car for emergencies. The girls have a little friend who is diabetic, and I know that in case Peyton has low blood sugar, full strength juice is something that can make a big difference.

Throw the picnic blanket on top and the Go-Bag is always packed up and ready to go!
I found an empty basket in the garage to contain the rest of the car necessities. 

I packed up the first aid kit and the wipes (for obvious reasons) and the kids extra clothes, packed in ziploc bags. 

You never know when someone might have an accident or a spill. Rather than just have a change of clothes in the Go-Bag, I wanted to have an actual emergency change of clothes to keep in the car. I went with leggings and a tshirt, so no matter what time of year the clothes would work in case they were needed.

I finished packing the shopping bags, and cooler bags in the basket, added the Go-Bag and the picnic blanket, and packed it up in the new car! 

Now we are ready for everything this summer can bring our way!
Are you ready for summer? How do you prepare to pick up and go?


I will be linking up to Delightful Order, A Bowl Full of Lemons, and Serenity Now. Check them out!