Housewife Approved: Travel Accessories

I thought I'd post information about items that I've purchased that I've been very happy with. Here are two items that fall into the travel accessories category. One I purchased for my husband and the other for myself. 

Housewife APPROVED: The LL Bean Personal Organizer

Housewife APPROVED: The Vera Bradley Hanging Organizer

The LL Bean Personal Organizer:

The hubs did his internship with JAG and had to live out of a hotel for ten clean house lonely weeks. Prior to his internship I did lots of shopping for items he'd need on his summer away. I completely forgot about the LL Bean's travel bags and I'm geeked I rediscovered them while shopping online. I ordered a blue one for him and got it monogrammed. I do wish there were more options for the monogramming colors. His bag is the Royal color and the monogram was done in black. It was very well done and as ordered but I would have preferred a more contrasting color that could be easily seen.

These are the options. I selected a large since he needed regular sizes and was driving to his destination. 

Here's another close up. The mirror attaches with a piece of velcro so it can be removed.

I really like this one. It's the smaller option  and I think it would hold travel sizes well for shorter jaunts like overnight stays and car trips. There may be one in my future. :) The larger bags would require taking a bigger suitcase and not an overnight bag.

I ordered him the large size that LL Bean suggest for 3+ days. I thought he would get more use out of it and it wouldn't be too big to take on most trips. I really like the hanging hook so the bag can hang instead of cluttering the small hotel counters.

He has a shaving kit that can hold travel sizes and a few essentials and it works well for short trips. What he needed was an organizer that could hold full sized shampoo, shower gel, contact solution, razor with extra blades, shaving cream, bandaids, deodorant and other toiletries.

In retrospect, I was shopping while imagining him traveling to a third world country. I didn't know much about the town and I wasn't sure he would have time to shop or realize he was out of something before it was completely gone. (Men are strange creatures that way.) Honestly, it was just easier for me to pick things up a little at a time while I did the household shopping. It also allowed me to take advantage of sales and coupons. Score!

The LL Bean site says the following:

• Improved with innovative side-zip storage pockets, so you can quickly access toiletries
• Built-in hook allows you to hang it anywhere, from shower rods to tree branches
• Main compartment has multiple soft mesh pockets and includes a removable shower caddy
• Made of water-resistant fabric

And now on to the hanging organizer...which I also love.

Housewife APPROVED: The Vera Bradley Hanging Organizer

The Vera Bradley Hanging Organizer:

I am not usually a fan of anything floral or girly which is why this was my first Vera Bradley purchase. I opted for the color you see above because it wasn't as vibrant as the other patterns available. I was about to buy one of the LL Bean bags for myself but decided I needed a makeup system more than a toiletry system at that time.

This bag is large with four large compartments. As you can see from the photos, the two compartments in the middle are see through. I keep my eye makeup and my face colors in there so I can see what I'm grabbing. Having clear lids on my eye shadows, powders and blushes makes it especially efficient. The top zip container is large enough for my makeup brush bag as well as a 5" cosmetic mirror. There's a nice quilted divider in the top compartment that protects the mirror side from the brush side. Good thinking.

The bottom compartment is the largest compartment of the bag. I have several small bottles as well as my foundation, travel hair spray, a pack of makeup remover cloths, travel Q-tips and body lotions. There's even room to spare. It could handle the addition of travel sizes of a shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and my small puffy sponge.

I could easily covert this bag to handle full size shampoos, conditioners, etc. by removing excess makeup and accessories. I've used it for events where I tend to have multiple makeup options. By packing my everyday makeup, the necessary brushes (and not all 25), and eliminating the magnifying mirror I could easily make room for my full size bath items providing they are a normal size and not economy. I have some mid-size refillable bottles that would be perfect for this bag and could last much longer than the store bought 3 oz sizes.

I really like the cotton quilted fabric exterior. My last few bags have had very stiff zippers that often scratch my hands and wrist. I like the zippers on this bag. They move easily and have fabric pulls. It's a nice touch. I may treat it with a stain repellent (Scotchguard) the next time I go on a Scotchguarding frenzy.

The bags folds on to itself and ties at the top. The handles are long enough to carry it easily and the attached hook is sturdy and will fit around the shower rod in my bathroom.

I liked this bag so much I ordered a small makeup bag for my everyday makeup to replace the uber expensive one with the brutal zippers. I went wild and ordered something flowery and nuts. I like it. Now I'm wishing I ordered the hanging organizer in something wild like this. It grows on you.

While I will never be a fan to the point of collecting all of a pattern, I do like the quality of these bags. They usually have several patterns on sale as they launch new patterns. I'm not sure of their system so if you want to get a matching set, you may want to plan your purchases accordingly.

I do think this would make a lovely gift for a bride or an expecting mother. I think this would also be good for grandmothers. I know my mother could organize her medications in the clear pouches and have room for her beauty regimen. It arrives in a very nice box and wrapped in tissue paper with the paperwork tucked in a discrete envelope.

Here are the features listed on the Vera Bradley website for the hanging organizer:

• Metal hanger tucks away
• Top zippered, quilted compartment plus two taffeta-lined, clear plastic compartments
• Gusseted, plastic-lined bottom compartment opens wide when unzipped
• Easy-tie closure and two carry handles

They've launched sheets and bedding and I'm really liking the Indigo Pop. Cool, no? And I like the cotton of their fabric. I think it would be cozy.

MEPS, Papers, Wonder Files and Trapper Keepers

Hubs found out today that he has his MEPS physical scheduled this week. Things are getting really exciting around here. He's so pleased it wasn't scheduled for next week. You aren't supposed to do any running or exercise for 48 hours before the physical to reduce any chance of injury. Had they scheduled it for next week he wouldn't have been able to run in the Peachtree Road Race. Who doesn't want to run in 100 degree Atlanta heat? 

I read that Air Force JAG had about a 5-7% acceptance rate. I also read that in December they had something like seven hundred applicants and only 25 were selected. To make things even more tense, one of his law school classmates was accepted for JAG and was later disqualified following the MEPS evaluation. Nope, no nail biting here. 

A few weeks ago there was some scrambling to get copies of medical records. Let me say it now: Even if you are just thinking about going into JAG, get a hold of your medical records as soon as the thought runs through your brain. It turns out that most doctors and hospitals only hold records for ten years. Crazy, right?

I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to get copies of immunization records. It took a phone call and four days later they arrived in the mail. Booyah!  While he won't need them for MEPS he will need them for COT. If you don't have your immunization records they will re-vaccinate you within the first four days of class. Feeling like he's been hit by a truck the first week of COT doesn't seem like a wise use of time so I'm sure he'll take his records.

I found these on an end cap at Target and bought one. It seems to work  for our paperwork gathering needs.

We started researching what he would need for MEPS, COT and other situations and started gathering those records (birth and marriage certificates, etc.) and putting them into a central location. I read on other blogs and forums that a lot of people had tried the Wonder File as an alternative to the accordion filing systems. So far it works but we're just getting started. While I can always open it up and spread it across the kitchen table the accordion may be easier to manage on long travels. I'm also going to look at school notebooks. I'm beginning to think a Trapper Keeper may be easier to organize, wouldn't scream "steal me" in case of a break in and be sturdier in transit. 

Doesn't this just scream "I'm ORGANIZED"? 

Mead has never let me down. If they can keep a 9 year old organized, I'm sold.

The current Trapper Keeper design.