I have a recurring nightmare in which I open the car door, place my keys on the car’s floor, strap my child into her car seat, and then forget to retrieve the keys before shutting the door — which locks the minute it shuts. I’ve taken to tucking my keys into the pocket or waist of my pants (and then forget where I put them, turning in circles like a crazed maniac with hands upturned, inquiring seemingly of the air around me, “Where did you go?”).

I’m sure that this phobia (as well as the gawkers — both curious and concerned) could be eliminated with therapy or hypnosis. But with five kids under the age of ten, I’ve not time. Therefore, I’m always on the lookout for great organizational products that assist me in keeping important items easily accessible at a moment’s notice.

To that end, here are my newest must-have mommy organization items.

Purseket: The Perfect Purse Organizer
It’s a female reality: the bigger our purse, the more we’ll stuff into it. This is why I believe in small handbags. However, even with my tiny satchel, I constantly rummage through it playing the what-does-this-feel-like game as I attempt to locate a wallet, sunglasses, car keys, or a ringing phone prompting everyone to look in my direction. What can I say? The kids love Madagascar, and I can’t figure out how to get rid of the “I like to Move It” ringtone.

The Purseket fits into most average-size purses, and wraps around to line the outside of the purse’s insides. Into its pockets you can easily and strategically stash keys, a cell phone, chapstick, pens, sunglasses, and/or a checkbook.

The Ultimate Wallet
Once you get your purse organized, the wallet that’s bursting at its seams will become the bane of your existence. Never fear, there is an inexpensive solution to this problem as well. I found the perfect wallet at — where else? — Target.

Apparently, this style of wallet is called a card case wallet, and they are available at multiple retailers and multiple price points. At my local Target they are $6.99 and worth every penny.

Basically, one side holds your credit cards in a manner that makes them easily identified and retrieved. The other side has a small pocket (in which to stuff the day’s receipts?) and a see-through slot for your driver’s license, which makes it ultra-easy to present to cashiers who wait until you’ve stuffed your credit card back into the exploding wallet you’ve stuffed into your behemoth purse before they ask to see the credit card — and identification. In the center of the wallet is a zippered compartment, which is where I store paper currency as well as credit cards or loyalty cards I don’t often utilize.

True, there is no place for a checkbook. If necessary, I carry my checkbook separately in my purse…in the Purseket.

The Hold It Baby! On-the-Go Toy Organizer
This product rocked my world. I can’t tell you how many sippy cups or small toys we’ve lost over the years as kids dropped (or threw) them from their stroller or car seat. In many cases, we’ve lost something “accidentally on purpose” after I refused to pick it up for the 76th time and it found a new home on the floor of The Gap.

The Hold It Baby On-the-Go Toy Organizer can hold at least six items at a time, including sippy cups, snack cups, board books, toys, blankets, stuffed animals, pacifiers, and more. I have one on the toddler’s car seat, and one in the stroller. One of our older kids occasionally uses it on his bike handle to secure his water bottle and sunglasses. It’s a lifesaver.

Some days I only wish I could attach all five kids to it so they stop disappearing on me in stores!

Closet Sweater Holders
If your family is like mine, you simply never know what a child will come to the breakfast table wearing — and, more critically, intending to wear to school. I’ve seen it all, including pajamas, items from the dirty laundry, and 1960s dresses (with coordinating heels) from the dress-up box.

In order to better streamline our mornings, I hung a sweater rack in each child’s closet. On Sundays, we fill each slot with an outfit for each day of the following week including underwear and socks. It allows the kids to choose what to wear in a moment when I actually have time to inform them that stripes and plaids are often hard for teachers to look at all day. It allows them to tiredly grab appropriate attire each morning. And it eliminates opportunities to learn–at 6:00pm–that, because a child could not find underwear that morning, he chose not to wear any.

A great place to find discounted sweater holders is a closeout store such as TJ Maxx or Marshalls.

Arm yourself with these four items and you’ll feel organized in no time. For the record, I also have a recurring nightmare in which I leave the house without pants on, but haven’t yet found an organizer to help me with that. If you come across one, do let me know.

(photo by svilen001)