Jessica-Kay Panganiban

Things have changed over the years, but the essentials have not changed! Gone are the days that I slap on some sunscreen bring my hydroflask and a towel and call it a day. Motherhood has me packing up all the goodies for the best and easiest time at the beach.If anyone else is from Southern California, let me know in the comments if you're a little bummed out we missed local summer due to all the crazy hurricane weather. I sure am!

All of the things that I would use all over again during the first year of life for my little one. Things for the baby and things for me. These are the things that helped me solo parent from 3 weeks postpartum to Cash's first birthday.

We are obsessed with our Veer City Cruiser. Some days we have a hard time sitting in the shopping cart, so we just bring this bad boy along and we're all happy campers. Its so easy to steer that I can do it one handed without having to feel like I'm going to break my wrist. There are definitely some pros and cons when it comes to buying everything separately. Con: buying everything separately. Pro: not ending up with accessories you're just not going to use.

We've taken a couple road trips to visit family 6+ hours away. It's always been early mornings or middle of the night so the baby could sleep. These are the things we don't leave without!

We are in the middle of terrible twos. These are all the things that are getting us through the chaos. If you have a list for toddlers, let me know in the comments! I'd love to take a look at whats working for everyone else.

Good lord! Why is toodlerhood testing me? Like.. are you TRYING to get hurt?

Dear Jess, we do not have to cook to feed a family of 6! Its just you and a tiny human that is currently living off of hopes in dreams in his belly. Small batch and freeze what you need for later.

All these foodie years of gatekeeping these spots, I'm ready to share! Some you already know, but hoping you'll find a couple on here that will turn into your new favorite eatery.

I'm not going to lie, this list is soooo hard! The food in both OC and SD is just so much better and so I don't think these Inland Empire eateries are living up to my standards. They are really far and few between. He's my list after 3 years of calling this place home.

I used to live in OC and my brother lived in SD for some time for school. I'm sharing places from my own exploring as well as the eats that my brother told me about. When I'm down in SD these are places that I'm trying to get to while I'm in the area. Check them out and let me know how you like them!

Everything that helped me as a single mama doing it nearly alone since 3 weeks PP! Healing from a C-Section on top of it all. If I can do it, you can too! You got this mama! - After putting this list together, I guess its just a lot of binge worthy shows.

These are all the things I use on the daily. Of course, a full face of makeup for a special occasion is a must but that's a different list for a different day.

My must haves for making my favorite drinks at home. We love coffee, rebels and pink drinks in this house!

It's October! Let's see what Cash is playing with this month. This 2.5 year old has me on my toes and he's constantly on the go. These are what's keeping him entertained.

I think this is what he wants. I can only guess since he's not talking just yet. Yes, we're in speech.

Most of my years of teaching, I usually just bring myself and my cellphone and my dongle. Nowadays, I'm bringing more things into the studio and going back to those early days of my youth and packing a dance bag. I'm also including items when I have to bring my toddler with me to make a teaching night a little bit easier.

There's a lot of Vuori in this list. It's just so comfy cozy. Definitely worth the splurge if it's in your budget.*PRO TIP*: If you live in SoCal, follow Alternative Retail on Instagram (I'll list all the Instagrams below). They are a warehouse sale company and they have Vuori sales what feels like 3 time a year (along with other brands throughout the year). That's why I'm usually decked out in Vuori gear.

Winter recital is just around the corner! Usually I let the parents handle all the emergency dancer items. But here are a few things to pack to keep with you when the kids are backstage and there’s no time to dig through their dance bag. Plus all the things that staff probably need too!