Skip Hop Via Messenger Diaper Bag Review

by Kate on August 9th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Baby, Reviews

No matter how you look at it, a diaper bag is a must-have for a new family. And baby companies know it, too. The market is huge with a variety of bags to meet many different needs. A successful diaper bag must be functional with lots of organization, visually appealing because you spend a lot of time with it and versatile for many different situations. A huge bonus for our family is a diaper bag that both my husband and I want to carry. I’ve used my fair share of bags that check one or two boxes but it’s hard to come by one bag that meets all of those needs. But, never fear, we have found THE bag for a busy family: the Skip Hop Via Messenger.

Meet the Via Messenger

Function never looked so sleek! The Skip Hop VIA MESSENGER is an amazingly organized and functional diaper bag with a super sleek style. With eighteen pockets, the VIA MESSENGER has spots for everything you and baby need when you hit the road. There are bottle pockets, compartments for food, cups, toys and more. There’s also a special pocket protected by Agion® antimicrobial lining which helps reduce odor-causing bacteria. The VIA MESSENGER includes the new Shuttle Clips; a unique strap and fastening system that allows the VIA to attach neatly and conveniently to the handlebars of any stroller and then convert into a cool, hip messenger-style diaper bag. When attached to the stroller, you can leave the shoulder strap attached or remove it for a cleaner look. The VIA MESSENGER includes magnetic closures throughout and a comfy shoulder pad.

Via Messenger Review

First things first, the Via Messenger has a ridiculous amount of organization and storage for a messenger style diaper bag. There are 18 pockets (yes, eighteen!) throughout the bag, including 4 bottle or sippy cup pockets and seven zippered pockets. There’s a large pouch on the backside that holds a changing pad, but I’ve also discovered it’s a great size for a small laptop.

The messenger style bag is extremely user-friendly and comfortable. The strap has a nice shoulder pad that helps when the bag is loaded. The overall design of the bag is, in addition to functional, very gender neutral so if you’re looking for a bag that both mom and dad will use, this is a great option. Honestly, of all the diaper bags I’ve owned (and there have been a ton few), the Via Messenger is the first bag that my husband asks to use. He happily toted it all weekend with the kids while I was at BlogHer and he carries it often when we’re out as a family. The solid colors aren’t the most interesting or eye-catching but they are certainly easy to wear and won’t clash or take away from your everyday style.

One of our favorite features is that the Via Messenger attaches to any stroller with its patented Shuttle Clips. The clips aren’t separate pieces that you have to attach and detach every time you want to hitch it to a stroller. Rather, they are built into the straps so it’s super easy to attach to a stroller.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… I have nothing but great things to say about the Via Messenger Diaper Bag. The bag is functional, easy to use and has oodles of organization. The Messenger style bag is great for moms and dads alike.

Or Not to Buy… It’s not a huge bag so if you have twins infants it might not be quite big enough.

Shop! We love all of Skip Hop’s modern gear for families, including the Via Messenger Diaper Bag. The bag is available for $80 in four solid colors (black, lime, platinum and red). You can also purchase from our affiliate Amazon.

Thanks to Skip Hop for providing a sample.

Baggu Bags: Reusable Bags for Back to School Shopping

by Kate on August 8th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Back to School

Using reusable bags is an easy, no-brainer way to make a small step to go green. We’ve been hooked on Baggu Bags since we first reviewed the reusable shopping bags over a year ago. The bags are high quality, generously-sized and at an economic price point that doesn’t require a big initial investment to make the switch. In addition to offering a wide variety of colors, Baggu has an assortment of different styles for all different uses.

The Baggu is the brand’s best-selling bag, and I know why. It’s HUGE and holds tons of groceries, but the material is strong so there’s no risk of dropping your precious bounty all over the floor. Indeed, it easily holds the equivalent of 2 to 3 plastic grocery bags. The bags are sold individually for $8 or take the plunge and get a set of 5 with a drawstring bag to hold them all for $35.

The Duck Bag (right, $24) is a multi-purpose bag that is awesome for every day use. With multiple handles you can carry it on your hand, on your shoulder or across your chest. We love it for carrying books home from the library.

If you’re looking for alternative backpack for a little one, the Baggu Daypack ($22) is a great option. It’s a lightweight nylon backpack that also folds into its own pocket. It has an inner drawstring closure, with outer snap and buckle and is 16 inches tall.

Shop! Baggu Bags are available directly from the company and you can also shop a great assortment of Baggu on Amazon.

We are forever grateful to Baggu for donating bags for our NICU Care Packages.

NICU Care Packages in Baggu Bags

Nap Mat

by Malia on August 5th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Back to School

Little man starts mommy’s day out this month (sniff) and he needs a nap mat. I found an adorable Stephen Joseph Dog nap mat and I think he likes it, what do you think?

The $49 price tag was a little higher than I like, but I’m really happy with the quality. The whole thing is washable (the pillow comes out) and super soft. I know it will last through Jack’s wear and tear and probably baby number two, if Jack’s done with it in time. I found it at Amazon.com along with other adorable options: butterfly, horse, ladybug, monkey, sports, frog, turtle and peace.

Now I just have to hope that he will actually nap with a bunch of other kids in the room (and not in his beloved crib).

What have you found for naps for your little one?

GAP Kids & babyGAP: Back to School Shopping Destination {Gift Card Giveaway}

by Kate on August 5th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Back to School, Blog, Giveaways

It doesn’t feel like all that long ago that I thoroughly enjoyed back to school shopping. (But, don’t be fooled, it was a long time ago.) One of the stores where I fondly remember stocking up on back to school clothes is GAP. And I love that it’s now one of my favorite destinations when searching for cute, high quality clothes for my kids. GAPKids and babyGAP offer sophisticated, stylish and highly durable clothes perfect to fill your kids’ closets for school.

GAP Fall Fashion for Kids

One of my favorite things about shopping the GAP is the collections of clothes that include multiple pieces that mix and match to create a nearly infinite number of outfit options. I am in love with GAPKid’s fall collection, called The Portobello Road Collection which is inspired by London. The colors are cool, the looks are preppy without being too preppy, and the style is distinctly modern. Seriously, take a look for yourself.

This look is called Utility Prep and that fabulous Herringbone Utility Jacket ($44.95) is on my must-have list.

And where do I begin picking out a favorite from this look called Short Song? Between the Polka Dot Bubble Shorts ($24.95), Ruffle Placket Top ($19.95) and Bow Boots ($44.95), I’m can’t possibly single out one piece. This is clearly a must have outfit.

Of course the complete outfits are fabulous, but the real beauty is that each and every piece is wonderful on its own. That Utility Jacket I love for my son? He could wear it every day to school thing fall. That pink Placket Shirt just above? Would look adorable paired with jeans.

$15 Denim!

If there’s one thing GAP does right (and I’d argue they do much more than just one thing), it’s denim. I have a pair of GAP capri jeans that have been in heavy rotation in my wardrobe for years. And if my kids wore the same size for that long, their GAP jeans would surely be up for the challenge. GAP denim is timeless, always in style and, because of the quality, definitely worth the regular price tag. Throw in the amazing $15 denim back to school gear and you’d be nuts not to stock up. That’s right, between August 5 and 17, baby and kid jeans are only $15 at GAP.

Shop! Make sure GAPKids and babyGAP are on your list when planning your back to school shopping. The $15 denim is unbeatable and the Portobello Road collection is fabulous.

Win! A $25 GAP Gift Card for Back to School Shopping!

How to Enter: Visit GAP and leave a comment with something you love for Back to School.

Earn Extra Entries – valid only after the first entry. Please leave a comment for each you do.

Giveaway ends August 19.

This is a compensated campaign made possible by Brandfluential. Opinions are my own.



Thursday Giveaway Linky

by Kate on August 4th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Giveaway Linky


Happy Thursday! Thanks for stopping by to link up and browse. Even with the new blog design (isn’t it awesome) we’ll continue to offer this weekly link up. You can always find the latest posts listed in the side bar to the right under “Latest” and in the bottom purple footer under “Recent Posts.” Plus, the Giveaway Linky is listed under Weekly Features on the menu bar. See? Easy to find.

Make sure you check out our awesome Giveaways while you’re here!

While you’re linking head over to Baby Loving Mama to link up there, too. Be sure to enter the fun Coca-Cola summer giveaway!

What I’m Wearing Wednesday {#BlogHer Style}

by Kate on August 3rd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Blog

This is my version of the cool meme What I Wore Wednesday where bloggers share their daily style once a week. My wardrobe is ill-equipped to share a great outfit every week, but I am pulling out some of my most favorite duds for BlogHer so I thought this was a fun time to share some of what I’m wearing this weekend in San Diego.

Oh, San Diego… I can’t wait. The temperature will be below 100 degrees!

Friday during the day I’ll be meeting and greeting in this casual Layered Tank Dress in Cordovan (purple-ish). I’m keeping it comfortable with gold flip flops.

Friday night I’ll be rocking the navy and white stripe Wanda Stripe Knit Dress. (If only I could rock it like the model!) I’ve packed a coral open cardigan and my awesome yellow Tulle jacket – I’m not sure which I’ll wear over the dress if / when it gets chilly.

I’m so honored to be wearing Lands’ End all day Saturday while working as a Style Agent in the Mom’s Fashion File Secret Style Suite. The company is helping to pamper the moms being styled and also provided me with the opportunity to attend BlogHer. Thank you, Lands’ End!

During the day I’ll be wearing the Cotton Modal Self-Ruffle Tank with Boot Cut Jeans. And I’m totally going with my very favorite Tahari flats.

Saturday Night at the Mom’s Fashion File Party I’m wearing this Sleeveless Pleated Dress from Lands’ End Canvas. It looks so wintery in this photo, but the material is actually light and perfect for summer and fall. I think I’ll pair it will the Calypso St. Bart espadrilles to summer-ify it.

Thank you to Lands’ End for providing airfare, hotel and stylish clothing so I can attend BlogHer ’11.

 

Partum Me?! The Routine Dance

by Laura on August 3rd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Partum Me

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a growth spurt!  It feels as if Charlie has added inches and pounds in just a matter of days.  My arm gets tired when I’m feeding him and carrying the car seat  is becoming a surefire way to work on my guns.  The down side to all of this, of course, is that it feels as if we spend 90% of our time feeding Charlie.  He eats.  And eats.  And eats.  And then spits up half of it all over my husband’s freshly cleaned shirt.  Rinse and repeat.  Our daycare has asked that we talk to our doctor about the increase in spit up but I have a feeling that she will tell us it’s proportionate to his increased intake of calories and we have to ride it out.  More on that next week.

We seem to have settled into somewhat of a routine as a family.  I got some great tips and advice when I wrote about simplifying my mornings in a previous post, and I’ve found it pretty easy to get up and out the door with Charlie on the days he goes to daycare.  However, one of the reasons why it has felt so easy is that my husband is a college professor and has been home for the summer.  He’s available to lounge around with Charlie while I get dressed, put refrigerated stuff into my bag and the daycare bag, and get everything into the car.  In just a few weeks, he too will need to be up and about at the same time I will.  A dog needs to be walked, cats need to be fed, Charlie needs to be watched, and we all need to get out the door to start our days.  (Well, the cats and the dog get to stay home, but you know what I mean.)

Our evening routine could use some work, too.  To be honest, up until now we’ve just been winging it.  One of us takes care of Charlie while the other one cooks dinner, he falls asleep around 8 or 9 pm, wakes up for a dream feed and diaper change at around 11, and then sleeps until 5 am or so.  Sometimes that first sleep is in the swing, sometimes it’s in the pack n play that’s on our first floor.  (We use a co-sleeper/bassinet in our room for the late night sleeping.)  Usually I’m the dinner cook, as I’ve been trying to cut down on our spending by planning the evening meals for the week and cooking something (even if it’s super simple) every night.  For someone who loves to cook good food, buying boxed Rice Pilaf was a painful experience.  I keep reminding myself that it works for us right now and that’s what matters.  But my husband said last night that it’s time we start establishing a morning time routine for our sake, and a bedtime routine for Charlie’s sake, and I agree.  We don’t really worry about him getting more sleep at night, since everything we’ve read seems to say that his patterns are pretty normal.  But we’d like for him to get into a predictable morning and evening routine so that we can both feel like we have time to do the stuff we have to do and maybe (gasp!) even get some time together.  We’d like to establish a bit of order without feeling like we’re forcing a strict timeline upon Charlie.

So, dear readers, I call upon you to tell me your stories.  What were your first steps in establishing wake-up and night time routines?  Did you start off with small changes or just figure out a system and go full tilt?  As always, your advice, tips, and moral support are always helpful.

Back to School with Umi Shoes {Discount Code}

by Kate on August 3rd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Back to School

It’s back to school shopping time! As your stocking your children’s closets and dressers, don’t forget the shoes. While it’s necessary to save money where we can, you can’t go wrong investing in a good pair of shoes. There are times when you get what you pay for and that is definitely true of children’s shoes. Umi Shoes are pricey – but the style and quanlity are great. Plus, keep reading for a great discount code!

Shoes We Love

The Panache style shoes are beyond darling. The simple shape, the colorful flower, the elastic ankle strap – it’s all perfection. Available in three colors, versatile Pewter is pictured below.

You can’t go wrong with a classic loafer. Love the Morie, which is available in six solid colors.

The Keplar is a canvas shoe perfect for active boys. With ultrasoft corduroy, vulcanized rubber and cool color combos, this shoe is more than your average slip-on.

Ready for rugged play and easy to dress up for church, the Carrson is a fall-winter must have.

Shop! Umi has shoes for kids from European size 20 (about 1 year) to 36 (about 8 years). UmiBaby has styles for the smallest feet, even if they’re not headed back to school. Use code BTS20 to save 20% off until August 8. Buy with confidence with free shipping and free returns.

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »