Kelly Moore Camera Bag {Review, Giveaway & Discount Code}

by Kate on September 26th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  For Mama, Giveaways

It will come as no surprise if you read often and see my photographs that I am not a photographer. But, like many families we have invested in a nice (read: expensive) camera and I even have an extra lens. So fancy, right? Let’s just put aside the fact that I can’t use it appropriately.

Anyway, the point is I take photos all.the.time. and I need a practical way to take my camera and various blogging accessories, like my video camera and smart phone, with me. A Kelly Moore Camera Bag is the perfect solution – a beautiful mix of function and style.

About Kelly Moore

Kelly Moore Clark has been a photographer for over 13 years. After years in the profession she started daydreaming about creating her own line of camera bags. She made a wishlist of the features a good bag would have and, as a stylish woman, she knew the bag would have to look as great as it works. Now the Kelly Moore bag collection includes seven designs and even a men’s collection. The bags are perfectly suited for stylish photographers, bloggers and mamarazzi alike.

B-Hobo Bag

Since receiving my own Kelly Moore bag – the very chic B-Hobo bag last month, I’ve taken it on three trips for the blog, numerous family outings and accessed it countless times around the house. Whether I was walking the Expo Hall at ABC Kids, checking out corn in a field with Green Giant or playing at the children’s museum with my kids, the B-Hobo bag has been a trusty companion.

I first traveled with the B-Hobo to BlogHer last month and it was perfect for the occasion. The bag allowed me to carry my camera, extra lens, Bloggie video camera, iPhone, business cards and on-the-go necessities. Indeed, I carried the B-Hobo rather than a purse. The bag has adjustable compartments to keep camera and lens safe, but also very practical pockets perfect for safely keeping my ID, credit cards and money.

B-Hobo Details

outside dimensions:
•15″ (length) x 4″(width) x 9.5-10.5″(height)

outside specs:
• 2 front zipper pockets (4.5 x 5 each)
• 1 back zipper pocket (9×5)
• 2 side pockets ( 4.5 x 3.5 each )
• Small flap with hidden magnetic closure
• Zipper top
inside specs:
• 2 Padded, removable, adjustable Velcro dividers
creating 3 sections inside for gear.
• Exterior walls & bottom of the bag are padded

What I really love about the the B-Hobo (and all of the Kelly Moore bags, actually) is that they look so on trend and fashionable that you don’t need to be a professional photographer to take advantage of the function. Even a lay-person like me can carry a bag on a daily basis find it useful and, of course, pretty. I have the bag in Nearly Bag but I also love some of the bright and bold colors like Orange (below, Libby Bag) and Muted Teal (above, Classic Bag).

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… Every woman with a camera from professional photographers, bloggers and picture-holic moms will find the Kelly Moore camera bag a practical and pretty way to protect your camera and gear. The bags are all gorgeous and modern, with quality construction and made of water resistant material. And, of course, the bag has kept my trusty camera – and assorted camera gear – completely safe and sound inside the beautiful package that is a Kelly Moore bag.

 Or Not to Buy… Obviously if you have a SLR and more than one lens this makes the most sense. But, the bags are so stylish and functional that I won’t tell anyone if you get one to hold your point and shoot.

Shop! Kelly Moore bags are available online in a number of styles and colors. The collection ranges in price from $159 to $249. The B-Hobo Bag is $169. Use our exclusive discount to save $15 off your order with code MAMA15. Code expires October 7.

Win! The Kelly Moore Camera Bag of Your Choice!

How to Enter: Visit Kelly Moore and leave a comment with your favorite bag (color and style).

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

Giveaway ends October 5. Open to US residents only.

Thanks to Kelly Moore for providing sample and the giveaway prize.

Baby Girl’s Room Design Board

by Malia on September 23rd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Nurseries, Bedrooms & Playrooms, Shopping

I find I spend a large percentage of my day thinking about baby girl’s room. Hmm, nesting maybe? I thought I would share some things that have caught my eye and see what everyone thinks. Her room (and the rest of my rental home) is painted a pale yellow and I have a honey colored wood dresser that I’ll be keeping in the room, but otherwise it’s a blank slate. I’m thinking cream and yellow with a touch of robin’s egg blue.

Custom Crib set from Carousel Designs $22-154

Elephant Baby Crib Mobile $55

You Are My Sunshine Print $18

Bird Drawer Pulls $10

Two Branches with Flying Birds Wall Decal $28

Pottery Barn Kids Bird Branch Task Lighting $65

(this is much cuter in person)

Horton Hears a Who! from Zulily $34.99

I also have a couple Marshalls finds including a jewelry holder that almost perfectly matches the Pottery Barn lamp and a hat box with birds and butterflies. My Dad has given me a pewter plate with ABC’s and numbers from his childhood that I think will look so cute and a photo of an angry blue bird.

I can’t wait to get the guest bed out of there and start putting things together. What do you think? Advice for making it great? What color should I do the decal in (remember the walls are pale yellow)?

 

Are You Shopping for a Better World?

by Kate on September 22nd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Life, Shopping

Jen and Barb Mom Life is a great online forum where Jennifer Pate and Barb Machen share thoughts on how “becoming a mom changes you as a woman.” In fun video episodes they chat about everything from being a cool mom to taking your spouse’s last name. In a recent episode, Jen and Barb discussed “Are You Shopping for a Better World?” With the help of Simon Mainwaring they discuss tactics to make more informed decisions about where your money is going and the ethics of the companies you’re supporting.


Click to watch the video.

Way back in the day, long before kids, I was a Politics major in college. I spent summers interning in DC and I was passionate and plugged in. In fact, I would not shop or make purchases from companies that make political donations to organizations I disagreed with. Like many households, I make most of the day-to-day purchases for our family from clothes to food to toiletries. But, I don’t pay nearly as much attention as I used to about WHO I’m purchasing from…

Read the rest of my thoughts on Socially-Conscious Shopping on Jen and Barb Mom Life.

And, tell me, do you consider yourself a socially responsible shopper? How do you decide what companies deserve your money?

Thursday Giveaway Linky

by Kate on September 22nd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Giveaway Linky

Happy Thursday! Thanks for stopping by to link up and browse great giveaways. Before you take off, check out some of the great giveaways we have here on The Shopping Mama.

Bumbleride Flite Movement Edition Stroller * BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Miracle * Tiny Prints $50 Gift Card

Make sure you head over to Baby Loving Mama to link up there, too.

 

Shopping BabySize: Week 15

by Kate on September 21st, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping, Shopping BabySize

Shopping BabySize: my favorite finds for babies, kids and moms based on the approximate size of my wee babe in the belly. At 15 weeks gestation the baby is approximately 4 inches crown to rump, similar to an apple according to BabyCenter.

I, frankly, find that hard to believe. An apple seems so… big. I know that’s silly. And my belly is not big. In fact, my son (who we still haven’t told that I’m pregnant) said to me, “Mama, your belly isn’t big. Bellies get big when you have babies, but you already had your babies.” Thanks, dude. And, oy.

After struggling with Shrimp Finds two weeks ago, Apple was a downright blast. As you can imagine there is an abundance of apple-y baby and kid goodness to be found. Here are some of my favorites.

Apple Finds

iCandy Apple Stroller.

Source: shopatron.com via Kate – The Shopping Mama on Pinterest

 

Mod Apple Birth Announcement Print.

Source: etsy.com via Kate – The Shopping Mama on Pinterest

 

Apple Hello Kitty BabyLegs.

Source: theshoppingmama.com via Kate – The Shopping Mama on Pinterest

 

Apple Teether.

Source: amazon.com via Kate – The Shopping Mama on Pinterest

 

Felt Apple Hair Clips.

Source: etsy.com via Kate – The Shopping Mama on Pinterest

 

Apple cupcakes. Okay, this isn’t really a baby product but Mmmmmm, cupcakes.

Source: makeandtakes.com via Kate – The Shopping Mama on Pinterest

 
 
Check out more apple finds (and there’s a lot to be seen!) on my Apple Pinterest Board.

***


More Shopping BabySize

Week 13: Shrimp
Week 14: Lemon

Partum Me?! Setting the Healthy Example

by Laura on September 20th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Partum Me

Before I start this week’s post, I would like to say, “Happy Anniversary” to my amazing husband.  Three years ago today, on a beautiful sunny fall day, we got married.  I can still recall every detail of that day, but what I remember most was the overwhelming happiness that came from being surrounded (literally, our guests sat in a semi circle around us) by the people that we absolutely love most in this world while we promised to stand by each other forever.  I got a pretty good deal, too.  I still look at him and wonder how I got so lucky.  Happy Anniversary, Honey!

I’ve written here before about wanting to get into shape post-pregnancy, but the situation has become much more dire.  My husband and I have never been skinny people, but we’ve certainly been in much better shape than we are today.  We’ve both struggled with weight all of our lives, but have found success when we followed structured plans, paid attention to every single thing we ate, and exercised moderately but regularly.  I have the added complication of having PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) which comes with an awesome catch-22 – the syndrome makes losing weight very difficult but the best treatment for the syndrome is weight loss.  I have never had long-term success in maintaining a weight loss, nor have I ever been able to lose weight simply by cutting calories and ignoring the exercise component.  The cards are stacked against us, but this time we have an important motivator: Charlie.

Breastfeeding has not been the great weight loss secret for me that it often is for other people.  In fact, after an initial post-partum weight loss, I have been steadily gaining weight since Charlie was a few weeks old.  And my poor husband has done the same.  He got a tongue lashing from his doctor last week about getting into better shape , so we finally sat down to discuss how we could schedule things so that both of us could get to the gym.  (He will be going in the early AM while I feed Charlie and get him ready for the day, and I will be going after Charlie is down for the night.)  We’re still in talks about how to change our eating habits.  We’re good about eating our veggies, especially since most of them come to us through our CSA share, but we eat out way more than we should and we’ve been pretty sedentary since Charlie came into our lives.  Joining Weight Watchers is still on the table, even though my non-conformist mindset is struggling with the idea that it might be the only way this will work for us.  Part of me wants to drink the WW kool-aid and make miracles happen, but another part of me wants to fight the power.

The bottom line with all of our talks, though, is that making some healthy changes will improve our life as a family.  Of course we need to do this for ourselves as much as we need to do it for Charlie, but I will admit that my biggest motivator right now is the hope that Charlie will never have to remember me as an overweight mom.  We will find so many other fun ways to embarrass him as a child, but having big parents will hopefully be something he won’t have to face.

So tonight I will head to the gym for the first time since the beginning of my second trimester of pregnancy.  It is significant that today is also our third wedding anniversary.  After all, we pledged to stick by each other, in sickness and in health, three years ago today.  I’m just determined to make sure we have more healthy days than sick ones.  Plus, I have a lot of pre-pregnancy dresses that are hanging in my closet and calling my name!

Did you struggle with weight loss before or after pregnancy?  What did you do?  How have you maintained your weight loss?

Chasing Fireflies Stunning Halloween Costumes & #wishcraft Twitter Party

by Kate on September 20th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Reviews

I know some people love, love, love Halloween, but I have to tell you I never got into the holiday and dressing up until I had kids. I am just not creative enough to come up with costumes for myself, but I’m highly motivated to dress my little ones up in awesome Halloween get-ups. For several years I’ve been admiring the awesome collection of Wishcraft Halloween Costumes at Chasing Fireflies. This year? My kids got into it, too, and they stalked the website and catalogs for weeks admiring the costumes and daydreaming about wearing them year-round.

When we had the opportunity to try a costume from Wishcraft I knew I had to go all out and get my son the costume he hasn’t stopped talking about since first spotting it online: King Cobra. And, can you blame him? This costume is amazing! Don’t you love the fangs? And the tongue?

From the back it looks just as cool. He’ll definitely get some attention on Trick-or-Treat night. The long tail hangs down for effect, but also smartly attaches to his back to make it easy to walk without dragging a snake tail.

The details and craftsmanship are really stunning. Check out close-ups of the back of the headpiece, the snake coil and the eye. So cool!

Halloween Costumes for the Family

Chasing Fireflies has Halloween costumes for the entire family – including mom and dad! We love the whole family ensemble outfits for a family that goes all out during the season.

Here are some of our favorite costumes for the kiddos.

Girl Costumes: Mermaid, Rapunzel and Tulip Fairy

 Boy Costumes: Pirate Scoundrel, T. Rex, Great White Shark

Baby Costumes: Baby Blossom, You Are My Sunshine, Lil Tree Froggie

 

#wishcraft Twitter Party

Topic:  Halloween Costume and Party Ideas

When: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 9-10 PM Eastern (8-9 PM Central, 7-8 PM Mountain, 6-7 PM Pacific)

Hashtag: #wishcraft

Custom Tweetgrid - http://bit.ly/nPw9mv

Panelists: @MomSpark, @ChasenFireflies, @MomSparkMedia, @MakobiScribe, @StacieinAtlanta, @TheShoppingMama, @MyFourMonkeys, and @HaleyTweetsToo (follow everyone before the party!)

Prizes! Six winners will win Chasing Fireflies Gift Cards, ranging from $50 to $100!

RSVP:  http://bit.ly/p7w7bs

Shop! The selection and variety of fabulous Chasing Fireflies Wishcraft Halloween costumes is amazing. There is a range in prices, too, so hopefully there’s something for every budget. The King Cobra Costume is $98.

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was provided a gift card to purchase a single costume. I used some of my own funds in order to purchase a second costume. As always, thoughts are my 100% own.

BABYBJÖRN Introduces Miracle Carrier {Giveaway}

by Kate on September 20th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Baby Shopping Guide, Giveaways

When my son was a baby, I quickly learned that the only way I could get anything done around the house was to wear him in the BABYBJÖRN. I know he’s not alone, as many babies and parents swear by the soothing power of wearing baby. As my little boy has grown, BABYBJÖRN has continued to research baby development and talk with pediatricians about important features to make the iconic BABYBJÖRN carrier even better. The Swedish brand recently introduced its newest carrier: the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Miracle.

Meet the Baby Carrier Miracle

We take great pleasure in presenting our fantastic new addition with superior comfort for you and your baby – BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Miracle. The perfect choice when you want to carry your child in superior comfort in a variety of ways for longer periods of time. Right through from newborn to approximately 15 months. Perfect fit from newborn. Superior comfort for you!

What Makes the Miracle Different?

  • Accommodates a newborn without an insert and suitable for use through 15 months
  • Unique waist belt and adjustable back support allows parents to easily change carrying positions for a more comfortable experience
  • Size adjustment buckle on the inside to grow the carrier with the maturing baby allowing superior comfort for parent and child

Designed in collaboration with pediatricians, the Baby Carrier Miracle is intended for use with infants facing the chest and positioned up high, close to the heart. As the child grows, the Carrier adjusts near the head and legs for a more comfortable fit for baby. When baby is old enough to hold up its head, he can turn and face the world and rest lower on the front.

I am most intrigued by the waist belt and back support that is adjustable while wearing baby, taking pressure off tired shoulders or hips. You can get a better idea of this feature in the launch video. Take a look:

Shop! The BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Miracle will be available for purchase starting October 1 in three fabric options: Soft Cotton Mix, Airy Mesh and Organic Cotton. You can pre-order now from our affiliate Amazon for $184.95.

Win! A BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Miracle!

How to Enter: Leave a comment telling us your favorite part about wearing baby.

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

Giveaway ends October 1. Open to US residents only.

Thanks to BabyBjorn for providing the giveaway prize.
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