This will also be cross posted over at Lisa’s Travels.

One of the things that truly saved our Disney trip was my The WisePack™ Travel Backpack Purse. Nothing is worse than being on vacation and having a sore arm/shoulder/neck from carrying your purse (or in my case, a diaper bag).  The great thing about this is that both men and women can wear it.  With a little adjustment of the arm straps, Bill and I used this throughout our entire trip.  We were able to pack snacks for the kids and a change of clothes for them too.  I was also able to pack my wallet safely and my cell phone too.

Now, for those of you who don’t know, Madison ended up in the hospital for three days when we were there.  This bag allowed us to haul things back and forth from the resort to the hospital with ease.  We were able to pack Will’s diaper needs plus things for him to do while we were there.  When we actually got to go to Disney, it was so nice not to have a sore shoulder yet have everything we needed.  This also fit quite nicely under the stroller when needed also!

Here are some of the great things about this backpack:

• A small Quick Trip Travel Bag with an adjustable cord that can be worn separately to carry small items or your plane tickets
• A travel pouch for make-up, jewelry, ipod, etc. that handily clips inside
• LED light for clipping inside or outside, making it easy to find items in dark places
• A security pocket rests against your back when the WisePack™ is on, providing a safe place for money, plane tickets, passports, and other important items.
• Lightweight and durable.
• Two zipper pulls open the main section wide for loading and unloading.
• Divided into two pockets, one with a Velcro closure, the interior is approximately 14×10x4.
• The mesh pockets on each side of the backpack purse’s interior are perfect for water bottles, glasses cases, small umbrellas, pens and more and the shallow pocket inside the WisePack™ travel backpack purse is the perfect size to hold business cards.
• On the exterior of the travel bag is a small pocket with a clip, eliminating wasted time digging for missing keys.

This is a product I will definitely be using again and again and again.  It makes getting through airport security a breeze, fits under a stroller or plane seat, and it is just comfortable to wear!  I have several conferences I’ll be going to this year, and this will definitely be on my back for each one of them!

Once you become a mom, the contents of your purse change. I now find I am carrying extra diapers, clothes, sippy cups, candy, goldfish crackers, baby wipes, tissues, etc. Now, this wouldn’t be a problem if this didn’t add another say 50 lbs to my already semi heavy purse!  Granted, all that stuff doesn’t weigh 50 lbs.  However, it does throw your back out when you carry too much weight on one side of your body (trust me on this one, I’ve had long discussions with my chiropractor on this very subject).  Ever notice after a long day of shopping or out with the kids that your shoulder and arm ache on the side you were carrying your purse?  I know I have.

This is where the WisePacks™ Traveling Backpacks come in handy.  You are able to put everything (and I mean everything) you need in this and still have extra room.  I love this because not only is it helpful to my poor aching back, but it is also fashionable!  This looks way better than my 5 year old diaper bag (which also causes me back pain).  These traveling backpacks are made from rip-stop nylon and are lined with bright, contrasting colors to make finding things easy.  There are also several pockets to help you keep yourself organized too!  You even get a travel pouch for your make-up, jewelry, ipod, etc. that easily can be clipped inside of the bag!  My most favorite part of this backpack is that it has a security pouch in it.  Up to this point, these kind of purses always made me nervous that someone would swipe my wallet.  The security pouch rests against you back, so you’ll definitely know if someone is messing with it.

This backpack should be on every woman’s Christmas list this year — I know it’s on mine.

Up until recently, I had never heard of the Only Hearts Club.  The Only Hearts Club are real dolls for real girls. There are eight culturally diverse dolls.  They dress like real kids, are poseable, and are nine inches tall.  Their names are: Taylor Angelique, Karina Grace, Olivia Hope, Briana Joy, Lily Rose, Anna Sophia, Kayla Rae and Hannah Faith.  These girls form a club together called the Only Hearts Club and their motto is to “listen to your heart and do the right thing.”  For our house, these fit perfectly into Madison’s dollhouse.  There is another kind of doll out there that I cannot stand (I won’t name it), but these are a welcome alternative!  I love the positive message they are sending out to little girls.  They also have soft bodies which is great in my house (not that the kids are going to whack one another with them, but you never know).

They also have a line a books for your daughters to enjoy. We have the hardcover It’s Hard To Say Good-bye book.  The book about one of the girls losing her dog. One of the other girls goes to find another puppy for her and falls in love with the puppy herself.  I won’t tell you about the rest of the story, but it is about how the Only Hearts Club came about.  It is a cute short story and just the right length to hold young girls attention spans.  It also taught some morals without being obvious about it.

They even have Only Hearts Pets.  They are 2 1/2 inches tall and really cute.  They are really soft and each pet has its own name.  It also comes with a backpack clip.  The paws of each animal also have Velcro on them, so you are able to have them hold small objects like a pen or you can create a bracelet with secerql of them.  There are all sorts of pets also:  dogs, cats, monkeys, cows, pigs, frogs, and elephants.

All of these Only Hearts Club products are perfect for the little girls you have in your life.  They can be found at Target or online at The Only Hearts Club.  The Only Hearts Books retail at $3.99 each. The Only Hearts Club dolls retail at $15.99 each, and the Only Hearts Pets retail at $3.49 each.  These prices make this a very affordable present this holiday season.

School is upon us again.  Madison was in preschool last year and is in it again this year.  She had two backpacks that she used last year, so neither of them are very worn out at all.  I decided that since it was only preschool and they would work perfectly fine, I was not going to buy her a new backpack.  To the left here is the backback that she is using this year.  I feel slightly guilty, since it seems that the rest of the kids have new backpacks.  However, when I came across PakNak Charms, I knew I had my answer.  This was a way to alter her backpack and make her happy without me having to by her a new one.

Now, I got a snail and a butterfly to add to her backpack since it goes with the Tinkerbell theme pretty well.  She noticed right away that I added them!  The PakNak charms are made of a soft material that is both flexible and weatherproof!  It took me less than 5 minutes to attach, and I can easily switch the places of the charms.  Now, Madison’s backpack is pretty busy.  Can you imagine the difference these would make on a single colored cooler or backpack?  All I know is that the PakMak charms made my 4 year old a very happy little girl!

A Day at the Beach is another book that works great for toddlers and babies. The pages are made out of thick cardboard, so you do not need to worry about tearing or then being eaten.  Dora also is usually a hit with the younger crowd, and this book is no exception.  The pictures are good enough that your kids can figure out what the words say without being able to read.  The plot of the story is obviously Boots, Dora, and backpack spending the day at the beach.  One of things that I love is that in the first couple of pages they apply sunscreen.  That is great attention to details.  The book is about ten pages long, so it is the right length for little ones.  If you need a great filler gift for a present or just need some more kid friendly books, then this is you choice.