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.

The Puppetivity Pal is a great gift for babies and even toddlers.  It is big enough to be used as a puppet, and also sits up on its own, so babies can enjoy it.  There is just so many things on here to play with.  The ears crinkle (which makes Will giggle every time).  If you press the heart, the puppy barks.  If your little one is teething, one paw on this puppy is a teether while the other paw is rattle.  The tail squeaks.  There is also a mirror on the foot, so your little one can look at themselves (and giggle).  What I like best is that it has a link on the back that allows you to attach The Puppetivity Pal to any stroller, diaper bag, etc.  This is one of the softest stuffed animals I have ever felt too.  Will likes to just hug this like a little baby and carry it around.  I love that I don’t have to worry if he falls with it, because it is sooo soft.

This is a great affordable gift for this Christmas season.

Another affordable toy out there on the markets this year can be purchased at Macy’s. At $14.99, Skoodlez makes a great toy for your kids or a grab bag, and can be given to kids 4 – 12. The stuffed animal has weighed down hands and feet, so you can easy pose them and hang them.  The cool part is that there is a coin handing around the stuffed animals neck.  You take the code off the coin and use that to access the online world.  On the site, children are challenged to create their own stories.  There are three different settings, so you can taylor it to your child’s age.  Beginner is from 4 – 6, medium is from 7 – 9, and advanced is 10 – 12.  When they finish their story, they can share them Skoodlez community.  They can also print them out.

This makes the perfect gift for the kid who has everything.  The Everday Skoodlez line includes fifteen animals:  hippo, cat, dog, mouse, duck, lion, tiger, leopard, panda, bear, zebra, giraffe, monkeys, and elephant.  There is also twenty four holiday ones.  They is definitely something here for everyone.

Eebee’s adventures products are designed to help you and your baby transform everyday play into learning that lasts. These books definitely do that.

Eebee’s Bath Time Adventure is a pretty cool book. You are actually able to take it into the tub with you! You are able to follow along in the story and press certain things to hear the book squeak at you or what a sponge sounds like. When you submerge the book, you now are able to use the same thing so squirt water.

All About Me & You is another hit with my son Will.  There is a mirror in the back of the book.  The mirror alone makes my son laugh.  Each page of the book has directions like make a funny face into the mirror or give a kiss.  It has then touch their nose and finding their tummy too.  It is an extremely interactive book that will bring hours of giggle time to you home.  This book is also made out of carboard so, you don’t have to worry about your kids destroying it.

Eebee’s Laundry Time Adventures is an excellent cloth book that works on words, sounds, and textures.  There are some fine motor skills that get worked on too.  The book has you taking the towels out of the laundry bag and putting them in the washer among other things that you do when you are doing the laundry. I think I may have had just as much fun as Will with this book (don’t tell anyone).

Since Will loves to play peek-a-boo, eebee’s Peek-a-Boo Adventures was another hit in our house also.  This cloth activity book was again fun for both Will and me.  This book has eebee hiding in all sorts of places for us to play peek-a-boo with him.

At 18 months, it is really hard to find toys and books geared towards his age, and the eebee adventure books really do that.  We have had a blast with these books, and I can only recommend that everyone pick up a set.

Another great place to check out for you Christmas shopping is Maddigrace.  This is a unique boutique that really carries a little something for everyone.  They have gifts for moms, dads, kids, and you even pick yourself up a gourmet lunch bag!  This is a site after my hearts, since they offer free shipping.  They have a daily sale so make sure you check in to see how you can save even more money.  They also have a ton of items that you can get personalized to make what you get a one of a kind gift.

The site is just fun to look at.  The navigation is great, and it is quite easy to find what you are looking for.  The background colors really draw you in.  Ordering is pretty painless, and you can even use Paypal. If you are looking for a site to get all your Christmas shopping done on, Maddigrace is a great place to start.