I think I have found the perfect gift for the kid who has everything. Little Passports is a great personalized gift that will have your kids wanting more.

The first package you get comes in a fun travel suitcase (seriously, it does.  And it is super cute).  Your Explorer Kit has an introductory letter from Sofia and Sam (it’s quite lengthy but very interesting), a world wall map (which will look great in your little ones bedroom), a travel passport, fun stickers, an activity sheet, a boarding pass, and access to a series of online games and activities.  Madison and I got to work on the activity sheet together (since she can’t read).  My strongest suit is not geography, so I got a kick out of helping her find the different cities we needed to find on the map.  Madison adores getting mail (what kids don’t), and she thought it was awesome (her words, not mine) that it come personally addressed to her (the box and the letter).  We were even able to share the stickers with her 2 year old brother (which he was happy about).

Each month, your child will receive a package from Sam and Sofia as they travel to a new country.  They still get a personalized letter from Sam and Sofia, fun souvenirs, an activity sheet, a photo from the country, a passport stamp, a map marker, a suitcase sticker, and a collectible boarding pass to access more online games and activities.

Little Passports is really geared toward kids 5 and up.  They definitely deliver for fun, and they truly get your kids interested.  I highly recommend this!

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2

My family and I travel a lot. This year was our first plane trip with the kids, and they did pretty well. However, after we came home, I learned something about the pillows on planes that completely grossed me out. Did you know that airlines don’t change their pillowcases after every flight?  That pillow the airline just charged you to use is probably covered in germs ( I know Ewwwwwwwwwwwww).  Some germs that can be spread include MRSA which can live on that pillowcase for up to 90 days!  Another gross thing you could get is lice too.  Completely grossed out now?

Have no fear though because Travel With Me has come up with JetHeads which is a disposable pillowcase.  All you have to do is slip one of these pillowcases over your airline pillow, and you can breath easier. JetHeads Disposable Airplane Pillowcases are made of a soft and comfortable, non-woven fabric and come 2 to a pack. They are also made in the USA.

What are you waiting for?  Make sure you order at least one set of these for  your next flight.  I know I am!

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!

A new addition we added to Madison’s room is some wall letters from Bright Star Kids. (You’ll have to forgive the glare in the pictures, I took several of them and could not get rid of that). It is a great way to give your kids ownership of their space. Here, Madison can read her name, so she thinks it is the coolest thing ever that her name is up on the wall.

Now, I know you are wondering how hard it was to put that up.  Honestly, it took Bill and I about ten minutes on Saturday.  That’s it.  It seriously could not get any easier than it was.  You basically rub the back to make sure that it will stick.  Bill got his laser level out, we decided where to put it, and then you push on the wall.  You rub the back again and pull the backing off.  That’s it!  It might not have even taken 10 minutes!

Now, it adheres to the wall, and your kids definitely aren’t going to be able to pull it off (not that my tried yet  LOL).  Even with the lights off it is seriously bright.  Now, that we got this for Madison, Bill wants to get one for Will’s room, since these are prices very well.  The wall letter are around $3 per letter and if you buy more than fifteen letters, they drop down to $1.50 per letter.  There is also a flat fee for shipping of $10.  Since they are based in Australia, they actually have a currency converter on their site, so it doesn’t matter where you are from, you can figure out what the price is for you.

I’ve arranged for my readers to be able to get a 20% discount if you decide you need this for your house.  To use,  enter the promo code FAMILYREVIEW into the Promotional Code section of their Shopping Cart and then press Submit.

I highly recommend these, and like I said, we’ll be ordering a set for Will’s room now too!

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.