Why women love Amy Michelle bags (with discount code)

Subtitle: Why I am carrying a diaper bag even though my youngest is in 3rd grade.

If you want a purse for a busy gal-on-the-go, you buy a purse designed by a busy gal-on-the-go.

I got to know Michelle Herbert in a yoga class. She explained that she and her friend Amy met each other in graduate school. Over dinner one night sans kiddos, Amy was horrified at the disarray of Michelle's bag when she opened it to get something. Michelle explains: 

Think papers, diapers, bottle explosions, food, letters, work documents… all thrown into a black hole. I told Amy that there were only two types of baby bags. Even in the saturated markets of baby products and women handbags I could not find a bag that was organized and functional AS WELL AS sophisticated and elegant. If I wanted organization and function, I had to sacrifice style and elegance; if I went for elegance and sophistication I sacrificed organization and function. Clearly, I was not willing to give up my fashion sense, but the lack of organization was not looking pretty.

Quite simply, we started Amy Michelle to design and manufacture a baby bag to reflect a woman’s style, while accommodating the travel and organizational needs of both baby and mom. Motherhood requires many important sacrifices, but we did not believe choosing a baby bag should be among them.  

That night at dinner we started designing functional and stylish baby bags on a restaurant napkin.

 Their functional yet stylish designs resonate with women everywhere -- including me. Amy Michelle bags have been featured by Franklin-Covey, at Bed Bath & Beyond and Babies R Us. In addition, Amy and Michelle were named emerging entrepreneurs by Sam Walton and honored by American Express for women in business.

Disclosure: Michelle let me select any bag from her collection for purposes of sharing my honest opinion with you. The collection has options for work, travel, and baby. I no longer have babies so I asked Michelle what was the smallest bag that I could fit typical mom stuff in, plus an iPad (which I intend to get one of these days). She steered me toward the New Orleans, which comes in two color swatch options.

You can tell that moms designed these bags because the interior of the bag is a light color so that you can see your stuff against it. On the outside of the bag are three handy pockets for cell phones, keys and, yes, and iPad. On the inside are three pockets in addition to the main chamber, plus two more areas specifically for water bottles, sippy cups, or whatever liquid gets you through the day. One thing that's quite noticeable is that the material used is very lightweight. My shoulders (and my yoga practice) are grateful.

You can also tell that moms designed the website because of the videos that accompany each bag. Let me show you the video for mine (90 seconds):
This bag is reasonably priced at $60.

Michelle and Amy are generous businesswomen. A portion of the profit from each bag goes to help children through the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Denver.

AND! Amy Michelle is offering AllThumbsReviews readers a 15% discount plus free shipping in the continental US. Enter "poppy" when asked for a coupon code at checkout.

Form and function do indeed go together in Amy Michelle bags. Take a look and I bet you'll agree.

Submitted by Lori and cross-posted on MileHighMamas.com.

How hassle-saving gear and Channel 7 turned me into Vanna White

Welcome regular readers and KMGH viewers.

Below are the products featured on the Denver ABC-affiliate station this week (video available here). The spot was only a few minutes long, so you'll find more information, prices and links to the gear that had me playing Vanna White.

Because I didn't have these items when my kids were babies, you'll have to rely on what the manufacturers say about each. So unlike what you'll find elsewhere on this blog, these are unreviewed items and, except for the last very cool product, there are no thumb ratings given.

Baby B'Air Infant Flight Vest: Safety harness for babies in airplanes, keeping them safely and securely anchored to their parents when lapseated. Allows more parents to lapseat, saving money, and makes lapseating hassle-free. $35 at BabyBair.com

BabyBriefcase: Briefcase-shaped file organizer specially designed to store all of a baby's documents and information in a way that can be easily kept track of and accessed by parents whether at home, at the doctor on during travel. $30 at  BabyBriefcase.com.

Magic Sleepsuit: No more worries about keeping baby covered with loose blankets all night and baby kicking off sheets and getting cold. Magic Sleepsuit keeps baby at the optimal temperature the whole night through. $40 for one or $70 for two at MagicSleepSuit.com

Peekaru: Fleece vest that comfortably and fully zips over any baby carrier, keeping baby and mom snug and warm. No more trying to tie and scrunch blankets in place or fit baby on over a jacket. $80 at  togetherbe.com.

SimpliSafe: First fully portable, wireless, easy set up home security system, at a fraction of the cost of other systems. Takes only minutes to set up, the SimpliSafe system includes motion sensors, a panic button, a door/window opening sensor, and an alarm key fob. No contract necessary. $200 at SimpliSafe.com.

Sport-Brella: No need to find a covered area or bring hosts of umbrellas. Sport-Brella gives you instant protection from the elements (SPF 50+). Its umbrella action open mechanism allows it to be set up in just three seconds and fits the whole family.  I love this product -- thumbs up for rain or shine. $60 at Sklz.com.

Thanks for visiting! We hope you subscribe and come back for more sassy reviews.

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Go Organic - Updated!

Want to buy a baby you know a cute little outfit? Want it to be 100% organic, and made with water-based & baby-safe dyes? Well look no further than Noah's Inspirations. A little while ago, their Chief Inspirator - Edward Dunigan - contacted All Thumbs, and with the gift of two onesies (one for a giveaway!), we easily arranged this review.

Originally, I chicklet, will admit to wondering if this review was really for me. While they DO offer very cute baby onesies (and I DO have a baby), my concern was the religious phrases used on the clothing - I'm an atheist. But digging through their site a little, I found half of them to be just really simple and applicable to any situation. And I felt like if you could get me interested in them, why not anyone else? I'd kinda be a tougher sell wouldn't I?

So we made the arrangements, and I received the "Holy Terror" onesie for D, and all in all, it's really quite cute. It fits him great (he's long, so is wearing a bigger size), it's REALLY soft material, and so far it's washed quite well. Admittedly I'm a cheap-ass so the $25 price point is a bit more than *I'd* normally spend on my own kid, but when buying gifts, I'm usually willing to spend a little more - particularly when I know organic matters to the mom - so these are totally within the normal price range of what I'm finding for organic baby clothing. It also helps to know they're using water-based and baby-safe dyes.

Noah's Inspirations can be purchased online, and their return policy is one of those good ones that some online stores don't abide by. So this reviewer would give Noah's Inspirations two thumbs up.

Giveaway:

To get your own FREE 12-mo-size baby onesie (we chose the "Miracles Do Happen" in honor of the IF chickas still reading), just leave a comment here stating who the Chief Inspirator at Noah's Inspirations is. The winner will be drawn Sunday March 6th.

Updated: Our winner is Wehaf! Let me know your address Wehaf and I will send out the onesie asap:-)

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Wave a Magic Wand, Get the Perfect Stroller

A shopping we will go. A shopping we will go!

Now that we are planning on life with a new baby, one of the things on my mind is figuring out how to get back into shape after the baby is born. My husband and I just returned from stroller shopping. I'm not sure if I'm thrilled or disappointed, but I think the decision we made five years ago will be the same decision we make again.

The first time around at registering for baby gifts, we furiously waved that magic shopping wand around. Friends advised us to register for everything we could imagine because we might just get what we want.

When seeking strollers, we chose the smart, lightweight "normal" stroller that everyone else got. It came with the car-seat and it probably folded up teeny-tiny enough to fit into a Mini Cooper with room to spare.

But I knew this stroller would be too awkward and bumpy for my daily runs around the nearby lake. So the magic wand also captured the Jeep Liberty Limited 3 Wheel All Terrain Stroller by Kolcraft (currently $140 through Amazon). From my naive viewpoint, what impressed me most was that it had speakers near the top of the stroller so that I could enjoy good music without wearing earphones, which would prevent me from hearing if the baby had burst into tears. Or choked on a Cheerio.

This was cool.

Then one day we went to the zoo with the stroller that didn't tout the ability for the car-seat to snap in. A long day it would be with nowhere for the baby to fall asleep, then stay asleep when transferred from the stroller to the car. So we attempted to snap the car-seat into the Jeep Liberty Stroller and (insert drum-roll) it fit! The stroller I thought would only work for running quickly took over all stroller duties.

At 35.7 pounds, the Jeep Liberty Stroller is heavier than "lightweight" strollers that weigh around 23.5 pounds. But it still fits easily into the back of my Jeep Liberty SUV. (And let's face it. It's just plain cool to have a Jeep Liberty SUV and a Jeep Liberty Stroller!) As advertised, it folds easily with one hand, since the other hand is often holding the baby. Not only does the car-seat fit into it, the regular seat reclines so my son can enjoy the scenery while sitting up, or enjoy a rare nap while laying down. Both positions (and any position in-between) are protected by a safe 5-point harness. Changing positions seat positions is smooth, even with baby in the seat -- important when you want to slyly recline a baby who has fallen asleep.

A recent trip to a sporting goods store revealed that many high-end jog strollers feature a fixed front wheel, which prevents the front wheel from swiveling. Some people prefer this stability for jogging. This stroller features my choice. I can choose the fixed-wheel option when desired, but can unlock the wheel so it swivels for maneuverability. (Even as a jogger, I've never, ever liked the wheel in the fixed position.)

The Jeep Liberty Stroller has lots of cargo space. For at least three years the stroller replaced the car as our means to get to and from the grocery store. We asked the checkers at many stores if we could gather our groceries in our stroller instead of a cart. No problem! Several days worth of groceries fit, with extra room for diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, toys, etc. On excursions with others, it easily fits shopping bags, coats, purses, toys, etc.

Not only is the baby entertained by music (my son knows Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire and ABBA's Mamma Mia word-for-word), he can pretend he is driving via his own, animated steering wheel that makes car noises like a revving engine and honking horn. He also has his own perfect-sized places for snacks and drinks. (Both parents each have their own drink holders, too.)

Downsides?

• Some strollers have tubeless tires, which I think I would like to try. More than once I've found goat-heads in tires that I had to replace. Tires were quickly, easily and inexpensively replaced by bike shops. (The stroller has a small hand-pump on board.)
  
• This model does not have a handbrake like some more expensive ones do. But I've gotta say, I've never been in a position where I felt so out of control that I needed a handbrake. Likewise, it doesn't have the safety rope that connects the stroller to the runner's wrist in the event of a run-away stroller. We improvised with a short dog leash.
• The foot brake wore out after about 1 year and 750 miles, but one email to Kolcraft had me a new brake system in a few short days, along with a new seat that wasn't coffee stained (I mentioned the drink holders, right?) -- all for free.

After test-driving 17 different models at 5 different stores, I'm sticking with the Jeep Liberty Limited 3 Wheel All Terrain Stroller by Kolcraft. Now the biggest question is whether to overhaul the 5 year old stroller with nearly 2,000 miles on it, or wave the magic wand and hope for a new one.

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The Baby Stuff I Can't Live Without

As a new mama of a 7-week old little boy, I have a whole lotta stuff. There's all the stuff I THOUGHT I'd need, and then there's all the stuff I've ACTUALLY needed. While I'm still new to this whole parenthood thing, and I'm sure there's a bunch more stuff I'll end up needing later on, here's the lowdown on the 6 items I could NOT have survived without. Yes, there are a few other things that rocked my world and were useful too, but these 6? They're the ones that really REALLY mattered this last 7 weeks.

1. Pampers Swaddlers (size "N" for newborn). If you're going with disposable diapers, these diapers rock. I don't know much about diapers other than if they fit my kid, and if they keep the poo contained, but these diapers have been awesome for both purposes. They also have a very cool little yellow stripe that turns blue if the diaper's been peed in - so us newbie moms know when to actually change his butt.
2. Lansinoh Cream. While this kid has been really REALLY good to me in how he latches and feeds, and has not yet ruined my poor nipples, all that activity has done a number on them anyway. They're not cracked but they have gotten dry sometimes, and I really think my consistent use of THIS cream has been part of ensuring they're not ruined. This stuff is really easy to use, not too greasy, spreads well, and will save your newly-busy nipples.
3. Diaper Genie Elite II. If you live in a condo and have a baby, you NEED the Diaper Genie. While yea, it SEEMS like it's just a bucket to put diapers in, it's not. It's a MAGIC bucket that tucks the smelly shitty diapers away through a magic slot, so you'll never EVER have a condo that smells like smelly shitty diapers. I totally love this thing. Even if it does fill up fast...
4. Bjorn Active Baby Carrier. Born 6lbs 4oz, my boy was little, so plunking him in a great big stroller just wasn't something I wanted to do - I wanted him close to me, so I could keep an eye on him, and share my body warmth with him. And the Bjorn? It's been TOTALLY awesome for this. Not only is it super easy to put on and off, but it's easily adjustable for both your size and your child's - meaning if you want to share the carrier amongst family, it's easy to adjust on the fly. It's also easy to adjust as your kiddo grows - even WHILE he's on you / in it. We got the "active" version for the extra back support, which SO FAR at 10.5lbs now, has been great.
5. Medela Swing Pump. If you're breastfeeding exclusively, and you want the freedom to get your hair cut or go for a run, you're going to HAVE to pump. And this pump, works great. Unfortunately it makes some noises I'm not so fond of (I read most pumps do), but it's so easy to use I can have the PUMP on one boob, and my boy on the other, so any noises it does make are forgiven for keeping pumping as simple as possible.
6. And last but not least, the First Years Safe & Secure Sleeper. While co-sleeping was not really my thing, I've used this sleeper TONS over the last 7 weeks - but for other purposes. First, we used it as a place to put our boy down in the living room when he was tired - we didn't want him "put away" in his room, and he didn't like the playpen, so we opted for this because it was smaller and cozier, and he took to it IMMEDIATELY. Second, we used it as a travel piece for going to friends' houses, and a trip to Whistler. It folds in half into what could be compared to a large purse or briefcase-sized package - which made it super easy to haul around (preferrable to the unwieldy playpen, which just now, at 10.5lbs, we're having to switch to).

Anything you'd give two thumbs up to? That you couldn't have lived without as a new mom?

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