For me, the timi & leslie 2-in-1 Backpack also scores high for its quality of construction.  The metal clips and magnet fasteners are sturdy and give the bag a feeling of substance.  The fabric is durable and can easily be cleaned with the wipe of a cloth.  Additionally, the 2-in-1 Backpack is available in a variety of five timeless patterns including the Mackenzie I received.

In summary, this diaper bag is the finest one I have seen on the market.  Built to endure and thoughtfully engineered, this bag is truly mother’s little helper.  But, would I sound shallow if I told you the main reason I love my timi & leslie’s Mackenzie 2-in-1 Backpack bag?  It just looks great!  Purchase your timi & leslie’s 2-in-1 Backpack through Amazon.com or these local and online retailers starting at $50 USD.

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Upon first opening, I was excited and pleased with the design of these clever Innobaby containers. They are compact, easy to open, and the clear plastic allows you to see what is inside without having to open the lid. The containers twist and seal to interlock together, or you can just pack one container if you don’t need all of them. I like how they all stack together for a tower of snacks, making it really easy to find the right snack in the diaper bag as all of the containers come out as one unit. Each container has a dispensing lid, which makes getting small snacks out easy, or if you needed to dispense formula into a bottle this design feature would make it a breeze. My favorite thing is that the containers are freezer, microwave, and dishwasher safe! They are also BPA, Phthalates, PVC, and lead free.

On the downside, the containers are smaller than they look in the picture; each container holds only about half a cup. As Travis starts to get bigger and eat more, I feel that the containers need to be bigger to really be accommodating to our needs. Secondly, if you have liquid or food that contains juice in one of the containers and the system isn’t standing straight up, the liquid will leak out.

Packin’ SMART sets are available in several different styles (check them out here) and the 4-Tier version retails from $16.99 USD through the company’s website or these online retailers. All-in-all, I like the idea of the snack tower Innobaby has created with in their unique Packin’ SMART Stack-N-Seal travel containers.  Easy packing makes for easy snacking = happy mom!

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Anyone who knows me knows that I like to be organized. But as organized as I am, my husband has no idea what any of our important information is or where I keep it. Of course, it probably doesn’t help that I keep a lot of this information in my head! I guess like most families, we always figured that if at least one of us was keeping track of things, then the info would be there when we needed it. But where is “there” exactly? My computer, my cell phone, buried in a pile of papers in a file under the desk somewhere? For us the answer was yes to all of the above. Now, our answer is a big YES thanks to the Life.Doc Kit from the good people at Get Buttoned Up.

The Life.doc kit is a handy binder that is designed to hold all of your family’s important information. Divided into section including “ Emergency Plan”, “Family Basics”, In Sickness & In Health”, “Insurance”, “Dollars & Sense”, “Legal Ease”, “Caregiver Information” and “Home Sweet Home”, this binder has a place for all the important details of your family’s life so that in the event that something should go wrong, the information to set things straight again is close at hand. There are even some handy give-away cards for you to give to a trusted friend or family member telling them about your Life.doc kit and where you have stored it just in case you need someone else to access the information in your absence. What I love about this kit is that all the information I have about my family is now in a very handy place for my husband to access if I’m not there to help him out.

The Life.doc kit also comes with a cd-rom that has templates for you to type in your information, which can be printed directly onto the provided worksheets. I also love that as a 3-ring binder I can add my own pages to the kit to customize it even further, and that each of the tabs is also a little pocket folder which can hold non-standard sized flat items such as documents that you wouldn’t normally want to put a hole-punch through (my wedding certificate for example!).

All in all, once everything is filled out, this bright red binder is easy to use and easy to spot on the shelf in an emergency for quick access. I love this binder and will be using it for many years to come!

A big thank you to Get Buttoned Up for donating a copy of this binder to me for this review. You can get your own copy of the Life.doc kit through various retailers online for about $29.95 USD. Get Buttoned Up also has other great family organization kits including the Collision Kit, the Medical.doc kit, and the Valuables.doc kit. Get your family organized today with these handy and easy to use kits!

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The wooden puzzles from Melissa & Doug are wonderful, but they do pose a problem when it comes to storing them neatly. The pieces will fall out if the puzzle is tipped on its side, and the pieces don’t all stack nicely on a shelf due to the pegs, so I was happy to find that Melissa & Doug has a line of puzzle racks.

The Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wire Puzzle Rack is designed to hold six small puzzles and six large puzzles. The wire rack is easy to bend and is not as sturdy as I would like, however it is nice that all of the Melissa & Doug puzzles we have fit into the rack neatly. Unfortunately, I have read a series of mixed reviews on this product from other sites, so I hesitate to claim that this rack will fit all of the Melissa & Doug puzzles. Most of our Melissa & Doug puzzles are the small peg puzzles or the 24-piece puzzles. If you have a lot of the chunky or jumbo peg puzzles, and are unsure if this rack will work for you, I recommend emailing the company directly with a list of the puzzle types you own.

The Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wire Puzzle Rack is available from MelissaAndDoug.com for $19.99USD.

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I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about my new 2011 Organized Family calendar by Canadian company Glow Baby, but let me try!  Gone are the days of missed appointments and forgotten play dates.  This 2011 calendar will keep the entire family organized.

Each month in the 2011 Organized Family Calendar is clearly displayed on a full calendar page.  Below each month are four full sized sheets, one for each week.  Space is provided for family members to write down their individual schedules, which might include work shifts, appointments, family activities and practices.  Each page also has a designated section for chores for both kids and parents and space to write notes and To Do lists.  When the week is over, the sheet is simply torn out and the next week’s activities are revealed. If you are not a diary writer, save the calendar sheets and you have a record of your family’s activities for that year!

This calendar is perfect for today’s busy family.  At a glance any family member can see his or her own schedule and also the schedules of the other family members.  With my husband’s shift work, my unpredictable work schedule, and a sixteen month old thrown into the mix, my life will be made less stressful by this simple, but highly effective mother’s little helper.

Thanks to Glow Baby for sending me an Organized Family Calendar to review.  For those of you that would like to pick up one for your family, the calendar is a steal at $26.00CDN.  Even better, Glow Baby is currently offering Spilt Milk Moms readers 20% off their fabulous 2011 Organized Family Calendar.  Simply use promo code spiltmilk at checkout.  Thank you Glow Baby. With the holiday season is fast approaching, the 2011 Organized Family Calendar would also make a fantastic gift.

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Made out of wood, this magnetic calendar comes with 134 separate magnetic tiles covering five years (2009-2013), the months, the weather, all major holidays, and most of the activities your children take part in on a day-to-day basis (from ‘sick day’ to ‘sleeping over with friends’).  It has two magnetic white boards hinged together with fabric, and can be folded shut for storage or hung on the wall for easy access.  One of the boards contains a calendar grid, while the second can be used to hold magnets or for recording messages with a dry-erase pen.  The calendar is really well laid out, but I wish that there was enough space to put two tiles on each day of the week (one for an event and one for the weather, for example).

I use Melissa & Doug’s Magnetic Calendar daily to talk to Oliver about what’s happening that day and what events are coming up.  I love that you can personalize it to your family’s schedule and celebrations (there’s even one extra magnetic tile included for your family to customize).  It didn’t take long for my son to learn his days of the week, and he’s starting to get the hang of the months.  Look out, Kindergarten!

Even if your children are already school-aged, what a great way to help them get practicing the calendar and upcoming events to keep them (and you!) organized during the school year!  The Melissa & Doug Magnetic Calendar is intended for children aged three and older, and can be purchased for $19.99 USD from the company’s website or for $24.99 CAD from Toys R Us Canada.

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Yes, it’s still July, and yes, the beginning of the school year is still five or so weeks away.  But time flies when you’re having fun, and for some reason it moves especially quickly when it’s summer.  Darn.

For those of you already thinking about Back-to-School season, Mabel’s Labels is sponsoring a fabulous giveaway with the Spilt Milk Moms!  Up for grabs is a set of their Colourful Ultimate Back-to-School Combo!

The Colourful Ultimate Back-to-School Combo comes equipped with:

• 50 Tag Mates;
• 40 Skinny-Minis;
• 16 Shoe Labels;
• and 2 Teeny Tags.

Available through Mabel’s website for a limited time until September 24th, 2010, the Ultimate Back-to-School Combo pack retails for $44 CDN with six awesome design motifs to choose from.  Oliver has the Rainforest one on the way thanks to Mabel’s, and we can wait to get stickin’ and tagin’ for daycare!

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Mabel’s Labels has generously supplied us with one Colourful Ultimate Back-to-School Combo for one lucky winner!  Thanks, Mabel’s Labels!

To Enter:  Go to the Mabel’s Labels website and leave us a comment HERE (one per day only, please) telling us which of the Colourful Ultimate Back-to-School design motifs you would choose if you were to win this giveaway.  Once you’ve entered by leaving a comment, you can gain additional entries like this:

• Follow @Mabelhood and @SpiltMilkMoms on Twitter and tweet ” WIN an Ultimate Back-to-School Combo pack of labels and tags from @Mabelhood @SpiltMilkMoms http://tinyurl.com/2afgpr3 #giveaway #contest “ and leave us the link for extra daily entries.
• Leave us a comment if you ‘Like’ Mabel’s Labels on Facebook for one extra entry.
• Leave us a comment if you ‘Like’ Spilt Milk Moms on Facebook for one extra entry.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave us the link for one extra entry.

This giveaway ends just in time to get organized for Back-to-School at 12:01am PST on Tuesday, August 10th.  The winner will be selected using Random.org and will have 7 days to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected.  This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.

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The calendar is set up brilliantly and each date has one large box (which as the mom and chief household organizer I claimed for my schedule) and then underneath the day there are an additional FOUR lines making it easy to track up to four kids (or a kid, a husband, a dog and various birthdays in my case).

The other thing I REALLY like is that there is plenty of room to actually write some details – normal sized calendars never fit what I have to include, never mind multiple appointments.  You can definitely tell this is a product designed by a mom!

The only thing I would have liked to see included with the calendar (and maybe this is just me) was some different coloured pens to write each person’s details in so I could easily tell at a glance who has stuff on each day.  It’s not the end of the world that they didn’t come included (or that I could have added them on to my order) as it’s nothing a quick stop to Staples won’t fix, but you know what it’s like when you feel you need to have something before you can properly use something*.

The momAgenda wall calendars normally sell for $19.99 US but right now they’re on sale for $13.97 (score!)

*Obviously I was so excited to use the calendar that not having a couple of felt pens didn’t stop me!

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Thanks to momAgenda’s generosity, one of you lucky Spilt Milk Moms readers can win your very own momAgenda Wall Calendar.

To enter, all you have to do is leave us a comment telling us your BEST organization tip.

Only one entry per day, please; however, you can earn an extra daily entry by tweeting this contest on Twitter, linking back to this post AND to @spiltmilkmoms. The winner will be selected using Random.org.

This giveaway ends at midnight PST on Sunday, February 7th.  Good luck!

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Easy Daysies founder, teacher, and busy mom of three Elaine Comeau has just introduced a new way to help your children organize themselves in order to make life easier for the whole family – ReStickables!

You probably know that the Spilt Milk Moms are huge fans of anything that helps us to stay organized, and may recognize the name Easy Daysies from our review of their fabulous magnetic schedules for kids.  ReStickables are practically a guarantee that your kids will FINALLY put their own clothes away, not to mention being able to find them later, and we were lucky to be given some to try out by EasyDaysies.  Here’s what ReStickables are about:

• ReStickables are made out of – get this -FABRIC!  This means that they are tear-proof, waterproof, and durable.
• They easily stick onto flat surfaces such as dresser drawers, storage bins, closet doors, etc.  And as easily as they stick onto these surfaces, they can also easily be removed without damage to the ReStickables or the surface (and do not leave that sticky glue residue).  I think the best part, though, is that they can be reattached to a new surface and will stick, stick, stick time and again (think Post-It note).  If you have a child like I do who enjoys putting a sticker on something and then peeling it off and re-sticking it somewhere else, then you know how important this feature is.
• Just like Easy Daysies’ magnetic schedules, each ReStickable includes both the word and a drawing of the item for readers and non-readers.  I like to think that having the word and matching picture will help my two year old son learn to sight words for each clothing item while he’s learning to put his clothes away.
• ReStickables come in three colours – orange, blue, and pink.  And just in case you’re wondering which clothing items are included, the list is as follows: coats, dance clothes, dresses/skirts, hair stuff, long sleeve shirts, pajamas, pants, shoes, shorts, socks/stockings, sports stuff, summer stuff, t-shirts, undershirts, underwear, and winter stuff.  Pretty all-inclusive, I think.

We’ve been using ReStickables for several months now, and Oliver’s favourite part was attaching each ReStickable to his dresser drawers!  We love to play “see if you can put this away” and then “go find this item”, and Oliver (only two) has no problem finding and choosing his clothes without my help.  Whew!

You can help your kids put clothes where they belong (and then find them later) for only $9.99 CDN.  ReStickables can be purchased from the Easy Daysies website as well as from these stores.

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The Spilt Milk Moms are thrilled to be able to give away a pack of ReStickables (in any colour) to one lucky reader thanks to Elaine of Easy Daysies!

To enter, simply go to the Easy Daysies website and then leave a comment HERE telling us which of the fabulous Easy Daysies products you like best and why!  Only one entry per day, please; however, you can earn an extra daily entry by tweeting this contest on Twitter, linking back to this post AND to @spiltmilkmoms.  The winner will be selected using Random.org.

This giveaway ends at midnight PST on Sunday, January 17th.  If your resolution for 2010 is to get your family organized, Easy Daysies fabulous products are for you!  Good luck!

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The Spilt Milk Moms have been fans of Mabel’s Labels for a very long time (see our original review here).  Our love has only grown with the release of their latest product, LOL Sticky Labels (Label Out Loud).  These labels are so adorable and functional, and with 20 design motifs to choose from, you are bound to find a set that you and your child will love!   LOL Sticky Labels are dishwasher safe, microwave safe, UV resistant, and totally kid safe!!!  No more hiding your child’s initials on tags and under lids … from now on you can label loud and proud!

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As part of our A Few Of Our Favourite Things giveaway, Mabel’s Labels has generously agreed to provide one set of LOL Sticky Labels away to THREE lucky Spilt Milk Mom readers.

To enter this giveaway, go to the Mabel’s Labels Website and then leave us a comment (limit one per day) on this post telling us which LOL design motif you like best.

Earn an entry into our special Favourite Things Gift Basket Giveaway by tweeting this contest on Twitter, linking back to this post AND to @spiltmilkmoms (entries that don’t include @spiltmilkmoms will not be considered).  Come back to www.SpiltMilkMoms.com on December 19th to find out all the goodies you can win!

This giveaway ends at midnight PST on Friday, December 31st, 2009. All entrants must be residents of Canada or the US. The winners will be selected using Random.org. and will be announced on January 4th, 2010.

Don’t forget to visit us every day for a new chance to win!

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I looked at many different storage units, and I found most to be really cutesy or colourful.  Which is great if it’s going in your kid’s room – not so great if it’s going in my family room!  As with everything else in my home, I found the solution to my problem at IKEA (the makers of all things practical, efficient, and affordable).

IKEA’s Trofast line is so smart.  Not only can you pick the size of the frame, you can also pick the size and the color of the plastic bin inserts to match your living space.  So you can still go cutesy and colourful if the shelf is going in your tot’s room, or you can go neutral if it’s going in your living room (the white bins shown above were our personal choice).  And since the bins are so affordable, you can always buy new ones and swap them out if you feel like a change!  The Trofast line also comes with additional pieces so that it can be adapted depending on your needs – you can create change tables, drawers, and shelves, or you can just use it as a simple storage unit.  One of my favourite features is its mobility – you can just pull out a bin full of toys, move the bin to a different room, and plunk it on the floor for your kids to play with.  And as your kids start to outgrow their piles of toys, it can easily be used to store crafting and colouring supplies, school supplies, and books or CDs.  Or you can easily move it out of your living room and put it in your child’s bedroom to use it as a bookshelf or dresser.  Now that’s smart and adaptable!

The price ranges depending on what configuration you choose, but in general they are quite reasonable.  The above figuration sells for $123 CAD (including the bins).  Available at IKEA stores or from IKEA’s website.  A very smart solution for small cozy living spaces!

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Okay, okay, I admit it.  I have a box for my label maker labeled … “Label Maker”.  Now, even though I own my own label making machine to support my organizational habit, I recently found, and love, Canadian company Mabel’s Labels.

This creative company designs beautiful labels for clothing, shoes, bags, household items (one combo is aptly named “Neat Freak“), school supplies, and summer camp gear.  Mabel’s “Write On!” stationary kits, which include paper, envelopes, return address labels, sealers, and personalized name stickers, are available in six designs and make a great gift for $34.00.

My family has ordered the “Sticky-Minis“, the “Write On!” stationary kit, and the “Curbsides” pack – we really love this company’s stuff!  When ordering, get your children involved and let them pick their own icon for their label.  Free shipping within Canada is a bonus, and Mabel’s fun website allows you to see what stage of production your labels are at.  Dishwasher, microwave, and kid safe!

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