The Lassig Glam Rosie Diaper Bag

With so many different styles of diaper bags out there, I am finding that I love the less traditional looking bags. You won't see me walking around with a diaper bag that has characters on it, or a bag with babyish colors that alert every passerby that "Hey, I'm a mom!" Not that people knowing I am a mom is a bad thing (you will see my lovely, well behaved children anyways), but I like to look stylish whenever I am able.

The Glam Rosie diaper bag by Lassig is truly a diaper bag that fits that description. When it arrived, my eyes were drawn to the unique trapezoid shape, gorgeous mint color, and rose gold zippers (even the 'clink' of the zippers sounds pretty). It looked nothing like other diaper bags I have seen.

The Rosie has one large main compartment, with a few organizational pockets on the inside. There is a large zippered pocket on the inside back-side of the bag, and a velcro pocket on the opposite side. Two slide-in pockets easily hold a changing pad, keys, wallet, etc, and a phone pouch on the side keeps your cell phone secure with a velcro closure. One of the cool features that really makes this bag so versatile is a removable snap-on baby food jar insert. It has two pockets that would perfectly fit two jars of baby food, but can be taken out when not needed. Although my kids are both passed the baby food stage, I chose to keep the insert in and I use the pockets for their sippy cups--which also fit perfectly. The only pocket on the outside is a water-repellent zippered pocket on the back where I stick my wipes case.
My FAVORITE feature of this bag by far is the key clip. Not only does it keep my key from getting lost, it also unclips and comes out for easy use. No more digging in the pocket where I thought I slipped my key into and no fumbling with trying to unhook it from a clip. It is basically just an extra key chain for my key when I am not using the diaper bag.

Packed for 2 kids

Key Clip

A great selling feature of this bag that appeals to many parents is that it can be worn different ways. Maybe you prefer a backpack style, or a strap over the shoulder style...this bag is capable of being worn 3 different ways. For me, I found that the included backpack straps aren't comfortable for extended wearing so I will hang it from the stroller if I plan to be out for awhile. I do like how easy it is to slip over my head to wear cross-body style though, and tend to wear it like that most often.

Backpack style

Cross-body

The Rosie does come with stroller straps which are great for attaching to any stroller or to a grocery cart. In fact, this has become my go-to shopping bag because it is so convenient and low profile when hanging on the shopping cart. I am able to quickly reach in for a snack for my kids or grab my wallet to pay.

Along with the backpack and stroller straps, it also comes with a changing pad, insulated water bottle holder, and a small zippered pouch. So many great features packed into this diaper bag.

The discoloration is water droplets---tropical storm day!

Lassig stands by and takes pride in their products, the Glam Rosie is made of 100% polyester (which is great for rainy weather by the way) and is not made with harmful substances such as PVC or lead. It is no wonder parents chose their bags to fit their daily lifestyles--they are safe, come in gorgeous stylish colors, and are functional. You can find their bags at many big box baby stores, and also on their website here: Lassig Glam Rosie Diaper Bag

[I received this bag in exchange for this review, all opinions expressed are my own.]

Educational Favorites for Preschoolers

As an early childhood educator, providing my little one with stimulating activities is an important part of our day. Yes, he does get screen time here and there, but sometimes he needs to sit down and work on something that requires him to think. Here are some of our favorite quiet time, educational activities:

Melisssa & Doug See & Spell Puzzles

What is better than a child sitting quietly working on puzzles? A child working on sight word puzzles of course! My son is only 3.5 years old, but he is very smart and interested in learning. He recognizes most of his letters, and is currently learning their sounds as well. Rather than getting him useless toys for Easter, my husband and I (ahem, the Easter Bunny) got him the Melisssa & Doug See & Spell Puzzle set.

I wish I had had these in my classroom, because I can see them being beneficial to students who need a little boost in confidence with reading sight words. The set comes with 8 puzzle boards, with words/pictures on the front and back so a total of 16 sight words. The child has to find the letters to fill in the word puzzles which matches the picture. My son will put the letters in and ask me what it says-I don’t tell him, I ask “well, what is the picture?” and once he tells me I let him know that that is what the word says. Once he finally caught on, he was filling in the words and “reading” them because he was able to use picture clues.

This set can also be used to teach the letter sounds if you are working with your child and placing one letter at a time. As with all Melissa & Doug products, they list extension activities on the back that can be done such as having the child lay out all of the letters in alphabetical order.

I purchased this set from Amazon, but Zulily will also run sales on them from time to time.

Melissa & Doug Water Wow

After seeing a Guidance Guide review for these Water Wow books, I immediately jumped on Amazon and purchased a pack for my guy.

They are made of a special material that changes colors with the use of water in the water “pens” that come with the books, bringing out hidden pictures, and quickly drying so you can use them over and over again. This pack came with 3 different water wow books, here are some of the awesome educational features that these books offer:

• An alphabet book which teacher tracing, letter recognition, letter sounds, free handed letter writing.
• A number book which teaches counting and number recognition.
• An animal book which is more on the fun side bringing pictures to life, but also teaches counting because the flip side of the page ask questions such as “how many star fish are there?”, etc.
  
  

I see the benefits of using these at home, but also in the classroom. There's nothing better than a child who looks forward to learning because they have fun doing it!

Schoolzone Alphabet Flash Cards

Flashlight? ✔
Schoolzone Alphabet Flash Cards? ✔

These flash cards are perfect for a gloomy day, or any day where inside play is a must. My 3.5 year old loves going through them with me, and sometimes even by himself, because really--what kid doesn't jump at a chance to use a flashlight? Plus, he's learning letters and sounds while doing it. Each card has a letter and 2-3 words that begin with that letter (some have only pictures and sight words such as girl, boy, etc.), and when he's a little older, he'll be able to use these cards as stencils for drawing! It does come with a small flashlight.

When I am playing with him, I ask him what letter is on the card, and then what each picture is. We go through the sounds that the letters make and emphasize them in the words. Since he knows most of his letters, he will go through and say each picture and letter by himself as well. I can see these being used in the card on long trips, even without a flashlight.

The only issue I see with these cards is that they are thin and easy to tear so a few of ours are taped, but other than that we totally love them!

Schoolzone-Preschool Practice Scissors Skills

Because I am in early childhood, I know how important certain skills are early in the game. Being able to use scissors correctly at a young age will help out immensely when entering the primary years, and this book is wonderful for that.

When we first got this book, my son had NO idea how to use scissors and there would be tiny little pieces of paper all over the place, with nothing actually cut out. No big deal, he was learning the basics and how to hold a pair of scissors. By the end of the book though, he was cutting really well for a 3.5 year old, and could cut out the pictures by himself with a little encouragement. 

Not only does this book teach cutting, it also goes into deeper subjects such as math and rhyming. He may not have had a clue that he doing math, but he was counting pennies and recognizing numbers. There are more simpler activities like finishing pictures and knowing that a sailboat goes in the water and not on the sand, etc., so it is great for preschool ages. The book does not come with scissors so that is a separate purchase, but not a big deal.

You can find these books in most stores where educational material is sold, I found this one in a local store that sells teacher supplies.

There are so many things we can do to keep our young kids engaged and learning but having fun at the same time. I hope you are able to check out some of these products, they really are great tools for our little ones!