Diaper Bag Organization with Ju Ju Be and Lexie Barnes products - review and giveaway

Some of us are more organized than others for sure, minimally you need some compartments in your diaper bag to put small items so they don't get lost and ideally the ability to insulate bottles and food. If your diaper bag doesn't provide that or it doesn't provide enough then here are some products that you will LOVE!

Lexie Barnes Mini sets
Always a favorite in every size, the Lexie Barnes Set o'Minis is perfect for stowing, storing, toting, and protecting all of your itty bittys. From cosmetics or coins to cables and cords – and every notion in between - we've got you covered.
Other great tips: The XL is great for sorting intimates or holding all of your toiletries when you travel, and it's also the perfect fit for a box of baby wipes and 4 diapers. The small makes a great little wallet - and it's just the right size to hold your camera!
Features: Water-resistant waxed canvas, wipeable logo lining; nickel zipper; and black nylon tab. Sold as a set of four nesting sizes.
Small: 4.5 x 6.25 - perfect for change, coupons, credit cards, membership cards, cash
Medium: 5.5 x 8 - great for heavier coupon carriers, small first aid kits, small camera
Large: 6.5 x 9.5 - snacks, sunscreen and lotions, cosmetics, newborn clothing
X-Large: 8 x 11 - dipes and wipes, spare clothing, crayons and paper, small toys for the restaurant, snacks, the list is endless

You can buy these on the Lexie Barnes website as a set for $59.00, alternatively you can buy them individually at www.mamasandmunchkins.com (and they are 25% off for a limited time). They come in three different prints to suit your style. These are great for travelers as well.

Ju Ju Be  3 pc. Be Set  

$38.00
The Ju Ju Be Be Set is a collection of three super cute little bags in different sizes. The Ju Ju Be Be Set Baglets give you a great head start when racing off to the next event. The Ju Ju Be Be Set comes with two fun straps to make this choice a real winner! Grab and go with the Ju Ju Be Set where you can Be Set for anything that comes your way! The Ju Ju Be Be Set Features: Gusseted coin purse with extra long zipper so you can reach your money without having to turn it inside out A short and long strap included to have fun changing from wrislet to mini purse and back again Locking zipper pulls on the large one to keep those medicines and things out of your little ones reach (Lock not included) Teflon and AgION fabric treatments Wipeable and machine washable 3 great bags in matching prints
Mini: 4.5" x 2.5" x 7.5"
Medium: 4.5" x 8.25" x 1.5"
Large: 5.5" x 9" x 2" - makes a great small purse with it's long strap

Ju Ju Be Fuel Cell
22.00

Fuel up! This great looking bottle bag/lunch sack fits more than you’d think! The Ju-Ju-Be Fuel Cell will comfortably hold three tall bottles with room to spare, or pack your own snack and water bottle for lunch. The 3M Thinsulate lining keeps things cool or toasty so you can serve lunch at just the right temperature. Eat up!

• quick grab handle with swivel clip… hooks onto your bag, stroller etc.
• fun decorative star stitching on front panel
• interior clear zipper lid pocket. good place for napkins, spoons, or even an icepack
• machine washable!
• AgION natural antimicrobial treatment keeps your baby sanitary
• 3M Thinsulate. hot stuff stays hot, and cool stuff stays cool

SIZE: 7" x 9" x 4.25"


We will be doing a random drawing to giveaway a Ju Ju be Be Set on our facebook fan page. 
Obtain entries by comment here, comment on the actual fan page, tweet and post here, blog about this contest OR post it on your facebook status. You can do each of these daily. Drawing will be on Mother's Day. Have fun!

Ju Ju Be Mini Be Diaper Bag Review

Our first review of the Ju Ju Be Mini Be was in January 2008 by Amy Barseghian, Pink Lady and Diaper Bagaholic. I was just mentioning to Felicia, one of our fellow diaper bag junkies that this would be the perfect toddler bag and it's definitely a bag worth revisiting. Here's why, first take a look at the inside:

The bag measures 7.75" x 12" x 4" and weighs one pound six ounces. The first part of the Mini Be that you notice when looking at the front is the large pocket that is gusseted which allow you to put more in there without it looking stuffed. Inside the pocket is a scrunchy key chain with a lobster claw clasp to keep your keys within easy reach. There is also room for a slim wipes case or a couple of diapers if you would prefer to keep your keys in the main compartment. 
The pocket closes with a "smart magnet" which will easily close without having to match up the magnets like on a typical magnetic closure. A word of caution, since the magnets are so strong they can effect electronics with magnetic hard drives such as smart phones, ipods, PDAs, etc if you get them close to the magnets so make sure to store them in a different section of your bag and you won't have any problems. (I personally haven't heard of any actual issues but better to be safe than sorry.)
Behind the pocket is the double zippers that open up the main compartment. The zippers unzip all the way down to the bottom of the bag with more gussets so that you have full access without anything falling out. Also, as with all Ju-Ju-Be's, the inner lining is light colored so you won't get a "black hole" effect. There is one small mesh pocket that hangs near the back of the main compartment where you can put your cell phone, a couple of binkies, or even a small wallet. I love having this mesh pocket for stashing things that I don't want to fall to the bottom of my bag. 

The rest of the main compartment is open so you can organize it how it works best for you. The main compartment can hold a lot more than it seems that it could. I mostly use my Mini Be for a purse for myself and can fit a 20oz water bottle, my wallet, a make up bag, a be quick (another great ju-ju-be product) filled with wipes, toiletries, etc., a purse sized brush, my glasses case, sunglasses, and still have room left over. 
On both sides of the bag you'll notice a bottle/sippie pocket that can hold most types of bottles, although the pockets are smaller than on the other bags and are a tight fit. Behind the zippers to the main compartment is another pocket that which closes with a zipper and opens up to the snack compartment lined with a plastic waterproof material and can keep snacks safe for taking on the go.  If something spills or leaks it can be wiped right out or rinsed out if needed. 
The back of the Mini Be is a mesh fabric which breaths very nicely and is comfortable when wearing the bag for long periods of time.  As mentioned before, the straps are great and the top half that hits your shoulder is padded with memory foam and is lined with the same mesh that is on the backside of the bag, making the bag even more comfortable to carry. As is true with all of the bags in the Ju Ju Be line the Mini Be is machine washable (upside down and open) and air dry which makes clean up a breeze.

Eco-conscious, Inexpensive Tote for Beach, diapers, travel, or shopping

I've recently discovered Mixed Bag Designs, I received my order yesterday and the bags are everything I had hoped and more! Today I started to play around with the Hold Everything Tote and the Tote-ally cool zip top bag. Holy Smokes can you fit a lot. I decided to pack the zip top bag (which is the same size essentially as the Lexie Barnes smaller redondo tote if anyone remembers those) with what I would take to the beach.

I packed up a Built NY Six Pack Tote with beer, water, soda and a baby bottle (just to see how well it fit), a Built NY Gourmet Getaway with lunch, a Built NY Fugu Lunch tote with sunscreen and first aid kit (you never know!), my JuJuBe BeMajor with my wallet essentials, two minime wetbags with a change of clothes - perfect for wet clothes later, a Ju Ju Be Be Quick with snacks and a couple of beach towels. I zipped up the tote and it all fit perfectly!



This bag would be perfect for travel, perfect for a along weekend, as an inexpensive diaper bag, for camp, the uses go on and on!

I then put it next to the Hold Everything tote. I could fit the entire zip tote in there on top of a large blanket and more towels. It would also be great for toy storage or for a yarn/fabric stash if you are a crafter. It's enormous. It should even be perfect to pack for a long road trip!

I'm very impressed, particularly for the price point. Now these aren't going to last forever but the straps are double sewn so they are very secure and the bag looks sturdy. The zipper is the only question I have as far as how long it would last.

Let us know what you think and we will randomly draw from the comments to give away the bag of your choice from mamasandmunchkins.com.

For one point let us know what you'd use one of the bags for.
For additional points post this on your facebook page, blog about it or tweet about it and come back here and let us know.
Additional points if you are a new (as of after this post) fan to our facebook page or a new follower to this blog and let us know.
Make a purchase from mamasandmunchkins.com and get an extra 5 points.

Have fun!

Ju Ju Be Trunk Show - guest blogger Viki

Did someone say “trunk show”?

    A short bit ago, it was posted in the Pink Room (Ju-ju-be’s forum) that there was going to be a trunk show at a Nordstrom store in Southern California to showcase the new Earth Leather Legacy bags as well as their new print, Dizzy Daisies.  Based on the pages and pages of responses from the So Cal Pink Ladies, as we Pink Room gals call ourselves, we knew this gathering was going to be a hit!  There was quite a bit of planning involved.  Everything was coordinated in advance, including lunch, clothing and what bags we were bringing. 
    Well, Nordstrom, I am sure, has never experienced anything like this group of Pink Ladies.  We “calmly” walked from lunch to Nordstrom.  After we were all awed by the presence of Rachelle (Mrs. Ju-ju-be) and Kristin (the fabulous JJB designer) we immediately set upon feeling, wearing, packing, reviewing and photographing the new BeHave, BeFabulous, and MightyBe, along with the Earth Leather accessories. 
    I must say, I was a bit apprehensive of the Earth Leather.  I am not a fan of pleather, and am a true leather lover at heart!  That being said, my fears were calmed as soon as I held one of these bags.  How does the EL feel, you ask?  Honestly, it feels like a thin glossy leather. It has a sheen to it that mellows with use.  The black EL has a slightly smoother texture and is a deep rich black.  The brown EL is slightly shinier and as more of a veined texture to it.

This EL has a more vintage feel to it and is the color of melted milk chocolate chips.

  I wasn’t able to see if the sheen on the brown EL softens with use, but I did see Kristin’s BeMajor (four months of continued use) and Rachelle’s BeHave (six weeks of use) which were both black.  They both were broken in and felt soft, smooth and pliable. 

Ju-ju-be has definitely outdone themselves with BeHave and the BeFabulous!  The organization in both of these bags would leave even the most OCD person speechless. 

(Inside of the BeHave) 

There were zip pockets, slip pockets, lip loops, and key leashes everywhere.  It’s all of those little details that make Ju-ju-be such a fabulous product.  Not only are these bags uber functional, they are also very chic. 
Oh BeHave-This bag is perfect for those mamas who are transitioning from a diaper bag to more of a toddler bag.  It can go from a day at the park to a night on the town!  The center fixed pocket is fantastic for storing diapers during the day, and then snacks and drinks for the movies with hubby at night!  I loved how this bag wore, both on the shoulder and crossbody (this is a MUST for any bag I own).  It is ingenius how the messenger strap just shortens up and is stored across the bottom of the bag!  Oh how I love a gorgeous hobo bag!!

Be Fabulous – so, picture vintage flight bag, circa 1960, and there you have the Be Fabulous and fabulous doesn’t even begin to describe how truly perfect this bag is.

 The bag has a slightly triangular shape in that the base is wider than the top.  This feature allowed the bag to sit upright when placed down. 

 The zipper closure is gusseted and runs up one side of the bag and down the other.  The flap will stay open on its own, making it a breeze to organize your bag and get things into and out of it.  FABULOUS!  Again, there are countless pockets throughout the BeFab including: a bottle pocket on either end of the bag, a long zip pocket on the back side of the bag for diapers, a mommy pocket on the front and a small pocket above the mommy pocket that is perfectly sized for a cell phone.

This bag was also comfortable being worn as both a shoulder bag and crossbody.  The styling on this bag is such that it would make a great diaper bag or travel bag! 

The mighty fine MightyBe – I must say, out of all the bags I tried on during the trunk show, I think the MightyBe was my favorite.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED the BeHave and the BeFabulous, but the MightyBe is the bag that is going to fill the niche in my bag collection that has been temporarily filled with various large mundane bags, like my reusable shopping totes that I use for groceries! 

This is the bag that I am going to use as my catch all bag for the park, beach, pool, grocery store etc.  I am planning to get a microfiber version of this bag to keep in my car (it folds up nicely and fits into a BeQuick, by the way!).  This is NOT a slight tote, oh no, it is MIGHTY!!  Unlike the microfiber version MightyBes, the Earth Leather MightyBe has an addition pocket under the small middle pocket on the front.  It also has 2 deep pockets on either side in the front and a longer pocket on the back of the bag.  There is a zipper pocket as well on the inside.  You can also see, from the picture about, that this bag has a loop on either end to connect it to your stroller via the BeConnected stroller clips or whatever clips you may have.  Though not intended to do so, these loops also function as an excellent place to connect a messenger strap for those who want to wear it crossbody (um….me!).  It is a large bag, so you probably wouldn’t want to wear it crossbody all the time, but for the beach, when you are wrangling kids….crossbody is a must.  The messenger strap does not come with the MightyBe and is not sold separately, so you will have to buy a BeHave or BeFabulous and use the one that comes with those bags. 
The Earth Leather accessories were absolutely adorable.  The interior of the BeRich, BeThrifty and BusinessBe are all Earth Leather, with the exception of the ID window which is lined with the coordinating print, either Dizzy Daisies or Zany Zinnias. 

The BeQuick and the BeMajor were my favorite accessory pieces.  Both of these are lined in a solid fabric, either envy green in the brown Earth Leather or lavendar in the black Earth Leather. 

One of the most luxurious features of all the bags in the Legacy collection is the zipper!  Ju-ju-be spared no expense in finding the best zipper for their products.  These are the same zippers used in the very expensive two initial French designer bag (was that cryptic enough?).  To see a demonstration of how smooth these zippers are, please click this You Tube link. This is Kristin’s black Earth Leather Be Major.  I knew I had to have one of these beauties after I played with hers!
What a spectacular collection Ju-ju-be has come up with.  I can wait until these bags are shipped and I can have them with me all the time!
Review by Viki
Photos by Viki and Michelle S.
Earth Leather will be available in May at Mamas and Munchkins, Ju Ju Shop and other select retailers.

Week 3 giveaway

Week 3 giveaway time! This week's prize will be a Ju Ju Be Be Light Diaper Bag filled with goodies and surprises.

Here's how to enter, this will be a little different so please read carefully as it's a point system this week:

worth 1 point each  -

• tweet about this contest or about mamasandmunchkins.com in your twitter status and post here with a link
• post about this contest or about mamasandmunchkins.com in your facebook status and post here about the post
• become a fan of Mamas and Munchkins Facebook Fan Page (this point is only good once for new facebook fans)
• (also only good one time for new followers) follow us on twitter  
• comment on this blog post
• vote by commenting on the new home page choices on the facebook fan page (will be up shortly if not already up)
• become a blog follower (another one time only for new blog followers) on either blog, comment here so we know you are following

worth 3 points each -

• blog about this contest or about mamasandmunchkins.com and post link here
• make a donation to the charity of your choice and post comment about it here. This is the honor system, if you win we may ask for a donation receipt

worth 10 points each - 

• purchase any item from mamasandmunchkins.com before Saturday April 10th at noon CST
• post a picture on our facebook fan page of your favorite mamasandmunchkins.com item being used IRL. It can be any item that we sell, not necessarily purchased from us.

Have fun and good luck

contest for the week of March 22nd - Great Goody Bag!

I had so much fun with last week's contest and I hope you all did too. I'll be tweaking it as I go. I thought I'd try something a little new this week. There is an opportunity for TWO people to win, here's how. You'll get one entry for joining the facebook fan page or the blog (if you hadn't already), one entry per day for posting/tweeting and commenting with the link, and if you REFER someone and they mention that you referred them to the  contest when they begin following the blog and that entry wins - you both win! How cool is that?? This week in your first comment entry, tell us what you'd like to see as a product giveaway. PS. don't forget to tell your friends that they can refer others as well so they get more opportunities to win!

Many of you who know me know I like to put together fun goody bags (I love getting them, therefore I assume everyone else loves them too). This week's prize will be a goody bag with 40 oz. hydration bottle from Reduce Everyday, a Ju Ju Be Business Be in the print of your choice AND a bunch of other surprises to be determined by my mood that day LOL.

40oz Hydration Bottle
The reduce Hydration Bottle is a multi use, BPA free, bottle. Being that is has a capacity of 40oz it is ideal for using as a decanter or lasting through that 30-60min workout. Stylish enough for the gym or the table. The dimensions are 3.25" x 11.25".

Green Quality
Having a reusable bottle helps keep the millions of disposable water bottle out of the land fill. Every time you use this bottle you are keeping over 2 disposable bottles from ending up in a landfill.

Ju Ju Be BusinessBe fun features:
- perfect for business cards. fits a stack of 50 standard cards nicely.
- d-ring to attach a wristlet strap if needed (not included)
- fits inside the be mine or be major
- holds gift cards, club cards, coupons, frequent flyer cards etc.
- external open top pocket on the back
- quick closure, internal pocket divider, and ID card holder
- measurements 3.5"x 2.5"

Practical with a Punch, Ju Ju Be Diaper Bags Have It All

by Erika Thornes, Ju Ju Be Pink Lady/Ju Ju Be Addict

About a year ago, my friend proudly introduced me to her Sienna Swirl
BeSmall made by Ju-Ju-Be. She could not speak more highly of this bag,
in fact, she raved about it, showing me all its features, and would
not shut up! What really impressed me at first was how small it was
while still holding all the essentials. After listening to her go on
for over 10 minutes about this bag, I finally "caved" and went to the
website. I stared that the pictures for weeks, reading all about the
features, looking at all of the details, trying to figure out what bag
was the "right" bag for me to try. My first bag was the JuJuBe BeAll
in Blue Bouquet.

With a name like that, it had better be good. Well,
it was better than good, it was great. Sounds corny, but it is true.
It really seemed like it would be all I needed. I started to use it
right away, and discovered why my friend had raved so much. The
construction of the bag is unsurpassed. I haven't ever found a diaper
bag on the market that is as well built as the JuJuBes. Every detail
is throughly thought out. The owners/designers of Ju-Ju-Be have had
years of experience designing bags before branching out and forming
this company. Their professional experience stands out with the choice
of fabrics, the choice of shapes, even the hardware is fantastic. I
love the little rhinestone bling in the zipper pulls detail. Once I
discovered how great the bags were, I went a little Ju-Ju-Be crazy. I
bought the BeSmall next, then, many of the awesome accessories like
the Wardrobe Station and the Snack Capsule. I finally got convinced by
a friend that I really needed to try the Packabe.

I was going on a
trip, and totally hands free sounded like a good idea. I am not
normally a backpack person, but again, I caved and gave it a shot.
The Packabe is the perfect solution for a stroller free mom on the
go, a great bag for air travel. I, by this point am horribly addicted.
I picked up a BeMine to go in my bags. I use it as my daily
purse/wallet, and can throw it in any bag I am using, and carry it
independently into the store. I have been stopped more than once by a
curious person at the check out, asking where I got such a handy
purse. I eagerly awaited the new premiere line that came out in
August. I picked the BeSpicy as my new bag.
The Be Spicy is a
cumulation of everything that they learned from past bags. Taking the
best features of their collection, a bit of genius, and customer
insight from real moms, they concocted this fantastic bag. The details
are just right. Really, you can't go wrong with a JuJuBe. The
washable, antimicrobial, stylish bags are by far the most practical
stylish bags out there. Each bag has so many outstanding features and
uses, that one entry can't do the line justice.

Note from DBJ: With all of the great bags that Ju Ju Be has to offer we will be doing blogs about various Ju Ju Be bags throughout the month so please check back!