Planner Nerd

Review BIC Gel-ocity Quick Dry Pens

August 30, 2017 by honeygirlsworld Leave a Comment

I am a pen hoarder! Yup, I will collect pens because I find that I enjoy the way they write and sometimes I have a selection of pens that I refuse to touch because I know I can no longer replace them when they run out. But, when I have a great pen that works just as well as some of my holy grail ones, know that I will stop at nothing to keep it on me at all times. I recently had the opportunity to try out the BIC Gel-ocity Quick Dry Pens and boy oh boy was I impressed. I love BIC brand but tend to gravitate to their pencils more than anything else. I love a very fine tip – usually, 0.5mm if I can find them, so when I first saw that these were 0.7mm or medium tip, I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy them. Well, well… boy was I wrong. They are comfortable to use, comfortable to hold and I am loving how great the ink is. Let’s talk about it in some detail, shall we?

The BIC Gel-ocity Quick Dry Pens range in colors and price points. The ones I have here are retractable gel pens that dry up to 3x faster than ordinary ones. There is less smearing or smudging (all of which I agree – no smearing) and they write super smooth. I love that they are comfortable to hold in your hand and like I said before, the tip (while it is not my preferred) writes exactly as I would love it to write.

While out school shopping for my boys, I’ve been seeing these pens on the end caps of the displays. I haven’t stopped raving about them since I got my hands on them about a month ago. They are lightweight and easy to control. They leave a smooth line and I absolutely love the fact that they are retractable, which means that is less caps for me to lose.

I plan to pick up the entire collection of colors (not like I need more pens) but I find that these are perfect purse pens and so easy tote around if you need a pen on the go. I also like to do brush strokes and color in my lines with these and find that the ink flows out easily, making it simple to use these. I’ve been hunting for these in a finer point but haven’t found anything yet. If you are a huge fan of G2 pens, I think you’d enjoy these as well. They dry faster so it makes a great choice for doing homework or reports.

Also, if you’re a planner girl like me, you’ll love that these write anything you want in the color you choose while still drying so swiftly that you are not smearing your pages. I tell you, these are genius.

Have you tried these pens before? If so, what do you think about it? If not, do you think this will be on your next stationery list?

Disclaimer: The products featured in this post was sent for review consideration. All opinions are my own, 100% honest & unbiased.

A Diaper Bag Turned Work and Planner Bag – CiPU Baby Diaper Bag | What’s In My Bag

March 7, 2017 by honeygirlsworld 16 Comments

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No matter how old my boys get, I find myself still utilizing many of the items that I had for them when they were babies. Since I’m a work from home and stay at home mom, the number one thing I find I still use is a diaper bag. Now, hold on – obviously I’m not going to be using this particular bag to hold diapers, the boys don’t use those, ha ha! But, I don’t use my old diaper bags in the traditional sense. I turn my diaper bags into work and planner bags so I can take my work on the go. About 5 months ago I was sent this very cool bag from CiPU and today I’m going to share my thoughts on this accessory as well as how I utilize it for my personal use. It may not be traditional, but it’s functional and we all know I love anything that offers function to my life.

Now, it’s no secret that I’m a laid back simpleton, basically – I’m a casual gal. So when I can find something that works for me… I’m excited. I was contacted by CiPU and asked to try out this “diaper bag” and if I enjoyed it, if I could kindly provide a review. Here’s the deal – since I was using my Coach Diaper Bag from the twins as my work bag, I thought to myself… “hmm, this will be interesting to see how it would work for me.” And, so I accepted.

CiPU is pronounced – ‘Shee’ (translated to “happiness” in Chinese) and ‘Pu’ (translated to “store” in Chinese) like “shee” in sheet and “PU” in put.

CiPU was founded in 2009 by a group of mothers and brand owner Jarrah, all of whom had one shared inspiration – an idea to gift mothers love, happiness and affection. CiPUs focus is on style by exploring colors and patterns to suit every occasion, however – each bag is full of functionality (you see that word there, it’s golden to me) and created to meet a mother’s everyday needs.

“The Bowknot in their logo represents the ribbon on a gift, meanwhile it also looks like an “infinity” symbol. Since children are such a precious gift and a parent’s devotion to their children are testimonies of “infinitive love” the bowknot symbolizes infinite love and the power of gifts in a single wish, a wish that every mother can enjoy blissful, long-lasting memories with their children – the greatest gift in life.”

Each CiPU bag is hand-crafted with lots of love and many of the bags are limited in quantity since they only make a few of each design. They are each made from environmentally friendly materials and I love that CiPU offers Free US Delivery. All CiPU bags were created with different styles and patterns to focus on women because mother’s are still women and looks matter. Perfect for function while providing lightweight carryalls to take the load off your shoulders.

Check out my video review and come chit chat about this bag with me. My video can be found here or embedded below.

CiPU offers a variety of bags to fit the mothers’, fathers’ and even babies’ style. From Large tote bags like the one I have here to diaper backpacks in every type of color and design. I have my eyes set on a camouflage one, a plain black bag and the Leopard next. Let’s talk a little about this awesome diaper bag shall we?

I have the CiPU Tote Diaper Bag in Heather Gray (Large). This bag retails for $158.80 and comes with 13 large compartments to hold all of my necessities. Now, as I mentioned before, I’m not using this bag as a diaper bag, but as my work bag so this is perfect to host all of my planner supplies, planners and even my laptop and tablet all fit inside perfectly.

This bag features 1 hidden compartment (which I love to put the boys wipes in or even store their dirty clothes while out and about so it doesn’t mess up any of my papers. You also get the following accessories to go with your bag:

Personal belongings pouch – this pouch comes with detachable straps and you can use this to store your diapers, wipes and changing mat. I use this particular pouch to store my tablet for safe keeping and a few notebooks.
Foldable Changing Mat – this soft and easy to clean mat is perfect for changing baby, but again – I use this bag for work – so this changing mat is used as a little sitting mat for me when at the park or in case I want to put my bag down without sitting it directly on the floor. It’s machine washable which makes it perfect for on the go.
Retractable Key Hold – probably my favorite thing now to keep my eyes on hand at any given time.
Chest Strap – this helps to keep my strap in place to prevent slip-downs
Slip Proof Should Straps – these soft on the shoulder straps are great and comfy. It made long hours at the airport easy because my arms were not sore from carrying my bag too long.
Stroller Clips – These are great to clip to a wagon or stroller to keep your bag with you. I use it to attach to my sports cart so I am not taking up real estate of the wagon with my bag.

The material is very soft and easy to spot clean or wash should I need it. I love that this bag is water repellent (inside & out), especially since I always take it with me, that way I don’t have to worry about spills. This bag comes with a gorgeous hot pink and bright lining which makes it so easy to be able to see inside and grab everything that I need at any time. And, since this bag is made of quick dry material – it helps to prevent mold (so you don’t have to worry much about spills from milk bottles or juice causing mold if you don’t get it dried up quickly.) This bag is perfect for outdoors – whether rain or shine and I love that it’s so easy to take with you.

The CiPU Large Tote is very lightweight at just 1.2 lbs. – one of the lightest on the market. And, remember how I said CiPU offers different bags for different personalities and sizes, your littles can have their own little backpacks too.

So, now that you have a bunch of information to make an informed decision on whether or not this bag is for you… let me keep it real for you all. This bag is costly, but I am a handbag lover and most of my bags cost well over this amount already so I would spend this money in a heartbeat – especially after my great experience with this one over the last 5 months or so. When it comes to how I spend my money, I tend to look at things as an investment. These bags are an investment in not only your style and longevity of having them, but your comfort. They are easy to carry and hold, giving you various options and so easy to clean. As a busy mom, I know that the last thing we want to be doing is scrubbing a bag of strains or water spills. While I don’t currently use it strictly as a diaper bag, I know the quality of the bag will hold up in that if and when I should have another child – I’ll be able to use this. I also love that this is functional for me and allows me to use this as a “mommy bag” no matter the age of my children. I can carry all my work stuff inside while still have a ton of room for mommy stuff too – whether it be wipes, extra clothes, toys, books for reading on the go or games – whatever tickles your fancy.

We all know I am brutally honest here and I have to say – Yes, this bag is worth the cost and definitely high quality. Like I mentioned before – I have my eyes on a few others and I plan to get them.

Check out my video review:

You can check out the full range of products available at: https://www.cipu.us/

Purchase from their Amazon store here.

So what about you, have you heard of CiPU before and do you think you could utilize something like this? Are you a mommy looking for a little more help in the organizing and diaper bag compartment? Comment below and share your thoughts with me.

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review consideration. All opinions are my own, 100% honest & unbiased. I was not paid to provide my thoughts or to feature this product. Affiliate links are posted through out.

2017 KitLife Planner – Overview and Thoughts {My Go-To, Everyday Planner}

December 30, 2016 by honeygirlsworld 23 Comments

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We are literally a couple of days away from the new year and ringing in 2017, so I thought this would be the perfect time to go ahead and share my thoughts on the 2017 KITLife Planner with all of you. I’m a huge lover of KITLife Planners, this particular planner being my fourth that I own. Each year I have found a new way to use the planner and I’m so overjoyed with the changes that KITLife has made to the planner that I’m excited to share it with all of you. The KITLife planner is a daily planner layout that allows you to literally grab life by the hands and make it wonderful. The KITLife planner is more than just a planner, but a community – encouraging women to be productive, grateful, healthy, giving and live a life full of intention. This Planner has made such a difference in how I do things daily and yearly and I’m going to share it with all of you.

The KITLife Planner retails for $58.00. I know, I know… many have told me in years past that that is such a hefty cost for something that you may throw out at the end of each year. But here’s what I have to say about it… “Life is an Investment and to make it fruitful, we need to invest in the proper tools to help it grow.” (Yes, I wrote that… lol) A Planner is just that, a tool to help keep you organized. The KITLife Planner is a daily planner that consists of a monthly and daily layout. I find that a daily layout is my favorite for the lister in me, I love writing out my daily to-do’s and track my progress as I complete each task.

There are three different types of planner covers available for 2017 – The Classic Edition (which is what I am sharing with you), the Crown Edition ($72.00 – the Gorgeous White with Gold Foil cover) and The Festival Edition ($65.00 a fun cover with pink, blue and purple triangles). Each Planner also offers you the opportunity to add in additional pages to customize your planner (at an additional cost). The pages include: Note Add-In, Graph Add-In, Budget Add-In, Direct Sales Add-In, Direct Sales Team Add-In and Teach Add-In. These add-ins must be ordered at the time you order your planner. Each plan is estimated to ship in 5-7 business days after placing your order.

So, let’s get into all the fun details. The 2017 KITLife Planner has a new hardcover which feels much like suede. The Team at KITLife call it the Velvet Technique in printing the cover. It has a really cool and smooth texture that make this planner feel so luxe. I absolutely love it and I LOVE that the planner cover is now a hardcover instead of their laminated cover like they have had in previous years. This new hardcover makes the planner much more durable and protects the pages within. The KITLife Planner also comes with a movable dashboard as it did last year. I really enjoyed this option last year, but sadly, my dashboard didn’t last me past the 2 month mark. I’m pretty brutal. But, KITLife made some revisions and now has a very sturdy design that’s perfect for the 2017 planner. I love that it is still easy to move and flexible without being too flimsy. It’s a great addition and I love it.

The planner is smaller in size in comparison to past years. Honestly, I LOVE this because it was a bit cumbersome to take my KIT with me on the go. While I still do not take it with me usually, I love that I have that option should I decide to do so. While it is a bit smaller in size – you still get the same amount of writing space as you did in previous years. The monthly calendar spread also offers the same amount of space for writing which is great.

The Daily pages offer a variety of different options for daily planning. A Checklist that also has a place for daily tracker stickers (available through KITLife), The Big 3 for Top To-Do’s each day, Time Slots from 6am to 8pm for appointments and time management listing, Wellness Tracker (to help keep track of water intake, weight and exercise and Gratitude to list what you are thankful for each day or special events that occurred. Each weekly page also includes a Quote by various people (one of my favorite parts of this planner) and you still get a Doodle Break that is listed on the months that have a spare page before the monthly layout. These doodle breaks are what I use to jot down any notes for the month that I need to reference like conversations on the phone, etc.