Recently, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a launch party in Chicago with Chelsea DeBoer (Houska) from Teen Mom 2 and her husband, Cole. They have partnered up with a company called Itzy Ritzy, that creates products that are catering to making a mom’s life easier and more fashionable with diaper backpacks, snackbags, teethers & more!
Now, I know I am not a mom nor am I planning to be any time soon. However, I am a dog mom so it’s close, right? Totally kidding. I know you mama’s out there work really hard taking care of your families in addition to taking care of yourselves.
It was an honor to be asked to attend, especially since I am not a mom, and spend time chatting with Chelsea and Cole. Chelsea is actually the reason I joined Profile!
I spent most of the day traveling as I flew in to Chicago in the morning and came back that night after the event. This was the first time I have traveled like this, solo. I was a little worried about getting lost at first and wondered if I would be able to find the right trains to get on. Somehow everything lined up for me to make the trains when needed and find the right train lines to be on.
Once I made it to the venue, Summer House Santa Monica – that is GORGEOUS by the way – we were greeted by drinks, music, and snacks. I met such sweet girls that we instantly connected on Instagram and exchanged phone numbers. We talked about our lives – their mom life vs my non-mom life. After about 30 minutes of “happy hour” socialization Chelsea and Cole arrived! Let me tell you, Chelsea is just as awesome, sweet, down to earth, fun and funny as she is on Teen Mom. {Chelsea – we need to be BFF’s!} Cole is also just the same as you see him on tv – funny, kind and super caring. He loves his wife and it shows, even making the comment that seeing Chelsea happy makes him happy. Relationship goals for sure! Excuse me while I go hang out at a gas station waiting for my Cole to show up…(this is how Chelsea and Cole met actually – at a gas station).
Shortly after the announcement Chelsea and Cole were surprised with a song that Itzy Ritzy had written for them by a couple songwriters from here in Nashville, “South Dakota Sunrise” – which was also the name of one of the specialty cocktails from the event. You can listen and view lyrics here.
After about ten minutes of mingling Chelsea, Cole and reps from Itzy Ritzy went live on social media to announce the launch of a new collaboration – a new crossbody bag! Chelsea and Cole have a collection with Itzy Ritzy that has/had included t-shirts, stroller caddies, a green crossbody and backpacks (Chelsea’s boss backpack is to die for!). The new crossbody which is live for pre-order (at the time of writing) this, is a caramel color crossbody with gold studs to match her Boss Backpack.
So why was attending an event about mom products something I attended? Great question! First and foremost, I am a fan of Chelsea’s. I have been since day one with her 16 and Pregnant episode. I really feel that she has done a great job being a good mom to her kids and has shown that even though she has faced her fair share of struggles, that overcoming them and having a happy ending is possible. Whether you are single mom or not. She is also super stylish and absolutely hilarious. I just feel like I can relate to her on numerous levels. We both share a love of country concerts, animals, red plaid and of course…Profile! She talks to you as if you have known her forever and could have a conversation about anything. I wish I would have had more time to talk to her.
I was also very excited to attend because I think the products are great! If I were a mom, I’m sure they would be a game changer for toting all the extra things that mama’s need. The bags are well made and very stylish – AND non-mama’s can get use out of the backpacks too! We were given Itzy mini bags as part of our swag bags and I plan on using it for traveling or running errands on the weekends. These bags, large or small, are full of handy pockets. They have a pocket for everything. The bags open completely allowing you to find and access your things and with their rubber lining on the bottom they won’t get scuffed up and damaged as easily. The main compartment that opens up has a netted zipper pocket that was the perfect size for my Kindle. There are two side pockets on the outside of the bag that were great for holding my bottle of water. The vegan leather makes the bag comfortable to wear and the straps don’t dig in to your shoulders. You can kind of see the spacing in the photo with the paper stuffing and accessories that were inside of the backpack. Unfortunately, I have no use for the baby accessories, but I have donated them to a mama who can get use out of them.
Here are a couple video’s on how others are using their Boss Backpacks (non-mama packing too!):
-Mommy of Three Reviews – Packing Chelsea Boss Bag & Initial Review
-Itzy Ritzy – Packing the Boss Bag for Work or the Gym
-Rachel Will – Overall Impressions Review
Thank you again to Itzy Ritzy for the invite, I had a wonderful time. You all were great hosts to this non-mama.