Look cool for back-to-school with these new products

Back-to-school time is just around the corner and this year there's a boatload of new gear to get your kids prepped for a great fall semester. Valery Lodato, lifestyle expert and mother of two school-aged kids herself, has a couple of original products that will help kick off the school year right!

Thanks to savvy designers and creators (who are mostly moms!), the back to school market is wide open and offering up unique and original finds for all ages.

Balanced Day Lunch Kit
To make sure students were eating balanced meals, some districts in Canada split kids' lunch hour into two breaks. In order to keep up with this new trend, companies developed the "Balanced Day Lunch Kit" that divides lunch boxes into two compartments to easily separate hot foods from cold, and the cookies from the cold cuts. There's even room for supplies like crayons and markers. As celebs snapped up this fab lunchbox line for the kids, word spread that these kits are cool for schools with just one lunch break too! You can purchase these lunch boxes at: balanceddaylunchkit.com . Retail Price: $16.95

Lunchbox Love
Send a little love in your child's lunch! Say Please introduces Lunchbox Love®, credit-card sized notes that feature positive, encouraging words on the front and fun trivia facts on the back. This new way to stay connected with your kids adds a little extra flair to the traditional love-note-on-a-napkin. Perfect for lunch boxes (like the one above!), backpacks, binders or even a pillow at night. These notes are available at: sayplease.com and Michael's stores for $3.99 and up.

Invitation Box
Keeping in touch has never been so stylish for students! InvitationBox.com has come out with a sweet set of personalized stationeries, stamps, stickers, calling cards for play-dates, and whimsical personalized placemats to help you and your child keep in touch with every one you know. From mod to classic, there are dozens of layouts, textures, colors and cuts to choose from that will fit any style; and all items can be customized with your text. Prices vary, visit: www.invitationbox.com .

Dante Beatrix
Known for their ultra-hip diaper bags that celebs and fashion forward mommies carry with pride, Dante Beatrix has also come out with some hot finds for students! Offering two sizes in their cute backpacks to suit kids young and old, the modern designs are eco-friendly and adorable for boys and girls. The eco-collection features several designs constructed with nylon made entirely from recycled plastic drinking bottles, and trimmed with biodegradable canvas. To check out her new designs check out: www.dantebeatrix.com .

Friendzip Bracelets
Replacing those funky shaped rubber bracelets that were all the rage last year, Friendzip Bracelets are a hot new find for girls. The adorable bracelets are made of girly zippers embellished with a flower charm. To switch halves with your friends you just unzip the bracelet and swap - what a cool way to show solidarity! If that's not neat enough, each Friendzip Bracelet comes with a piece of advice on how to be a better friend. The mother and daughter run company is trying to inspire girls to build successful friendships through fashion. Friendzips are sold at friendzipbracelets.com for $5.95.

Blamtastic
Introducing Blamtastic: a lip-balm that is petroleum free, paraben-free, made in the USA and is NEVER tested on animals developed by two young Georgia girls who were determined to make lip balm more luscious than ever using all natural ingredients. With fun flavors for girls and guys - the SPF 15 for superior sun protection is just a bonus. To make sure you always have your "Blam" handy, Blamtastic Lip Blam Sleeves are also available in bold colors to hook onto backpacks, notebooks, purses, sports bags, you name it! Available at www.blamtastic.com . Retail Price: $2.99.

Vinyl Attraction
Your college or boarding school student no longer has to stare at boring walls! Vinyl Attraction offers custom designed pre-spaced and pre-pasted vinyl that is easy to apply, easy to remove and appears just like hand painting on the wall for much less effort and half the price. Choose designs ranging from pirates and butterflies, to initials and common sayings in hundreds of fonts and colors. The possibilities are endless … $3.95 and up at: Vinylattraction.com .