Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Introducing Simple Sunday Recipes

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One thing that all parents need are simple, go to recipes. If you are like us, you have more important things to spend your money on than going out to eat frequently, so you need to cook. But isn’t cooking such a pain when you already have a million other things to do, and when you kitchen is already dirty and cooking will just add to the mess?!?!

I can certainly relate to this feeling. My solution has been to come up with an arsenal of recipes that are quick and tasty. Believe it or not, I actually have recipes picked out for every single day of the year in my personal cookbook. While some of the recipes get repeated once or twice during the year, many of them are only featured once (I’m not so big into eating the same thing very often). Before we got pregnant, we actually had another blog called Feed the Moose where we would talk about our trials and tribulations in the kitchen. That blog is defunct, but I can still share with you some of the great recipes we discovered during that time.

So I’d like to introduce Simple Sunday Recipes as a weekly feature on this blog. Each Sunday I’ll share one of the recipes that we have on hand that makes cooking not such a hassle. I hope you will enjoy this feature and find some recipes to bring back to your own kitchen! You’ll find Sunday dinner ideas and ideas for any day of the week when you want cooking to be easy (which would be every day, in my book!)

Our first recipe is Larry’s Black Bean Tacos

Recipe name: Larry’s Black Bean Tacos
Source: Recipezaar (and of course, Larry)
Servings:4-6

Ingredients

2 cans black beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning
1 lb ground beef (turkey for us)
1 package soft tortillas

Directions

  1. Brown ground beef with taco seasoning.
  2. Add stewed tomatoes and black beans.
  3. Simmer for 5-10, until black beans heated through.
  4. Serve with tortilla chips or make soft tacos using soft tortillas.

Larry, this post is dedicated to you and yours. We don’t know you, but we like you.

Our substitutions were as follows: We used ground turkey. We also used large tortillas so that these turned into burritos rather than tacos.

The dish was really simple to put together, but Larry, you made one crucial mistake; you left out the cheese! We added a small amount to ours, and that was a great decision.

So make this dish, eat it, love it, take it to work the next day, and make your co-workers jealous!

The Baby Bouncer Chair We Love: Boppy Cradle in Comfort

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boppy baby bouncer

image from bedbathandbeyond.com

Our good friends loaned us the Boppy Cradle in Comfort Bouncer to use while Darah is still small. The bouncer seat can recline or sit a bit more upright for infants who can utilize its “bounce” feature. Darah is still in the stage where the seat needs to be reclined. People, she LOVES this seat! LOVES IT! For that reason alone, I’m going to say it is the best baby bouncer chair out there.

I think there are a couple of reasons why it is so popular with our baby. First and foremost, the Boppy baby bouncer, itself, appears to be very comfortable. It really does “cradle” the baby! The material is very soft, and the angle of the chair is just right.

Second, and almost as important as the first point, is that this chair VIBRATES. Oh yes it does. Darah will only sit in the seat for a few minutes without the vibrate feature on, and then she’s over it. But once you hit that button, she’s golden, and she’ll stay in the seat for a solid 30 minutes most of the time. She will often even fall asleep in it. The vibrator turns itself off after 20 or 25 minutes, and she will wake up when that happens. Turn it back on, and she’s good to go again!

Sometimes I think of this chair as an extra pair of hands around the house. I don’t abuse it and put her in it constantly. If I did, I suspect she would rebel a bit more. But she finds herself in it for various amounts of time maybe 3 times each day. It’s also highly portable (even with the baby in it). I’ll move her all around the house in it and go from room to room straightening up while she watches. She really likes to sit in it and watch us make dinner in the evening.

Bed Bath and Beyond is selling this for $54.99 right now. We were lucky enough to get to use it for free (thank you, friends!). I have to say, I don’t know that I would have thought to put this item on my registry if it hadn’t been loaned to us. If you are expecting, my advice is to get one. It is SOOO worth $55! I’m guessing that I’d get maybe half as much done during the day if I didn’t have it. It definitely makes my job MUCH easier. I hope this bouncer review was helpful!

Best Dr. Seuss Book: Green Eggs and Ham

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Sam I am holding a plate of green eggs and ham
Reading is such an important activity to do with your children, no matter how young they might be. I fully believe that Darah already has some favorite books, and she’s not quite 2 months old! While she likes it when we read just about anything to her, I’ve noticed that she seems particularly excited when we read certain Dr. Seuss books to her. Does your child have a favorite Dr. Seuss book? Even at such a young age, mine does! Her very favorite is Green Eggs and Ham. She also enjoys Fox in Sox (a super tricky book to read, since it’s all one big tongue twister!). My theory is that the patterned rhythms found in Dr. Seuss’ books are enjoyable for her to hear at this age.

Since Dr. Seuss is one of the most popular children’s authors of all time, we have found every single one of her Seuss books (and I think she has around 10) at yard sales. I have also spotted them for decent prices at places like TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. Make sure that your child’s library has at least a few books from Dr. Seuss. We’ve found them to be something that makes our little girl smile!

Two Months!

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I can hardly believe that you have been in this world for 2 whole months, Darah! There are no words to describe the joy you have brought to my life. Even as I sat down to write this post, you called to me from your bassinet, letting me know that once again, you were NOT interested in your nap. I thought about being frustrated, and then you smiled at me, and it was a smile of pure love. My heart is totally yours, peanut.

Stimulating Activities for Babies: What Works for Me

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stimulating activities for baby

New parents are well aware of the fact that babies don’t come with instruction manuals. But most new parents have gone to to libraries and bookstores to make up for that fact and borrowed or purchased a ridiculous number of books that teach us how to swaddle, soothe, feed and change a diaper. I was definitely one of those moms-to-be who read at least 20 books on such subjects. I am very thankful for those books, because they gave me helpful information to ensure my baby’s basic survival. But pretty much all of these books came up short in one department: stimulating activities for baby! But I found a book that highlights the development of an infant through play and that taught me how to play with my baby.

baby games babies

image from librarything.com

Enter Baby Play.  I found this book on Amazon and purchased it used (thrifty is SO HOT, people!). I flipped through it before the baby was born and found it to be loaded with the best activities for babies. The book has games for you and your baby organized by age (0 months and up, 3 months and up, 6 months and up, etc.).

When we brought Darah home, we really enjoyed staring at her and holding her. These are both terrific things to do with your newborn, by the way. But then we realized that we had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how to play with babies. I went to the bookshelf and opened to the 0 month section, and found many different things that we could do to stimulate and entertain our baby when she is in the mood to play. Most of the activities include baby play toys that you likely already have on hand (a blanket, a ball, etc.).

I highly recommend this for any new parent who does not have extensive experience playing with babies. Who knows? If we hadn’t purchased this book, we might still just be staring at our baby!

This post contains my Amazon affiliate link. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

The World’s Worst Cheap Baby Wipes…and How I Rescued Them

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I am definitely a bargain hunter. I started stockpiling diapers and wipes when I could get a great deal, oh, about 5 minutes after I found out I was pregnant. Kacie over at Sense to Save is a kindred spirit in that regard. She made a fierce diaper and wipe spreadsheet to keep track of her deals. I was inspired by her quest to get her baby wipes cheap and I did the same.

cheap baby wipes

Where to Buy Baby Wipes Cheap

One thing I quickly noticed is that she found these Sesame Street Baby wipes at the Dollar Tree. One package of 80 wipes was, you guessed it, $1.00! Any new parent can tell you that boxes of wipes typically retail for between $3-4.00/package, and many of the packages have fewer than 80 wipes in them. One dollar for 80 wipes seemed almost too good to be true. I went out and bought 3 packages of these cheap baby wipes, and then decided to hold off, just in case they somehow didn’t work (but how could a wipe not work?). After Kacie’s baby was born, I wrote to her and asked her how she liked the wipes. She told me that they definitely weren’t her favorites, and that she would use what she bought, but not purchase any more. I was sad to hear this, but took it as a sign to also not buy anymore, at least not until I could try them out for myself.

where to buy baby wipes cheap

So about a week ago I decided to try them out. And people, they were terrible. Simply terrible. The wipes have a strange sort of spongy/scratchy feel to them, and they are the driest wipes I’ve ever used. Yes, it is true that I bought them several months ago, but I kept them in a temperature controlled space, so I think that they simply are this dry. As is, you would need to use far more wipes, especially for any sort of blowout situation. Having to use more wipes than you normally would, of course, makes these not such a great deal.

In addition to being a bargain hunter, I’m also terribly cheap. Tim wanted me to throw out the wipes, but I couldn’t bear to do that. So here’s how I salvaged them for use: I went to the beautiful world wide web and looked up a recipe for DIY wipes. I found a recipe here. Basically I combined 1 cup of boiling water with 1 Tbsp Baby Oil, 1 Tbsp baby lotion, and 1 Tbsp Baby Shampoo. I mixed them all together until dissolved with a whisk, and then I poured the liquid over the wipes so that they would once again be moist. Tim agreed that the wipes were once again usable. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about the scratchiness of the wipes, which is really the main reason I won’t be purchasing them again. That’s right, folks, I’m so cheap that if the cloth had been softer, I would have purchased more and just enhanced them myself with this little recipe, because even with the added work and ingredients, they would still be an awesome deal.

I hope you can take two things away from this post. First, is that if you want baby wipes for cheap, you have to factor in more than the sticker price. Avoid the Sesame Street wipes, if for no other reason than the fact that they are scratchy. Second, if you find yourself with any brand of wipes that has lost its moisture, there is a solution so that you don’t have to pitch them, and making that solution took all of 5 minutes.

And if you want good cheap baby wipes, then you’ll need to do some combination of bulk purchasing and couponing. My opinion is that the best newborn baby wipes are from Huggies and if you watch sales and also carefully watch for coupons, you can get them at a good price (always check Amazon, too…sometimes they charge too much, and sometimes their prices are totally fair). And if you don’t have time to deal with sales and coupons, I think the Kirkland brand wipes at Costco are solidly good and a very decent buy.

 

This post contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Starbucks Frappuccino: Coupons and Other Cost-Saving Tips

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Affiliate links included at no cost to you. All thoughts are my own, as always.

Allow me to introduce you to my guilty pleasure: Starbucks Bottled Frappuccino. I’m also going to show you how I make my little habit more affordable by finding Starbucks frappuccino coupons and stores that offer good prices!

I absolutely love drinking these. They are so convenient, they taste fresh, and of course, they are super yummy (especially if you have a sweet tooth like me). I can’t afford to go to Starbucks every day for a treat, so it is nice to have these waiting for me in my fridge.

Love Doesn’t Come Cheap: Starbucks Frappuccino Prices

I have to be honest with you, though; these aren’t all that cheap, either, and drinking them daily can still really sting at the end of the month. I was able to snag a 12 pack at Costco for $13.99, which comes to roughly $1.16 each. I still find that to be expensive for something that I don’t really NEED, though. Here’s one way I keep my daily treat costs down: what I typically do is only drink these on weekdays, and I’ll drink 1/2 of the frappuccino each day, stretching one drink out for 2 days. A case from Costco will last me most of the month! I typically just leave the drink in the fridge and every time I go to the kitchen (usually hunting some sort of snack) I have a little sip! It gives me a little pick me up, makes me feel special (that’s Starbucks marketing hard at work on me, people), and doesn’t break the bank. Plus, I don’t have to hassle with making coffee each morning. I think of this product as making parenting easier for all of those reasons!

If you aren’t a Costco member, you might also want to try Walmart.com. I’ve been pleased with the Starbucks frappuccino price there (currently $5.44 for a 4-pack). You can pick up at the store or have them delivered to you. Usually if you spend at least $50 delivery is free, so it may be worth buying a bunch at one time and saving yourself a trip. And of course, be sure to use Ebates if you shop on Walmart.com, as the price doesn’t increase for you at all, and you’ll save an additional percentage back on your purchase (it’s low for Walmart, 1 or 2%, but hey…every penny counts!).

You can also find Starbucks bottled frappuccino on Amazon, though I have not yet found them to be the best price there. However, Amazon is known for changing prices frequently, and they do not like to be undersold, so it’s always worth a look before making your final purchasing decision.

And finally, it’s always good to check on coupons.com for any Starbucks frappiccino coupons that might be current. They aren’t a regular occurrence, but you can find them on occasion.

Baby Einstein Discovery Cards: A Great Activity for Babies

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Affiliate links included at no cost to you. All opinions are my own.

One of the things I quickly noticed about having a young infant is that “playing” with them is sort of hard. What sort of activities does one do with an infant that isn’t even crawling, yet? Baby Einstein discovery cards for infants are the way to go, people!

The wild animal flash cards by Baby Einstein feature 30 pictures of live animals (as opposed to drawings of animals). They have animals you would find relatively close to your home, such as dogs, cats, and squirrels, and they have more exotic creatures like reef fish, tigers and elephants. The animal flash cards are sturdy, though not indestructible.

I purchased these discovery cards for my niece, and gave them to her when she was 10 months old. She has thoroughly enjoyed playing with them, and at 1 1/2 years old now, they remain in her toy chest as a favorite!

When I bought the cards for her, I bought a second set and tucked them away for my little bundle. While the package suggests that these flashcards are most appropriate for ages 9 months and up, I have to say that Darah already enjoys looking at these pictures at 7 weeks old. We’ve actually been showing them to her for weeks, and she seems intrigued. Keep in mind that for small infants, “looking” is one of the big things that they do, so having interesting things for them to look at is always a good thing. We rarely go through the entire set of Baby Einstein discovery cards with her at one time, as this can overwhelm her. I’m sure that when she gets older, though, we’ll go through the set several times without her tiring of looking at the animals. The back of the cards also have animal facts that we read to her now (simply to expose her to as many words as possible).

I wanted to highlight these baby Einstein animal flash cards because this is an educational product that I’m sure our baby will use for at least the first 1 1/2 -2 years of her life. Considering how quickly babies “outgrow” their toys, this makes this a terrific find. I’m sure that other picture flashcard sets would be equally exciting to your little one! I find the best selection at Amazon, though you can sometimes find them at Toys R Us, too.

This post contains an affiliate link. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Good Nipple Cream for Breastfeeding: Mother Love Nipple Cream

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nipple cream 2 oz motherlove When I was learning about breastfeeding while pregnant, I mostly read that breastfeeding hurts a little, but you get past it. And I read over and over again that if it hurts, you are doing it wrong. These breastfeeding tips were really counter-productive, I realize in hindsight.

Can I please let you know that this advice is ridiculous? Breastfeeding DOES hurt. And yes, you might be doing it wrong and should explore any and all possibilities for remedies when you are in pain, as breastfeeding is also not as intuitive as many people would have you believe. But please do not beat yourself up if you are in pain. Get some help and fast! Today I want to talk about one product that helped me a great deal.

Breastfeeding Nipple Cream I Use

The breastfeeding nipple cream put out by Motherlove was recommended to me by two moms: my best friend and my sister-in-law. They both said that they found this cream to be superior to the lanolin creams that are found in the majority of stores. I received a jar of Mother Love Nipple Cream at my baby shower, and I took it with me to the hospital so that I could start using it as soon as breastfeeding commenced. While this good nipple cream is designed for sore, cracked nipples, I began using it even before the soreness began. While I can’t scientifically prove it, I believe that using this product from the start kept my nipples from getting as sore and cracked as they could have been (though they definitely got sore, and I experienced one crack, I believe). I had a sample of Lansinoh’s lanolin that I also tried out, and I found it to be much stickier than Motherlove’s product.

I also thought Motherlove’s cream smelled much nicer! From Motherlove’s website, you can read about two other great benefits to this product. It reads, “Does not contain lanolin which contains several pesticides; or Vitamin E which should not be ingested by infants. According to the Skin Deep toxicology database, Vitamin E is considered a health concern by the American Hospital Formulary Service because it can cause liver dysfunction and is “potentially fatal” to low birth weight babies.”

I highly recommend this product by Motherlove. It’s a really good nipple cream that helped me get through the toughest part of breastfeeding for me (the beginning!) and it was 100% safe for my baby.

This post contains an affiliate link. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.