elf on the shelf - Stuff Parents Need

(Giveaway!) More Fun Elf on the Shelf Ideas from Kohl’s

December 4, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 28 Comments

Thanks to Kohl’s for providing products for review and the giveaway item. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I hope you enjoyed some of the Elf on the Shelf ideas I shared with you last week. I’ve got a few more fun (and easy!) ways you can have fun with your Elf on the Shelf in today’s post, and none of them involve making terrible messes or elaborate schemes. I like to keep it simple around here.

When my girls woke up this morning they found our Owen being just a smidge naughty (he’s playing in our television cords) but they also discovered that he has a new outfit! Kohl’s has the cutest Claus Couture collection, with several fun outfit options for your elf and for your elf pet!

Owen has also been such a thoughtful house guest this week by bringing me, his hostess, a gift! Owen found this adorable “the elves made me do it” kitchen towel set at Kohl’s (and I saw his receipt…he got such a good deal!).

And next week, he’s going to surprise the girls one morning with a super fun gift just for them!

Yes, this fingerpaint bathtub set will be messy, but the kids will be in the bath, so they will wash off easily (and so will their canvas!).

We are having so much fun with Owen, and I am really loving this new tradition we are creating of having our elf provide some new fun holiday decor each year. If you don’t have an Elf on the Shelf, they really can be a whole lot of fun, so think about getting one. Our elf keeps us highly entertained. He even does a great Adele impression (call him Adelelf!).

Hello, it’s me. #Adelelf #elfontheshelf #adele

A photo posted by Tiffany (@stuffparentsneed) on Dec 3, 2015 at 12:26pm PST

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $100 gift card to Kohl’s. You can get your house all decked out with Elf on the Shelf gear and other holiday decor! 🙂
Kohls Gift Card

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the right sidebar of the blog.

Some New Elf on the Shelf Ideas to Rock Your Holiday

November 29, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Thanks to Kohl’s for providing some fun new Elf on the Shelf products and other holiday fun stuff. We are very happy Kohl’s customers, and we only promote what we love!

Owen (our Elf on the Shelf) arrived for his third annual visit to the House of M the day before Thanksgiving (yes, I know most elves come the day after…we can never wait, though!). I always take his arrival as an opportunity to work in a little bit of new holiday decor, typically in the form of a new ride for Owen. This year it was a sparkly train!

In fact, Owen arrived with several new presents for us this year (he’s such a thoughtful elf!). All his goodies came from Kohl’s, because he’s also a savvy shopper. He brought a new holiday doormat, some wrapped gifts for the girls, and even a pet! Yes, the Elf on the Shelf now has an Elf Pet, and you are actually supposed to touch it! My girls were so thrilled.

Once the presents from Owen were unwrapped, the girls immediately wanted to put on their new awesome Elf on the Shelf pajamas he brought them! Kohl’s has a cool exclusive line with several different options for boys and girls (ahem…adult sizes are needed, Kohl’s!).

Owen has only been with us a few days, so he hasn’t had time to get into too much mischief, but here’s a sneak peek at some of the fun things he’ll be doing over the next few weeks, all while leaving us with awesome new gifts to help celebrate the season!

Owen knows the way to our hearts in the House of M, and it’s definitely through fun glassware with a straw. I love this fun Elf on the Shelf tumbler he brought with him; he’ll be surprising the girls with it sometime next week, and prompting us to have some hot cocoa.

Owen will also be bringing us this fun “The elf made me do it!” decor item sometime next week. It’s just perfect for a home filled with mischief-makers. I’m betting you have some of those in your house, too!

I’ll be sharing some more fun ways that your elf can move around your house and help deck your halls with holiday cheer next week, so stay tuned for that (and Owen wants to treat you to some fun Kohl’s stuff, so watch out for an AWESOME giveaway!).

Has your Elf on the Shelf arrived? And if so, what fun antics have already transpired? And if you don’t have an Elf, I want to highly encourage you to get one. The magic of Christmas is magnified with the present of a scout elf, I promise!

Our Elf on the Shelf Has Arrived, and He Brought Provisions!

November 26, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#LoveV8Protein #CollectiveBias

Well, well, well. Look who just rolled up on our doorstep!

Our Elf on the Shelf, Owen, is back for his second round with our family, and we are just tickled to see him. Looks like he got a sweet ride while he was away, and he even brought a few provisions.

I see that he brought some peppermint chunks for himself, which is fitting since candy is one of the four food groups (you may recall that the other three are candy canes, candy corn and syrup).

But what’s this I see? Has Owen brought a gift just for me???

Owen knows that while his boss is St. Nick, his business partner for the next month is yours truly, and try as I may this time of year, I can’t survive on candy alone. I need good-for-you choices, and in particular, some protein in my belly to boost my energy and to give me the strength of Beyonce, which is what anyone with an Elf on the Shelf needs to get through an entire month of pint-sized mischief.

The V8 Protein Bar is loaded with healthy components, and I’m pleased to report it has a great flavor, as well (chocolate peanut butter? Yes, please!). One bar will net me 10g of protein and 5g of fiber.

While my Elf on the Shelf brought me my V8 Protein Bars, if yours was not quite as generous and you need to go pick these up yourself, let me show you where you can find them at Walmart.

There they are, in the health and beauty section of the store! And if you want to learn more about V8 Protein Bars (and the new V8 Protein Shakes!) be sure to follow V8 on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll be among the first to hear about any new promotions that way!

4 Easy Holiday Traditions My Kids Love

November 1, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 36 Comments

This shop about #NorthPoleFun has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Friends, I know your Halloween decorations are still up, and likely will be for a few more days (ok, until next weekend). But there’s no denying that we are all starting to turn our attention toward the Christmas season. November feels like a brisk walk toward the most wonderful time of year, and December is a full-on sprint. Personally, I’m dousing myself in all things peppermint and primed to get this party started!

If you have little ones at home, you have likely wondered what holiday traditions will become important to your family, and in particular, if you’d like to start any new traditions. But it can be overwhelming to try to figure all of that out! I’d like to share with you 4 traditions my family has adapted over the past few years. Two of them are brand new to us this year! These are all traditions that are friendly to the family with a lack of crafting skills. Just gonna put that out there, because there are lots of other great ideas that just aren’t ever going to happen in my home (Gingerbread house, anyone? The mere thought of it makes me sweat!). I hope you find some fun ideas for your crew!

Tradition #1: Christmas Countdown Chain

Yes, this is is a craft, but it simply involves cutting strips of paper and applying a dot of glue. That’s within the boundaries of what I can

reasonably handle. 🙂 We create this chain, little by little, throughout the month of November, with the goal of having it ready to go by the day after Thanksgiving, as that’s when the countdown begin. Each loop on the chain has a special message on the inside with some sort of holiday fun item that we will accomplish that day. There’s no need to over-think this, friends, and no need to do something spectacular or time consuming every day. You’ll want to sprinkle some of those fun events like making cookies in there, but you can also simply have a carol singing session one day, or color a picture for Santa Claus. This takes a bit of thought on the front end, but I have found that it helps us stay in the holiday spirit throughout the season, and it really helps my kids have a better understanding of just how close Christmas is getting!

Tradition #2: Northpole Communicator

This is a new one for us, and we are PUMPED about it! Released just today, you can now find Northpole, brought to you by Hallmark. This Northpole Communicator is such a clever and fun line of products designed to help your family start fun new holiday traditions. The Hallmark Northpole Communicator, which is found exclusively at Walmart, is a very cool device that gives your children the opportunity to talk with the elves at the North Pole throughout the month of December. The device is set to start working on Decmeber 1st, so we haven’t been able to dial in just yet, but the impression I get is that there’s a fun new message every single day, and the chance to leave one of your own! I’ve told Darah that she can start leaving messages on it now, and she’s picked up the communicator at least 3 times today to share some thoughts about her own behavior throughout the year, and to tell on her little sister. I really hope I can catch one of these sessions on camera in the near future, because they are a RIOT!

Tradition #3: Elf on the Shelf

You guys, I know that Pinterest can make the Elf on the Shelf seem really intimidating, as some folks go ALL OUT with the mischief their little elves get into. But let me just tell you: getting our elf (his name is Owen) was one of the smartest moves we’ve made. Last year our oldest was 4, and she was in the full throes of believing in all things magical. She still does believe in magical things this year, but I can already see the sparkle in her eye beginning to fade a touch. She’s starting to ask more questions about how magical things are possible, and you can see the logical part of her mind raising red flags. Owen is going to have another great year with us, though, and if you haven’t taken the leap, just DO IT! This season of life is such a short one, and you will always cherish the memories of your ziplining elf. 🙂

Tradition #4: The Beacon

Here’s another new tradition for us this year. Walmart is the place where you can find the Hallmark Book and Beacon. The book, titled Once Upon a Northpole Christmas, shares a tale about how the Northpole and all of its magic is actually powered by people on Earth spreading laughter, love and holiday cheer. It’s a great reminder to spend time with your family and to do happy and fun things throughout the season. The book comes with a keepsake snowflake ornament that lights up, with the idea being that Santa can easily spot those lighted snowflakes as he makes his rounds. We put both girls’ names on the snowflake since the book only came with one. You could also just put your family name on the snowflake, too, if there are too many kids in your family to fit on the name space area!

My girls were particularly drawn to the idea of having a special snowflake that served as a signaling device for Santa. They both have played with it a great deal and have been giving me ideas about where it should reside during the holiday season. Darah votes for “taping it to the roof.” Ha!

I hope I have given you some simple and fun ideas about holiday traditions. Will you take a moment to share some of your holiday traditions with me? I’d love for the comments section to be a place where we can all get cool ideas from each other!

Giveaway!

Here’s your opportunity to win these fun Hallmark Northpole prize pack!

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My Curated “Before Christmas” Gift Suggestions

November 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

If you hunt around on Stuff Parents Need, you will find several hundred (likely approaching 1,000!) finds I have discovered over the past 4 years that could be great holiday gift suggestions for folks on your list.

But today I want to talk about the things I think you should consider getting BEFORE the holidays are here (and they are almost here, so hurry up!). Think of them as gifts to yourself! These are items that can help make the holidays more festive and fun, and prepare you for send out yearly family letters or make some fun crafts without costing you an arm and a leg. Here’s a list of the products and services that I’m loving RIGHT NOW:

1. The Elf on the Shelf. This has seriously got to be the best $30 I have ever spent. Darah is completely nuts about her elf, whom she named Owen. He moves around the house daily, and he is NOT a naughty elf (mama ain’t got time for that!). Darah talks to Owen, dances for Owen, brings Owen marshmallows, and sings for Owen. I almost die pretty much every single day from the cuteness of it. He has brought some serious Christmas joy to our house, and a feeling of magic. He has only been with us for a month (yes, he cam early) and he is already a family treasure that I know we will have for decades to come.

2. Tiny Prints cards. For today only you can get 25% off your entire order (no minimum!) AND free shipping, which is a smokin’ hot deal because these are some of the prettiest cards around, and they are already reasonably priced. The code to use at checkout is exclusive to affiliates of the store (that’s me!) and I’ve been told this is the very best deal they offer on holiday cards. The code to use at checkout is ~~HOLIDAY25FS~~. (Edit: new code is SW1119 for 25% off). I got mine ordered already and they will be here soon so that I can get all the holiday cards ready for the mail for the day after Thanksgiving.

3. Groovebook. I’ll be adding an additional printed photo to each of my holiday cards, and I can do that for SUPER DUPER CHEAP thanks to Groovebook! You can read all about Groovebook here, (and learn how you can get 100 prints 100% FREE!). Basically, for this month, I picked a photo on the phone that I really liked, and printed 30 copies of it into my Groovebook. The other 70 prints for the month are just other things I like. Now I’ve got an extra photo for my friends and family to enjoy, and got it printed and delievered to my doorstep, along with 70 other pictures I like, for $3! Groovebook is my favorite app of all time, hands down.

4. Stitch Fix. If you have some festive parties to attend and you need an updated outfit or two, leave the work to the stylists at Stitch Fix. They will hook you up with something gorgeous that suits your taste and your budget. You’ll save time and you’ll look great! Here’s a link to all my past fixes to give you a sense for what it is like!

5. Kiwi Crate. This is one of my very favorite subscriptions, as it helps busy and/or non-crafty parents like me put together truly awesome crafts and activities for the kiddos. We adore our Kiwi Crates, and plan to order more in the near future. Right now they have special holiday-themed crates that you definitely need to check out. How much fun would it be for your kids to get to make some of the decorations for Thanksgiving, Hannukah or Christmas?

6. Amazon Prime. I’ve been a member of Amazon Prime since January of this year, and I’m planning on renewing when my membership expires. The ability to ship SO many things from the site without meeting the minimum shipping amount (which I heard has gone up to $35…can anyone confirm that?), and the 2 day shipping is SOOOOO nice! You get to try it out free of charge for 30 days, and if ever there was a time to give it a whirl, it is during the holiday shopping season!

7. Ebates. This is the time of year when I make sure I’m checking in regularly with Ebates, as well. You can read all about how Ebates works to get the full scoop. It is a totally free service that will give you cash back on the online purchases you are already making. So far they have sent me over $215. For real. Yes, the checks cleared. This is legit! 🙂

Your turn: what are some of the things you are buying to get ready for the holidays?