Stuff Parents Need

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

Out of the “School Lunch” Box Ideas

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Are you already in a bit of a lunch box rut, like I am? School has been back in session for 3 weeks now, and I’m running out of ideas, fast! Don’t fret…I actually have a few fun posts this week on the topic of different school lunch ideas, and today I’m happy to share two new finds with you, courtesy of CrispRoot and lunchskins2.

Cassava Chips

So first up, I’ve got a VERY unique take on the classic potato chip. Cassava root (which you might have heard called yuca root) is a vegetable that is not very popular in the United States (yet!) but that is VERY popular in many parts of the world…and for good reason! It has twice the fiber of potatoes! The innovative company CrispRoot has turned this vegetable superstar into a crisp chip that has 30% LESS fat than a standard potato chip. That’s what I’m talking about! Everyone in my family, including Darah, has enjoyed munching on these yummy chips. They come in 4 fun flavors: original, thai ginger, bbq bliss, and our favorite, sea salt! Want to try them for your next lunch? Click here to find your nearest retailer, or you can get them on Amazon.

CrispRoot Cassava chips

lunchskins2

And since even the small bags of CrispRoot chips are too big for a 4-year-old, I’ve been tucking them away in lunchskins2 reusable sandwich and snack bags. These are such an economical, eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags, and they are MUCH cuter, too! They come in coordinating sets and can be found at Target. Their sizes are generous; here I’ve fit 1/2 of a banana in the snack bag and a whole bagel sandwich in the larger bag (though I’d cut it in half for serving to Darah…but a whole sandwich can definitely fit!). You can pick up these awesome, adorable bags at Target in a wide variety of prints!

lunchskins reusable sandwich bag

These are just two suggestions I have for switching up the routine a bit during the lunch hour. What are you munchin’ on these days? Any cool new finds? 

Make Donating to Thrift Stores Easy: Reisenthel Shopper XL Review and GIVEWAY!!!

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Raise your hand if you have too much stuff in your house that you don’t need and that brings your precious little joy to hang on to. If you didn’t raise your hand, please consider doing a guest post here on how you live that way. Totally serious.

For the rest of us, we all know that we need to let go of some stuff so that we can make our house feel a bit less junky and a lot more peaceful. For a while I had a pile of donations kept in a basket in our laundry room/office. The problem with that method was that Darah would get into it and take things out and tote them all over the house. So basically, it was pointless! Also, since the pile of stuff I needed continued to take up so much space in my house, it didn’t really feel like I had made much of a difference in terms of de-cluttering.

So I came up with a new method for thrift store donations. Wanna hear my trick?

I put everything in the trunk of my car.

This immediately gets everything out of sight. Which I absolutely LOVE! If I’m ever on the fence about donating something, I can also put it in the trunk and there it will be if I change my mind. Let me tell you, I have put HUNDREDS of things in my trunk at this point, and I have yet to go back in and retrieve anything!

The other great thing about putting your donations in the trunk is that when you are out and about running errands and are going by the place where you donate things, you are always ready to drop some stuff off.

Now, my “put it in the trunk” strategy did have one critical flaw. As my donations grew, the pile became more and more out of control until it became too cumbersome for me to use my trunk for anything else. Boo. I realized that even my donations needed some organization. Here’s my before shot (don’t judge!).


And here’s my after shot. See if you can spy a super duper fabulous bag in the picture!

All of my grocery bags are over to the far right, and everything else but the stroller in the back are things to be donated. I’ve got the Reisenthel XL Shopping Tote which now serves as my donation bag. It is super cute, no? It’s also super big (26.8 ” X 17.9″) and super strong! It is the perfect bag to keep my trunk from getting too crazy. Plus, when it is full (like in the picture), that’s my cue to get my behind over to the thrift store and drop everything off.

This bag is also just the right size for holding sports or swim gear, which are other things that tend to stay in the trunk and make everything look a bit messy.

Reisenthel is a company that has been creating awesome reusable bags, carriers and home decor items for 40 years. That means that they were making reusable bags pretty much before anyone else! Their shoppers and tote are very popular in Europe and are making quite a splash here in the U.S. as well. The shopper I reviewed retails for $29.99 and can be purchased at Touch of Europe.

My BFF can attest to just how beautiful the bags are, as she was visiting when mine arrived. We used it to load up everything we needed for a day trip out with the girls, and after watching it in use, she said, “Are you going to give one of those away? Because they are awesome!”

Why yes, I am!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Reisenthel XL Shopping Tote (sponsor will choose the pattern). Awesome! The contest will run until July 27th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Check out the super impressive selection of Reisenthel products and tell me about another one that you really love. You are going to flip when you see all the pretty!My answer: I really want a carrybag for trips to the farmer’s market!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Reisenthel on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by email or RSS
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my site.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary bag for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Envirosax Bags for Kids Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Have you joined the forces of awesome yet and ditched plastic grocery bags? If not, I want to give you a big dose of encouragement to go for it. Come on in…the water’s fine! As with any new habit, it can be tricky in the beginning to remember to bring your bags. One tip I have is for your bags to live in the trunk of your car, NOT inside your house. That means they are one step closer to making it into the stores with you at all times!

There are all sorts of reusable bags on the market today and they are easy to get or buy. It’s common to get a free bag now when you go to conferences. Stores you frequent likely have bags available with their store logos on them for super cheap (around $1.00) and you can definitely find them in thrift stores if you spend a bit of time looking for them.

And one more thing: I have frequently had cashiers hesitate to put heavy items in my reusable bags because they assume that they won’t hold as much as a plastic bag. ON THE CONTRARY!!!! They hold up MUCH better than plastic. I have yet to have a reusable bag bust on me while carrying in my groceries. I can’t say the same for plastic.

If you aren’t so much into having bags with company logos on them, and want something that expresses your personality a bit more, I can’t think of a better company to try than Envirosax. These are reusable totes taken to the next level because they are SO STINKIN’ CUTE!!!

Envirosax will outfit you beautifully for any shopping trip. But they go beyond helping the moms and dads out there look smashing while shopping. They’ve got bags for the kiddos, too! We have been using the robot bag, and we are so in love with it! These bags have SO many uses. Darah has pretty much outgrown needing a diaper bag since she is potty trained. But that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have various supplies that we need to take with us if we are going on a big outing. I love that Envirosax are so versatile. They can hold up to 44 pounds of stuff (!!!), they fold up nice and tiny, they weigh pretty much nothing on their own and they stand out in a crowd. On a recent trip, we used this bag to hold all of Darah’s snacks for the drive and all her toys and books. When Darah gets older and can be my big helper when out grocery shopping, we’ll bring this bag along so that she will have something to carry that is all hers.

Buy it!: Envirosax start at $8.95 and are worth every penny and then some. You MUST check out all their print options…you’ll be blown away by the beauty!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a kids tote in your choice of print! The contest will run until July 4th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit on entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me the kids tote you will choose if you win. Choose wisely, as the winner will get what s/he selects for this entry!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Envirosax on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Reusable Bags for Kids

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Brandi, the brains behind an Etsy shop I love (Pannaz), has brought us several super cute products over the past few months, including her reusable nursing pads, her custom soft-soled shoes, and her amazing pillowcase dresses. She has outdone herself once again! Check out these adorable reusable bags!

reusable bags for kids in sesame street print Darah will be toting these to Parent’s Day out for the next few years, and they will also be going with her to preschool and kindergarten! The velcro is sturdy, but not too difficult for little hands to open.

I am especially keen on the size and shape of the snack bags Brandi makes. They are short, but also long, which means they will hold things like string cheese very well. They are also the perfect container for some grapes or the ever-popular goldfish. The sandwich bag can hold…you guessed it…a sandwich! It is also perfect for pretzels, potato chips, large crackers or carrot sticks.

Darah with reusable bags for kids The very first day I used them, I had some milk spill on to the bag while we were en route to daycare. I was so sure that the snacks I had put inside would be wet, but they were completely dry! I was surprised, and so pleased!

There are many great reusable bags on the market these days, and the ones Brandi sells at Pannaz are truly perfect for your little ones. The fabric is adorable, the size is just right and they keep messes at bay with their waterproof inner lining. I’ve also washed them several times and they are holding up just beautifully. I’d recommend these to anyone who is sending sending a child to daycare or school with a packed lunch.

Buy it! Pannaz has a few different styles to choose from, but if you are looking for certain colors or patterns, just send Brandi a convo and she can work with you to create a custom set. The sandwich and snack bag combo set is a reasonable $12.00!

Edit: This giveaway is now closed

Win it!: Just in time for the new school year, one lucky reader is going to snag a matching sandwich and snack bag in your choice of available fabrics. Yipee! The contest will run until September 11th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be drawn using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is drawn. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me about snacks in your house. What does your family munch on in between meals?

Additional entries:
1. “Like” Pannaz on Facebook
2. Add Pannaz to your Etsy favorites
3. Suggest something for Brandi to make and offer in her shop.
4. . Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via email, RSS or Google Friend Connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe multiple ways)
5. If you are a blogger (must have written a post in the last 3 months) add my button to your blog roll and send me a link so that I can see it
6. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter
7. “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways (listed on the sidebar of my main page).
Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Flip & Tumble Shopping Tote: Reusable Bags You Will Actually Use

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I’ll admit it, I feel a little bit smug every week when I go to the grocery store, because I’ve made it a habit to bring my reusable grocery bags with me. It has taken a while for it to become a habit, but now, stopping at my trunk and pulling out bags is pretty much automatic for me after I pull in to the grocery store parking lot.

For some reason, though, this habit only works at the grocery store. I don’t remember to grab bags when I’m headed inside to Target, or TJ Maxx, or to any of the other stores that I frequent. Weird, huh? Maybe part of the reason, at least when I go into some stores, is that I’m not 100% certain that I’ll be buying anything.

I once tried to put a reusable bag inside my purse. Uh, yeah, that lasted for about 1 minute before I threw it back out. The handles were getting caught on stuff and the bag took up a surprising amount of room!

But hear ye! Hear ye! There’s a bag out there that is absolutely PERFECT for those “what if” moments that I have when being out and about. Check out the Flip & Tumble 24-7 bags. Not only are the colors bold and beautiful, but the bag is SO user-friendly. It has an elastic pouch design that enables you to turn the bag into a small ball (roughly the size of a tennis ball) in about 8 seconds. I’m the type of person who can’t fold a map to save her life, but getting this bag into the pouch was very intuitive, even for me, and it really was super fast.

Because it can become such a small object, it can actually go in your purse or your diaper bag. I’ve been carrying mine around with me for about 2 weeks, now, and it has been used repeatedly! And I can tell you that had I not had this bag, I would have used plastic bags in those moments, because I wasn’t remembering to bring in my canvas bags. Flip & Tumble saves the day!

I also like how lightweight the fabric is. This means that it isn’t adding much weight, at all, to my purse. Just because it is lightweight, though, doesn’t mean it can’t carry some weight! At one point, I turned the bag into a makeshift diaper bag for Darah, and it held clothes, toys, food and diapers with no problems.

flip tumble shopping tote Win it!: I have a Flip & Tumble bag with your name on it! (Well, at least for one of you). That’s right, one lucky Stuff Parents Need Reader is going to get the Pea Green bag, and you are going to love it!!! The contest will run until August 6th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will be contacted and will have 48 hours to claim the prize before it is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Limit one entrant per household, please. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory entry: Two things. First, you must subscribe to my blog via email, RSS or Google Friend connect (and let me know which way you subscribe). Second, tell me your favorite color bag!

Additional entries:
1. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter
2. “Like” Flip & Tumble on Facebook
3. “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook
4. If you are a blogger (posted something in the past 3 months) put my button on your blog and leave a url so that I can find it.
5. Tell me if you currently use reusable bags, and if you don’t, why not?

Be sure to check out all the other current giveaways, listed on the sidebar of my main page!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post may contain affiliate links at no cost to you. 

The Best Reusable Snack Bags to Green Your Lunch

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Have you tried out reusable snack bags? If not, you totally should! This is one more great way to reduce the amount of plastic you use and throw away, and it is a great way to save some money!

As reusable bags for food become more popular, the options just get better and better (and cuter and cuter!). Today I’m bringing you a fabulous brand that I think has the best reusable snack bags called ReUsies. There is a poem on their website that is a playful, yet still serious reminder about why ceasing to use plastic bags is so important. It reads,
They stick to our fences

Alight in our trees

Drift down our sidewalks

And swirl into our seas

They’re a pollutant on which our sea creatures feed

They are plastic bags

Our urban tumbleweeds!

best reusable snack bags in pink and green ReUsies are 100% cotton bags on the outside, lined with leak-resistant nylon and secured with Velcro closures. They come in two sizes (sandwich and snack) and in a terrific variety of colors.

I have used our ReUsies reusable snack bags several times now, and I’m impressed with how well they hold their contents (I put Wheat Thins in my sandwich bag, and I fully expected some of them to fall out, but they didn’t!). I usually just throw them into the washing machine (because there’s ALWAYS a load going around here), but they can also be washed in the dishwasher after they have been washed a few times in the washing machine. You don’t want to put them in the dishwasher right away because they super hot water could cause the fabric to bleed if it has never been washed before.

Overall, I found ReUsies bags to be super cute, beautifully stitched, roomy and well-designed to hold their contents. Sandwich bags can be purchased for $8.75 and snack bags are $6.95. Also, ReUsies is having a special deal where if you buy 3 or more bags, shipping is free!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need Reader will win a sandwich and snack bag set in your choice of fabric! The contest will run until July 29th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize before it is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Limit one entrant per household, please. Open to residents of the United States.
Mandatory entry: Tell me the ReUsies fabric you love the most (and choose wisely, as you will get what you select for this entry).

Additional entries:
1. Follow ReUsies on Twitter
2. “Like” ReUsies on Facebook
3. Subscriber to the ReUsies blog
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter
5. Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS, email or Google Friend Connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe multiple ways)
6. If you are a blogger (posted something within the past 3 months) put my button on your blog and leave a url so that I can find it.

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways (listed on the sidebar of my home page)

Disclosure: I received complimentary reusable snack bag products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post may contain affiliate links at no cost to you. 

Who Knew Going Green Could Be So Lovely? (Reusable Bag GIVEAWAY!)

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EDIT: Giveaway CLOSED!

I consider myself to be an eco-friendly gal. I’ve greened my cleaning products, many of my personal care items, and even some of the food choices I make. But there’s one area where I have failed. I bring my lunch to work almost every single day. While bringing my lunch is very wallet-friendly and arguably good for the environment since I’m not motoring all over town to find some fast food, I make a crucial error when it comes to how I transport the food.

Almost every single day, I use plastic sandwich bags. And I don’t wash them and re-use them. I just throw them away. Frankly, I didn’t give that habit much thought at all until recently. But I realize now that I’m being totally inconsistent by breaking out my reusable totes for every grocery trip, where I proceed to buy more plastic bags to use and throw away.

There is another option, I am pleased to say. Did you know that reusable snack and sandwich bags are available? And even better, they are really cute! Bleu Roo is a shop that has the cutest reusable snack bags that you’ve ever seen!

Amanda is the brains behind Bleu Roo, where she combines a love of the environment with her crafty skills and her embroidery techniques! She sent me a reusable snack bag to try out, and I’ve been toting it with me to work every day since. The outside is a cotton and the inside is a waterproof and stain resistant nylon. The bag secures with velcro. I have already washed the bag after using it for my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and it held up beautifully in the wash. It also line-dried very quickly. The bags are large at 8×8, so they can hold enough food for kids and adults, alike. Overall, I found these snack bags to be excellent, and I only wish I had tried them out sooner!

Bleu Roo offers so many beautiful items. I’ve put the hand embroidered snack bag on my wish list for Mother’s Day, birthday or Christmas, and I also love the personalized totes that Amanda offers.

Buy It!: If you use ziploc bags for your own lunches or for your kids lunches, consider making the switch to reusable bags. They are so much more attractive than plastic, and they will pay for themselves in just a few months. Bleu Roo has a beautiful selection with prices starting at just $5.50!

Win It!: Bleu Roo is spreading the love by offering one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader one plain snack bag AND one embroidered snack bag of your choice so that you can go green in style! The contest will run until Sunday, May 9th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it in your profile or else I can’t contact you to tell you that you won!

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry: Tell me the embroidered snack bag you want if you win (choose wisely, as this will be your bag if your number is drawn!)

Additional entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (one extra entry total, even if you subscribe both ways)
2. Follow me through Google connect
3. Put my button on your blog (leave blog url)
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)
5. Subscriber to the Sampler Village Etsy Team blog (Bleu Roo is a member)
6. Subscriber to the Bleu Roo blog
7. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

current giveaways: Hen and Chicks cloth diaper (ends 4/30), Sugar Free Allstars children’s cd (ends 5/4), MAM pacifiers (ends 05/07)
Disclosure: I received a product sample for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.