Stuff Parents Need

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

(Giveaway!) Small Changes Can Make Big Differences: The Supplement I’m Taking Daily and Why

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This post was sponsored by Nature Made® as a part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.

I’m a maximizer by my nature, and that means that if I’m going to add something to my daily regimen, I need to feel confident that I can reap quite a lot of of benefit from it.

There was a period of time, for example, when I got off the maximizer path and started exploring all sorts of vitamins, minerals and supplements, purchasing random items here and there, until my daily pill box of wellnes supplements was too full to shut. And that’s when I realized that I was going about my “maximizing” of wellness support the wrong way by just adding more and more stuff. This, by the way, resulted in me skipping taking my supplements altogether because there were so many it made me feel kind of sick to take them all. Instead, I needed to cut way back on what I was choosing to take and focus on what would provide maximum benefit.

One of the pills that made the cut for daily intake was magnesium. Are you currently taking a magnesium supplement, friend? Let me share with you why I think it’s absolutely worth my time and energy to incorporate this supplement from Nature Made into my daily regimen.

Magnesium is a mineral that your body needs every single day, and that your body uses to help support all sorts of important things, like nerve, muscle and heart function, healthy bones and teeth, and converting food into cellular energy†. In fact, magnesium assists in over 300 metabolic functions in the body. So you are certainly getting a lot of benefit by incorporating some magnesium into your daily wellness regimen!

I don’t know about you, but every last item on that list sounds pretty darn important. In particular for me, I’m interested in helping support good bone health as I age, and my understanding is that magnesium is quite excellent for supporting strong bones!

nature made magnesium

I picked up a nicely priced twin pack of Nature Made Magnesium at my local Walmart. Nature Made is the #1 Pharmacist recommended supplement brand in 9 categories** and is the nation’s #1 best-selling brand for quality vitamins, minerals and supplements* to help support nutritional gaps. I love that Nature Made Magnesium is completely free of preservatives and artifical colors, as well. And the price is right at Walmart, for sure. No need to wait until there’s a sale!

Additionally, I learned in the last month that my beloved coffee can actually be a magnesium leach, so I have to be extra conscious of making sure that I give my body plenty of magnesium for optimal function. I’ve also cut back a bit on the coffee to further help ensure that the magnesium going into my body stays put! I’ve been swapping it out for yummy spring water, making sure I have a few tall glasses of it (ice cold, of course!) throughout the day. These are small steps that I’m taking, but I know they are making a difference.

nature made magnesium 2

Do you have any health and wellness goals you are working on? Did you make some at the beginning of the year and get off track? I want to encourage you not to give up because there’s still more than half of the year left to make positive changes for your health. Every small step in the right direction counts, friends!

Nature Made wants to help you achieve those health and wellness wins, too, so be sure to check out the Daily Boost inspirations that can come straight to your email. It’s like getting a daily dose of Vitamin Do. 🙂 Signing up is free, naturally! You can also follow Nature Made on Facebook for additional health and wellness education.

I want to encourage you to do your own research and what support your body needs to function optimally. For me, that means taking Nature Made Magnesium and getting plenty of water in my body every day. It might look the same for you, or you might have some different health and wellness goals that you’d like to focus your efforts on. Either way, Nature Made can help you turn those goals into realities through their Daily Boost inspirations, as well as their product offerings, which you can find at Walmart.

 

Win it!

There’s a contest happening right now and I want you to get in on it before it closes on 4/26! TWENTY lucky entrants are each going to win a $50 Walmart gift card. This will be so helpful in jump starting your health and wellness goals or continuing on the path if you are already making progress in these areas of your life. See below for full details. Good luck! I-C will randomly select 20 winners from all program entries and will handle fulfillment of the winning prizes.

Nature Made Wellness 6

*Based in part on data reported by Nielsen through its Scantrack Service for the Vitamins Category for 52-week period ending 1/02/2016, for the xAOC Market. Copyright © 2016 Nielsen.

**Based on US News & World Report – Pharmacy Times Survey, Nature Made is the #1 Pharmacist Recommended Brand in Nine Categories – Letter Vitamins, Omega-3/Fish Oil, Coenzyme Q10, Flax Seed Oil, Herbal Supplements, Cholesterol Management-Natural, Garlic, Diabetic Multivitamins and Mood Health Supplements

Got a Mess on Your Hands? Of Course You Do, So Stock and Save (Giveaway!)

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The Walmart gift cards and information have been provided by P&G. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own. All messes are those of my little toilet-paper hogging resident artists. 

If you have little ones in your house, then I’m guessing that you also have toilet paper hogs running amuck. The truth about how much toilet paper one needs during a typical potty session is a matter of much debate around here. My children seem to have reached a very different conclusion than mine, and so, I find myself running out of toilet paper frequently.

walmart stock up and save 1

Fortunately for me, Walmart is currently running a Stock and  Save event on a variety of great P&G products, including the Charmin rolls that equate to 72 standard rolls of toilet paper. Boom! Now through April 30th you can find some great savings at your nearest Walmart on all of the following products:

  •        Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent
  •          Tide Simply Clean and Fresh Liquid Laundry Detergent
  •          Charmin Ultra Soft or Ultra Strong Toilet Paper
  •          Bounty Mega Roll Select-A-Size Paper Towels
  •          Luvs Super Absorbent Diapers
  •          Pampers Swaddlers Huge Pack
  •          Tampax Pearl Plastic, Super Absorbency
  •          Always Ultra Thin Long Super Unscented Pads
  •          Always Discreet Maximum Underwear
  •          Always Discreet Moderate Regular Length Pads

I also made a point to get some Tide and some Bounty on account of all the art happenings around here. We’ve been working on a new art center for the girls (post forthcoming!) and the good news is that their art supplies are getting used a whole heck of a lot more! The bad news is that there more mess to clean up after all those creative sessions.

walmart stock and save 2

 

Big messes are no problem, now! I should have enough paper towels to last me through the summer, and my girls will be home more often than not over those months, so that’s really saying something!

So before your next big mess or your next toilet paper emergency, be sure to head over to Walmart to get stocked up on great products for a great price. Your future self will thank you! 

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a $25 Walmart gift card! Woo hoo!

Please remember, while Facebook rules prohibit me from requiring a “like” for an entry, know that your likes help increase the odds of more great giveaways just like this one, so they really do matter! 🙂

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

Tip to Make Errands Easier: Purchase Everyday Essentials Online (Walmart Gift Card Giveaway!)

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The Walmart gift cards and information have been provided by P&G. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

When I go shopping, some of my least favorite items to buy are paper towels and toilet paper because they take up SO much space in my cart, and in my trunk. And that’s why I REALLY love to just order them online and have them shipped straight to my front door.

Did you know that places like Walmart.com make it really easy and affordable to do just that? At Walmart.com, for example, you get FREE shipping on purchases of $50 or more. And the prices you see online are, at least in my experience, the same as what you’ll find in the store. So what I do now is place a large order for everyday essentials to get free shipping and to get these items checked off my list for some time.

everyday essentials P and G

I also picked up some laundry detergent. Detergent doesn’t necessarily take up too much space in my cart, but man it’s heavy! No need to tote it all over the store, anymore!

Here are some of the items you can find at Walmart.com. Take them off your next shopping list and get them ordered right now! Easy peasy! I’ve linked to the products I purchased in case you need them, too!

everyday essentials tide

Have you ever shopped for everyday essentials online? Did you know it was even possible to do that for a reasonable price? Hopefully I just saved you some space in your grocery cart! 🙂 And if you don’t want to use a credit card, Walmart takes Paypal! I thought that was pretty cool!

 Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $25 Walmart gift card so you can get stocked up on some great everday essentials, too!

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

 

 

Nice Prizes for “Nice Guys” (And Gals, Too!): $25 Walmart Gift Card Giveaway!

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Thanks to Global Influence and Walmart for partnering with me on today’s post. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. 

Can you remember the first impression you had of your significant other? Was it spot-on, or way off? I remember the very first words I ever heard Tim speak. We were at college orientation for the community-service based scholarship program we were both part of, and we were going around the room stating our name, where we were from and one thing about ourselves. He was wearing a red shirt. And I’ll tell you honestly that I wasn’t dazzled by him. But that’s because I hadn’t planned on going to college to get my Mrs. So I wasn’t exactly in “man hunt” mode that day!

What He Didn’t Say

He gave his name and where he was from. He said he was from Fayetteville, Arkansas, which was where his family was currently residing, but he had actually only lived there for 6 months. He was FROM Washington state, which would have totally gotten my attention if he had said it, as we all know the ’90s were all about grunge, and for those of us not from the Pacific Northwest, that part of the country was so freakin’ cool.

What He Said That Mattered Most

And then he said one thing about himself. He said, “People tell me that I’m a ‘nice guy.'” Now, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about that statement, except for in hindsight. Tim really is a very nice guy. In fact, he’s so much more than nice. He actually did himself a disservice by using such a vague phrase to describe himself. But he’s also humble and not one to brag about himself. He’s a rare gem; one of the good ones. And I pray that our girls find partners as nice as their father. Because in the end, the kindness that Tim possesses is one of his greatest attributes. And it is one of the very first things I learned about him. I can’t help but think that my subconscious hooked onto what he said and put it in my mind to want to get to know him better.

 The Internship

Speaking of nice guys, they deserve to get to have a fun little break every now and again, and I know my guy LOVES to get to watch movies. The Internship is coming out on DVD, and it showcases just how critical first impressions can be!

Image 6

In celebration of the DVD release of what I would personally categorize as a “dude flick”, you’ve got the chance to win big! Check out the Walmart AXE Hair The Greatest Place to Work Sweepstakes. Now through November 23rd, all you have to do is head to your local Walmart and visit bit.ly/axesweeps via your mobile phone and answer a few easy and fun questions and you can win ALL the prizes listed below (for real!):

An IT upgrade:

    – Touch Screen Notebook- Mini Tablet- HDTV

Gym Benefits:

    – Home gym- AXE® Styling Products

A sweet cafeteria situation:

    – Mini-fridge- Coffemaker- Blender- Snack Supply

A smooth commute:

    – Electric Bike

A better break room:

    – Gaming console + 5 Games- Recliner- Massage Table- Putting Green- Media Streaming Device

Additionally, 3 finalists each week are going to score the following:

  • $250 Walmart gift card
  • The Internship DVD
  • AXE® Styling Products

And after you enter to win all these amazing prizes, come back over here and enter to win a $25 Walmart gift card, just for my readers! Woo hoo!

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

Did you Know My Father is an Artist? (Gift Card Giveaway!)

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As a mother, I know all too well how a parent’s heart just swells with pride when they look at their children. We are delighted and awed by the amazing little people our children are, and I can only imagine how amazing it will be to watch my girls grow up and see their personalities come into full bloom. Doesn’t it blow your mind to realize that your parent or parents love/loved you this much, too??

But today I don’t want to talk about how much I love my kids or how much my parents love me. I want to talk about how proud I am of my father and how much I love him! He’s the hardest working person I have ever known, and has spent decades working as a sheet metal mechanic so that he could provide for his family. That work is back-breaking and it has nearly broken him on several occasions, but he hasn’t stopped for longer than was medically necessary.

I’m so happy to report that he is now retired from that line of work. Unfortunately, his retirement came about due to the plant where he worked closing down. But I honestly believed that job would eventually kill him, so even though the financial stress of not having that job is a reality for him, I can’t help but be happy that he isn’t there any more.

Part of the reason why I’m so thrilled is because he now has more time to pursue a passion of his, which is decoupage. My dad has been doing this type of art for as long as I can remember. I distinctly remember a trunk he created with pictures of his family all over it. I don’t think I was more than 4 or 5 when he made it. He has his own unique style that admittedly, not everyone can appreciate. He calls it “collage-a-page” because it is decoupage but with a collage-type style to it.

decoupage by dero

If you look closely at any of his pieces, though, you will really be blown away by the stories they tell. So much thought goes into where each image is placed, and there are so many little hidden treasures just waiting to be found. This is what makes dad’s art so special and not just a craft or a hobby.

I am so proud of him, and so proud that thanks to help from my older brother, he now has a Facebook page where he can start to display some of his pieces. He can also take requests for custom designs. And his work is affordable, too, as he says that the process of making these pieces is therapeutic for him, and he considers it part of his payment. 🙂

decoupage 2

I want the world to see what unique and fun art my father makes, and I can’t think of a better forum to do that than through Facebook (unless, of course, the Met wants to display his pieces, in which case they should send me an email!). Each Facebook like my father receives fills him with joy. He carefully watches to see where folks who like him are from and it just tickles him to no end when someone he doesn’t personally know “likes” his page.

So let’s give my dad the best two weeks ever. The contest will end on his birthday, and I can’t think of a better gift for him than for his Facebook page to grow!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $20 gift certificate, to your choice of either Amazon or Walmart!
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This contest is self-sponsored. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.