Sweet Memories: On Powerhouse Smiles and Rockstar Dads (Sweepstakes!)

June 9, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 11 Comments

What a weekend I had, friends. I spent all day Saturday and a bit of Sunday morning down in Alabama with 2 of my 3 siblings helping to clean out as much of my dad’s house as we could. He lives in a 3,000 square foot home and I’m not convinced that he’s ever gotten rid of anything other than obvious garbage since he moved there in 1993.

So, yeah, there was a lot of stuff.

We were doing this because my dad needs to downsize for many different reasons, the most sobering of which is that he has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. We aren’t at the place yet where he isn’t remembering who we are, but we are aware that we will be there one day. There’s just no other way to say this: it sucks.

Sweet Memories

But as we sorted through coffee mugs and Christmas ornaments that should have been sold at a garage sale (or in some cases just thrown out) 15 years ago, we also uncovered some things that brightened our spirits and made us all smile. And let me tell you, the moments when my father was laughing so hard because he was REMEMBERING hilarious moments were the best. I seriously wouldn’t trade hearing his laugh for anything (other than a cure for dementia. I’d totally trade it for that).

This is the find that made him laugh for the longest time:

Ok, so this looks like a pile of dusty trash, right? Well, it is that. But it also has a story behind it. These are the plastic rings that went around new gallons of milk. You had to take off one plastic piece for the top to come off. And BOTH of my brothers were notorious for flicking the plastic rings up above the fridge and onto the very top of the kitchen cabinets. Why? Because it was fun, I guess. And also because it kept them from having to take 6 steps over to the garbage can. Notice that the girls in the family did not partake in this foolishness.

This cabinet is WAY too high for my father to safely reach, and so, here are the remnants of several years of plastic rings from when one of the boys was the first to open the gallon of milk. It gave dad such a good laugh that it made me sort of glad that they did this, after all.

I was also delighted to uncover lots of cards just like these from my dad:

When I was young my father traveled a lot for his job. He was a professional musician in a band. He missed a lot of important days, but he always made sure to have a card with a special message in there for me. And in fact, by the time I was 7, he traded in his music career for back-breaking yet steady work as a sheet metal mechanic, and much of the reason that he did that was so that he would see his kids every day. I know he would make the same choice again if he could because he loves his children just that much. But I still think of my daddy as a singer (and he actually does still play with his band!). I mean, check out my awesome dad, folks (he’s the singer):

Truly, you guys, my dad is a rock star. In my heart, on the stage, everywhere and all the time. And the smiles he has put on thousands of peoples faces over the years can’t be erased by time or disease.

Oral-B Power Dad’s Smile Everyday Sweepstakes

Speaking of smiles, I want to encourage everyone to take a moment to enter the AWESOME sweepstakes that Oral-B is currently hosting in honor of all the great dads out there. There will be over $1,000 in prizes, and to enter, just share a photo of your Dad on Twitter or Instagram using #oralbsweeps. You’ve got until 6/15 to get your entry in, but go ahead and do it now while its fresh on your mind! Here’s my entry: http://instagram.com/p/oyytSGQU4V/. You could win the Oral-B Black ProfessionalCare 1000 Rechargeable Toothbrush, the Braun Series 7760 shaver and a $250 Target gift card! Enter now, friends. I’m totally wanting to win the Oral-B ProfessionalCare 1000 toothbrush, as it removes 5x more plaque along the gumline than a manual toothbrush. These gums of mine have a favorite hobby, which is bleeding, so I’d love to be able to seriously attack the plaque that hangs out near them! And don’t worry, I won’t leave dad out in the cold. He’ll be all over the Braun shaver to keep his beard nice and trim.

I’d love to hear about some sweet memories you have with your father as we get geared up for Father’s Day this weekend! Here’s some inspiration for you, straight from my dad!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Great New Children’s Books from Independent Publishers

June 9, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Affiliate links included. I only promote what I love!

Looking for some new reading material this summer? I’ve got a few new books that were sent our way that we are reading over and over again!

From Lemniscaat USA

The Mermaid’s Shoes is gorgeously illustrated, and is about a little girls who brings her memories of the beach back home with her after vacation. She searches for the perfect spot in the city to be a mermaid, and she ultimately finds it! It’s on sale at Amazon now and is a book I would very highly recommend for any mermaid fans out there!

From Floris Books

While we aren’t reading this book constantly, it is a really cool find for those of you out there with any woodworking experience. It gives some very detailed tutorials for introducing young children to the trade. If you already have a few woodworking tools on hand, then you should definitely pick up a copy of Woodworking with Children.

From Gecko Press

Tongue-twisters are always a fun treat, and Toucan Can! is certainly a good one! It isn’t too hard for a young child to attempt, though, and similar to Mermaid’s Shoes, it also has really beautiful illustrations. This is also a great choice for an early reader!

Other Notable Titles:

A few other books that I recommend you consider for purchase this summer are Pom and Pim (about the good and bad luck a child and his favorite lovey encounter throughout the day) and Watch Out for the Crocodile (about a girl and her father going hiking and camping, and all the things the little girl notices out in nature…very imaginative!).

What new titles are you reading this summer? I’d love to get some recommendations from you!

The Perfect Card for the #WorldsToughestJob

June 6, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I partnered with Cardstore from American Greetings and The Motherhood for the #WorldsToughestJob Dad Casting Father’s Day promotion and was compensated for my involvement.

Earlier this week I made a Father’s Day card for Tim. It is AWESOME and I can’t wait to show it to you and tell you all about it how ridiculously easy it was to make (this girl right here has ZERO crafty skills, so if I can make a card, ANYONE can do it. Promise). But now, after watching this video, I’m about to make another one for my own dad.

Did it get you square in the feelings there at the end? Me, too! My father has always been EXCELLENT at letting me know that he is there for me anytime and all the time, and that I can call him day or night for any reason whatsoever. I feel complete and unconditional love from my father. And as a parent, myself, I know that he has given me his very best by giving me that love. He deserves all the happiness in the world, and you better believe that he’s getting a card for Father’s Day this year. But not just any card, my friends. He is getting one with a very personal touch, just like Tim is.

How to Create a Custom Father’s Day Card

Ok, so about this “make a card” business: you don’t need to get out your scissors or your glue or even your thinking cap. Simply head to Cardstore and select the occasion, and the card template you like.

Did you notice that you can make a Father’s Day card for just $1.99 right now? That’s for a personalized card with your own pictures in it, you guys! JUMP ON THAT DEAL! Cardstore/American Greetings logos. We are still waiting on the link to the video – apologies for the delay. I’ll send it as soon as I can, but in the meantime, you’re welcome to get started drafting your post with a placeholder for the video!

I spent about 20 minutes making Tim’s card…not because it was a cumbersome process (not at all…it was SO easy!), but because I kept going back and forth about the pictures I wanted to use. In the end, I decided on pictures of his little girls looking silly (because they LOVE to play crazy games with their daddy) and on pictures of Tim with each of his girls when they were newborns. And for the inside, I selected a photo of him trying to pull the sword out of the stone…perfect for the king of this princess-filled castle!

Cardstore had recommended fonts and color schemes and I was able to do some customization within their suggestions. And as for the inside text, I had free reign to write whatever I wanted. I tried to think about what the girls would say to him, and this was the end result:

The card was ordered on Monday, and it arrived yesterday (Thursday). I did have the option to change when it was mailed so that it would arrive on a particular day, but I wanted to get it early so I could show it to you guys. I’m tucking it away until next week when I’ll let the girls add some decorative touches to it. I absolutely LOVE that Cardstore will take care of everything for you, right down to addressing your card, putting a stamp on it, and sending it in the mail. That makes life just that much easier for those of us who would rather not make an extra trip to the store and search through piles of cards that might not even be that meaningful to our recipient. But I think anyone would love to have a card that has pictures of people they love on it!

I truly enjoyed my experience on the Cardstore website, and would highly recommend it to others. The prices are excellent, the templates are plentiful, and the customization options are near-endless. Give them a try this Father’s Day! And while you are at it, hop on Twitter or Facebook and share some of your unscripted dad moments using the hashtag #worldstoughestjob.

Twitter Party

What are you doing later today? If you are free, join me on Twitter at 1pm ET to talk about Father’s Day, these awesome customize-able cards and to win some sweet prizes! Simply follow the hashtag #WorldsToughestJob and the host @lifeofdadshow. See you there!

One Less Problem Without You: (How to Kick Distracted Driving to the Curb)

June 4, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I know that Stuff Parents Need is a place where we tend to keep it light and breezy. My most harrowing tales are about the worst baby wipes on the market, and my words of wisdom are about things like how to make iced coffee at home (which I believe to be a quite serious matter, myself). I’m not here to be a downer in your day. You’ve got 99 problems but this blog ain’t one!

But friends, for just a few minutes, I’m gonna need you to take a knee and have a listen.

photo credit: The U.S. Army via photopin cc

Many of us are doing something extremely dangerous every single day. And in many cases, we are putting ourselves, other people on the road, and even our own children in danger. I’m talking about distracted driving. Now, distracted driving can take many different forms. Perhaps you rock out so hard to that rendition of Farmer in the Dell that your kids love so much that you even close your eyes during “Heigh-ho the derry-o.” We’ve all been there, my friend. But we’ve got to dial down our enthusiasm a tad since we’re operating a moving vehicle, ‘k?

And before I sound like Judgey McJudgerson, I will share with you my own personal distracted driving struggle: fishing around for my cell phone. Now, I’m proud to say that I cut the texting while driving habit a long time ago after realizing what a truly stupid thing that was to do (sorry friends…it is REALLY STUPID to text while driving…that’s not an opinion, but a fact). But a while back I realized that I was still distracted by my cell phone regularly while in the car. Perhaps I’d receive a text message from someone, or maybe the phone would even ring (almost always my parents…nobody picks up the phone anymore!). And then I’d find myself fishing around in my purse to try to locate the phone (my purse is like a black hole, I swear). But by doing this, I was taking one hand off the steering wheel, and definitely taking some of my focus off driving. Oh no….that needed to stop.

My Solution

My solution was to get a hands-free device for my car. Here’s what mine looks like:

I’ve had this for over a year, and at this point, I’m pretty good about remembering to put my phone in the device before I even crank the car. Should the phone ring, I can easily tap on my phone and answer it while keeping my eyes on the road where they belong. I feel MUCH safer, personally, by keeping my phone at my eye level while driving. I love this device so much that I got one for my brother-in-law, who was looking for something to help me not be distracted while driving.

A device like this one might be just what you need. Or perhaps you want to do something like a bluetooth device. Or maybe you just want to get in the habit of turning your phone off while driving. These are all great options! I want to encourage you to take a few minutes today to think about your driving habits, and which ones might need a bit of an overhaul so that you won’t be distracted while driving. Decide to drive while you are driving! Last year 3,328 deaths 421,000 injuries on the roadways that had distracted driving as elements related to the crashes. Distracted driving is 100% preventable, friends! The driver of the vehicle is the most advanced safety feature that has ever been created. Just something to keep in mind!

Contest Alert!

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the Auto Alliance want to help you better understand the risks of distracted driving, and to encourage you to Decide to Drive. Until June 13th, you can enter the Decide to Drive Catchphrase Contest. Somebody is going to win $1000 for helping them come up with a catchphrase for the campaign. It could be you if you enter!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I Stopped Sorting Laundry, and It’s AWESOME!! #LaundrySimplified

June 3, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

Well, well, well….just when I thought Purex had already invented the greatest thing ever to hit my laundry room (Purex Crystals, I never have fewer than 3 bottles in my laundry room at any given moment), the company has knocked my socks off (and cleaned them!) again. And this time, they are saving me tons and tons of time with sorting laundry.

May I present to you Purex® No Sort™ for Colors. This detergent is the reason why I can stop sorting laundry. For good. For real.

I never realized how much time it took me to sort through all the laundry in our house before each wash. I also never realized how many extra loads of laundry I was doing because I thought I was supposed to sort out all the pinks and reds for one load, all the dark colors for another load, all the light colors for another load, and all the whites for another load. I would often have maybe 3/4 of a load in any one category, but I’d go ahead just so that I could check that thing off my list, only to be right back at it the next day or the day after.

And now? My laundry routine is FAST. Like, it kind of blows my mind how fast it is. See this pile?

This is the pile the accumulated after 3 days of not washing clothes. It goes all the way to the back of the bed, so it is really quite large. If I had sorted this, it would have been 4 loads of laundry. With Purex® No Sort™ for Colors, I got it all done in two loads because I was able to fill each load to capacity with whatever I wanted.

It was SO awesome. I can tell you after having this product in my home for about 10 days now that I don’t do laundry as often and when I do go in there to tackle laundry, it gets done so much faster.

And are my whites discolored at all? Not one little bit! Purex® No Sort™ for Colors has dye transfer inhibitors in it, and that will prevent color bleeding that you might be currently sorting all of your loads in an effort to prevent.

Can I make a suggestion, friend to friend? Head to Walmart and pick up a bottle for yourself to try out. Go fast because it’s flying off the shelves!

If you have something with very vivid colors that has never been washed, it’s probably a good idea to keep it separated for the first handful of washes. But after that, let Purex® No Sort™ for Colors take care of it for you, and just throw it in with whatever else needs to be washed. This is #LaundrySimplified, and I’m absolutely loving it!

Don’t Fear the Color

In fact, I realized that I was saving so much time on my laundry routine throughout the course of the week that I had the time over the weekend to go do something really fun for me, and something that would bring a little color to my own home. We headed to a local nursery to find some colorful plants and a pretty door mat to help our front porch, which was pretty much dying from a lack of color. I mean, just look at it. So sad…

Thinking of my new favorite detergent, I said to the salesperson helping us, “We want to mix up some different colors all together!”. She helped us put this together for our front porch, and it has certainly brought some life to the front of the house, and I can see it through the window every time I come down the stairs. It’s like having fresh flowers on hand every single day. 🙂

I also found a beautiful WASHABLE door mat. And I kid you not, when I picked it out and showed it to Tim he said, “That’s going to get dirty fast,” to which I replied, “But it’s washable!” And then he said, “I’d be worried about those colors bleeding together.” JOKE’S ON YOU, TIM. That’s how people used to think about laundry back in the day. But that’s just not how it works anymore! And that colorful, washable rug is now at the entrance to my home, getting a little bit dirtier every day, and a little bit closer to its upcoming rendezvous with Purex® No Sort™ for Colors.

Want to follow the latest and greatest from Purex (because clearly they are rockin’ out with their innovations!). My two favorite ways to keep up with them are on Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook!

What do you think about this new product from Purex? Think it might save you a ton of time in the laundry room, too?

Survive the First 24 Hours with a Basic Training Manual for Dad (GIVEAWAY!!!)

June 3, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 31 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Commando Dad.

by Alanna Peters

How many expecting moms do you know? I’m sure you can quickly think of one (or three…or ten!), assuming your Facebook feed looks anything at all like mine!

Now, what if I ask you how many expecting dads you know? You may have to stop and think for a minute. I feel like dads often get a little overlooked in the excitement of a new pregnancy. So, now that Mother’s Day has come and gone, it’s time to start thinking about our dads (and dads-to-be)!

When I was pregnant the first time I had shelves full of childbirth books but I didn’t really have any books about actually taking care of a baby. I am the oldest of 6 children and spent most of my teenage years babysitting so I was pretty confident about baby care, but my husband had pretty much zero experience with babies. He and I attended one very basic baby class (one of those awkward things where you get to put a diaper on a doll) but he still didn’t feel fully prepared for taking care of a baby. So many things just came naturally to me as a mom but for a dad who doesn’t spend 24/7 with a baby it can be quite overwhelming!

Neil Sinclair felt the same way and decided to write a baby manual just for dads. The manual he put together is called Commando Dad, and it is funny, informative and geared specifically towards the guys. Sinclair was a real military Commando in the British Army and his manual takes the approach of a military handbook. (Apparently Prince William even read it to prepare when he and the Duchess were expecting! I’d say that’s the royal stamp of approval. Haha. :D) Sinclair was frustrated to find that all the information he had received before the birth of his son was geared only towards birth and not beyond. He felt totally lost when they actually brought their new baby home! He set out to put together a manual to help all the other new dads out there.

As a second-time mom I felt like I didn’t really need a manual for baby care but I was surprised to find that the Commando Dad actually had some great tips and reminders that I hadn’t really remembered, or ever even considered to begin with. If you asked me how to bathe a baby, here is what I’d tell you:

“Fill the baby bath with warm water. Put your baby in it, hold onto her, and gently wash her with a soft washcloth and gentle, non-toxic baby wash.”

Helpful enough? For me, yes. But for a new dad? Probably not. Commando Dad breaks it down by the numbers:

1. What to bathe your baby in.
2. What temperature the water should be.
3. Which order you turn on the faucet taps (cold first!).
4. How deep the water should be.
5. How to put your baby in.
6. What to wash her with.
7. What order to wash baby’s parts in.
8. And so on.
(And just in case, he even reminds you to check the diaper for poo before popping your baby in the tub!)
All that may sound like a lot of information but it’s presented in such a clear and concise form that it’s easy-peasy to read at a quick glance.

Along with the bathing tips, I especially liked the tips on what to pack for going out for different occasions and the awesome tips for sleeping – both naps and overnight. (This is something we are still struggling with!)

I thought the book was an easy and fun read. The handbook uses both real and made-up military terminology – home is now “Base Camp”, an explosive poo is a “Howitzer”, and the baby is referred to as a “BT”, or Baby Trooper. (There’s a glossary at the end of the book so don’t worry if you forget what half these terms are referring to!)

Neil Sinclair is a stay-at-home dad so the book is definitely geared towards the dad’s way of caring for the baby. It’s easy to navigate for quick reference when you’re in the middle of a crisis situation. The Table of Contents very clearly labels the location of each topic, and the index at the end is helpful as well. There’s a quick chapter about preparing for the arrival of your BT, a chapter about surviving the first 24 hours (which is oh-so-important!), and from there it digs into daily life with your troopers. The manual includes training information for three full years of child-raising, including nutrition, potty-training, tantrums, and more, so it will be helpful to dads (and moms!) for quite some time. There is also a companion website for Commando Dad, which includes more resources, a forum, a blog, and even a store. If you know a guy who is (or is about to become) a new dad, this book would be an awesome Father’s Day gift! It’s easy to navigate, quick to reference, and it’s good for 3 years or more – what’s not to love?!

What are YOUR top tips for surviving the first 24 hours? What do you wish you had more instructions for during the first few days home with your new baby?

If you’d like to buy this book for a special dad on your list this Father’s Day, you can purchase it from Amazon.com for $12.45. Or, you can also try your luck and enter to WIN a copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Commando Dad. #CommandoDadBook

Twice Baked Potatoes with Pumpkin (For Real!!!)

June 2, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

This post brought to you by LIBBY’S Pumpkin. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last month I shared with you just a little bit about what #PumpkinCan do for your family as a staple ingredient when I gave you the recipe for pumpkin energy boost squares. Seriously, folks, we need to get past the idea that pumpkin is only for fall. You can find a can of LIBBY’s on the shelves any time of year. And I should know, as I’ve been picking it up on the regular these days!

Did you know that pumpkin can serve as an excellent substitute for butter in many dishes? Think about it. It’s got that smooth, creamy texture! I decided to put this idea to the ultimate test by replacing ALL of the butter in a recipe for twice baked potatoes. I’m not gonna lie, I was nervous, y’all. But the results were, dare I say, smashing! 😉

Don’t be scared by how you think it might taste. It isn’t going to taste like you mixed your baked potato with a piece of pumpkin pie, I promise! Just give it a shot, and you may find yourself with a crazy-easy way to work this superfood into regular rotation with your crew!

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes
1/2 cup LIBBY’S 100% Pure Pumpkin
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
pinch nutmeg (1/8 tsp, roughly)
green onions, chopped (I used 5)

Bake potatoes as you normally would. My suggestion is to use your slow cooker. Wrap each washed potato in aluminum foil and set your slow cooker to high for 4 hours. They cook PERFECTLY this way!

Once your potatoes are cooked, cut them in half length-wise and let them cool down for 5 minutes or so. Preheat the oven to 350. Then scoop out a fair amount of the flesh so that they look something like this:

Place the scooped part of the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients except for the green onions and mix thoroughly to combine. You may need to use a hand mixer, depending on how smooth you want the filling to be.

Now gently fold in the green onions, and then re-fill all of your potatoes. Bake the potatoes in the oven for 20 minutes and serve!

My entire family really and truly loved these potatoes. The pumpkin flavor is mild…just enough to make it interesting and quite good, I have to say. And I didn’t miss the butter, not one little bit! I’m confident enough about this dish that I plan to serve it to company the next time we have some!

And as for the leftovers? We had DELICIOUS pumpkin muffins for breakfast this morning! Once again, no extra butter needed! 🙂

Want to get some great LIBBY’S Pumpkin ideas for your next meal? Follow LIBBY’S Pumpkin on Pinterest for some terrific ideas!

Keeping Good Going By Supporting My Child’s Strengths

June 2, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

This post brought to you by New York Life. All opinions are 100% mine.

I watched this video of My All-Star Daughter 3 times this morning, all the while thinking about my two little girls, and in particular, my oldest, whose strengths are becoming more and more apparent by the day.

Strengths-Based Parenting

Tim and I have been talking about honing in on our children’s strengths since we learned all about our own strengths (it is such a powerful thing to know about yourself! Much more powerful than focusing on your weaknesses, trust me!). It is our intention to do everything we can to nurture and support our children’s gifts and talents, and help them turn those gifts into powerful strengths that will serve them well in life, both personally and professionally.

The trick (and it’s a true challenge!) is to see your child for who they are, and not who you imagined they would be. I don’t know if Darah is going to want to get involved in sports like the child in the video above, or if she is going to develop a true passion for dance, or long to get lost in books. But I do know this about her without a doubt: she LOVES to talk about her feelings and she processes information quickly, but carefully, and values having a sounding board so she can verbalize her thoughts. She sometimes tells me, “I need to feel my feelings,” and that often means that she needs to be near someone who can love on her and also listen to her so that her feelings can not only be seen, but also heard.

It is my great privilege to be the set of eyes and ears she needs on her while she “feels her feelings” and it is my obligation to teach her that her feelings are valid and worth being heard. I want her to never forget that, and to never allow others to shut her down, because I already know that when she gets to be her true self and when she gets to process everything around her in a way that leaves her feeling comfortable and safe, then she soars. She’s simply a marvel, folks. I have seen her in her element and it is a truly beautiful thing. My job is to create an environment where she can be in her element any time and all the time. And as she makes her own friends and forms special relationships with other people, it is also my job to help them see her strengths and support them so that she can be the very best version of herself and let her light shine.

Learn more about how New York Life can help you and your family Keep Good Going

I’d love to hear how the video makes you think of your own life lessons that you have acquired once you became a parent, or more about the strengths you see if you own children. How do you keep good going for your family?

On Mean Girls, Mosquitoes, and Reclaiming the Backyard (Giveaway!)

May 31, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 18 Comments

Special thanks to Arrow Exterminators for providing a complimentary pest control session for my review, as well as for a giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So last week my favorite pest control company on the planet rolled up to my front door to help me handle a little problem I was having with the neighborhood mean girls. You know the ones…

I’m talking about mosquitoes. And not any and all mosquitoes, my friends. Just the girls!!! The service professional that Arrow sent out was a certified entomologist (that’s a fancy way of saying “bug genius”) and he told me that not all mosquitoes bite, and that the ones that do bite are always the females. The males are actually pollinators, just like bees! Say what?! In fact, when Arrow comes out to treat a property, they will not spray flowering plants as that is where the boy mosquitoes like to hang out. As for the girls? They aren’t interested in nectar. They are on an all-blood diet. And they REALLY REALLY REALLY like my blood. That makes them officially uninvited to my backyard.

Arrow Exterminators offers a service where they will treat your property once a month during mosquito season, and the session is super quick. My yard (which is on the small side) was completely treated with 3 gallons of chemicals that are ONLY harmful to mosquitoes in 15 minutes flat. I noticed that they sprayed in some interesting spots, including along the siding of the house (evidently a place where the “mean girls” really love to hang out) and on lower-lying branches. The treatment was quick, but also quite thorough!

Last summer I wrote a helpful post all about how to get rid of mosquitoes. Definitely go back and give that a good read. I just did and it reminded me to make a few changes in the backyard right away (I’m looking at you, weird, overgrown plant by our back deck). But for immediate relief, definitely get in touch with your nearest Arrow Exterminators location and schedule a treatment. Remember to cut your grass just before your appointment, and schedule it for a day that will be dry and ideally not very windy. Those are the ideal conditions for optimal application! 🙂 You also need to let the product dry for 4 hours before getting back out there to play. The product lasts for approximately a month before its effects have worn off and a new application is needed.

Since we had our yard treated, we have been outside to play and even to eat a few meals on the back deck. Not one time have I been bitten, and trust me when I say if there is a mosquito within a 1000 foot radius of me, she will find me and bite me. But there’s a force field around my house keeping all those mean girls out for the next 4 weeks. Thank you, Arrow Exterminators for helping me reclaim my yard! 🙂

Win it! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader who lives in an Arrow Exterminators service area (found in Alabama, Arizona, Flordia, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas) will win a complimentary mosquito treatment service!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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