• Home
  • About Me
  • Policies
  • Work with Me
  • Guest Posting
Stuff Parents Need

Stuff Parents Need

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

  • Style
  • Parenting
  • Giveaways
  • The Kitchen
  • DIY Projects
  • Fun Things To Do
  • My Favorite Finds

Brand New Facebook Page

June 6, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I FINALLY created a Facebook group for Stuff Parents Need! Please come join me and say hello! People who like my group will often get an extra entry into my contests, so there’s a reason to stop by! 🙂

.

Filed Under: General · Tagged: facebook, facebook page

DownEast Basics for an Affordable Wardrobe Overhaul

June 5, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 324 Comments

downeast basics gray top

On Memorial Day, we headed out to the Memphis Zoo to enjoy the beautiful weather and the super-cool animals. I really enjoyed getting ready for the zoo that morning because I had a fun new top to wear! Check out my Appliq-A-OK Tank from DownEast Basics. I think this is the perfect choice for any fashion-conscious lady who still has to live in the real world and can’t dress like the girls in Sex and the City. As a working mom, I love the fact that this top is going to be doing double-duty for me. It is comfortable and simple enough to wear when casually bopping around town and going to places like the zoo. But just throw a blazer over it and you are ready for business, literally! It can be a challenge to find pieces that can hold their own simultaneously at the ballpark and in the boardroom, but this shirt is definitely one of them. And the price is oh-so wallet friendly, retailing at just $22.99.

This is the second item in my closet from DownEast Basics, and it certainly won’t be the last. Their pieces are cut so that they fit but aren’t skin-tight. They are flattering, current, but not so trendy that they’ll be outdated by this time next year. I love that!

If you are unfamiliar with DownEast Basics, I really encourage you to take a look around. You’ll find so many items that are cute at a price that leaves room for all those things you have to buy for the baby! A few of my favorite pieces are the Santa Barbara halter swimsuit, and the cupid cardigan. So cute!

green skirt from downeast basics Win it!:
Ok, Stuff Parents Need readers, it just might be your lucky day! One of you is going to win THE ITEM OF YOUR CHOICE(!) from DownEast Basics’ New Arrivals collection! Swoon!The contest will run until June 15th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Please be advised that the winner of this contest will not be eligible to win any other DownEast Basics giveaway on my site for 90 days.

Edit: This giveaway is CLOSED

Mandatory Entry: Tell me the item you would choose from their new arrivals if you are selected as the winner! Be sure to include your size and color preference. What you choose here will be the item you receive if you win!

Additional Entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS, email or Google friend connect (you can get up to 3 extra entries, one for each way that you follow the blog)
2. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
3. Follow DownEast Basics on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
4. “Like” DownEast Basics on Facebook

5. “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook
6. If you are a blogger, add my button to your blog (and leave your url so I can see it!)

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways · Tagged: affordable clothing, cute tops, down east basics, down east clothing, down east outfitters, downeast, downeast basics, downeast basics review, downeast clothing, downeast outfitters, downeastbasics, giveaway, online fashion shopping, review

6 Giveaways You Don’t Want to Miss!

June 4, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

If you are new to Stuff Parents Need, or if you are just behind in reading all your blogs, make sure you take a moment to enter all the great giveaways happening here right now!

ending 06/06 Luxury Mouse Pad (great Father’s Day gift!)

ending 06/07 Freshhanger set (another great Father’s Day gift…super useful!)

ending 06/10 eBags packing cubes (a must-have for your summer vacation!)

ending 06/12 professional photographic art (GORGEOUS stuff to adorn your walls!)

ending 06/13 Medela nursing camisole (perfect baby shower gift!)

ending 06/22 $20 gift card to Amazon (and a list of other awesome review and giveaway blogs!)

Next week there are more amazing reviews and giveaways coming your way, so stay tuned. I promise you won’t want to miss them!

Filed Under: Giveaways · Tagged: ebags packing cubes, Freshhanger set, giveaways, Luxury Mouse Pad

Meet the Double Duty Divas

June 4, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 50 Comments

pink double duty divas logo

I’m part of a wonderful blog network called Double Duty Divas. This network provides support for product review bloggers who balance family, blogging, and often part or full-time employment as well. Companies who work through this network are offered effective online advertising and multi-blog discounts. It is a great community to be a part of and to work with. If you are a blogger or if you have a product you would like to promote, you should definitely check out Double Duty Divas. Tell them Stuff Parents Need sent you!

One of the things I like the very best about being part of this network is that there are so many other cool people who are a part of it! Now you have a chance to meet the Divas, yourself, and possibly even win! Check out the list of great review and giveaway blogs below. For each one you subscribe to, come back here and leave one comment stating that you did (you can leave up to 26, total!). Once the contest has ended (on 6/22), one winner will be chosen from all entries. The prize? A $20 gift card to Amazon! Plus, if you sign up for these new blogs and start entering their giveaways, you will probably win something else, in time! 🙂 Good luck, and enjoy the new blogs you are about to find!

Cool Baby Kid
Experimental Mommy
Just a mom’s take on things…
The Bragging Mommy
A Mom’s Impression
Simply Being Mommy
The Art of Being Mom
Real Moms Real Views
A Nut in a Nutshell
The B Keeps Us Honest
Moody Mama Says
Stuff Parents Need
Simply Stacie
Katie’s Nesting Spot
Simply Living On a Budget
Mama’s Money Savers
Out of the Notebook and Into the Blog
“Deal”icious Mom
Hyperactive Lu
Sweet Posh Baby
Keeper of the Cheerios
Champagne Living
Before the Baby Wakes
Little People Wealth
The 24/7 Mom
Lipstick to Crayons

Disclosure: This post is part of a cross-promotional opportunity with the Double Duty Divas.

Filed Under: Giveaways · Tagged: amazon gift card, amazon gift cards, blog network, blog networks, double duty divas, mom blog network

Nursing Apparel from Medela

June 3, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 111 Comments

As many of you know, I’m a working mom who is still breastfeeding (a commitment that is not without its challenges!). I have the good fortune of having my daughter in a daycare that is literally across the street from where I work. This makes it possible for me to visit her every day at lunch and breastfeed her at that time.

Because I can breastfeed during my work day, I have to give careful thought to the clothes that I am wearing. I feed Darah right in her classroom, since the daycare doesn’t have any private space. I need to be able to get my clothes away from my chest without totally exposing myself in the process. Trust me, it’s tricky to do!

Medela, the company that is known for its top of the line breast pumps
has also created some nursing wear that helps breastfeeding moms out in similar situations. They have a nursing camisole that I had the opportunity to try it out, and I LOVE it! It has pretty much revolutionized my work wardrobe in terms of making it nursing friendly. The lace along the edges help dress it up a bit to make it work appropriate. I also found that it provided a great deal of support. As someone with larger breasts, I find it difficult to find tank tops or camisoles that offer the support I need, but this one does the trick. Thank you, Medela!

Overall, I’d have to say that Medela is definitely on to something good with the creation of this nursing camisole. I get the sense that this company is committed to turning out products that are high quality and do the job they need to do very well. This top gets an A+ from me and has turned me into even more of a Medela fan than I already was!

Are you already a fan of Medela? If you want to be even more involved, fill out the survey at http://www.mommavens.com/join to see if you qualify to become a Medela Mom Maven. This unique group of parents helps inform others about safe, high quality Medela products; gets a first look at new Medela products; and is able to share feedback directly with Medela. To learn more visit www.mommavens.com. Also, Medela would love to have you join their Facebook group or follow them on Twitter if you are interested in learning more and talking with other breastfeeding moms!

Buy It!: The Medela nursing camisoles are available at a variety of online retailers and retail for $34.99.

Edit: This giveaway is CLOSED!

Win it!: Medela wants to give you the chance to win one of their fabulous nursing camisoles! The winner will receive a camisole in her choice of size and color. The contest will run until June 13th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory Entry:

Tell me the size (S/M/L/XL) and color (white or black) you would like in the camisole if you are drawn as the winner.

Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS, email or Google friend connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe more than one way)
2. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
3. Tell me one other product Medela makes that you own and love or that you would like to own.

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

Filed Under: Giveaways · Tagged: breast feeding clothes, giveaway, medela nursing, medela nursing wear, nursing camisole, nursing clothes, nursing clothing, nursing tank, nursing tank tops, nursing tanks, nursing wear, review

8 and 8 Meme! Play Along!

June 2, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Barefoot Childhood is participating in a really fun little game, and I decided to play along. The rules are as follows: Go to your eighth folder (of pictures); choose the eighth photo…then tell the story.

Here’s what I found:

So this is Christmas 2007 (probably not Christmas day, but somewhere right around there). We are just outside of Clarksville, Arkansas, where Tim’s brother and his family lived at the time. In this photo, Tim and I were enjoying the scenery of a neighboring town. We are actually in the parking lot of a Catholic church that has some of the best real estate in the area…on the top of the hill! Right around this area are a few vineyards where you can sample the finest wine that Arkansas has to offer. It’s mediocre stuff, but visiting the wineries was fun, anyway!

To the casual observer, we may look exactly the same now. But when I look at this shot from 2 1/2 years ago, I’m struck by how much younger we seem. We were probably just very well-rested. Sigh…

I’m supposed to tag other people to play along, but if I try for that, I’ll never get this post finished (just being honest). So if you have a blog, please play along. If you don’t have a blog, still do the exercise and tell me what you found! It was kind of fun to go digging through a folder I haven’t looked at in a long time!

Filed Under: General · Tagged: 8 and 8, arkansas, barefoot childhood

Affordable Art: Professional Photography Prints (GIVEAWAY!!!)

June 2, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 149 Comments

Edit: This giveaway is CLOSED….but the coupon for 15% off any purchase has been extended until June 19th! If you didn’t win but still want a print, now’s the time to order!

Even though I have been able to spruce up my desk space at home and work with the most precious picture frames (from Round the Bend and Quilly Nilly!), the walls at my house are still mostly bare. I’m actually not a big fan of putting family pictures on the wall (with the exception of the HUGE collage of pictures of my baby hanging in my dining room). I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, it just doesn’t suit me for some reason. I’d rather have art of some sort to admire. But I have trouble finding paintings that aren’t either really bad, really cheesy, or REALLY expensive. One medium that provides beautiful images at affordable prices is photography. Too bad I stink with a camera. Fortunately, there are folks out there who are quite handy with a camera lens, and today I’m going to introduce you to one.

I’m excited to be featuring a photographer from my hometown of Enterprise, Alabama! Blogosphere, meet Erin Johnson! Erin is a graphic designer by trade, but her heart belongs to photography. She is highly skilled, having the ability to photograph landscapes, animals, flowers, architecture AND people! Many photographers will specialize in just one area, but Erin does them all!

Erin sent me a beautiful picture of a pink zinnia to help breathe new life into my home. It currently is hung in my bedroom, at the wall opposite my bed. I’m really enjoying having the very first thing I see every morning be a beautiful image from nature. It lifts my spirits!

Erin has so many beautiful photos on her site, and I’m sure that there’s at least one that would look great on your walls at home or work. A few of my personal favorites include The Old Mill, Sunset Fields and the Ladybug. Erin can print these photographs in almost any size, so contact her if you see a print you like but you want a size other than the one offered! Her 8 x 10 photographs are only $18.00, which makes this art not only lovely, but also affordable. And that makes it a winner! During the contest, Erin is offering you 15% off any purchase. Just include the code, “Stuff” in your notes to seller, and she’ll refund your discount through paypal!

Speaking of being a winner, here’s your chance to win! Erin is offering up one 8 x 10 photo from her collection to a lucky Stuff Parents Need reader. Fantastic! The contest will run until Saturday, June 12th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me the print you want to win and where you would hang it. Choose wisely, as you will get what you select in your entry!

Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS, email or Google friend connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe more than one way)
2. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
3. Follow Erin Johnson on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
4. Add Erin Johnson Photography to your Etsy favorites
5. Make a suggestion to Erin for something she should photograph
6. “Like” Erin Johnson Photography on Facebook
Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways · Tagged: erin johnson, erin johnson photography, erin johnson photography blog, erin johnson photography review, etsy, etsy reviews, etsy shop, etsy store, giveaway, professional photographers, review

Finding Great Deals in Unexpected Places

May 31, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

This morning we headed off to the zoo. It was a big day for the zoo since so many families had an extra day to spend together. There were long lines to get in, and just as you stepped inside, employees were taking your picture (in the hopes that you would buy it). All of the food stands were open and the amusement park rides inside were ready to go for anyone who bought tickets to ride on them (at our zoo, these things only happen on peak days).

The zoo is a really fun place to visit, and it is also a place where it can be very easy to spend A LOT of money. So imagine my surprise when the main zoo gift shop was having a huge sidewalk sale! Many of the items were only marked down 25%, which is not enough to tempt a thrifty gal like me. But then I saw them….piles of cute stuffed animals marked down to $2.99! SCORE! I had already mentioned to Tim that I wanted to maybe get Darah a toy from the zoo today, and I was mentally prepared to fork over $10.00. So $2.99 was the deal of the century…or at least the deal of the day, I suppose.

Darah got to choose between a stuffed llama and a lemur, and she happily chose the llama. She had a grip on that thing for the rest of the morning…precious! I was definitely not expecting to snag a stuffed animal at 70% off at the zoo gift shop, and it really felt good to find a deal in an unexpected place.

Have you recently found a good deal at an unexpected place? I’d love to hear about it!

(pictures not my own, but from the world wide web!)

Filed Under: General · Tagged: gift shop discount, zoo, zoo gift shop, zoos

eBags Packing Cubes 3pc Set

May 31, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 198 Comments

We just returned from a fantastic vacation to North Carolina to see my bff and her family. Everything about the trip was relaxed, simple and fun…including the act of packing!

ebags packing cubes 3pc set We decided that we were going to pack everything that we needed for a 5 day trip for 2 adults and 1 infant into 2 carry on bags. Sounds crazy, right? Well, part of the reason that we were able to do this is because we could wash our clothes halfway through our vacation. But the other reason we could do this is because we had eBags packing cubes. This eBags Packing Cubes 3pc Set helped us keep our clothes and other items grouped together in the most logical way. For example, one cube had all of Darah’s diapers, bibs, wipes, blankets and clothes in it. Another cube had all of my husband’s clothes and the third cube had all of my clothes. Unpacking was a piece of cake, and when we needed to retrieve something from a suitcase in the middle of our travels (as you often need to do when traveling with children) all we had to do was find the correct cube and we could locate the item we were seeking. Our suitcases remained neat and orderly.

On our trip home, we kept dirty clothes in one cube, which really helped with unpacking. In the past I’ve had to wash clothes that may have still been clean simply because I couldn’t remember what had been worn or because I had to pack dirty clothes on top of clean clothes. This was a huge time saver for me when we got back to Memphis.

eBags offers packing cubes in a variety of colors. If you have several family members you could consider different different colors for each member of the family. This is definitely a set that I’ll consider expanding for our family when it grows again, and I think the color I’ll add to our red set is green!

You may be wondering if packing bags within your bags takes up valuable space and adds unnecessary weight. These are made from an extremely lightweight fabric. They weigh next to nothing, and yet, they can really hold a lot of weight. They are also very flexible, so they can easily conform to the space in which they need to fit. I didn’t notice any difference at all in the amount that I could pack into our suitcases by using these cubes. The difference I noticed was that the way things were packed now made much more sense, actually! I’m not the only one who thinks these are handy. It looks like 98% of the people who bought these packing cubes would recommend them!

One other item I’d like to try is their shoe bags. I love the idea of keeping shoes separated from other clothes, but sticking your shoes into a shoe box when traveling is rarely a practical solution. This provides a great way to keep your clothes from getting dirt that may be on your shoes on them without sacrificing extra space.

In addition to being so glad to have found these packing cubes, I’m also really glad to have found eBags! If you poke around your site you will see that they have an extensive collection of all sorts of cool stuff, from luggage, to you diaper bags, to wallets and messenger bags. There’s something for everyone and for every budget. This store is certainly not afraid to have a sale, so make sure you check out what they’ve discounted lately to snag a steal! One of my favorite features of the store is that you can shop for items by color. I love that!

Buy It!: If you are going to be doing any traveling as a family, take the headache out of packing and invest in some packing cubes. You will be so glad you did, and you’ll never take a trip without them again, guaranteed! The medium set I reviewed is currently on sale for $22 and is offered in 5 colors. There are also other sets and sizes of packing cubes that you should check out, as well!

Win It!: Now is your chance to win your very on packing cube set for your upcoming adventures! Thank you, eBags! The contest will run until June 10th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me about your next planned trip that you are taking (hopefully with the packing cubes!)

Additional Entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS, email or Google friend connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe more than one way)
2. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
3. Tweet the following: Great eBags giveaway happening now. If you are going on vacation, you will want to win this! http://tinyurl.com/27bkqh5
4. Follow eBags on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
5. “Like” eBags on Facebook
6. Post the url to one other item that eBags sells that you covet

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways · Tagged: best packing cubes, best packing cubes reviews, ebags packing cube, ebags packing cubes, ebags packing cubes review, ebags slim packing cubes, giveaway, packing cubes, packing cubes reviews, review, slim packing cubes

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 307
  • 308
  • 309
  • 310
  • 311
  • …
  • 326
  • Next Page »

Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome!


Grab your beverage of choice (mine is iced coffee) and let's hang out for a spell! I'm Tiffany, and I've rambunctious little girls and a fierce desire to share any tip and trick I can find to make lives with little ones a bit less hectic and a lot more fun. [Read more...]

Popular Posts

Keep Slowing Down. You’ve Got a Race to Lose

Keep Slowing Down. You’ve Got a Race to Lose

Free Summer School for Moms (You’ll Love It!)

Free Summer School for Moms (You’ll Love It!)

The Best Cheap Mattress is Also The Best Quality Mattress: A Must-Read

The Best Cheap Mattress is Also The Best Quality Mattress: A Must-Read

25+ Moana-Inspired Easter Basket Ideas

25+ Moana-Inspired Easter Basket Ideas

The Book Every Child Should Own (And How to Get a Free Copy )

The Book Every Child Should Own (And How to Get a Free Copy )

Recent Posts

  • Educational Family Activities That Don’t Feel Like School
  • How to Set Up Your Kid’s First Tablet (Without Losing Your Mind)
  • Choosing an Engagement Ring in a Changing Landscape
  • Personalized Clothing in Family Portraits: Showcasing Unique Style
  • The Psychology of Dual-Monitor Productivity: Why It Feels Easier to Work

Search

Sponsors

Copyright © 2026 | Innovative by The Pixelista | Built on the Genesis Framework