Stuff Parents Need

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

So Worried about The First Day

· by · 5 Comments

My little love will be going to daycare for the first time tomorrow. I am feeling completely overwhelmed with emotions right now, and so I’m reaching out to other moms and dads out there who read this blog and who have already been through this experience.

I feel very fortunate to have a day care literally a 5 minute walk from my office (a walk I intend to make every day during lunch!). I feel grateful that the staff in the infant room seem to genuinely care about the children they watch. I feel lucky to have a job, especially one that I truly love and that still helps us work toward our financial goals even with daycare in the picture.

But…

I also feel a lump in my throat and an aching in my heart. Nobody, not even the world’s greatest daycare providers, is ME. while I don’t have the most knowledge about infant development or proper childcare, I know for certain that nobody can give my daughter as much love as I have in my heart for her (a love that continues to blow my mind with its ability to grow and grow).

I have these horrible visions of my child sitting in a bouncer, crying out for attention and love. I know that the staff there will do their best, but the ratio of providers to children is 1:3, and its easy to do the math here and realize that not every child can be cuddled and cared for every moment. My heart absolutely breaks at the thought of my child feeling lonely.

I’m also afraid that I won’t send enough milk with her for the day, and that she’ll be hungry and I won’t be there to provide for her. I’m afraid that she’ll be overwhelmed with the intense stimulation that comes from being exposed to a room full of babies and noise.

I’m afraid of so very many things that I ultimately cannot control. A dear friend told me once that this is a large part of what parenting is all about…making peace with what you cannot control, and letting go. But I have no idea how to do this.

Any advice for someone in my shoes, who has to take this next step with her baby, which results in both of us growing up just a little bit more?

Slow Cooker Meals Made Even Easier (Giveaway!)

· by · 155 Comments

EDIT: THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

I have been back at work for 5 weeks, now. My husband and I each work 4 day weeks (10 hours each day). He has Mondays off, and I have Fridays off. We are very lucky; I know most working parents are away from home Monday-Friday, and sometimes even more than that. Even with that said, I’m still going to complain about Tuesday-Thursday. They are absolutely INSANE! We get home around 6pm. Our little one is very tired by that point, and pretty much eats and goes right to sleep. Once we’ve put her down, it’s 6:30pm and we have to figure out what to eat for dinner. We typically eat lunch around noon, so by 6:30 we are VERY hungry. We’re also pooped! Does this painful weekday scenario sound familiar to you? It’s so tempting in those moments to call Papa John’s or run out to Taco Bell for something quick. But doing so really takes a bite out of your budget and does nothing flattering for your waist line!

I was recently able to try out some yummy food from Delicae Gourmet that really did make a few of our weeknight meals MUCH less hectic. Delicae Gourmet has a line of slow cooker meals. You simply need to add a few extra ingredients (such as meat), turn on your Crock Pot, and walk away. We tried out the Big Easy Jambalaya and the Thai Curry Lentil Soup. The jambalaya was very flavorful, and was something with a much more complex flavor than anything we would normally eat on a weeknight. And yet, it was pretty close to effortless to prepare! The Thai Curry Lentil Soup was also a huge hit at my house. It tasted fresh and it felt good eating it, because the ingredients are so very good for you. These sell for $5.95 and $6.15, respectfully. I thought that the price tag was just ok until I made the dishes and realized how excellent they tasted, and even more notably, how much food we had leftover! The box tells you that these make 8-10 servings, and this is the truth, in my experience. Now I think that they are an excellent deal for a tasty home cooked meal!

When you check out Delicae Gourmet’s online store, you’ll quickly see that the slow cooker meals are only one of many different categories of food that they carry. We tried two other items in their line, the Sun Dried Tomato pasta sauce and the Lemon Pomegranate Marmalade. We used the Lemon Pomegranate Marmalade as a filling for crepes. OH MY WORD. This stuff was insanely delicious, and tasted so fresh! I would not hesitate to give this as a gift to someone for the holidays. It is a winner! The Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce. runs $8.50 per jar, so it costs a bit more than what I normally spend on canned sauces. Therefore, I expected it to really impress me. It honestly did! I thought that it tasted incredibly fresh. If I hadn’t prepared it myself, I would have bet money that the sauce had been made that very day, using all fresh ingredients. I would definitely use this in a dish that I would serve to company, and I might even take the credit for how delicious it is when the guests rave about it (because they definitely will)!

The owners of Delicae Gourmet, Barbara and Lenny, have a passion for gourmet food, and that really comes across in their products. Nothing that I sampled tasted canned, boxed, or stale in the flavor department. I would definitely shop from them again, and I would also recommend that you think of Delicae Gourmet when you are trying to come up with a creative gift for new parents, or for anyone who could use some help in the kitchen!

Buy It! If you are having a difficult time getting good food on your dinner table (that didn’t come from a restaurant) then go ahead and give Delicae Gourmet a try. I promise, their products can help make weeknights less hectic, and the price is much more reasonable than going out to eat!

Win It! The folks at Delicae Gourmet want to give one Stuff Parents Need reader a $25 gift certificate to their store! Shezam! The contest will run until Sunday, December 13th, at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be drawn via random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my winning notification email. Open to residents of the United States.

How to Enter:

Mandatory Entry: Go check out all the amazing products at Delicae Gourmet, and come back here and tell me one thing that isn’t mentioned in the review that you’d love to taste for yourself!

Additional Entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog (3 entries, so leave 3 posts!!!)

2. Make a purchase at Delicae Gourment (leave me the email address you used for the purchase) (5 entries, so leave 5 posts)

Disclosure: I was provided with samples for product review purposes. The views expressed in this post are strictly my own.

Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

· by · 1 Comment

kung pao chicken recipe
This is the best easy Kung Pao Chicken recipe I have ever tried. I LOVED this! It has a lot of ingredients, and the kitchen gets messy in the process of making this, but it is worth it, and all those ingredients don’t mean it’s hard…promise. I’m a huge fan of takeout Chinese food, and rarely do I find a DIY version that even compares. But this one is definitely a winner!

Recipe name: Kung Pao Chicken
Source: RecipeZaar
Servings: 3-4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 sesame oil or peanut oil
  • 3 tablespoons green onions, chopped with tops
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4-1 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes(to your own taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger (can use fresh grated if preferred)
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
  • 4 cups cooked rice, hot

Directions

  1. Combine chicken and cornstarch in small bowl.
  2. Toss to coat.
  3. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet or wok on medium heat.
  4. Add chicken.
  5. Stir fry 5- 7 minutes or until no longer pink in center.
  6. Remove from heat.
  7. Add onions, garlic, red pepper and ginger to skillet.
  8. Stir fry 15 seconds.
  9. Remove from heat.
  10. Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in small bowl.
  11. Stir well.
  12. Add to skillet.
  13. Return chicken to skillet.
  14. Stir until chicken is well coated.
  15. Stir in nuts.
  16. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.
  17. Serve over hot rice.

Nothing Says “Thanksgiving” Like Super Grover!

· by · Leave a Comment


Happy Thanksgiving from the Stuff Parents Need family (Tiffany, Tim and little Darah), and of course, from Super Grover, my favorite Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon!

Enjoy the parade, enjoy the food and enjoy your family! Don’t forget to enter the contest for the nursing pillow cover, which ends this Sunday!!!

The Importance of Nursing Pillow Covers (Giveaway!)

· by · 75 Comments

As a breastfeeding mama, I have to say that I have gotten some serious use out of my Boppy nursing pillow. It provides a really nice way for Darah and I to both be comfortable, which makes meal times much easier for both of us.

When we got our Boppy it came with a nursing pillow slipcover. We also registered for and received a second cover. I thought that the second cover was a bit excessive since we already had one, and I seriously doubted that we would get much use out of it.

I WAS TOTALLY WRONG.

Here’s the thing about breastfeeding: it can be EXTREMELY messy. It takes a while for you and the baby to get in sync on this thing, and as a result, milk is sort of going everywhere. The covers on these nursing pillows are absolutely crucial in order to extend the life of the pillow itself. I’ve already had to wash my nursing pillow a few times, and while it is still working pretty well, it doesn’t have the same firmness that it used to. A pillow cover can help prevent the milk from soaking into the pillow, though in my experience they are what I would call “water resistant” and not “water proof.” Therefore, having more than 1 is really ideal. If I had to do the registry thing over again, I would have requested one more cover for a total of 3.

I have found that breastfeeding pillow covers come in a very limited selection of patterns at major retailers, and they can be very expensive (Babies R Us is selling some of theirs for $20!). I have found some super cute ones that you can buy for a better price at Dance with a Dragonfly on Etsy!

Edited: Thankfully, prices seem to have come down since I originally wrote this piece. There’s now a nice selection of Boppy nursing pillow covers on Amazon starting around $9!

Erica’s covers are priced right, starting at $12.00 each. She has a huge selection of patterns to choose from, as well, so that you can have a custom made design that stands out from what everyone else has! Also, keep in mind that you will be spending A LOT of time looking at this pillow, so you might as well cover it with something beautiful.

boppy nursing pillow cover
Buy It!
Dance with a Dragonfly is a terrific resource for any breastfeeding mom. Trust me when I say that you will want more than 1 (or even 2!) covers for your pillow. Check out what she has to offer, and go ahead and buy something lovely from her! While the contest is running, you can snag 20% off any purchase of $15 or more (less shipping) simply by sending Erica a convo with “Stuff Parents Need” in the message along with what you want to purchase, and she’ll make a custom listing for you with the discount! Sweet!

Win It!
Dance with a Dragonfly has kindly offered up a nursing pillow cover to a lucky Stuff Parents Need Winner! The winner will be able to pick from a selection of fabrics that Erica has on hand at the time of the drawing. The contest will run until Sunday, November 29th at 7:59pm CST, when the winner will be chosen at random and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected. You must include your email address in your comment or make sure it is listed in your profile! You must complete the mandatory entry in order for any subsequent entries to be counted. Open to residents of the United States.

How to Enter:
Mandatory entry: Go check out Dance with a Dragonfly . Come back here and tell me one other item she sells or describe your favorite fabric from what is shown here.

Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via email or RSS. Leave a comment with your email address for the subscription (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
2. Make a purchase at Dance with a Dragonfly (5 entries, so leave 5 comments).
3. Become a fan of Dance with a Dragonfly on Facebook (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)

Disclosure: I received no product for this review, nor did I receive any compensation. i just think Erica has beautiful pillow covers!

Beef and Bean Recipe: Mexican Beef and Bean Casserole

· by · Leave a Comment

Overall, this mexican beef casserole recipe was very tasty and actually easier than the instructions would have you believe. The shortcut that worked for us was to add the sauce, salsa, beans and chili powder to the cooked beef (turkey for us) and let it get hot in the pan, which took maybe 3 or 4 minutes instead of 20 in the oven. Then follow the rest of the directions. Serve this with tortilla chips for scooping.
Oh, our head chef Tim has one more important note: 1 cup of cheese is ridiculous. You definitely need to double that, and don’t apologize for doing it!

Recipe name: Mexican beef and bean casserole
Source: no idea
Servings: 4-6, depending on appetites

1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
2 cans pinto beans
8 oz tomato sauce
1/2 cup salsa
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

Heat oven to 375
Cook beef over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until brown. Drain. Rinse and drain beans. Mix the beef, beans, sauce, salsa and chili powder in an ungreased baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 20 minutes. Stir. Bake another 20 minutes. Uncover. Add the cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes. Dig in to a delicious mexican beef casserole!

Handmade AND Inexpensive Toys for Baby

· by · 126 Comments

Darah has hit an age where her arms are flailing all over the place. She’s having a lot of fun with this, and has really been wanting to test out her newly discovered appendages. I wanted to find some toys that would help her understand that she is actually controlling her movements. A wrist rattle is one of the handmade toys for baby I would recommend the very most.

I found a great Etsy store called Lil’ Bit Sassy. Rhonda runs this shop, and she had the perfect item in stock. She kindly sent me a wrist rattle for Darah to try. People, this thing was a major hit the second I put it on her! Her face just lit wrist rattle handmade toys for baby up when she heard the jingle in the rattle, and it was so precious to watch her as she started to realize that she was making the noise by moving. Rhonda makes these in a variety of patterns, and she has priced them at a point that will make any frugalista smile: only $3.00! The picture to the right is a little bit blurry because Darah was constantly moving her hand, playing with her new rattle.

Rhonda also sent along a matching taggy toy for Darah. These are made from soft cotton fabric with ribbon tags on all four sides. These are also priced beautifully at $4.50 (if you’ve ever priced these taggy toys in stores you will know what a bargain this is!). When I took a stroll around Lil’ Bit Sassy, though, I learned that you can buy a taggy toy and wrist rattle set for only $6.00! These would make fantastic shower gifts, and the price is simply unbeatable. The taggy toys come with a teething ring, also. Darah is especially fond of this component of her new toy!

Additionally, Rhonda sent a burp cloth for review. These are new additions to her store. Darah received a super cute burp cloth with pink and purple owls (which happen to be the mascot of my college sorority, so that made me smile!). I really love the design of these cloths, with indentations for your shoulders. Darah put its absorbency to the test, if you know what I mean, and it totally passed! These are currently selling for $5.00 and come in a great variety of patterns.

Buy It!
Lil’ Bit Sassy has some truly terrific handmade toys for baby, at a price anyone can love. Please check out what she has to offer your little one! Rhonda says that she loves a challenge, so she welcomes custom requests, even of things that aren’t listed! Now that’s some serious dedication to customer satisfaction! She has a wide array of fabrics from which you can choose for your items here: http://www.lilbitsassyfabrics.shutterfly.com/. Rhonda is also offering you a smokin’ hot deal. While the contest is running, make a purchase and save 20%! Just put “Stuff Parents Need” in the notes to the seller and wait for an invoice from her before paying. I’ve already placed my order!

Win It!
Lil’ Bit Sassy wants to give one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a taggy toy and wrist rattle set along with a burp cloth. You lucky ducks! The contest will run until Sunday, November 22nd at 7:59pm CST, when the winner will be chosen at random and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected. You must include your email address in your comment or make sure it is listed in your profile! You must complete the mandatory entry in order for any subsequent entries to be counted. Open to residents of the United States.

How to Enter:
Mandatory entry: Go check out Lil’ Bit Sassy. Come back here and tell me your favorite item sold there other than items mentioned in the review.

Additional Entries:
1. Share this post via any of the venues at the bottom of this post (digg, stumbleupon, twitter etc.). Leave one comment with a link for each way that you shared or your username on these sites!
2. Subscribe to my blog via email or RSS. Leave a comment with your email address for the subscription (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
3. Make a purchase at Lil’ Bit Sassy (5 entries, so leave 5 comments).

Disclosure: I was given the above products for the purposes of writing a review, and received no other form of compensation.

Chocolate Chip Orange Muffins Recipe

· by · 2 Comments

I love making homemade muffins, because often the recipes are so simple. I thought these chocolate chip orange muffins had a terrific flavor, just perfect for a lazy morning anytime during the holiday season.
The chocolate orange muffins remind me a lot of an actual chocolate orange, a holiday treat I love. We got 9 muffins out of the batter.

Recipe name: Chocolate Chip Orange Muffins
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup oil
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, combine egg, milk, orange juice and oil. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Grease a muffin tin and bake for 14-18 minutes.

Why I Love Friday the 13th!

· by · 2 Comments

I’m not talking about the Friday the 13th movies, here…just the day! Does Friday the 13th give you the creeps? Do you feel like you have bad luck every time it rolls around? Well, Friday the 13th is became a very lucky day for me this year, and it will never be a weird/spooky day for me EVER again! On March 13th, 2009 I learned that pink foot with "it's a girl" written on it my little peanut was a girl. This was the very best news I had received in my entire life. It wasn’t that I DIDN’T want a boy, I just REALLY wanted a girl! So on Friday the 13th my deepest wish came true. I will never forget that!

What about you? Do you dislike Friday the 13th? Do you have a positive memory associated with it? Is it just totally irrelevant to you?