Stuff Parents Need - Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

How to Unlock the Magic and Get Free Children’s Books Online

February 23, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I am a member of Bookboard’s Blog Ambassador program. I am compensated, from time to time, with free products and monetary payments. Any views expressed in this post are completely my own.

I’ve been writing about Bookboard for over a year now. This is an online digital library subscription service that we absolutely love. At Bookboard, you’ll find an amazing assortment of books for every reading level, from pre-readers to young adult!

photo credit: Jenn Durfey via photopin cc

I’ve got a complete review of Bookboard here if you’d like to get all of the details. But what I want to stress to you today if you haven’t tried it yet is that you can unlock this service for a period of time FOR FREE. Your credit card information is NOT collected…Bookboard couldn’t charge you if they tried! 🙂

If you are like me, you’ve signed up for subscription service trials before and then forgotten about them…that is, until your credit card bill came. Darn it!!! But that’s not the case for Bookboard. When you sign up for the free trial, there are truly no strings attached; nothing to remember to cancel. While the exact number of books you’ll get to read for free varies by age range, a safe bet is right around 8 (I think we read 14 before our trial was over, so it may be more books for younger readers?).

In any case, it is a very generous and fun trial. Bookboard provides such a nice free trial because they believe that you will love the service so much that you’ll want to subscribe. Subscriptions are as low as $4.99/month (if you purchase a 6 month subscription). In my opinion, it is a BARGAIN. But why don’t you decide for yourself and check out Bookboard today for free? It’s like going to the library without having to leave the house! 🙂

Cruising with Kids on Royal Caribbean: What It’s Really Like

February 22, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Today I want to talk about cruising with kids. When Tim and I sailed on Freedom of the Seas (click the link for my thoughts on this ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet!), we went without our kids. And I’ve got a post I’ll be writing next month all about how important it is to get away WITHOUT your children. I mean, you get to eat incredible food without having to make it, share it, or clean up afterward, for goodness sake!

cruising with kids on Royal Caribbean Madagascar

But I know that isn’t always possible, and I also know that it is fun to have vacations as a family. And I will tell you, I don’ t think anyone on the press trip was more surprised than me about just how kid-friendly cruising could be. I had no idea! And while I don’t regret NOT bringing my kids, I can tell you now that I wouldn’t hesitate to take them on a family cruise in the future.

Royal Caribbean has a great partnership with DreamWorks, and that means that you’ll find fun characters from movies like Madagascar and Shrek popping up on the ship. They are so fun to encounter! You also can take your kids to the movies in the theater (we caught a 3D matinee showing of The Croods and absolutely loved it!). Or maybe you want to enjoy breakfast with the characters. Royal Caribbean offers a special character breakfast, so you can definitely do that!

Another fun special program that might be of interest to little ones is the Barbie Premium Experience. This comes at an additional cost of $199, but includes SO many fun things! When you arrive in your cabin, you’ll have a special sign on your door including your child as a Barbie girl on board, and you’ll also find a Barbie, some fun Barbie clothes, and a beautiful plush blanket and pillowcase set on the bed.

Your child will also get to experience a special fashion event where they actually make clothes for their dolls (I was super jealous and totally wanted to get in there and start designing clothes…I spent HOURS doing this with scraps of fabric as a child!). They also get to have a special tea party while on board. This is a great way for your kids to get to know other kids on board, too, and make friends!

If you are traveling with younger children, then you’ll want to know about the Royal Babies and Tots program. Babies must be at least 6 months old to sail, so that is something to keep in mind if you are expecting or have a brand new baby. Babies and toddlers go to the area of the ship shown above, where well-qualified staff are on hand to watch and play with them so mom and dad can have some time together.

The children participate in an art at sea program to stimulate their learning and development, and they also have an excellent selection of Fisher-Price toys to play with. They even have a very cool toy lending program. Parents can borrow and exchange toys (yes, taking them back to your room!) so that your child can have something new to play with every day and you don’t have to devote space in your luggage to toys! The nursery also has a lot of open play sessions designed for parents who want to spend a little 1-on-1 time with their kiddos in a very baby-friendly environment. It’s also a great way to meet other parents with babies and toddlers on board.

One thing that is important to note is that the Royal Babies and Tots program is not completely free. If you want to leave your children to be cared for, there is a cost of $6/hour during the day, and $8/hour in the evenings. Each family is allowed to pre-book 16 hours per child, and can only book one of the formal nights. Babysitting time beyond that cannot be pre-booked, and is strictly based on availability.

I met the staff watching the royal babies and tots, and I toured the nursery and felt very comfortable with what I saw. But if you want my own personal opinion, I would wait to cruise with kids until they are 3 and potty trained, and here’s why: programs for kids 3-17, for the most part, are FREE!!!! The program is called Ocean Adventure, and it is broken up into several age groups, which I LOVE!!!

aquanauts 3-5 years
explorers 6-8
voyagers 9-11
teens 12-14
teens 15-17

Each age group has their own specific area for fun and games and hanging out, and their own dedicated staff. I was very impressed to hear that the children’s staff all have at least a bachelor’s degree in recreation, education, or a related field, as well as 3-5 years experience working with children. They are qualified!!!!

I was especially impressed with The Living Room, which is a coffee-bar and hang out space for teenagers. It looked like something I would have thought was super cool as a teenager (by the way, the baby toys are laid out because it was open play time…not because they thought teenagers would like them! The teens were out doing something else during that timeframe).

Activities run for teens until the wee hours of the morning, so they get to feel like they are having a true vacation and getting to stay up late, and mom and dad are also getting to have a true vacation and stay up late!

One other thing I really appreciated hearing was that unless you are a parent, you are absolutely not allowed if you are 18 or over. No exceptions. That line gets a little blurry between 17 year olds and 18, 19, and 20 year olds, but Royal Caribbean is dedicated to keeping those under 18 not in the same space as those over 18. Which is something parents of teenagers would appreciate, I know!

The children really have some incredible programs, from science, to art, and even to theater. In fact, we were treated to a glow-in-the-dark puppet show while on board. The image is blurry because the fish in the scene were swimming around. It was delightful, I have to say!

In addition to all of the incredible structured programming on the ship, you’ll also find many spots on board that are kid and family-friendly. The H2O zone is a colorful family water park (there’s even a small splash zone for little ones in diapers). There’s the flow rider surf simulator for older kids, a 9 hole mini-golf course and golf simulator, and sports court with basketball, paddleball and volleyball, and The Wall, which is an expanded signature rock climbing wall. There’s even an ice rink on board with dedicated ice skating times for families!

And if you just want to play some games, tweens and teens in particular will like the Challenger’s Arcade. You’ll even find movies for children playing in stateroom televisions, and adventure family library for quiet reading activities, and Royal bedtime stories happening in Adventure Ocean, where children are encouraged to wear their pajamas!

After seeing what Royal Caribbean has to offer for families with children, I can tell you that I’m pretty blown away by it, and that if I was a kid, this would be the best vacation EVER!!!

Have you ever cruised with kids? What was your experience like? If not, did you have any idea that cruising could be this kid-friendly???

Learn How to Sew: Where to Start

February 22, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Affiliate links included. Thank you for helping me support Vanessa!

Three years ago, after a particularly long session on Pinterest where I found countless DIY sewing projects, I headed over to Amazon and purchased the highly praised Lil’ Sew & Sew. It’s a very affordable sewing machine for beginners.

Thanks to Amazon Prime, I got it in just 2 days! Once it got to my house, it sat in its box, where it has remained EVER SINCE.

No seriously, it’s still in the box, 3 years later…

It’s not that I am no longer interested in learning how to sew. But I have no idea where to start. And the thought of figuring that out has overwhelmed me to the point of inaction.

So when I heard about and was sent Simple Sewing, a book by Katie Lewis of The Red Kitchen, I knew it would be the right resource for me. This is a book with 30 really cute projects, and with great visuals and explanations designed with the beginner in mind.

And I really mean that. Here’s an example:

I’m sure to most people, giving a visual of the right side of a fabric versus the wrong side of the fabric seems a little obvious. But not to yours truly! I need stuff just like this. I need everything to be broken down, even to a point that other guides assume I would already know but don’t. So thank you, Katie!

I will tell you truly that my Lil’ Sew & Sew is still in its box, and it will stay there until August when both of my girls will be in school for part of the day. But believe me, I’ll be breaking out my book at that point and will start to teach myself by doing these cute and fun projects.

Simple Sewing is available for just $7.99 (Kindle) and $15.15 (paperback). It would make a great gift for anyone, maybe even yourself!

Do you sew? If you do, how did you learn? If you don’t sew, are you like me and are interested but really confused about where to start? I’d love to hear!

Simple Slow Cooker Pear-Apple Butter

February 21, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 24 Comments

So lately I’ve been really struggling to find something that both the girls will happily eat. Especially something that doesn’t require effort on my part.

Just being honest about that!

Last week I bought some pears at the store because they were a really pretty deep red color, and you know…fruit…healthy….I’m sure my kids will happily eat it, right?

So they didn’t eat it. And to be fair, the pears were hard. Not unripe, just one of the types that is naturally hard. Know what I mean? So they weren’t super yummy.

But in a moment of sheer genius, I realized a few days ago that I also had a few apples languishing on the counter, right next to the pears. And I decided that in order to get my family to actually eat them, I was going to need to sweeten things up a bit. So I grabbed my slow cooker and made this:

Slow Cooker Pear-Apple Butter

3 apples and 2 pears (roughly 3 pounds total), peeled, sliced and diced
(1) 50 oz container of unsweetened applesauce
2 cups sugar
1 cup apple juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice

This is soooo simple, which is what I love. The most time intensive part is peeling, slicing and dicing your fruit. Once that is finished, throw the fruit in the slow cooker, and add all other ingredients. Give it a good stir, then turn it on low for 10 hours. That’s it!

Apple butter tastes FABULOUS in yogurt or oatmeal, and it even makes a great addition to homemade muffins if you are hardcore and actually make such things from scratch. I just put some in a little bowl and serve it as a side dish to my kids at lunch. It’s a hit!

Do you have any new ideas for kid-friendly foods that are working in your home? I’d love to hear them!

Want more slow cooker ideas? I’ve got a great list of slow cooker soups and a list of easy crock pot recipes. Give them a glance to see if anything intrigues your taste buds!

Honest Company Hand Soap Review: An Honest Assessment

February 20, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

If you are new to the blog, I have just started sharing my opinions about the Honest.com (or The Honest Company) products I have tried so far. I earn referral credit with the company if you sign up to try them out, just as any other member would. I haven’t been asked to post these reviews, but I wanted to because I’ve had trouble finding reviews of the individual products online when I have looked.

Here’s a list of Honest Company reviews I have created. And if you are new to The Honest Company, here’s the post you should read first about how to get all 3 of their trials for free.

Honest.com Hand Soap

There are 3 scents available of Honest Hand Soap. At this point, I have tried Lemongrass and Mandarin. And I have absolutely loved both.

I keep the Lemongrass in our primary bathroom. My entire family uses it, including my 21-month-old, and I feel absolutely no concerns about that, as The Honest Company hand soap contains no harsh chemicals whatsoever. It produces a good lather, without being overly sudsy, and the smell is fantastic (very clean and green), but doesn’t linger long after you have finished washing your hands, which I like.

I keep the Mandarin Hand Soap in our kitchen, which feels like the right spot for this fruity and fresh scent.

The Honest Company Hand Soaps retail for $4.95 each, which I think is a good price. A word of caution: I wouldn’t add them to your $35.95/month bundle, but would instead order them as add-ons, which you can get for a 25% discount. Since they are only $4.95 each, to add them to your bundle actually makes them cost more than they would if ordered on their own! A bundle consists of 5 items, which means that each item will cost you just over $7. Make sense?

I highly recommend these soaps, and am now in the habit of adding one on to my bundles each month for a great price! They also would make for very nice hostess gifts because they are both practical and cute!

$3 DIY Shamrock Garland with Glue Dots (Giveaway!)

February 19, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 48 Comments

Have you guys seen this cool product called Glue Dots? If you are crafty, then you’ve probably known about them for a while.

If you are like me, however, they haven’t exactly been on your radar. I’m not known for cruising up and down craft aisles, and I break out into hives at the mere thoughts of stepping foot into Michael’s. Crafting just ain’t my thing!

But I have two little ones at home with me, and they both love to get creative in various ways. So I at least need to meet them half way. And Glue Dots are super cool, because they keep the mess to a minimum whenever gluing is involved.

After Valentine’s Day wrapped up this year, Darah very excitedly asked, “What holiday is coming next? We need to get some decorations!”

So I did what any ~~cheap~~ sensible parent would do and headed over to The Dollar Tree for some supplies. Glue Dots sent me some of their products to try out, and since I lack the crafting gene and couldn’t figure out on my own what to do with them, I went to the Glue Dots Pinterest page first for inspiration. Luckily, they have a lot of it there! I found this idea for shamrock garland and determined that it was cute and easy enough for a 4-year-old to do. Which means it might be easy enough for me to do, too. 🙂

I started by cutting the gold ribbon to be roughly the size of my dining room table. I secured the ribbons to the table with removable glue dots. This would hold them in place, but also make it easy enough to pull them off when we were ready to hang them.

The original directions show a printable shamrock that you can then cut out. OR…you can buy a pack of 12 for $1 already cut, glittered, and ready to go. I bought 2 packs, and that was $2 well spent! 🙂

Since I had three strings and 24 shamrocks, I placed 8 on each ribbon, and I laid them out roughly where they needed to be before we started gluing them on. This gave Darah a sense for where they should go, which made the whole endeavor a bit less stressful. Glue Dots comes in either flat packages, or in adhesive rollers. I found that the roller was difficult for Darah to use, but I really liked it! So she used one type and I used the other.

Once we got everything glued into place, we carefully removed the garland from the table, one section at a time, and hung it up on the wall using the poster glue dots. I put extra glue dots at the top, middle and bottom of each garland.

If I had to do it over again, I would go with a slightly wider ribbon, as we did have a bit of trouble getting some of the shamrocks to stay put. I don’t think that’s a problem with glue dots at all, but has more to do with the width of the ribbon and how accurate Darah and I were with our glue-dot-to-ribbon connections. If it has been wider, we would have increased our odds of success. 🙂

But overall, this was a really inexpensive and quite easy project. Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it! And it adds some very colorful art to our walls for the next month, too! If you’d like to try this craft out for yourself, you can find glue dots in grocery and drug stores (I saw some at Walgreens just yesterday), as well as mass merchants. The ribbon and shamrocks can be found at The Dollar Tree.

Why I Love My Zubie Key

February 17, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

This post brought to you by Zubie. All opinions are 100% mine.

Zubie is the ultimate road trip buddy! I've been using my Zubie key for the last 8 weeks, and I love that it is measuring some of my driving skills (and deficiencies) to help me to be better (and more gas-efficient!) driver.

I recently checked out my driving score with Zubie (which actually measures how Tim and I jointly drive since we both use the car). Not too bad, if I say so myself!

The area that needs the most work is on braking. And I do hate to throw my dear Tim under the bus, but it seems he has a bit of a heavy foot on the brakes, as 90% of the hard brake reports are from his driving sessions. Before I start to sound like I'm implying that he's an inferior driver, let me just go ahead and tell on myself for my faults: I'm terribly pokey, and I will do almost anything to avoid getting on interstates. So, I'm hardly without my driving flaws!

I know we are just about to launch into graduation season (really…it's just 3 months away!). This would e a great gift for a high school or even college grad to help them learn to fine tune their driving skills, and to use when planning trips with friends, or to keep up with their family members if others have the Zubie key, as well.

I love how discreet the installed Zubie key is. And I especially love that it isn't terribly easy for would-be thieves to see, either. in the unfortunate event that your car is stolen (crazy, but it happens!) the Zubie key will report back to you exactly where it is! I would have LOVED to have had something like this in my car when I lived in Memphis (very high car theft rate there).

Sound like something you'd like to have or like to give as a gift? Then hit the road with Zubie! Order today and SAVE 20% by using code SAVE20FEB. The discount applies to your Zubie key plus one year of service! Offer good through March 31, 2014. Shipping charges apply.

And don't forget to follow Zubie on Twitter as well as on Facebook. That's the best way to keep up with discounts, promotions, and cool ways that others are putting their Zubie keys to work!

Irish Gold Cookies for Simple St. Patrick’s Day Goodies

February 16, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

I am a Reynolds Real Mom, and as such, have been compensated for my time. All thoughts and opinions express here are mine, as always.

Everyone knows there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect occasion for making some edible treasures for your little leprechauns. Keep it simple this year with this easy and fun recipe for Irish Gold cookies.

Ingredients

white frosting
green food coloring
Nilla Wafers
white baking chocolate
green and white sprinkles (I used Wilton)
Reynolds Parchment Paper

Lay out your parchment paper on a flat surface. This will be your assembly station; all the mess stays right here for easy cleanup!

Scoop about 1/3 of the frosting container into a separate bowl. Add green food coloring, a few drops at a time, until the frosting is the shade of green you like best.

Spread the frosting on the flat side of one Nilla wafer, and then add a second wafer on top to create a sandwich. Go ahead and remove any excess frosting that is sticking out of the side.

Once you have assembled your cookies (I made 16 at a time), heat your baking chocolate according to package directions. Once it is ready, dip the cookies, one at a time, until they are halfway covered with the chocolate. After you dip each cookie, sprinkle the covered side and top of the cookie with your green and white sprinkles. Then lay the cookie on your parchment paper. Repeat until all cookies have been half-coated and sprinkled.

irish gold st. patrick's day cookies in pot

Let the cookies sit for half an hour so the chocolate can harden. These are so fun to serve in a little black cauldron or pot, along with some chocolate gold coins and Rolos.

An Honest Assessment: My Thoughts on (Almost) Every Honest.com Product

February 15, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 45 Comments

I’ve been using Honest.com products (also known as The Honest Company) for a few months, now, and I wanted to create this post as a landing page for all of my honest company product reviews. I am not being paid to talk with you about these products, though I do earn a referral credit if you chose to sign up to try the products for yourself (every person who subscribes can refer others for credit).

Some of the products I have tried I absolutely adore, and others have been an honest disappointment. As I post reviews, I will create links below so you can read for yourself if I think the product is a “must try” or a “pass.”

If you’ve never tried Honest.com products before and want to know where buy honest company products, start by reading about how to get Honest.com products for free. There’s a way to get all 3 of their free trials at once! 🙂

Below you will find my honest company review for almost every honest product.

Honest Auto Dishwasher Gel

Honest Hand Soap

Honest Conditioning Mist

Honest Bathroom Cleaner

Honest Organic Dish Towels

Honest Stain Remover

Honest Bar Soap

Honest Scrubber Sponge

Honest Dishwasher Pods

Honest Bug Spray

Honest Sunscreen