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

Vaska Baby: My “Pure-fect” Laundry Detergent (Giveaway!)

February 9, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 132 Comments

by Alanna Peters

This baby of mine is due in less than 2 short weeks and I’ve been busy as can be preparing the nursery and washing baby clothes. (Even though this is my second baby, it still blows my mind how TINY newborn size clothes are!!!) As I started prepping the baby laundry I realized I didn’t have any baby laundry detergent on hand. Then, out of the blue, Vaska reached out to me and voila – problem solved! I received a sample of their new Vaska Baby laundry detergent, and let me tell you, I LOVE it.

If you are unfamiliar with Vaska (like I was!), let me give you a quick introduction. Vaska was founded in Berkeley by a fashion designer who was searching for a detergent that was suitable for delicate fabrics, sensitive skin and the environment. She created this line of laundry products that are pure: they are 100% biodegradable, hypoallergenic, never tested on animals and are greywater safe. Their detergent does not contain pollutants, irritants, toxins, dyes, or binding agents which allows it to wash clean out of the fabric. Sounds pretty awesome, right?! Vaska even claims that their detergent is so pure, you could drink it (although I admit I wasn’t bold enough to put that claim to the test)! You can find out more about the company by visiting their website at www.vaskahome.com and on their Facebook page.

Vaska Baby is a new product from the company, just released in the last couple of months. It comes in the form of scent-free tablets that have no enzymes, phosphates or artificial dyes and thickeners which are often found in other leading baby detergents. The tablets leave behind no chemical residue, and my favorite part? The laundry comes out SOFT. Like, really, really soft. After the first load of laundry I figured it was a fluke so I tried it again, and then again, and again. And every time the laundry came out mind-numbingly soft. Then I thought maybe my water quality had changed so I ran a load of laundry with my usual chemical, dye, and scent-free laundry detergent, and that laundry came out totally normal. So once again I tried the Vaska, and what do you know, my clothes were impossibly soft again!

I am so in love with this detergent. Vaska Baby is my new go-to detergent for baby laundry and I can’t wait to try their regular detergent for the rest of my family! I hear they have a lovely lavender-scented version (my favorite!) that I really want to try. The Vaska product line includes Vaska Baby detergent tablets, Vaska liquid detergent (scent-free and lavender), a color-safe oxygen brightener, and a lavender-scented fabric softener. Prices range from $7.99-$12.99. If you are ready to buy some Vaska detergent for your family, check out their website to find a retail location near you. I will be purchasing the detergent at my local natural grocer or at Cost Plus World Market. (You can also find it online at drugstore.com, soap.com and vine.com.)

Also, if you are interested in trying Vaska, you might be interested in a sweepstakes that they are currently running. You could win a years worth of Vaska Perfect laundry detergent, plus a $500 Cost Plus World Market gift certificate to help create your perfect laundry room! Enter here: http://bit.ly/1hsT85M

For another chance to win, Stuff Parents Need has partnered up with Vaska to give away 2 bottles of Vaska Laundry Detergent – this ends up washing about 112 loads of laundry!

Win It: (2) 42 oz bottles of laundry detergent – winner’s choice of scent!

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Chattanoogan Hotel: A Fantastic Place to Stay in Chattanooga

February 9, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

Last weekend I packed my bags and left home for a weekend work retreat. I really needed the time and space to do some strategic thinking about the blog: where it’s been, where it is now, and where I want it to be heading. It is really hard to have a good “thinking day” when you are surrounded by piles of laundry and other household distractions. Can you identify with that struggle?

The Chattanoogan, an upscale boutique hotel in downtown Chattanooga, invited me to spend the weekend there as their guest so that I could get my work done in peace, and experience what it is like to stay at the hotel and enjoy their amenities. If a visit to Chattanooga might be in the cards for you (and it totally should be), then The Chattanoogan would be an exceptional place to get to stay. Not only is its location downtown ideal for getting to the major tourist attractions, but there are also many great reasons to stay on site, too!

room at The Chattanoogan

I stayed in a room with a king bed. Tip: if you stay in an odd numbered room, you’ll likely have a view of Lookout Mountain!

As someone who was there to get some work done, I really appreciated seeing the outlets in the work desk, itself. That make getting plugged in so much easier.

And I can’t finish the room tour without showing you the coffee bar, which was where I spent a lot of time hanging out. I’d like to see the selection of coffees, creamers and add-ins go to the next level here, but this is a good start!

The work-out facility is small, but the equipment looks up-to-date. And I LOVE all that natural light coming in from the solarium.

I thought the indoor pool area had a New Orleans Athletic Club vibe to it. It was just lovely, and the water was nice and warm…perfect for a cold February day. The pool is only 3 1/2 feet at its deepest, just FYI.

I also spent some time at The Spa at The Chattanoogan. This on-site facility offers a full range of spa and beauty treatments, and as a local, I’m just thrilled to know about it and plan to come back again later this year for a deep tissue massage. I was pleased to hear that they offer various specials each month, and they even offer discounts to locals. 🙂

I experienced the Signature Chattanoogan 50 minute massage, and I added on a hot stone treatment. Oh my word it was INCREDIBLE!!!! And while I was getting my massage I learned another great tip for the locals: if you receive a spa treatment, you are also entitled to use of the gym and the pool, with their compliments! I think that makes is a fantastic value for those of us who don’t already have personal gyms and our own pools (um yeah, that would be me). My plan for my next appointment is to come an hour early and do some laps, and then head into the locker room to take advantage of the sauna and steam room!

One other amenity I want to point out, especially for the locals who may not be planning on booking a room at The Chattanoogan, is Broad Street Grille, the on-site restaurant. I was absolutely blown away by the food coming out of this kitchen, friends. The skill of the chefs is among the best in the entire city. Tip: ask the waiter to surprise you instead of picking out your own dishes. Wine pairings can even be done that way, taking the guess work off your plate and leaving you to relax and simply enjoy surprise after surprise.

I enjoyed perfectly cooked scallops (a very hard feat!) with a beet sauce made form local produce. I don’t even like beets, and I loved every last bite of this appetizer.

I also tried the pork tenderloin with a cherry-onion glaze and a side of polenta. Pork tenderloin is one of my all-time favorite cuts of meat, and I was so inspired by the flavors in this dish. Definitely going to try that flavor pairing at home the next time I make pork tenderloin!

Peanut butter pie with caramelized bananas came out for dessert, and I nearly wept at the sight of it. It was absolutely beautiful, and it tasted every bit as good as it looked. Let me tell you, no visit to Chattanooga is complete without dining at Broad Street Grille. It was a very memorable dining experience. And I learned that on Saturday nights, they offer menus for two that include appetizers, main courses, desserts AND a bottle of wine for just $65! Tim and I are going to have a date night in a few weeks, and this is where we’ll be going, for sure.

The Chattanoogan offers great specials and package deals, perfect for anyone who wants to explore Chattanooga, have a place to get some work done, or just go on a little retreat from the day-to-day grind. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it as a fantastic place in town to work, to play, and to simply enjoy the finer things in life. It’s the perfect way to experience the Scenic City.

If you have visited Chattanooga, where did you stay? Have any of my readers ever taken advantage of the spa or enjoyed a meal at Broad Street Grille? I want to hear about it!

A Favorite Kitchen Shortcut: Oven Pancakes

February 6, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 17 Comments

Thanks to Ronco, a favorite around my home, for partnering with me on this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own!

Friends, I love pinning gorgeous recipes on Pinterest every bit as much as you do, but when it’s time to roll up my sleeves and get to work in the kitchen, I almost always opt for recipes and shortcuts that will get me in and out of there FAST.

Ronco Pot-Sized Pasta

Ronco just launched a celebration of kitchen shortcuts, and has also released Pot-Sized Pasta to help things go a little faster during your meal prep. Have you seen it on the shelves, yet? It look like this:

So why do you need to purchase noodles that are half the length? Does that actually save you any time? Absolutely! When I have to break apart my pasta, a few different things happen:

I have to break it apart in groups, as I can’t get it all to come apart quickly.
Because I have to break it in groups I have to go as fast as possible so that all the pasta gets in the pot at pretty much the same time.
Because I have to go really fast,things get messy, and I always end up with noodles bits all over the counter and the floors. And that means more cleanup. Which means more time. 🙁
If I try to fit all of the pasta in the pot, I have to spend time squishing it down, little by little. That never works well, by the way, so I definitely don’t recommend doing it!

Ronco Pot-Sized Pasta goes straight into the pot, all at once, with no mess. It’s compact box also fits in the pantry nice and neat, which I love!

My Kitchen Shortcut

Ronco asked me to share with you one of my favorite kitchen shortcuts, and I knew instantly what I wanted to showcase: oven pancakes!

I make 16 pancakes at one time, and spend ZERO time in front of the stove pouring, watching, and flipping. That’s because I make them all in the oven.

To make oven pancakes, follow the directions on the box of pancake mix (because boxed mix is already a shortcut!), and then pour that mix onto a greased baking sheet (with raised edges). I followed the instructions for making around 14 pancakes, just to give you an idea of how much you should make.

It will look a little lumpy, but that’s ok, because you aren’t supposed to over-mix pancake batter.

The next step is to pop these into the oven, set to 325, for 15 minutes. At minute 13, I usually go back into the kitchen and switch the oven over to broil, just to give the pancakes a darker finished color. If you do that, you need to watch them for those last 2 minutes!

Remove the very large pancake from the oven, and cut into squares or rectangles, or you can even bust out some cookie cutters if you want to get really creative. One pan for me yields 16 pancakes, all ready at the exact same time!

I absolutely love that I can go do other things while the pancakes are cooking. It saves me a TON of time, and a lot of frustration, too, as I tend to ruin at least 3 pancakes during my attempts to make them.

What I’m Buying Today (Hint: It’s All On Sale, Big Time!!!)

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

Affiliate links included. I only promote what I love!

My gift closet is looking a little puny after the holidays, and I also haven’t purchased anything for Valentine’s Day yet. Time to pick up a few fun finds, and of course, all on sale! Here’s what’s especially hot today, friends!

Gymboree just put the ENTIRE STORE on sale (30% off!). Get a jump start on swimwear or other cute spring finds. You also get free shipping if you spend $75 or more. No coupon needed for either deal! 30% off Entire Purchase at Gymboree

Here’s what I’m scooping up before we hit the beach! Chevron adorableness!

Julep, makers of beautiful, eco-friendly nail polish, have one of their best deals EVER happening right now! You can get your first monthly box from Julep 100% FREE! And if you don’t love it (and you will love it…) then you can just cancel. If you haven’t tried Julep yet, THIS is the time to do it…when it’s FREE!!!! I personally have about 9 Julep polishes in my collection, and I love them all!

Until 2/8, One King’s Lane is having a Melissa & Doug Sale. It’s a great time to get one or two items for birthday parties you’ll be headed to sometime this year! But the thing that really caught my eye was that the tiger is on sale! We own this, and it is one of the very most played with items in our entire house! I HIGHLY recommend it! 🙂

One of my very favorite shopping sites, Jane, has a SWEET deal on a statement necklace today, and I’m thinking of treating myself!

How’s $3.99 sound for the price?! Which do you think I should get, the round or the teardrop? I can’t decide. So I guess that means both? 🙂 Poke around on the site while you are there…I dare you not to find 12 things you want to snap up!

DaySpring currently has a super cute item that would be perfect for a hostess gift! These hurricane candle sleeves are marked all the way down to $9.99 (originally $28!). I simply love them. 🙂

Kiwi Crate, which is one of my favorite gift ideas for kids EVER has two super cool things happening right now.

1. You get free shipping on any $25+ order (use code SHIP25). Yay!

2. A referral program! Once you have a Kiwi Crate, refer your friends. If your friend signs up, they get a $10 credit, and YOU also get a $10 credit. Talk about a win/win! Definitely check that out so that you can earn some credit to the store and hopefully get your next box totally free! I love free, don’t you? 🙂

Sittercity: Need a babysitter so you can actually go on a date once in a while? My family has personal experience using Sittercity (it was a very positive experience, of course!). I highly recommend it to others as a great way of finding vetted sitters. And this month, a 3 month membership is 30% off! Woo hoo!

What are you currently shopping for? Found any great deals online today you’d like to share? Let’s hear it!

Worth the Read: Stress Free Kids

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

I am often asked to take a look at books that are new on the market, and 95% of the time, I have to decline, simply because reading is something I don’t seem to have much time for in this season of life.

But a few weeks ago, I was asked to take a look at a new book from Lori Lite called Stress Free Kids and I immediately said yes. I personally tend to live my life with an elevated stress level, and I have already witnessed this rubbing off on my oldest, which of course, stresses me out. I knew it would be a helpful read for me.

I’m not finished with the book yet, but the fact that I”m halfway through it is very telling, considering that in a typical year I read 1-2 books, total. It seems that on almost every page, I’m finding something written that gives me some pause to think about the example I’m setting for my kids, and the simple steps I can take to make a really positive impact on the environment my family inhabits. Here’s one of my favorite “nuggets” so far:

“It is impossible for the pure, light feeling of love and the dense, foggy feeling of stress to exist at the same moment. If you can tap into the feeling of love, you will reduce stress” (p. 46).

I’ve got some great ideas now, thanks to Stress Free Kids. If you have a child who seems to be prone to worry, or if you are looking for ideas to help you and your children relax a bit more, I really think this is worth the read.

If you read it, I’d really love to hear what your big takeaways were. I’m hoping to blog about some of the tips from the book that I incorporate this year! I also want to recommend the Stress Free Kids YouTube page. It has some helpful videos on there worth checking out!

*Affiliate links included. I only promote what I love, as always.

The Acorn Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

February 5, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

You guys. I am rendered speechless by these shirts sent to us from Daddy&Co.

First we have the giant oak. Isn’t he a handsome one? 😉

And then, we have the little acorn.

They look so much alike it isn’t even funny!! Ok, actually, it’s hilarious. I laugh about it on a daily basis when they make the same faces.

Seriously, it is one of my favorite things to go out in public with the two of them sporting these shirts. Strangers already stop us all the time to comment on how much Layah looks like Tim. Add these shirts to the mix, and the comments really start coming out of the woodwork (pardon the pun…I just couldn’t resist!).

These make a super adorable baby shower gift, especially for the dad-to-be, who often gets a little left out in the midst of all the baby celebration stuff. They have sizes for infants as well as for toddlers, if you happen to know a little one who is the spitting image of his/her daddy!

Walgreens Highlights New Care Options for Stunning Hair

February 5, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Special thanks to Walgreens and Resourceful Mommy Media for making this post on hair innovations possible. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

My hair is STRUGGLING through this rough winter season. It is dry, frizzy, and a bit on the dull side. Anyone else out there having similar issues?

I’ve actually been trying a few different products that I had on hand under my bathroom sink (recovering beauty/style product junkie, right here). But I just wasn’t getting the results I wanted.

And then I got a little package in the mail from Walgreens. They sent me some things they thought might help my hair beat the winter blues, and I’m excited to tell you about them in case they might help you!

The first product wasn’t the right fit for me, personally (I have thick hair), but if your hair is on the thin side, you might really like Dove^® Advanced Hair Series with Oxygen moisture. I’ve had great results with other Dove products, so I feel comfortable recommending it as something worth trying out.

I also tried the TRESemmé® Keratin Smooth 7 Day Smooth line. So this isn’t something I would want to use every single week because it takes a bit of time, but I would definitely use it again if I had a week with several meetings or outings scheduled, as it is designed to keep your hair looking nice and smooth for up to 3 washes. I wash my hair every other day, so it lasted a week, and while I found that I still needed to straighten my hair after each wash, my hair did seem to cooperate faster, which mean less time spent working with the flat iron. This is also a great way to get to try out the look of Keratin treated hair without going through all that time and expense at a salon.

But the product I totally fell head-over-heels in love with is the Suave Moroccan Oil. I only had a few samples to try, and I actually used up my last one today, which means that I’ll be headed to Walgreens in the next 48 hours to replenish my supply! It smoothed my hair out beautifully and gave it LOTS of shine (healthy, not greasy!). It only lasts until you shampoo your hair again, so that is one of the key differences in the end effect from the Tresemme product I tried.

Maybe you’d like to try some of these products to help lift the spirits of your hair this winter? Walgreens has a great pomotion going on right now, where you can earn 2,000 rewards points (that’s $2 worth) when you purchase 2 of these products. And they are also 25% off on top of that balance rewards offer. I’m all over this deal, friends!

And once you have tried them, be sure to share your opinions about them on Facebook and Twitter and tag it with #tryandtell so the brands can hear what you thought!

Have you tried any of these products yet? And is your hair begging for signs of spring like mine is???

Hiring a Professional Organizer is Expensive, But This App is FREE!!!

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

Thanks to HomeZada for partnering with me on this post. I only write about products and services that make life less hectic, and this app is a MAJOR winner!

Approximately 5 weeks from now, Tim and I will be forking over far more than we earn per hour to have a professional organizer come to our house and help us make some good strategic decisions. We are in the midst of de-cluttering right now, as I don’t want to pay somebody to help me decide whether or not to donate some junk.

What we DO need help with is figuring out where the things we really want to keep should live in our home. A disturbingly large number of items in our house don’t have anywhere to live, and so they find themselves in various piles the grow and grow, and then occasionally get moved around to go live in other piles.

I spend an ridiculously large amount of time moving piles of stuff from one spot to another. Anyone else out there doing that? And every time I start to try to figure out the “where” for all the stuff, I get overwhelmed. And then I throw everything in a pile. It’s a vicious cycle, people.

So I’m willing to spend some money to make some headway in this area and to stop pretending that “piles” are the next hottest home decor trend (I’ve honestly told myself that in a desperate moment. And yes, it did temporarily console me….). Once the house is finally organized (I get almost weepy at the mere thought of it!), that’s when I’m turning my attention to all those house projects I want to do but can’t justify beginning until the house is reasonably organized.

And that’s where everything gets beautifully, wonderfully FREE.

photo credit: blavandmaster via photopin cc

HomeZada

I’ve just started messing around with this app, and I’m totally swooning over it. HomeZada offers many more services than I can even explain in this post , but I want to highlight my absolute favorites:

1.Project list organization. Keep a running list of your “wish list” projects, your projects currently underway, and your completed projects. If you own a home, those completed projects lists will be SUPER helpful at tax time, when you can claim deductions for home improvements you made. That’s money right back in your pocket, thanks to HomeZada! For me, I would be using this to start making a list of all the things I want to do in our house, and then ranking them in order of importance and/or viability due to costs.

2. Budgeting. The app also helps you with budgeting your projects so that you don’t lose control over what you planned to spend in the midst of your project (a very common occurrence, as I understand it!). The premium version of the app ($5.95/month) will help you with real-time price and review comparisons. I’m sticking with the free version for now, but if I were doing something like a kitchen renovation and I was buying new appliances, spending that $6 to find out if the fridge I’m standing in front of at Home Depot gets great reviews, and if the price it is being offered at is the best is money REALLY well spent.

3. Home Inventory. Not only can you keep your receipts in HomeZada (very important for taxes and for insurance), but you can also keep photos of rooms in your home and any important contents that you want to document. If something tragic happens to your home (fire, earthquake, tornado, flood, burglary), but you’ve got your receipts on file with HomeZada, or at the very least photo documentation of the contents of your house, it will make insurance claims MUCH easier to file because you can very easily prove that you did in fact own the things you are claiming you owned.

4. Maintenance Contacts and Calendar. I can’t remember when I’m supposed to change out the air filters in our unit. Nor can I remember the name of the plumbing company we have used in the past. I actually had to dig through piles of paperwork in the midst of the polar vortex most of the country experienced a few weeks back to find the company that we use for our HVAC because ours stopped working during the deep freeze. Now I can store that information in HomeZada and pull it up with no hassle. I can also rely on the app to tell me when it is time for certain maintenance procedures (like the annual sealing of the granite countertops). See how awesome that is?!

HomeZada isn’t going to magically transform your starter house into a mansion, but it is going to help you feel much less overwhelmed by all the stuff that goes along with owning a house, or heck, even just inhabiting one. We don’t own the home we currently live in, and I still see LOTS of uses for HomeZada.

Between us, I think the folks who make this app are just a wee bit foolish for offering so many great features in the free version of the app. But that’s their choice, right? And who are were to judge? 😉 This is an app that I VERY STRONGLY recommend for all the grown ups out there. Taking care of a home is hard, but not as hard as it used to be, thanks to HomeZada.

Miniature Ice Cream Cupcakes: Even I Can Make These!

February 4, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

So last week when we had 3 snow days in a row, the kids and I got a little bored. And boredom is great fuel for creativity! We decided to do a little baking, but we also wanted to pay tribute to the freezing temps outside, so we knew we wanted to use ice cream. As we were digging around in the pantry for inspiration, we found some of our beautiful Reynolds Baking Cups, and an idea came to me: let’s make ice cream cakes in baking cups! And so, friends, I present to you, ice cream cupcakes!

Why not let cake and ice cream join forces for your next birthday party, or for any upcoming celebration (like Valentine’s Day!). They make for a tasty hand-held treat. And they are easy (if I can do you, you can do it!).

Ingredients:

Cake mix of choice, mixed according to package directions
Reynolds Stay-Brite Baking Cups
Ice cream of choice
Whip cream
Sprinkles, or other topping of choice (we love chocolate shavings)

Preheat your oven according to the package directions for your cake mix. Line your muffin tin with Reynolds Baking Cups, and add 1 Tbsp of the combined mix to each baking cup. Bake for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven to cool completely.

Once your cupcakes have cooled completely, add a scoop of ice cream to each baking cup. Be sure to pat it down a bit to ensure that theice cream is taking up all the remaining space inside the baking cup. Then return the ice cream cupcakes to the freezer until you are ready to serve.

Just before serving, add whip cream and the toppings of your choice. Enjoy immediately!
example of ice cream cupcake or miniature ice cream cake

Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.