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

A Step By Step Guide for Packing Boxes for a Move

February 4, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Friends, please enjoy this partnered post on preparing for a move. If you aren’t moving soon, pin for the next time you do move. This will keep you from having those random boxes filled with underwear, toilet paper, random canned goods, a bicycle pump, and mulch. Not that I’ve ever packed a box like that…

Written By Alyssa Howard, Moveboxer.com

photo credit: clevercupcakes via photopin cc

So, you may be thinking, “It’s just moving. How hard could it be?” But we all know that that question is oft invoked in famous last words. Luckily for you, though, we’re bringing you some steps that will help you pack all your life’s belongings with as little hassle as possible.

Survey Each Room

First, you’ll need to go from room to room to figure out exactly the best way to pack everything. Note especially big or unwieldy items for which you’ll need to make specific preparations or possibly get help from professional movers.

Get Organized

Second of all, you should go through and organize the things you’ll be packing. This is important for a few reasons. Packing things in boxes before you get an idea of how many boxes you’ll need for each room and what each group will contain will mean a major headache when you’re unpacking. Also, before you start getting things in boxes, you should make sure you want to move everything you’re packing. If you find stuff you won’t use in the new place, donate them!

Pack an Overnight Bag

Once these two steps are done, you’ll want to get together the things you’ll need immediately upon arriving to the new house, like a toothbrush, toiletries and a few outfits. You will thank yourself for this later.

Get Your Packing Supplies Together

The great thing about packing boxes – and frankly there aren’t many – is that you can get creative when it comes to what you’ll use to protect your breakables. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you need to buy expensive packing paper and bubble wrap to load up your vases, plates and glasses. Instead, you can use clean socks, sweatshirts and other soft materials. When it comes to boxes, you can be creative with your packing materials.

Ready, Set, Pack!

Lastly, get to packing! Remember that it will be important for you to pack like items together to ensure minimal breakage of your items as well as minimal stress when you go to figure out where everything will go in the next place. Additionally, make sure you pack the heaviest items at the bottom of the box, and then put in progressively lighter things. When you’re labeling the boxes after they’re all packed, be as specific as possible. For example, don’t just write “bedroom;” instead note that a box is for bedroom linens or Mom’s clothes.

Alyssa Howard is a writer for Moveboxer.com. Moveboxer makes moving easier. Moveboxer matches people up with reputable movers, provides a utility cancellation tool, helps people change their address, and connects people with mortgage, storage, boxes, supplies, and car transport.

Chat With a Pharmacist Anytime At the Corner of Happy and Healthy

February 3, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

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

Isn’t it pretty much ALWAYS the case that when you need to chat with a pharmacist, it’s in the middle of the night? We had such a situation arise a few weeks ago when my sister-in-law and niece were visiting us and my SIL realized, after much crying on the part of her daughter, that her daughter had contracted pin worms.

WORMS, PEOPLE!

Here’s a fun little factoid for you: humans can get worms! I’m sure there’s more than one kind that we can get, but the pin worm is very painful, is found through your stool (no need to go into more details there), and is VERY VERY contagious.

I learned all of these things at 1:00 AM on a Sunday. It was overwhelming, and very disconcerting to everyone in the house as we scrambled to research and to find an open pharmacy in town. And all the while, my poor niece was in pain. Pin worms are at their most active at night, which is what caused her to wake up screaming. 🙁

Walgreens To The Rescue

In the midst of all of that turmoil, I didn’t think to go to my Walgreens app and go to the pharmacy chat. I wish I had, as you can reach a pharmacist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, totally free of charge. It is such a fantastic service!

Once I cleared my head a bit about the whole endeavor (and bleached and otherwise disinfected pretty much every surface in my home), I started to wonder if my kids needed to take the same medicine that my niece was taking, just as a preventative measure. And that’s when I remembered the pharmacy chat and hopped on my phone. I was counseled not to give the medicine to my kids unless it became clear that they had also contracted the pin worms. I was very grateful for the advice! And FYI, it’s been about 4 weeks now, and we have no sign of pin worms, so I think we’re in the clear! 🙂

Family Prescription Management At Your Fingertips

Have you downloaded the Walgreens app, yet? It is such a great (and FREE) way to manage prescription information (and talk to pharmacists, because hey, you never know when your house will be afflicted with pin worms…). Additionally, Walgreens offers a complete family prescription management service online, where you can keep up with your immunization history, transfer prescriptions, print your prescriptions records and get refill reminders. If you are keeping up with prescriptions for your family members in your head, hand it over to Walgreens and let them take care of it for you

At the Corner of Happy and Healthy

Between the app and the online offerings, Walgreens really goes the distance to help you keep your family and your medical and health needs on track. But I still like head to the brick and mortar store to do a little shopping (it’s actually one of my favorite places to go, either for a quick milk run or to get to do a little kid-free browsing!). Just last week I popped over to get some Vitamin D, because I’ve been reading about the benefits of this supplement to promoting healthy teeth (possible post in the works on that topic!). I was planning to just pick up whatever they had on hand, and was delighted to see this:

Walgreens is NOT afraid of a good sale, and that’s just one more reason why I love to shop there. I was hoping to find some Vitamin D supplements for maybe 20 or 25% off, but I got them almost 50% off…no coupon, no hassle! LOVE IT!!!

And now, in addition to helping me keep track of my family’s medical information with ease, Walgreens is also helping me keep my pearly whites in good working order. Yes, indeed, you can find me at the corner of Happy and Healthy!

How do you keep up with your family’s medical information? Have you tried the Walgreens app?

What’s In Your Mattress? Naturepedic 3″ Essentials Pillowtop Review (Giveaway!)

February 1, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 247 Comments

Do you realize that you spend 1/3 of your life in a bed, sleeping? That percentage dips a bit for the parents of young ones, I know (I promise they will sleep through the night one day!). But the point of that statistic is to remind us all that we spend a heck of a lot of time laying on our mattresses.

So selecting a quality mattress is actually REALLY important. Tim and I bought a really high quality mattress for ourselves a long time ago and I have never regretted that purchase. And we are about 2 years out from needing to buy another one. This time, I’m thinking about something that I hadn’t considered before when mattress shopping: what chemicals are in this product that I lay on night after night?

Naturepedic, a company that has become known as the standard setter for safe and healthy organic baby and children’s mattresses, recently reached out to me to do a review of one of their products, and to learn more about why chemical issues really need to be considered. I’m so glad they reached out, because now that I’ve done the research, I realize that I will be changing my criteria for mattress and bedding selection from here on out.

I think we’ve all been hearing the growing concern about chemicals and the possible effects that they are having on people, and in particular, on children. There are many researchers who see a connection between the dramatic increase in childhood disorders and toxic chemical exposures. But you don’t need to live near a toxic waste facility to be exposed to such dangerous chemicals. In fact, you are probably sleeping on them every night.

Babies and toddlers are spending 10-14 hours a day in their cribs, which is far more than the 8 that their parents are getting (if they are lucky!). Naturepedic knows that a child’s crib mattress is the object in their environment that they interact with the very most, and as such, it is absolutely critical to make sure it is safe. They have created organic mattresses and related accessories, such as mattress pads and mattress toppers. They are extremely comfortable, and extremely safe. You and your child can certainly rest easy knowing that health and safety have not been put on the line.

Features and benefits that you would look for in a mattress for your baby or child such as waterproofing and hypoallergenic design are still present, even without all those nasty chemicals. Naturepedic is the perfect marriage of practical design, comfort, and safety. Naturepedic carries the most awards and endorsements of any children’s mattress company, as well as the best warranty in the industry. Furthermore, Naturepedic products are proudly made in the USA. You are supporting the U.S. economy and U.S. jobs with your purchase!

We have really enjoyed having the 3″ Essentials Pillowtop sent to us for review. I have noticed a very sharp incline in mom and dad climbing up into Darah’s bed to read a story with her. She has the most comfortable mattress in the entire house, now! We also love the fact that if we ever have company over, we can pull off the pillowtop to temporarily use as a mattress for someone else. That makes the addition of the pillowtop all the more practical for us, as we do have regular out-of-town visitors.

The 3″ Essentials Pillowtop is made of organic cotton, organic wool, and PLA batting. It even has premium encased coils, which are wrapped in a lightweight yet durable polyester fabric. Most pillowtops are full of latex and polyurethane, but not this one!

I’m actually strongly considering purchasing the queen size for our bed in the event that an organic mattress just isn’t in the cards for us the next time we buy. This would provide a great, organic barrier between us and our mattress. And bonus: it would make any mattress SOOO comfy! 🙂

Win it!: Ready for your chance to win the twin size 3″ Essentials Pillowtop from Naurepedic? Let’s do this!

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

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The Build-A-Bear Experience (Giveaway!!!)

January 28, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 80 Comments

Since my oldest is just shy of 4 1/2, and since she absolutely adores stuffed animals (which we call loveys), I’ve been thinking that the time has arrived for us to get our first introduction to Build-a-Bear. The folks there treated us to the Build-a-Bear experience, and I wanted to show those of you who have never been exactly what it is like (because if you are like me, you are curious!).

When you arrive at Build-a-Bear, you are greeted with an entire wall of plush figures, just waiting to be stuffed. They come in a variety of price points, which I noticed ran from $16-$25. They do also have smaller plush animals that are already stuffed for $10, just fyi.

Darah picked a pink elephant and Layah chose a lion. Then we headed over to the stuffing section, and Darah got to press on the peddle while the sales associate stuffed each creature and chatted with the girls. I couldn’t help but notice how great the associates at the Chattanooga location were with kids!

After you get your animal stuffed, and before it is sewn up, you get to place a heart inside of it. This was a very sweet moment, and Layah really got into it!

Once the stuffed animals are all sewn up, it is time to take a bath (which is really just blasts of air). There are brushes available for making your lovey look nice and clean.

And now that your stuffed animal is created and clean, it is time to get dressed! This is a VERY fun part of the experience, but let me give a gentle warning to parents that this is also the part of the experience that can get quite pricey. You don’t have to pick out an outfit at all if you don’t want, but the choices are really hard to resist.

We took Layah’s lovey, which she named Rawr, over to the “dressing room” and tried out an outrageous number. It was a hit!

Darah found a Valentine outfit for her elephant (which she also named Valentine). And she also carefully selected a pair of shoes. High heels! 🙂

And no outfit is complete without some adorable hair bows. Valentine even got a hair bow on her tail! Rawr couldn’t be left out of the hair bow fest, either.

Build-A-Bear strikes me as an absolutely PERFECT place for a grandparent to take a grandchild for an extra special date, or for any other special occasion that warrants a celebration. What I really liked about the concept, though, is that children are encouraged to bring their loveys back into the store. They are welcome to give them baths again, and to check out all the great new accessories. They can even play dress up with their animals there, and they aren’t under any obligation to make another purchase. After all, we go to the mall and try on clothes, why shouldn’t our Build-A-Bears? 🙂

And while dressing your animal from head to toe can add up, you can also spread out those purchases over time. Perhaps you buy a tutu on one visit, and a pair of shoes on the next, and build up a wardrobe slowly. The creatures are so lovely on their own that even without their costumes, they are completely lovable.

But then again, this really is pretty cute, huh?

Win it!: I’ve got a $25 gift certificate to Build-A-Bear for one lucky reader! Woo hoo!

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

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Hallmark #ValentineCards Available at Walmart!

January 28, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

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

Hallmark #valentinecards at Walmart 1

So I had an “interesting” encounter with a Walmart sales associate over the weekend. She and I had a disagreement about the total I owed for the Hallmark Valentine’s Day cards I was purchasing. I had her void the order and re-scan everything because I knew she was wrong and I was right. I even endured the scornful looks from the folks behind me in line. That’s how sure I was!

What was the problem? I was certain that she had missed at least 2, if not 3 of the cards while scanning them, because my total ($17.63) was too low. When I added it up in my head over in the card section, I was spending $21 plus tax. I’m not the world’s greatest mathematician, but I am pretty reliable when it comes to purchase price estimation.

And so, the sales associate humored me and rang everything up again. And she got the same total. So it turns out that some of the cards in my stash cost half of what I thought they cost. Hence the math error.

I was WRONG! And also embarrassed. But once that feeling subsided, I was totally pumped! I purchased 11 greeting cards (Hallmark! Not some off-brand!) for less than $18. That’s just crazy. Hallmark has a HUGE selection of beautiful Valentine’s Day cards at many different Walmart locations, and in addition to having a great selection of styles, they also have a great selection of price points. Gotta love that! I was able to get loaded up on great cards for family members, friends and even teachers.

When I got our assortment home, I explained a little bit more to Darah about Valentine’s Day and how it is a great opportunity to send some extra love to special people in our lives. And I told her that in this day and age, getting a card in the mail is a very special treat, indeed!

Then I asked her to start picking out cards for each family member. She needed to do a little bit of quality control before we really got started.

It was so much fun to hear her give the reasons why she selected each card for every person on our list. She was really quite thoughtful about who might like the particular illustrations on each one!

She even gave each card a hug before we put them in their envelopes to be addressed. What a sweet way she has of showing that she cares. I’m glad Hallmark got to be part of our Valentine’s Day celebrations this year, and that she got to experience the joy of sending letters filled with love in the mail.

Before I sealed up our Valentine’s Day card, I logged onto the Hallmark Card Rewards Program website. Did you know that you can earn rewards for the Hallmark cards you buy at Walmart? All it takes is 5 unique cards entered to earn a reward. I’ve already earned a reward and am on my way to the second. So awesome! Make sure you check out connectionsfromhallmark.com to sign up for Hallmark Rewards, and to see great content from other bloggers. Join in the #ValentineCards conversation on Twitter!

Are you sending any Valentine’s Day cards in the mail this year? Did you know that you can find Hallmark cards at many Walmart locations? Can you believe how many I got for under $18???

Best Buy Unveils the Dyson DC59 Cordless Vacuum (And Why I’m in Love with It!)

January 28, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 21 Comments

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer, alone.

Let me paint a picture for you, friends. We live in a SMALL home (1329 square feet, to be exact). And the central hub of our house is one smallish room that contains the kitchen, living room and dining room all together. Our vacuum is out all the time because we have a toddler and a preschooler. Things get REALLY messy, REALLY fast.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I have tripped over the cords and the hose of our vacuum. But putting it back in the closet is a futile endeavor because we are just going to have to vacuum again the next day.

And then I heard the news. The TOTALLY AWESOME NEWS. Dyson was coming out with a cordless vacuum that had all the power of a full-size upright vacuum.

Cue the angels!!!

Best Buy recently heard of my vacuum cord woes, and sent me the Dyson DC59 to put to the test in my small yet remarkably crumb-filled home, and I want to share with you our experience.

Here’s what I have discovered about this model:

It has a 26 minute cleaning time, which doesn’t make it the ideal choice if you plan to vacuum every room in your house all at once. This is NEVER a problem for me, as it is impossible for me to have more than one room at a time picked up enough for vacuuming! After I vacuum the room that is ready to be cleaned, I just pop it back into its pretty holder on the wall, and that is how it gets recharged. Easy peasy!

It has a re-engineered brush bar for hard floor AND carpet cleaning. It moves seamlessly from our hard floors in the dining room to the rug in the living room.
Is has 3 times the suction of any other cordless vacuum in use. The DysonDC59 using a V6 motor, and that gives it the ability to perform like an upright vacuum. Also of note: the motor spins 5 times faster than a Formula One racecar! Take that, dirt!
It weighs 4.65 lbs. It is a breeze to use, and this feature also makes it an attractive option for anyone who shouldn’t be lifting heavy objects for any reason. Or if you need to vacuum with a baby on your hip (been there, done that!).
It has 15 cyclones that work across 2 tiers to increase air flow and capture fine dust. I have certainly noticed that it picks up a great deal of fine dirt particles in my house, which is something my old vacuum seemed to blow right past.
Is has a hygienic one-touch emptying system (with buttons on both sides to accommodate folks who are left handed, as well as all of us righties). And just look at all the dirt it gets up with just a quick vacuum. Yuck!
It is SO easy and comfortable to use. The maneuverability of this machine is so amazing, friends. Now I understand why people love owning Dyson products. They are designed to make vacuuming easier and to get your home cleaner faster, and in my experience, they succeed mightily in those endeavors.

The Dyson DC59 is currently available for $499.00 at Best Buy. If you could really use a new vacuum and are ready to get a truly awesome one, you can’t go wrong with this model. Ditch the cords and get a Dyson!

Do you own a Dyson?

Eating Fresh This Year at Pei Wei

January 27, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by Pei Wei Asian Diner. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you familiar with the Asian casual dining chain Pei Wei? We had one in Memphis and it was SOOOO yummy! Basically it is a restaurant serving fresh, high-quality Asian cuisine that is all freshly prepared and wok'd to order. That means you can customize your dish exactly to your liking, choosing from 35 fresh, hand-cut ingredients. They even have gluten-free and vegetarian options from which to choose.

Take a moment to Explore the Pei Wei Asian Diner menu . In celebration of the new year, Pei Wei has launched a reFresh menu, with lots of great new options, new looks, and a fresh small side option for entrees. Now you can choose from the original and small sizes, with prices starting at just $6.39.

A new flavor you'll find on the menu is Thai Lime & Chile (yum!). It can be served on white or brown rice, or as an entree salad, and you can incorporate the protein of your choice (chicken, steak, shrimp or tofu).

To keep up with all the latest at Pei Wei be sure to Like Pei Wei on Facebook, Follow Pei Wei on Twitter, and Follow Pei Wei on Pinterest.

Other great menu additions this year include Ginger Orange Edamame, Szechuan Green Beans and Wok Roasted Vegetable Salad. I want all of these!!!

What I like about Pei Wei is that it is an option that can meet a variety of needs. Need to grab lunch to go and don't want something super heavy? Pei Wei is the right fit. What if you want a relaxing dinner out that won't break the bank? Go to Pei Wei!