Stuff Parents Need

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

Kid-Friendly Snack: Clementines as Butterflies

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Earlier this week I purchased a crate of clementines. They are so adorable that they are even called “cuties,” so I knew these would be a kid-friendly snack.

Well, they weren’t. They’ve been sitting on the counter uneaten for 4 days, and my attempts to get my kids to try them have been in vain.

But then I figured that my approach was off. You see sometimes with food, it’s all in the presentation. How could I make these citrus sections look more appetizing?

Turns out, all I needed was a little pipe cleaner!

kid-friendly snack ideas: clementines as butterflies

This snack idea works for me because it is EASY. Just peel and section your clementine, and then cut a pipecleaner in half, then fold it in half and curve the ends around just a smidge to make it look like antennas. Place your sections on either side of the pipe cleaner, and boom! A snack that will please everyone.

butterfly clementines snack for kids

These butterflies were gone within 2 minutes of me setting the plate down on the table. Mission accomplished! Take that, scurvy!

Hair Woes and Wows with Dove (High Value Coupon!)

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Special thanks to Dove and Resourceful Mommy Media for making this post on Dove Hair and Walmart possible. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

No matter what hair type you have, you likely have some sort of challenges that go along with any perks. I’m very lucky to have thick hair that will hold a curl if you put one there. But day-to-day, it has just enough wave to it to look messy…and not that “I’ve been to the beach!” messy, either. We’re talking, “did you forget to brush your hair?” messy. And it is also dry as a tumbleweed (Is that a saying? Let’s just go with it….).

dry hair

 Whatever your hair challenges may be, Dove Hair and Walmart have teamed up to help you tackle them! Check out their videos on how to fix common hair issues, and after you have watched a video, you can download a sweet $1.50 coupon for Dove hair products!
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Now I’m off to go try that fishtail braid I just learned about in one of the videos! I’m also heading to Walmart this afternoon…you’d better believe that coupon is coming with me! Dove Nourishing Oil, get ready to meet my parched hair!

 

Bi-Lo Twitter Party Thursday Night ($500 in Prizes!)

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This post was created in partnership with Bi-Lo. All opinions are my own.

My grocery store of choice here in Chattanooga is Bi-Lo. This is a chain found throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and parts of Tennessee. I love to shop there because of the great customer service, and the great sales!

bi-lo twitter party

I’ll be hanging out on Twitter tomorrow night with Bi-Lo for an AWESOME twitter party, and if you are a Bi-Lo shopper, this is one you don’t want to miss, as they will be giving away a $100 Bi-Lo gift card every 12 minutes! 🙂

WHEN: December 19, 2013,  9:00-10:00 p.m EST 

WHO TO FOLLOW: @BILOSuperSaver

TOPIC: Holiday Tips to Impress with @BILOSuperSaver

HOW TO JOIN: Follow the hashtag #BLHolidayTips

RSVP HERE: http://twtvite.com/BLHolidayTips

See you there?

How to Bake the Perfect Sugar Cookie

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My friends over a Reynolds just put together a great tutorial on how to make the perfect sugar cookie. I found it useful, so I thought I would share it with you! Happy baking, everyone!

how to bake sugar cookies

VTech Wows with Its VM333 Video Monitor

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

If you are currently in the market for a new baby monitor, or if you know someone who is, then I'd like to introduce you to the VM333 from VTech. We've been testing it out for close to a week, now, and after clearing a few hurdles with the new equipment, I can now say that we are very impressed with its capabilities! 

vtech 1 photo VTechVM333monitor1_zpsfafabdb8.jpg

The VM333 has replaced our other video monitor for a few key reasons. 

1. range of motion. This camera has a ful range of motion, whereas our other monitor couldn't move its camera at all. We can look at the baby from different angles if we need to, or even zoom in, all without setting foot inside her room. 

vtech 2 photo vTechVM333monitor2_zps6fbe10cd.jpg

2. high video resolution. What good is a video monitor if the picture it gives you is always really grainy? That's not the case with this monitor, which provides significantly clearer images, as well as color instead of just black and white. I have a little tummy sleeper, so I really appreciate being able to get a closer look at her to make sure she's positioned safely. It also has a 2.8 inch screen, which is significantly larger than our old unit. 

3. sound quality. This system is VERY sensitive to sound, and at first, this was actually quite troubling to me. You can have your monitor make a beeping noise on the observation end of the system whenever noise levels reach a certain place in the baby's room. I had to quickly change that feature, as it was driving me absolutely nuts. But I can also see how that is an excellent feature for anyone who is a really deep sleeper and has trouble waking up in the middle of the night, even if there is a crying baby in the next room. The monitor does provide crisp sound so that I can tell exactly when it is time to go in and get Layah (it isn't always the second she makes a peep, as she sometimes puts herself back to sleep!). 

4. mountability. You can mount the unit to the wall. We've always had to have a tall-ish piece of furniture within a certain distance of the crib to set the monitor on, and that's no longer an issue. 

The VM333 from VTech's Safe & Sound series is the best baby monitoring system I have ever personally experienced, by far. It would make for an awesome baby gift for new parents. 

You can keep up with the latest from VTech, makers of a whole host of incredible products for the home and for everyone in your family, on social media. Be sure to Like VTech on Twitter and Follow VTech on Facebook to keep up with the new releases! 

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Best Friends as Sisters: Disney #FrozenFun Playdate!

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

One of the highlights of the entire year for me happened during the Thanksgiving holiday, when we took Darah to the movies for the first time. We picked Disney’s  as her introduction to the big screen. It was an incredible choice; if you haven’t seen it yet, it is worth the trip (and the ticket price!) My tip to make for an affordable outing: go to the late matinee (4pm or so), and then you’ll be out just in time for dinner. Swing by your nearest Walmart with a Subway inside, as there you will find FROZEN-themed Fresh Fit for Kids meals. The Walmart Subway locations are the only destination where you will find the adorable Olaf key chains as part of the meal. You’ll also snag a FROZEN-themed reusable bag, now through January 6th.

#shop #frozenfun subway fresh fit kids meal

Darah’s best friend happened to be on a Disney cruise the same week we went to the movies, and she actually got to watch FROZEN on the ship! The girls missed each other after several days apart, and asked for a play date once they were back in the same city. I thought it would be fun to do something extra special and surprise the girls with FROZEN merchandise that I found at Walmart.

#shop #frozenfun merchandise

I went shopping just 48 hours after Black Friday, and once I arrived at the store, I realized that wasn’t the smartest move. Much of the FROZEN stuff was cleared off the shelves from the shopping frenzy that had occurred a few days before. I actually went to two different Walmart locations (my city has four, so it wasn’t a big deal to do so) and between the two stores, I was able to find some really fun stuff for the girls!

#shop #frozenfun FROZEN toys and costumes

I bought an Olaf toy for each of the girls (he is my favorite, so he was a “must get!” on my shopping list!), and they each got a costume (one Elsa, one Anna). Additionally, I purchased a busy book that contained a mat with scenes from the movie, as well as miniature FROZEN characters.

#shop #frozenfun frozen hot chocolate

Our guests brought fun treats from a chocolate shop down the street: frozen hot chocolates! Yummy! Here’s a recipe for something very similar if you like the sound of it!

#shop #frozenfun best friends and sisters

Darah’s friend wasn’t quite ready to put on the Anna costume, but my little dress-up fanatic couldn’t wait to put on the Elsa costume and to start practicing her freezing techniques. Both girls totally loved getting to pretend that they were sisters, and that was just such a sweet thing to watch!

#shop #frozenfun Elsa and snow

Olaf joined in on the fun outside, and he served as the inspiration Darah Elsa needed to bring on the snow! Soon both girls were racing around the yard “freezing” things.

#shop #frozenfun anna dress

If wearing one dress is fun, then wearing two dresses is better! Since her friend wasn’t quite ready to play dress up, Darah decided to model the Anna dress for us, as well. If you haven’t seen the movie (don’t worry…no plot spoilers here), Elsa and Anna are sisters, and like most siblings, they have very different personalities. Elsa also happens to have a special gift (or is it a curse?) where she can create snow and ice in an instant. The costumes available at Walmart are modeled after what the sisters each wear for the majority of the movie. If you are looking for them, you might need to dig around to the back of the costume pile at Walmart, as that’s where I found them! The costumes are both sized to accommodate a bit of a range (I’d say 3-5T), though I noticed that the Anna dressed seemed a bit bigger on Darah than the Elsa dress.

#shop #frozenfun olaf

After drinking the frozen hot chocolate and “playing in the snow” outside, it was time to come in and warm up. While the older girls played with the miniature figures, Layah got acquainted with the Olaf toy. Just like in the movie, this Olaf plush is, shall we say, “arrangeable.” His body pieces are attached by a string, and so they can be pulled apart without the risk of them being lost (LOVE that feature!).

#shop #frozenfun anna and elsa

We ended the playdate with both girls deciding to be in full costume, plus the addition of fairy wings, crowns and wands. I thought their chosen embellishments were fantastic! These “sisters” can be whatever their hearts desire, and they can do anything they set their imaginations to, including making it snow inside, which of course, they did! 🙂

FROZEN the movie is a cinematic treat, and the Disney toys and costumes we played with after watching the film have added countless hours of laughter and fun to our home, and they have certainly given two best friends a reason to think of each other as sisters.

Your Turn to Win!

If you are also a fan of FROZEN, or if it is on your list of things to watch this holiday season, be sure to join us for the #FrozenFun Twitter Party this Friday, 12/20 at 1pm ET. RSVP here and get ready to try for $1250 in prizes!

 

15 Holiday Safety Tips to Keep Your Children Out of Harm’s Way

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I recently had the opportunity to learn a bit about safety tips around the holidays, especially as it relates to keeping our children safe, from Jarrett Arthur, a professional self-defense instructor. I thought her insight was extremely helpful, so I invited her to be a guest author on the blog today. I hope these tips will help you develop some new habits this holiday season that will help keep you and your loved ones protected. 

15 tips to keep children safe

During such a festive, joyous, and loving time of the year it can be a little depressing to have to come to terms with the fact that the holiday season requires heightened sense awareness and extra safety precautions. The reality is that crimes against adults, children, and homes spike over the course of these 6 weeks, due in part to several factors including, but not limited to: distracted consumers, more purchases being made, heavier traffic in public places, lowered personal boundaries, increased alcohol consumption, vacationing, and even just the simple fact that our economy is still struggling which makes people feel desperate, particularly during the holidays. Below are 3 common seasonal activities and easy strategies you can follow to make yourself and your kids significantly safer during this time of the year.

  1. Holiday Shopping

The holidays mean shopping. Buying gifts, decorations, party supplies, returning gifts, capitalizing on bargains means that you’ll be spending an inordinate amount of time in shops, stores, and malls. The best tool you have is to limit distractions and increase your environmental awareness.

  • Leave the kids with a sitter for more involved excursions if possible. You’ll be able to focus more on the people and energy around you.
  • Put your phone and Bluetooth away, even when inside a store so that your eye line remains elevated and your ears remain open.
  • Have a shopping list and a plan before you even leave the house.
  • Park close to entrances if possible, utilize security guards as escorts when available, and take note of any signs for fire safety that you see so you will know where to go in case of an emergency.
  • Be extra careful when approaching or exiting your car and loading your vehicle.
  • Don’t carry a lot of cash and leave everything but the essentials at home.
  • Make a unique email address just for online holiday shopping so that it’s easier to track receipts, and if your account gets hacked you won’t open up access to more sensitive information, including your contacts.

  1. Holiday Parties

This is a time for you to unwind, relax, and celebrate. It’s also a time when your child may be exposed to adults outside of your inner circle in intimate settings like home holiday parties. Whether you’re at home partying with distant friends, relatives, and coworkers, or at someone else’s home celebrating, now is the time to pay extra attention.

  • Give your child “polite greeting” options, such as a handshake, that instills manners while allowing them to maintain their personal space boundaries with an adult who they don’t feel comfortable around.
  • Designate parts of the party house that are isolated, empty, or have low visibility as “no go” areas that are off-limits to your child.
  • Limit alcohol consumption at parties with your kids so that you can more easily track their whereabouts and watch other adults interact with them.

  1. Holiday Travel

As if traveling during the holidays wasn’t stressful already, you have unique safety considerations to make during times of transit. Preparation is the essential element here, as well as some general common sense strategies.

  • Talk to your kids ahead of time about safe places (stores, restaurants, security desks) and safe people (cashiers, wait staff, anyone in a uniform, parents with kids) they should go to first during an emergency, if a stranger has approached them wanting to chat, or if they get separated.
  • When you’re at the airport, gas station, or a restaurant play the “Safe Game,” where your kids try to identify as many safe places and safe people as possible in the shortest amount of time. Time them to make it fun!
  • Practice vehicle safety. Check oil, belts, and tires before heading on a car trip. Never let your gas tank get below half a tank. Also pack extra water, snacks, and blankets, as well as a tow rope, flares, and jumper cables.
  • Wait until after you get home from vacation to post photos and stories online.
  • Leave several inside and outside lights on auto-timers at home, and make sure you either have someone take in the mail or put your mail on hold.

Links:

 

Next On My Travel Wishlist: Puerto Rico

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This post brought to you by Puerto Rico, The All-Star Island. All opinions are 100% mine.

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This year I got my first taste of the Caribbean when I got to see a few of the islands. My stays there were terribly brief, which left me wanting more! As I flew home from St. Maarten, I realized that a cruise ship wasn't the only way to stay and play. I could hop on a plane and go directly to the paradise, and then stay for as long as I want (or can afford!).

And I have already picked out where I want to go: Puerto Rico! You don't even have to have a passport or exchange currency to enjoy this gem of the Caribbean. I've been checking out SeePuertoRico.com and I've been completely wowed by how they showcase all the ways you can Live your own 5-star vacation story in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is a golf-lovers paradise. Golf isn't really my thing, though, but just look at the list of things I have come up with to do while visiting. There's truly something for everyone! 

1. See a rainforest, El Yunque (this is something on my bucket list!)

2. Practice yoga in a beautiful forest setting

3. Experience some of the best snorkeling in Puerto Rico at Carlos Rosario Beach. 

4. See el Casa de Libro (the House of the Book) which contains some signed documents from Columbus' second voyage! 

5. Go to a coffee tasting. I counted 5 places in Puerto Rico that offer special experiences to coffee lovers. Sign me up!

6. Eat at Food Network Star Roberto Travino's Budatai restaurant (or 1 of the 3 other restaurants he owns in Puerto Rico!). 

7. Sleep in at the Turtle Bay Inn, a green hotel on the island. 

8. Explore some of the over 270 miles of coastline, including Flamenco Beach, which is known as one of the best beaches in the world. 

9. Glow like an angel in a bioluminescent bay. 

10. Explore San Juan and take a historical tour. 

11. Explore the third largest subterranean river in the world…and do it on horseback! 

I saw countless world-class attractions being offered in Puerto Rico for sports enthusiasts, nature lovers, beach bums, and everyone in between. 

Have you ever been to Puerto Rico? I would really love to hear about where you stayed and what you did. And if you haven't been, then you definitely need to check out SeePuertoRico.com. Leave a comment letting me know what you'd want to check out first! 

And don't forget to Like SeePuertoRico.com on Facebook and Follow @PRTourismCo on Twitter. These are both fantastic ways to get to explore the island from your own home, and to get ideas to help you make a future trip there a 5 star experience. 

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Zubie Key: Smart Device for Anyone Who Drives

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

Still looking for a totally awesome gift for a loved one? I've got you covered, friends. Say hi to Zubie! 

Zubie is on its way to my house, just in time to slide under the tree before Christmas. It will be a gift for my husband and me, as we share a vehicle. We are receiving a key to test out Zubie over the next few months, and I'll be writing a few more blog posts so that I can give you the scoop, and let you know just how (if?) it is working for us.

To prepare for our Zubie adventure, and to get fully schooled in all things Zubie, I decided to Follow @GoZubie on Twitter and Like Zubie on Facebook. I find that being able to connect with brands on their social media sites is often a great way to get stellar customer service, and to get it FAST. It is also a great way to interface with other Zubie users and learn more about their experiences. 

Why Do I Need Zubie?

1. I'm very interested in the problem code notification. For example: "maintenance needed" is currently lit up on my dashboard. Tim thinks it means that we need an oil change. But it might not. And I've been putting off taking it into a shop because (a) What if it is a bigger, more expensive problem? and (b) What if it is absolutely nothing and I just wasted money? It sure would be nice to know before spending the time and money on it. 

2. I totally love the real time location tracking provided by the Zubie key and app. If I had a teenage driver, this would make Zubie an absolute MUST for me, but even now, when one of us is away from home, we don't have to text or call each other to let us know when we'll be back; we can just check the app! Occasionally Tim and I have to take solo trips to Atlanta, and this would put an end to the, "ETA???" texts that the person at home with the kids always sends. 🙂 

3. Zubie will send you an alert if your battery is dying. You get the message BEFORE there's a problem and you are stuck at a Sonic drive-in window for 3 hours in the blazing heat waiting for roadside assistance. And yeah, that totally happened to me. Ever since that happened to me (in 2001!) I have always held my breath for just a second while cranking the car, with it in the back of my head that the car might not start. Zubie is going to put that worry to bed once and for all. 

4. Zubie will help me do this driving thing better. It can analyze your driving behavior and offer tips to help improve fuel economy and help you not wear down your car as quickly. I'm totally open to that sort of feedback so that my car will run longer and my gas dollars will go further. 

I'll be letting you know about my first few weeks with Zubie next month. But in the mean time, if this sounds like something that would be really nice to have in your vehicle, or if you still need a gift for a tech head or a car lover, then it really is the perfect holiday present. If you order today, use code SAVE20DEC and SAVE 20% on your Zubie key plus one year of service. Offer good through January 31, 2014. Shipping charges apply. 

See you on the road! Beep beep! 

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