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

Saturday Shopping: Two Not-to-Miss Sales Today

August 3, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Good morning, friends! I’m up early this morning getting everything ready for Darah’s superhero birthday party! But before I don my cape and mask and fly away, I thought I’d share with you two special sales happening today that are worth noting!

First, Kiwi Crate, which is my all-time favorite craft subscription box, is offering a special discount. You can get their summer discovery series for $10 off!

Kiwi Crate’s summer themes explore nature, water and flight with fun, educational science and art activities.
Get outdoors for a nature scavenger hunt, float and steer your own sailboat, launch a rubber band rocket, and much more!
3 months of summer fun now discounted to $50 (and free shipping!). Perfect for kids ages 3-7.

Second, Zulily is currently offering up a premium stroller at 40% off!!!

The phil&teds Promenade is both stylish and smart with sleek aluminum framing and an intelligent, multi-function seat. It’s ideal for one child, twins or children of different ages. The retail price of the stroller is $850, but Zulily has it available for $499. The second seat for the stroller retails for $160, and Zulily has it for $99.99! This is a top-of-the-line stroller at a middle-of-the-pack price! 🙂

Edit: After I hit “publish” I found out about a third great deal! Walmart is currently offering FREE shipping on all their uniforms (starting at $4.50), school supplies, and backpacks! Check it out!

Anything you are currently on the hunt for? I love shopping online, and I’d love to help you find it! Just let me know!

Affiliate links included. Thank you for helping us support a child through Compassion with your purchase!

My Dream Bedroom: Money No Object!

August 1, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

Last month my family visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. On the tour, we saw the bedrooms of the Vanderbilt family, as well as the rooms reserved for their nearest and dearest guests. The opulence I saw in those rooms was absolutely breathtaking, and rivaled only by what you might find in the finest castles in Europe. I have never seen anything even close to its equal in the United States.

And that got me thinking….just what would I do for my bedroom if money was really and truly no object? Hmm…that’s a fun thought! Frette partnered with me to bring you my dream bedroom look. And Oh. My. Word. Just you wait until you see the luxury I found!

First up, let’s pick out the bed! Since I tend to be drawn to feminine details, I thought a more masculine bed would balance the overall look. Here’s my “money no object” pick, partially inspired by the hand-stamped leather walls I saw at Biltmore (can you believe that?)!

This bed, from Horchow, is only $2,829. Remember, we’re talking dream room…so really, I’m being quite sensible!

Now for the linens. This part was FUN, friends! Here are the sheets and pillowcases that will send me off to dreamland!

Frette is offering these egyptian poplin sheets for $945. Let’s all just take a moment and imagine what they feel like. I’m thinking clouds. Clouds made of unicorn laughs. Sprinkled with pixie dust. 🙂

As for the pillows that will be under those shams, I’m going to go with these luxury pillows made from the finest polish goose down. They are $125 each, so once again, I’d argue that I’m a very practical “dream bedroom” person, in the end!

Now let’s add a duvet cover. The duvet cover is something I want to keep simple (the pop of color will come later!). When I saw that Frette had a linen duvet cover, I audibly swooned! Can you imagine? Don’t start thinking about the pain of keeping it clean…just imagine the luxury of it! If you can afford a linen duvet cover, you likely can afford to have someone else clean it for you, anyway! So let’s just pretend that this is totally feasible, and imagine that gorgeous bed, those super soft sheets, the perfect pillow, and this gorgeousness on top, priced at $1,300!

I seriously had to just take a moment to smile and giggle at the mere thought of it! 🙂

Ok, so the room could use some color now, yes? Let’s do it! I totally flipped out over this embroidered fleur-de-lis quilt. It is perfectly my style. Blue is my favorite color to use in the bedroom, but this particular shade offers a bit more pop than I normally have, and that’s a good thing, I think! The embroidery work reminds me of what I saw on Mrs. Vanderbilt’s bed. Perfect opulence! And this one can be mine for $2,940. And can I please point out that Ms. Practical over here even picked out something that was on sale? Its retail price is $4,200. It was my very favorite quilt, so I guess my “no budget” budget just got lucky.

Now that my bed is nicely appointed, let’s make sure I’m wearing something suitable to match. I do believe these linen pajamas will do just fine, thank you very much! And once again, by pure luck, I selected something on sale, down from $595 to $357.

What a gorgeous bed I now have! But I can’t help but feel that I’ve been a little too reserved when it comes to the degree of luxury I gave myself. Everything I chose is the perfect fit for me, but I don’t know guys, something is missing. Something that will cause me to positively FALL OUT from the grandeur. Something I’ve never even dared to dream to own.

I found that thing on Frette, friends. Would you like to see it? Here it is!

Oh yes, that is a 100% cashmere blanket. It costs $6,200 and I WANT IT in my dream bedroom. Talk about an indulgence!!!

While I’m not exactly holding my breath for any of these pieces to find their way to my house any time soon, it really was fun to imagine what my room might look like if I really and truly could pick anything I wanted. Frette is a luxury linen and goods store that offers exactly that: luxury. I had a lot of fun seeing what caught my eye and not even worrying about the price tag.

What would your bedroom look like if you could have anything in it you wanted? (Not talking about Ryan Gosling, ladies!)

“Think Outside the Box” Storage Solutions for Your Home

July 31, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

Thanks to Keter.com for partnering with Stuff Parents Need to provide this great post on simple storage solutions!

Simple Storage Solutions

Keeping a home tidy is a full time job. It seems as though we go through life collecting items – some useful, some not so useful, and once they have served their purpose we either could not be bothered storing them as they should be stored or eventually have insufficient space to store all that we have acquired. And apparently it doesn’t matter how big our home, there never seems to be sufficient space to meet our storage requirements. This ultimately results in us living in a cramped, disorganized, and disheveled manner, thereby reducing our quality of life. Thankfully, there are easy to implement storage solutions to help optimize our lack of space.

If you consider your current storage solutions and then take the next logical, or rather lateral, step then you will start to see a world of storage that you probably never imagined. Most storage is done on shelves and in boxes, now you just have to take it to the next level.

Shelving It

We use shelves either as part of a cupboard or shelving system for storing, but have you thought of putting free shelving in unconventional spaces such as on top of doors? Place items that are not frequently used or decorative items that don’t require frequent access on shelves that are in places that are not usually used for shelving. Even in the kitchen, a magnetic strip on the wall for storing knives and another metal strip for hanging pots and pans utilizes space that is seldom used for storage.

Go Digital

If you have a comprehensive compact disc or record (yes, I know I’m now sounding old) collection, now may be the time to put it all on an MP3, hard drive, or some other form of digital storage. Other than the space saving benefits, there are innumerable other befits of having your music stored in digital format.

Thinking Outside the Box

In this instance, thinking outside the box refers to thinking outside your home. Outdoor storage is a viable option for items that do not necessarily require the “protection” of the indoors. Even then, today’s modern storage solutions such as plastic deck boxes are hardy, weatherproof, attractive, and multi-purpose.

For larger items, plastic sheds are a great solution as they are quick to assemble, rarely require permitting from the city or council, come in a variety of sizes, are easy to maintain, and come in a range of attractive colors that suit virtually every home.

Note from Tiffany: I’m curious to hear how many of you own backyard storage sheds, and if you are glad you made that purchase? Tim and I have been mulling over the idea for more than a year now, but we just can’t seem to commit!

Preparing for Potty Training: Our Potty Training Pants (Giveaway!)

July 31, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 97 Comments

Layah is just shy of 15 months, now. And that means the potty chair has come down from the attic and we are officially potty training!

Early Potty Training

I’m guessing that right about now you are thinking that I either made a typo about my daughter’s age, or that I’m a little bit crazy! I’ll actually be writing a post in a month or so about the process of potty training we go through in our home, but suffice it to say that it is a laid-back, though LONG process. We potty trained Darah for 7 months before she got the hang of it. She was all done at 20 months and we never purchased a single package of Pull-Ups.

We did, however, use cloth training pants, and we endured our fair share of accidents! We wanted to get Darah out of diapers as fast as possible, but we also wanted to be realistic about expectations for a young toddler, and we didn’t want to have to put our entire lives on hold while we taught her how to use the potty. Our method might not be for everyone, but it worked great for us, and now we are starting the process again with Layah.

Super Undies

Right now we are just at the stage of training where we put Layah on the potty first thing in the morning and right before bed. She hasn’t actually used the potty yet, and she’s most definitely not in training pants. But when we reach that point (hopefully around 19 months), we’ll be using a gift from the heroes of potty training, Super Undies .

Super Undies, first and foremost, are absolutely adorable. And they add an element of fun to the potty training experience. I think this is especially true if you are potty training a slightly older child (2 1/2 or 3). Kids wearing Super Undies can feel like a big kid, as well as a super hero, fighting for dry days and nights! They also offer extra-large sizes for children experiencing bedwetting later in childhood, as well as for special needs super heroes in training.

The images above showcase the two types of products in the line. The pink pair represents the snap-on training pants. These are the pants we’ll be using in a handful of months. Unlike the potty training pants we used with Darah, Super Undies have a completely water-proof “wet zone”, which makes life a lot easier for the potty training parents, I have to say! They have some built-in absorption, though not as much as you’d find in a diaper. The child will feel when s/he is wet! And there is also a pocket where you can add some extra inserts for additional absorption. This is key for nighttime and for the earlier stages of potty training, when you anticipate more frequent accidents. I love that Super Undies are able to be customized for exactly where you are in your potty training journey.

The orange pair in the picture is an example of the pull-on training pants. These are great for the kids who feel really excited about wearing big kid underwear. They slip on and off and they also have a pocket for increased or decreased absorption, depending on your needs.

While my child hasn’t used either product yet, I have spent some time inspecting these products and pulling and stretching them so that I can report back on their overall quality. And I have to say, I’m impressed! These seem VERY well made, and very thoughtfully constructed. Speaking strictly visually, they are the coolest reusable training pants I have ever seen. I am really looking forward to getting to use them with Layah.

Are you in the middle of potty training or will you be potty training soon? Any fears or concerns about the process?

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win TWO pair of Super Undies (one snap, one pull-on!).
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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways found on the sidebar of my page.

Thanks to Super Undies for providing the training pants for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Huggies Slip-On Diapers for Babies On the Move! (Target Gift Card Giveaway!)

July 30, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 225 Comments

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Huggies, but all my opinions are my own. #HuggiesSlipOn #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

When people see how our 14 month old daughter, Layah, gets around, they are usually quite amazed. Frequent comments we hear include the following:

“Um…when did she start walking?”
“Do you know your little one can RUN???”
“You must have your hands full with that little firecracker!”
“Look at her go!!!”

You see, Layah started rolling over at 2 months; crawling at 5 months; walking at 9 months; running at 11 months. Yes, indeed. We certainly DO have our hands full! She’s a little free spirit, and she’s in a terrible hurry to have new adventures and to engage in all manner of wild rumpus and mischief.

And that’s why we need diapers that can move and groove right along with our little wild child! This summer Layah has been wearing those fabulous Huggies Little Swimmers diapers that we recently tried for the first time. We liked them so much that I thought we should also try out the Huggies Slip On diapers. They are similar in some ways to the Little Swimmers in that they have those great stretch sides, and that they are easy to take on and off (like a pair of shorts). Layah likes to do anything and everything like her big sister, so stepping into a diaper is a BIG DEAL to her! 🙂 Of course, there are tabs so you can change this diaper in a more “traditional” way (very key for certain diaper changes…no need to elaborate on that one!).

Over the weekend we went to the Tennessee Aquarium. Sure, we wanted to see all the fish. But even more than that, we wanted to play in the water features around the park! While Tim was getting our oldest ready for our outing, I was in charge of getting Layah dressed. Here she is avoiding my request to come to me. “What’s that mom? Did you say, ‘climb the stairs as fast as I can?’ No problem!”

Once I caught up to her and chased her around her room a few times (not for fun, but because I really couldn’t catch her!), we got ready to go play in the water. While the Slip-On “cousin” (the Little Swimmers diaper) was having all the fun in the water, her Huggies waited patiently in the diaper bag for their turn to shine.

After all the fun in the water, Layah was ready to eat. She was also ready to get out of her swimsuit. Since we were having an outdoor picnic before going into the Aquarium, we didn’t have a nice, soft spot for changing her diaper. Not a problem, since she could just slip right into her Huggies! With a fresh diaper and some yummy food, little Layah was on cloud nine!

We spent the next hour or so inside, looking at the amazing freshwater creatures on display. Layah was constantly on the move, climbing in and out of her stroller, and running around looking at the various tanks. I was never worried that we might have an accident, as the leak protection on the Huggies Slip-On diapers is just excellent, even with all that moving around!

huggies slip on diapers 4

Have you had a chance to try the Huggies Slip On Diapers, yet? We have found them to be a perfect fit in so many ways for our little on-the-go toddler. Right now you can even save $2 off the diapers with this coupon!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $25 Target Gift Card! Pair that with the sweet $2 off coupon for Huggies Slip Ons and you can get several packages! 🙂
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How to Make a Terrarium: Kid-Friendly Activity

July 29, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 20 Comments

As I was preparing for the summer, and for having my girls at home with me for most of the days, I made a long list of possible activities that would stretch me out of my comfort zone, but not take me so far as to break me.

In other words, I found some easy ideas for things to do with kids (mostly on Pinterest. Where else???).

One of the projects I was particularly excited about was making a terrarium. Strictly speaking, a terrarium is a self-contained eco-system that only requires occasional watering and access to sunlight in order to thrive. Terrariums are usually fuly enclosed. I wanted to make something a little more open, like the ones I swooned over here.

So, one weekend day I sent Tim on an errand to get some of the supplies we would need to make these totally swoon-worthy and surprisingly kid-friendly pseudo-terrariums.

Here’s what we got:

We headed to Walmart in the hopes of picking up everything. But our Walmart didn’t carry succulents, so we did have to make a separate trip to a nursery to find these. At Walmart we went to the pet section to get a pretty and simple fish bowl (very affordable at around $8) and some rocks designed for fish tanks. We also picked up some cactus soil. The succulents themselves were surprisingly expensive to me (keep in mind that I do absolutely ZERO gardening, so I truly have no concept of what plants cost). They were between $4 and $6 each. Since we purchased 5 different plants, that did drive the cost of this activity up a bit. As you will learn later, we didn’t need as much as we bought!

Ok, so the first step in how to make a terrarium is to put some dirt in the base of your fish bowl. This is a great task to give to your child.

Next, it is time to add your plants. And this is the part where I show you how I can find a way to screw up any and every project that involves any type of eye for design. Just look at how I’m winning already, folks.

Alrighty then! So we learned a few things right away: first, you may need to break up the roots of your plants quite a bit in order to get them to fit. Second, you may need another container for the beautiful and too tall plant your purchased. That’s cool…two terrariums are better than one, anyway!

Moving right along, please put the plants that will actually fit inside your container in there, and then add a little more dirt to help keep them secure.

Now it’s time to add the rocks!

One tip I have is to use a toothpick to get the rocks out of the small crevices in which they may have landed on the plants while being sprinkled all over the container.

Now sit back and admire your beautiful work. This is such a fun family project and the end result can be proudly displayed for months or with a little luck, even years to come.

And just in case you were wondering, here’s our bonus terrarium. Had to give up a vase to make it happen, but let’s be real: how often do I get flowers, anyway? Just sayin’!

Please let me know if you attempt to make a terrarium, too. I’d LOVE to see your final product!

This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend what I also use!

Save for Your Child’s School: Tyson A+ Program #Clip4School

July 28, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Easy Way to Support Your Child’s School

As a parent who doesn’t have a lot of extra money or time to offer my child’s school, I’m always on the lookout for easy ways that I can make a difference. For example, I clip box tops and participate in various programs that offer a percentage of sales back as donations to schools. I’ve also asked my family members who don’t have children in school to please save their clippings and send them along to me.

And today there’s a new program that I just got my school signed up for, and that I want to make sure you know about because I’m certain you are already buying the products, and I’m certain that the rewards are significantly higher than what I’ve seen in similar programs!

You definitely need to check out the Tyson Project A+ Program! You will find that Tyson has special “support your school” clippings on over 30 of their frozen products. Here’s what you need to look for:

In addition to being on the lookout for these great clippings, you might also want to make sure that your school is enrolled in the program. You can search by your school’s phone number to see if they are enrolled. And if they aren’t, getting them registered isn’t hard at all!

More Than Double the Rewards

In my experience, programs similar to this offer 10 cents per clipping. And of course, that is wonderful and it adds up, especially when the majority of families in a school are participating. But Tyson has really gone the extra distance, and they are offering 24 cents per clipping! Woo hoo! That’s more than double what you can get with other programs, which means that your school can earn more money faster!

My daughter’s school sets specific fundraising goals each year, and has targeted purchases that they plan to make. It helps the parents and other family members stay motivated to raise money for the school when we know exactly what we are raising money for. For example. last year, we were looking to add 5 new iPads to the lineup of equipment.

So let’s do a little math together. My daughter’s school has 235 children. If each representing family purchased 1 qualifying Tyson product each month over the next year and submitted the clipping to the school to turn in, then we’d have $676.80 in earnings, which could be put to use in so many ways, including those technology purchases!

Tyson Makes Mealtime Easier

And why should each family purchase a Tyson product at least once a month? In my experience, Tyson products are HUGE helpers in the kitchen, especially on busy weeknights when you may be juggling after school activities and long days at the office. Tyson has helped me put together a quick dinner countless times!

I recently picked up some Tyson Breaded Chicken BreastStrips so that I put together a shockingly simple yet super satisfying meal for my family. I tried the gluten-free option from Tyson (did you know they made those?) and they were awesome! While my meal wasn’t gluten-free, I was really glad to know this product existed, as I do have relatives with wheat allergies.

Here’s what I recently put together for my family!

Build Your Own BLT Chicken Finger Sandwich

Ingredients:

Tyson Chicken Breast Strips
Ready to Eat Bacon of choice (my family eats Turkey Bacon)
Salad greens of choice (we love Spinach!)
1 tomato, sliced
hamburger buns
topping of choice (we chose guacamole and pimento cheese as our options)

While you can pop your Tyson Chicken Breast Strips into the oven, let’s be real. On a really busy day, you don’t have time for that! I love that there is a microwave option. In just a short amount of time, my chicken fingers were ready to go! I then laid out all the other ingredients so that my family members could build their own sandwiches in the way they liked them best. Even my almost 4-year-old was able to put together her own plate!

I have found that by adding something just a little out of the ordinary, you can take a somewhat boring meal and make it quite exciting. That’s why I had two types of spreads available for the topping, opting out of the traditional ketchup and mayo options. I’m a HUGE pimento cheese fan, so I opted to top my chicken BLT with some of this wonder cheese spread. It was yummy!

My poor husband, on the other hand, is completely misguided and thinks that pimento cheese is NOT delicious (he can’t help it…he isn’t a Southerner…). So for him, I made sure we had some guacamole on hand. I had a bite of his sandwich, and it was REALLY good, too!

These sandwiches were a departure from the norm for us, and that made the meal special and fun. And yet, by making use of some more convenient options like pre-washed spinach, Tyson products, ready-made spread and ready-to-eat bacon, the sandwich was ready in mere minutes. It is a busy parents weeknight meal dream come true, I’m telling you! And bonus, .24 cents for my daughter’s school, just for doing what we already needed to do: eat!

In addition to getting your school signed up for the A+ program, don’t forget to also follow Tyson on Twitter and Facebook so you can get more great ideas for easy and delicious recipes that get you in and out of the kitchen fast!

$50 Paypal Giveaway From Stuff Parents Need and Groovebook!

July 27, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 27 Comments

I bet you could use a little extra cash now that back-to-school shopping is in full swing! I also bet you could use some extra room on your smart phone that is being taken up by all those photos (I have been known to completely fill up my phone’s memory with pictures of my kiddos).

That’s why Groovebook and I have joined forces to co-sponsor a special giveaway just for my readers! We are offering up $50 in Paypal to one very lucky reader!

photo credit: velo_city via photopin cc

To enter: you MUST sign up for Groovebook (more on what that is below!) and you MUST use the code GROOVEPARENTSNEED when you sign up. By using this code, your first Groovebook will be absolutely, 100% FREE!!! That’s Groovebook’s gift to you for being a reader of mine and for giving them a try.

FAQ’s

1. This giveaway sounds awesome! But, um, what the heck is Groovebook? Groovebook is a monthly subscription service via an app that allows you to select photos from your smartphone that you’d like to have printed. You can order up to 100 prints at a time, and they will come bound in a lovely book for you and arrive at your doorstep. The fee for each book is $2.99. That’s it!!!! Yes, that price even includes shipping. It’s insane, right?! But of course, YOUR first book won’t cost you a cent, thanks to the coupon code! You can check out my full, detailed review about my first Groovebook here. I personally have ordered 2 more Groovebooks since my first. Groovebook is one of my favorite finds since I started blogging almost 4 years ago (and I’ve reviewed over 1,000 products!). It is just that awesome, and that’s why I’m spreading the word.

2. I’m already a Groovebook customer. Can I enter? If you are already a Groovebook member and did not use this code, then you won’t qualify for this particular giveaway, but you do qualify as a smart cookie! However, if you DID use GROOVEPARENTSNEED to get signed up, then yes, you qualify!

3. Do I have to have a smartphone to enter? Since Groovebook is a photo printing service for smartphone devices, you will need to have a smartphone in order to enter.

4. How will you know if I used your code? Honor system? Groovebook has a database of email addresses that signed up using the code, so I will be able to cross-reference. That ensures that potential winners have followed the rules!

5. I thought you said this was free. Groovebook definitely asked for my credit card information! Not cool! You are correct that a credit card number is required at sign up. This is because Groovebook is a monthly subscription service. Important things to note, based on my own personal experience as a Groovebook customer: you WILL NOT be charged for your first Groovebook when you use code GROOVEPARENTSNEED. The following month, you will be charged $2.99 if you decide to stay with the program and get another Groovebook. You are totally allowed to cancel before that point. But you aren’t going to want to because this deal is smokin’ hot!

6. Ok, I’m in. How exactly do I get “signed up”? Simply go to Groovebook.com, download the appropriate app (iphone or Android), then use the app to upload your first set of pictures, provide your credit card information in case you stay on later, then your GROOVEPARENTSNEED code, and you are done! It took me about 10 minutes start to finish when I did it.

Ready to enter? Let’s do this!

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I am an affiliate of Groovebook. I only recommend products I adore! This giveaway is partially sponsored by our friends at Groovebook, and partially self-funded.

Friday Style Finds: Statement Necklaces for $10 and Under

July 26, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I love a good sale, friends! One of my new favorite places to shop online, Cents of Style, is having a FANTASTIC sale, but just for today (Friday). Every single one of their necklaces can be had for 50% off if you use the code 50OFFNECK. Shipping is free (always!).

There are a few dozen options. All totally cute. Want to see what I picked up for just $21 total? And notice that they both came with earrings!

(Just $10!)

($11!)

Have you stumbled upon any bargains too good to pass up today? Do share! 🙂

This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about how your purchase is changing a little girl’s life, click here.