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

Visual Learning Meets Critical Thinking: Snapshots Photo Cards (Giveaway)

July 25, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 63 Comments

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Thanks to Learning Resources for supplying a copy of Snapshots for review. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

One of my favorite educational toy companies, Learning Resources, has a fantastic new game out that is absolutely perfect for little ones who are visual learners, or who love telling stories.

We’ve been playing with Snapshots over the past week, and it has inspired a whole lot of conversation, critical thinking, and storytelling! Snapshots is a set of 40 laminated, double-sided cards. One side has a picture on it, like this:

The other side has some starter questions for you to ask your child about what is happening in the picture, like this:

These questions help the child practice using context clues, drawing conclusions, and using her imagination, in addition to sharpening her eye for detail.

We’ve also used the cards to make up stories about the people, animals or places in the picture, and to talk about times when we have done similar things.

I like Snapshots because it is travel friendly, encourages discussion and awareness, and is quite a bit of fun, too! Snapshots can be purchased at Learning Resources, as well as on Amazon (on sale right now for $13.95!).

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win their own copy of Snapshots!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

The Crazy Sale Happening Right Now….(AKA What I’m Doing This Morning…)

July 25, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Zulily is going absolutely nuts this morning, folks! Get in on the action! (Affiliate links below…I only promote places where I also shop!). Don’t miss out on the HUGE Christmas in July sale (look below for all the details!).

New to Zulily? Then you’ll want to start here and get signed up (for free, of course!).

Motherhood Maternity, 7/25 from $9.99
Dressing over two million new moms each year, Motherhood Maternity offers a wide variety of high-quality maternity and nursing apparel at amazing low prices. From formal dresses to casual white tees, each design represents everything Mom-to-be could want. Flattering, comfortable and above all else stylish, Motherhood Maternity will make the next nine months your most fashionable yet.

maternity sale

Moving Comfort, 7/29 up to 50% off

In 1977, two 20-somethings decided it was time for women to get in on the activewear game. Tired of wearing men’s clothing during a run, they created Moving Comfort, a company that is proud to say that every stitch sewn is intended solely for women. Engineering garments for the female physique, Moving Comfort creates apparel that encourages women to get and stay fit.

activewear sale

Christmas in July Event

Christmas Crafting Collection from $7.99
From customizable stockings, stickers and needlepoint artwork to Sizzix tools and thank-you notes, this merry medley makes spreading the spirit a snap.
Christmas in July: Home Décor
Spruce the spruce and deck the halls with this merry medley of Santa figurines, snowmen signs, ornaments and pillows that gets every onlooker into the joyful spirit.
Christmas in July: Trim the tree
zulily has gathered some of their favorite festive tree trimmings to introduce some good cheer to your home come December. Spruce the spruce with this merry medley of college-themed ornaments and classic Christmas figurines that gets every onlooker into the joyful spirit.
Christmas in July: Textiles
Spruce upthe space and deck the halls with this merry medley of college-themed stockings, tree skirts and colorful pillows that gets every onlooker into the joyful spirit.
Christmas in July: Toys up to 50% off
From roller coaster tables and deluxe play kitchens to riveting ride-ons, plush toys and games, this merry medley ensures your precious angel will be wide-eyed with surprise come December.
Christmas in July: Girls’ Apparel up to 60% off
Red and green bows and ruffle pants to candy cane tees and Santa leggings, this merry medley preps your little ones for photos, pageants and more Christmastime events.
Christmas in July: Boys’ Apparel up to 60% off
From Brown Bear John Johns and bodysuits to Grinch tees and comfy reindeer pajamas, this merry medley preps your little ones for photos, pageants and more Christmastime events.
Christmas in July: Door Decorations
Holly doormats and snowflake garden flags to yuletide planters, this merry medley makes spreading the Christmas spirit a snap.
Christmas in July: Baking from $5.49
From cookie cutters and cookbooks to pans, platters and stainless steel bowls, this merry medley makes whipping up the Christmas spirit a snap.

12 Best YouTube Videos for Kids Under 5

July 24, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

Looking for some YouTube Videos for Kids? Since I’ve got 2 under 5, I have amassed quite a collection of fun music videos that my kiddos LOVE to watch. Here’s a list for you to help you out!

1. Mr. Rabbit

2. Googly Eyes

3. Itsy Bitsy Spider

4. The Cool Alphabet Song

5. Rock a Bye Your Bear

6. 1, 2, 3, 4

11. The Elephant Song

12. Elmo’s Ducks

Are your kids already fans of any of these? Any others you’d add to the list?? We’re always looking for fun new songs, so please share! 🙂

Why I Sponsored a Child (And How You Can Easily Help!)

July 23, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

On July 4th, I decided to take action on something that had been tugging on my heart for several months: I decided to sponsor a child. Over the past 3 years, I have read several posts from other bloggers who sponsor children through Compassion International. This is a faith-based organization working to lift children out of poverty, rather than simply sustaining them through it.

Why I Chose Compassion

There are many organizations that offer ways to contribute financially to struggling families in developing countries. So why did I choose Compassion? Honestly, this was a tough call for me. I am a Christian, but I’m definitely on the liberal end of the spectrum in my faith. Compassion, as an organization, seems to be more conservative. Instruction on Christianity is a critical component of the program, and I wasn’t too sure how that sat with me. There are so many problematic ways for the Bible to be used; how sure could I be that the key message of Jesus’ radical love in action would be heard? It is a hard message to hear, and many churches don’t like to preach it.

Ultimately, I thought about my formative years, and how grateful I was to have a relationship with God, a home church, and a community of friends in my youth group. Learning to ask questions about faith from an early age (even if members of my church didn’t necessarily like those questions) was really transformational in my life. So I decided that the good outweighed the possible bad. AND…I researched the financial stability of Compassion and was very pleased to see that they operate very responsibly, with over 80% of funds raised going directly to the children. Additionally, if you send any extra monetary gifts to the child throughout the year, 100% of those gifts are given to the child and his/her family. That works for me!

Who We Sponsored

This is Vanessa. She is 6 months to the day older than Darah. She is one of two children in her family, and she lives with her mother and father in Burkina Faso. This is a land locked country in Northwest Africa (don’t feel bad if you don’t know where it is…I had to go look it up, myself!). Adults in her village, when they are able to find employment, earn an average of $10/month. We are sending $38/month for Vanessa’s education and care. Can you imagine the difference this is going to make in her life???

How We are Paying for It

We have committed to sponsoring Vanessa all the way through high school. When you work with Compassion, you are not bound by any such agreement, but the hope is that you will prayerfully consider making a long-term commitment. Sponsorship of Vanessa will cost us $456/year, and roughly $6,400 over the next 14 years (likely a bit more, as I’d imagine that monthly sponsorship costs will rise a bit over the years). We are a mostly one-income family, so the cost to sponsor a child isn’t negligible. However, it is doable, all thanks to this blog. I have been exploring new ways to monetize the site and my hope is that Stuff Parents Need can support Vanessa every single month.

How You Can Help

You can help my family support Vanessa in a few very simple ways, and in ways that won’t cost you any money at all (at least not any money that you weren’t going to spend, already!). Please consider shopping through my affiliate links. I earn a small percentage back on your purchases when you use my links, and that money, in turn, goes on to change a little girl’s life forever. Here’s a link to all of my affiliate partnerships. Thank you in advance for helping us make a difference!

How to Sponsor a Child

Perhaps you have been feeling the pull to sponsor a child, yourself. And in that case, let me encourage you to take the leap and do it! Compassion offers you the opportunity to search for children to assist in a variety of interesting ways, including searching by country, searching by days on the waiting list, by areas where children are most in danger of exploitation, and even by birthday if you want to find a child with the same birthday as yourself or a loved one.

If committing to $38/month is too great of a commitment, Compassion also accepts one time gifts. Every dollar helps in some way. Give whatever you are able with love, and I promise you that you will reap the benefits of that gift ten fold, while simultaneously providing great benefit to someone who could use some help and some love.

By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.

-John 13:35

Have you ever considered sponsoring a child? What are some of the causes that tug at your heart, and that you contribute to with your time and your gifts? I’d love to hear!

Back Porch Ice Cream Date Night: A Reason to Smile

July 23, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 204 Comments

This post is brought to you by Edy’s and The Motherhood. I was provided with product coupons and compensated for my time, but all opinions are mine.

Tim and I made a very fun recent discovery: July is National Ice Cream Month! That, my friends, is something worth celebrating. We are HUGE ice cream fans in my house, and love getting to try fun new flavor combinations. Edy’s (also known as Dreyer’s in some parts of the country) is one of our very favorite brands, thanks to the delicious taste, value pricing, and fun variety of flavors.

We recently tried out a selection of the Edy’s Limited Edition Flavors that are out right now. And oh my word, you guys, they are AWESOME!!! Darah seemed to enjoy Take the Cake the very best. It somehow has managed to put the exact flavor of a birthday cake, including a frosting swirl and fun sprinkles, into ice cream form. How did they do that?!

Over the weekend, after we put the kids to bed for the night, we decided to have our very own date with each other. We didn’t have to hire a babysitter to get some quality time in. We just needed our favorite ice creams and to head out to our back porch! We recently got some outdoor furniture (a first for us, even though we’ve been married for 11 years!). This was the perfect opportunity to break it in!

Here we are with our favorite Edy’s/Dreyer’s flavors:

I’m a big fan of 3 Stripes You’re Out, which is a delicious vanilla combined with blueberry and strawberry swirls. It is lovely to look at and even more lovely to eat!

Tim also liked 3 Stripes You’re Out, but felt an even stronger connection (as you can clearly see in the picture of him kissing the carton!) with Sunny Salted Caramel Pretzel. This flavor is available in the Slow Churned Ice Cream line at Edy’s. With the Slow Churned line, you get all the taste and ½ the fat (with ½ the fat and 1/3 fewer calories than regular ice cream). Sunny Salted Caramel Pretzel, it is a simply AMAZING combination of sweet, creamy vanilla ice cream, sprinkled with a pop of salty caramel and pretzel. I think we’ve all experienced the delicious combination of salty and sweet together. Edy’s has hit the nail on the head with this one. Tim and I both agreed that we’ve never had ice cream like this before. It was a winner!

After we remembered that we weren’t having a date with our favorite ice creams, but rather with each other, we really enjoyed our special date with each other and vowed to make it a regular habit. It was a beautiful evening. We felt spoiled by our great ice cream flavors. And we had UNINTERRUPTED conversations with each other. Definitely a reason to smile!

Speaking of a reason to smile, Edy’s is in the mist of a great partnership with Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity, with the goal of making possible 500 reconstructive surgeries for children all over the world suffering from cleft palate, cleft lip and other facial deformities. Every two weeks, Edy’s has been posting content on their Facebook page giving followers the change to like, share, or comment, and in return, Edy’s makes a donation to Operation Smile! Edy’s will donate up to $125,000 to the cause this year (!!!) and they need your help to make it happen.

Be sure to visit the Edy’s Facebook page and start participating so that Edy’s can reach the goal and changes the lives of hundreds of children and their families. The campaign runs through September 31, 2013, so you’ve still got plenty of time to participate! If you are reay to smile, be sure to join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram, as well, using #ReasontoSmile.

Win it!: In celebration of National Ice Cream Month and the #ReasontoSmile campaign, Edy’s wants to give one Stuff Parents Need reader two coupons for free Edy’s ice cream!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Shopping for a Cause with Stuff Parents Need

July 22, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

I am often asked why I choose to spend so much time blogging, and along with that question comes another one: how do you make enough money blogging to justify the time you spend on it?

Blogging: A Surprisingly Expensive Hobby!

That’s a fair question! And the truth is, I do make money through my blog. I also spend A LOT of money on my blog. Far more than the average blogger does, I would say. Not counting my babysitting costs, I spend an average of $500 each month on Stuff Parents Need.

Is that sinking in for you? It hits me like a ton of bricks every time I think about it. I spend a very large portion of what I earn as a blogger on the promotion and maintenance of this site, as well as on professional development opportunities like conferences, ebooks and other trainings. Oh, and then there’s taxes. Yeah, bloggers totally have to pay those, too. That’s 25% of everything I earn back to the government (or more accurately, to my “taxes” savings account) before I even dream about spending it!

Most months I earn more than I spend, but I will tell you that there have been a few months where I’ve been “in the red.” The overall trajectory for my blog’s income growth is positive, though, so I am feeling good about what I’m doing here, even though I turn around and invest a large chunk of what I earn back into the blog. And I spend the money because without doing so, I would have quit long ago. For example, my virtual assistant handles aspects of blog maintenance that WEAR ME DOWN and that suck the joy of blogging right out of me. She takes it off my plate. I provide a little extra income to her family. Stuff Parents Need continues. Winners all around! I also invest in learning new skills and making connections so that I can learn how to produce better content and increase my earning potential. As the saying goes, sometimes you’ve got to spend money to make money. I’m definitely experiencing that truth at the moment! I believe that I’m investing in my business the same way a small business owner would, and that in time I’ll find my overall earnings to be significantly higher than my expenses. Here’s hoping! 🙂

How Bloggers Make Money

I’m sharing this with you to give you more insight into how Stuff Parents Need works, how other blogs might also work, and to share easy ways that you can help support the work I do, and also the work of other bloggers.

The best way you can help me out is by shopping through my affiliate links! I only sign up as an affiliate when I’m BONKERS about a company and when I’m also a paying customer. I want to make purchase suggestions to you based on my honest opinions, ALWAYS. Through affiliate programs, which most bloggers who are trying to monetize have joined, we earn a small percentage (usually between 4-10%, depending on the company) of what you spend when you go to those sites via our special links. It costs you absolutely nothing other than what you were already planning on spending, and we earn a wee bit of money (and it really is a wee bit, but it can add up over time!).

The Greater Good

My affiliate earnings are dedicated to Vanessa, a 4 1/2 year old girl living in the northwestern African country of Burkina Faso. We have sponsored her through Compassion, International. It is because of the affiliate income I generate here, small though it may at first glance appear to be, that her life is going to change, and that she will be lifted out of poverty and given more opportunities for growth and advancement than she might otherwise have had.

I blog for so many reasons. I blog because it is a joy. I blog because it is a creative outlet. I blog to get my family back on the path of saving for retirement (which was the big sacrifice we made when we became a one income family…no more saving). And now, I also blog because I can make a life-altering difference in the life of a child. And I don’t have to be earning six figures to make it happen. All I need is $38/month. I can do it. With your help. 🙂

Here are my affiliate shops if you’d like to help in our efforts to change this little girl’s life! And as you peruse other bloggers’ sites, I encourage you to support the great work they are doing, too! If they direct you to a product or service that you’d like to buy, be sure to use their links so that they earn a little bit of money and can keep doing what they are doing! 🙂

Amazon

(the above link is for Kiwi Crate, my absolute, hands-down favorite craft subscription box!)

Simple Hairstyle for Girls (Easy Enough for Dad!)

July 22, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 8 Comments

Today I want to show you a quick styling tip for any little princesses you may have in your home. We’ve been doing what we call “the princess twist” for Darah. It is a SIMPLE (I promise…I have no hairstyle skills) way to fix your child’s hair and it reminds us of the way a princess might wear her hair, which of course makes it a big hit with our almost 4 year old.

But perhaps what I love the most about this style is that it is easy enough that Tim (aka “dad”) can also do it. I’m usually the one on hair duty, but he feels comfortable pulling this look off for Darah, too. Here’s a video showing exactly how you pull off this look in under 2 minutes~! Please excuse the excited screams of our 14 month old at the end. You know how it goes…

Give this a try this week on your little girl, especially in celebration of the imprending birth of a new prince or princess across the pond! She’ll be thrilled and you’ll be amazed by just how easy it is!

The No Skills, No Frills Approach to Decorating Kids Birthday Cakes

July 21, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 9 Comments

I absolutely LOVE this guest post from a fellow blogger, all about easy cake decorating ideas for kids’ birthday parties. This is something I personally need ideas for right about now!

“Mom, I want a Spiderman cake for my birthday.”

“Can you make a princess castle cake?”

“I’d like a cake with monkeys-and-elephants-and-zebras-and-tigers, OK?”

Sure, no problem…..you think. However, a quick search on Google or Pinterest can result in some major discouragement, knowing that those beautiful pieces of artwork are probably not going to reproduce themselves in your kitchen.

So instead of spending time searching for a specific cake, that you may, or may not be able to recreate, I’d like to teach you some super easy techniques.

There’s no crazy cake tools involved, or oddly shaped cake pans that you end up only using once. Anyone can do this! All you need is your imagination and a batch of my go to frosting.

1. Go crazy with dots

A fun and festive cake with a polka dot theme is probably one of the most simple, yet professional looking cakes to put together. Plus, colors can be customized to fit a boy, girl, or the theme of your birthday party.

To make the circles, you don’t even need a fancy tip. Just cut a small hole in a ziploc bag, and fill with icing. Then pipe your dots holding the bag exactly vertical.

The more pressure you put on the bag, the bigger the dot, and vice versa. If you’d like to use a tip, #12 is my favorite for making perfectly sized dots.

Place dots all over the cake, just on the sides, or both. And adding a dotted border only takes a few extra minutes, but makes a big impact!

Cake Tip: Sometimes the frosting will leave a point on the top of the dot. Just dip your finger in cornstarch and tap it down.

2. Add toys and action figures

Don’t let the request for Dora, the Hulk, or a barnyard full of animals, be the cause of your cake decorating anxiety. The solution is easy.

Comb through your child’s toys, or buy a cheap set of action figures at the dollar store. Just because you didn’t make a monster truck out of gum paste, doesn’t mean your child will love it any less!

For the girls, use a My Little Pony toy, a Disney Princess, or even fake tiara to adorn the center your cake. You can seriously carry out any theme, with these really easy add-ons.

If you’d like to go the extra step, tip #233 creates a grass effect around your figures. Really simple to do!

Cake Tip: Pipe a pile of frosting beneath each character to help cement it to the cake. Otherwise, the figures will topple right over.

3. Creatively use candy and other food

Candy comes in almost any size, any color, and any shape. That means you can adorn your cake with limitless possibilities!

Sprinkles can do wonders – whether you use jimmies, or the sugar crystals. Chocolate chips are readily available and versatile, either point up or down. M&M’s are really great at creating designs too.

panda bear cakefinal

This panda bear cake only uses Oreos and chocolate chips, but it’s still super cute!

4. Cut the cake into a different shape

You can easily turn a 9×13 rectangle or a 9×9 circle into a fun shape to decorate. Just use the internet to find a basic guideline to help you cut the cake.

I usually search for simple black-and-white coloring pages to print out and use as a template. Then I cut out the paper shape with scissors, lay flat on the cake, and start trimming around it with a sharp knife.

I’ve used this technique for making 3D balls, and for the age the birthday boy/girl is turning, but any shape is doable!

Cake Tip: Edges of cut cake are much harder to frost. Make sure you use quite a bit more icing than you think you’ll need, so you can avoid getting crumbs all over the cake.

Don’t look at extreme Cake Boss cakes as something you have to live up to. You can create your own unique spin, using exactly the tools you have in your kitchen right now.

Another perk? You just avoided an expensive trip to the grocery store bakery, and still ended up with a completely customized cake.

Have you ever tried making a birthday cake yourself?

Kalyn Brooke is a writer/blogger who lives in Southwest FL with her husband, Joseph, and one super adorable bunny, named Twix. Frugal living is her passion, book hoarding her weakness, and a well-stocked freezer full of ice cream an essential luxury. You’ll find her latest money-saving ideas and projects at Creative Savings.

My Plans for a Girls Superhero Birthday Party

July 20, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 42 Comments

Superhero Party Invitations

My inspiration for Darah’s upcoming birthday party didn’t originally come from Pinterest, or even from other birthday parties we have attended. It came from the creative folks at Paperflavor. Paperflavor is a woman owned business (woot woot!) that produces positively adorable stationary. It was on their birthday invitations page that I saw a really fun, customizable superhero invitation. One look at this cuteness, and the theme was settled! (FYI, if you want something even less hassle-free, I love this option on Amazon).

The stationary from Paperflavor is high quality, and the selection of cute stuff to be found there is great! I highly recommend them and wouldn’t hesitate to use them again. They even included a personal note with their package, which is something they do with every single order. Pretty nice touch, I have to say! And since the invitations have already gone out, guests have started to RSVP, and quite a few have made special mention of how much they liked the invitations. Nice work, Paperflavor!

Superhero Food

One of the reasons we are having the party at the exact same location as we did last year, is because they are really strict about the food. You are only allowed to bring cake and ice cream. At first, this probably doesn’t sound like a good thing. But just think about all the cutesy stuff you don’t have to do! FREEDOM!!!! Remember, I’m not a crafty person by nature, so making adorable signs by hand and coming up with cute ways to display 40 different types of finger foods is super stressful for me. Now I don’t have to! I will be making cupcakes for the kiddos (using Reynolds StayBrite baking cups). I’ll be putting these rings (here are similar options if they are unavailable) on top of each cupcake to give them a little extra cuteness.

Superhero Attire

Since we are at a splash park, everyone is going to be in their swimsuits. While Darah doesn’t have a superhero swimsuit, she will be sporting a pink and purple superhero cape, just for fun (purchased from a daily deal site and it hasn’t arrived yet, so pictures are unavailable).

I also found a really cheap Spiderman shirt at Kohl’s (no longer being sold, but here are similar options), so I’ll be wearing that over my suit, as well.

Superhero Favors

I found some really cute superhero masks handmade by a mom (I LOVE supporting woman-owned businesses, just like Paperflavor!). She custom made a set of 15 masks (fingers crossed we don’t get more RSVPs than that!). I paid $34 including shipping, and I think that was a steal!

I’m also contemplating getting these superhero crayons, as well. What do you think? Is the mask and the ring on the cupcake enough for the gifts, or do I need a little bit more? I’d love your input!

More ideas: