My Thoughts On Swim Diapers After Trying Them…For the First Time!

June 24, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 8 Comments

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

Mommy confession time: until last weekend, I had never EVER purchased or even used swim diapers on my kids.

Before you start thinking that I’m the gross mom who doesn’t pay attention to pool rules, I HAVE been using cloth diapers to serve as swim diapers. And if I’m being totally honest with you, I never really saw the point of using any type of swim diaper, cloth or disposable, other than to contain poo, should that happen while you are playing in the water. Does it really hold in the pee? I certainly had my doubts…

But I noticed a sweet $1.50 off coupon for Huggies Little Swimmers at Target, and decided this was the right time to at least give this product a try.

So I headed to Target with my coupon printed and ready to go, and I made my way over to the baby section. Ok, let’s be real. First I stopped by the clearance racks of the women’s clothing department (finds included a $9 red belted dress, a $15 teal green blazer and a $4 emerald green tank top. Score!!!). So after that most excellent diversion, I went to the baby section and I located the #Huggiesswimmers diapers. I made sure it was a match with my coupon, and then loaded it into my cart.

Over the weekend, I certainly didn’t have to twist anyone’s arms to go outside and play with the water table. It is a source of much fun for my girls, and I love it, too, because I can hang back a little bit while they play and ~~read an interesting book~~ check Facebook. I learned from the very first time that they played with the splash table to have them in swimsuits, or at the very least, to have them in clothes that could get COMPLETELY soaked. And if you add a little dish soap to the water…get ready for miles of smiles!

One thing I noticed about the Huggies Little Swimmers is that they were very trim and didn’t stick out much from the sides of the swimsuit. My cloth diapers definitely stick out much more than this, so I thought that aesthetically, the Little Swimmers looked a lot better.

Layah loved the water so much that she insisted on sitting in the splash table to finish up her play time. Surely this would be the ultimate test for the diaper….time to get completely SOAKED!!!

After she played in there for a good 15 minutes, it was time to take her out. I was already smirking, just knowing that I’d see a bloated diaper, all filled up with water and looking gross. Here’s what I actually saw:

My jaw actually dropped when I pulled her out. This “soaked” diaper is no fluffier than it was when it was dry. That means that she is weighted down by a water-logged hiney while she continues her play. If I put an insert into her cloth diaper when she is doing water play (which I often do), then this is BIG difference between what I normally use and Huggies Little Swimmers. I was totally skeptical of this product, but I have to tell you honestly: I’m really impressed with it.

Aside from outside play at our house, I’m actually really looking forward to using these any time we go swimming somewhere. If I’m carrying Huggies Little Swimmers with us on the splash park, for example, I don’t have to bring home a soggy, wet diaper to clean. That makes for less mess for me. We are all headed to a conference later this month out of town and there are several swimming options there. If I had been using cloth for the trip, I would have had a few days’ worth of really wet diapers to bring back home. That would have been pretty gross, and I would have even been putting the diapers at risk of getting moldy. So now that I think about it, it would have been a really bad idea to take cloth. With Huggies Little Swimmers, I don’t have to worry about that!

Is your little one rockin’ the swim diaper this year? Am I the only mama on the planet who hadn’t tried them until recently? If you’ve got them on your shopping list, don’t forget about that great coupon for $1.50 off at Target!

Toddler Snacks for the Road: DON’T Leave Home Without Them!

June 23, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

Before we left for our recent weekend trip to Asheville (a 4 hour drive away from us, factoring in a few stops with kids), I made sure that we had a fully stocked snack bag. Specifically, I packed all of this:

And while we stopped 4 times on that 4 hour trip, we never did stop because of hunger. So I’m confident that my heft supply of Earth’s Best provisions kept us from stopping 6 or even 7 times each way. In that sense, they were a major sanity saver!

I carefully selected each item you see here for different reasons, but the common theme for all of them is that they are highly portable and relatively mess-free. Even Layah is getting tot he point where she can feed herself a yogurt smoothie, and she can definitely tear up a Sunny Days Snack Bar! It is so nice to finally reach that point where we don’t have to pull over in order to give her any food! And I absolutely love that you can purchase the Earth’s Best Yogurt Smoothies in the 6 pack. I have a hard time finding that option in my local stores, but it is available on Amazon in sets of two 6 packs at a time.

One tip I have for you if your kids love the smoothies: If you aren’t taking them on the road, try sticking them in the freezer for a few hours before you give them to the kids. They are DELICIOUS as a cool slushy treat this time of year!

Are you taking any road trips? What kind of snacks do you pack for your kiddos? I’d love to hear what makes your “must have” list!

I am an Earth’s Best preferred blogger, and I such, I have received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions listed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.

8 Things I Learned About Daycare After the First Week

June 22, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

Originally published on December 4, 2009. It is so amazing to think about how much I have learned since that very first week taking Darah to daycare!

Thanks so much to everyone for your encouraging words this week. Darah went to daycare on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Today is my special day with her of the week. We are both very ready for it!

I wanted to share a few things that I have learned this week about the world of daycare and I’d like to share them with those of you who are going to be going through this same thing at some point.

1. You need to bring a lot of stuff.
Basically you need to bring several changes of clothing, a large package of diapers and wipes (if required…my place takes care of the wipes), bibs, blankets, and a few favorite toys.

2. There is no room for all the stuff you are supposed to bring!
I was given a large list of items to bring, and then was given a container the size of a shoebox to put it all in. You can imagine the look of confusion on my face. It turns out that what most parents do is leave a diaper bag there to hold all their stuff. So on day 2, we had our diaper bag there!

3. LABEL EVERYTHING.

Now that I think about it, it is understandable that the people who watch over 10 children can’t remember exactly which child came in wearing this or that bib, or who the pacifier belongs to. This did not occur to me at first, because where I live, if it is tiny, it is Darah’s! So I’ve had to break out the magic marker and write her initials on bottles, bottle caps, pacifiers, bibs, socks and clothes. I felt really sad about doing this to her clothes, because I’d like to pass them on to other people, but they insisted that the clothes also be labeled. I’ve heard that there are labels you can buy just for this purpose, so I’ll have to look into that. Edit: I now use Sticky Labels from Mabel’s Labels. If I could go back in time and give myself some advice, it would be to have ordered those before her first week at daycare. They are fabulous!

4. Making a good first impression can be tough.
Here’s what I mean: You want to give very clear instructions for what your child likes and doesn’t like, and what they need. You also don’t want to be seen as the obnoxious, bossy mom on day 1. The situation I immediately struggled with was swaddling. I explained to the ladies that Darah still needs to be swaddled in order to sleep. This seemed like no big deal to them. When I came back later in the day to feed her, she hadn’t slept at all, because she hadn’t been swaddled. The blanket was right where I had left it! What I decided to do was to simply swaddle her myself, hoping that they would watch (and they did). They were impressed to see that she immediately fell asleep. I was basically able to say, “See! I told you so!” without actually saying it.

5. If you are going to visit your child to breastfeed, you’d better not be shy.
I’ve fed Darah during lunch 3 times, now. We do this in a resource room next to her classroom. I’ve been walked in on 2 of those 3 times. Once by a man. He was extremely embarrassed. I was very surprised by how I didn’t really feel embarrassed at all…but I did feel bad for him! I’m glad to see that I’m getting more brave about feeding Darah outside of my home, but I would still prefer to be uninterrupted. I’m thinking about making a “Room in use” sign to stick on the door when we are in there.

6. Sometimes you have to just insist on what you need.
I participate in the dependent reimbursement program (or whatever it is called) where you can deduct up to $5,000 in childcare expenses from your taxes. In my case, doing this saves me close to $1,000 in taxes each year, which is really helpful. It is a pain, though, in that the money gets automatically deducted from my paycheck and put into an account with an insurance company. Then I have to send the company a proof of payment in order to get reimbursed. So for a period of time, I am basically floating 2 payments at once, if that makes sense. Anyway, so the office at Darah’s daycare has been really terrible about getting me my receipts (did I mention we’ve been having to pay for daycare for months even though she just started?…daycare is such a racket, but that’s another post altogether). Anyway, when I gave them my latest check on Tuesday I asked for the receipt, and the woman told me she would put it in my child’s box. And of course, she didn’t. I even gave her a few days. But on Thursday at lunch, when it still wasn’t there, I went in the office and said, “I REALLY need my receipt.” She huffed and puffed a bit about it, and had a really hard time making it for me. It seems that she couldn’t find her record of what I had paid and ended up just asking me what my monthly bill is. Yikes! She also asked if I was leaving right then and if she could just leave it for me, but I said that I needed it now. I was polite, but firm. It was awkward. I tried to make some pleasant small talk with her while I waited to smooth it over a bit. And in the end, I got my receipt. Next month I’ll ask for it on the spot and say once again that I need it immediately. I think that’s the only way I’ll ever get it! I guess other parents aren’t participating in this program, because I get the impression that it is odd to her that I want a receipt. Oh well!

7. Your baby will be mad at you.
Darah won’t make eye contact with me for the first 5 minutes or so when I visit her at lunch and when I pick her up. It is really heartbreaking. But she eventually warms up to me, and I know this will get better with time.

8. Your baby will eventually warm up to the people who watch her.
On Wednesday evening, I saw Darah give a big grin to the lady in her class. While I was sad that she was witholding her grins from me, it gave me SO much comfort to see her giving love to her teacher. It is important to send your child to an exceptional childcare like Raising Stars as as it provides a nurturing environment, helping your baby to warm up to people faster.

I’ll be sure to share more insights with you as I get them. I’d love to hear any lessons learned from folks out there who currently have their children in daycare, or who have in the past. We can learn a lot from each other by sharing our stories!

What are some things you learned about daycare or parent’s day out programs after you started going? Any tips to share with other moms and dads out there who will be taking their babies for the first time in the near future?

This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products I use and love!

Fizzy Colored Sand: A Simple “I’m Bored!” Solution

June 21, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Want to see how I put together the above activity in just a few short minutes and kept my preschooler occupied for a solid half hour?

Of course you do! Then hop on over to Saving Dollars and Sense where I’m guest posting today about a frugal, fun and idiot proof (that’s key for me!) kid activity that your kids will love and that will buy you some time. Check it out and let me know what you think!

This is Why I’m Always Dressed So Shabby

June 21, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Because buying for my girls is SO much for fun. It’s just the truth! AND….my checking account is weeping at the news that Tea Collection, my favorite online children’s clothing desintation, is now offering an extra 25% off their HUGE semi-annual sale markdowns. Don’t cry, bank account…this will hurt 25% LESS than it originaly would have!

Don’t miss out on the additional 25% off sale items by using code 25SAVE at checkout. The sale ends 0n 06/29, but stuff is going fast. Better hurry, but don’t beat me to all the cute 4T and 24 months stuff! On your mark, get set, go!!!

This post contains affiliate links. I only promote what I also buy!

Exploring the Role of a Friend: Bink & Gollie DVD (Giveaway)

June 21, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 46 Comments

Is your best friend a carbon copy of you, or very different? I think in most cases of friendship, opposites really do attract. My BFF and I are different in so many ways (a fact we definitely learned when we were college roommates for two years!). But our differences are part of what keeps our friendship so interesting. I can count on her to offer me a different perspective than the one I’d have on my own, and that is a very good thing, indeed! When you truly respect and care for someone, you are more likely to be able to really listen to them and learn from them.

Scholastic has just released a delightful DVD that is all about unlikely friendships and what it takes to be a lasting pal to someone. Introducing Bink & Gollie….and More Stories About Friendship. The timing of this release is absolutely perfect for Darah, as she has just transitioned from her school year placement to a summer program, so there are new friendships to be made. She is also starting to develop stronger ties to friends, in general, so it is a good time to start talking about what it means to be a friend.

In addition to the story of Bink & Gollie and how their friendship came to be, you’ll also find 3 other stories, including the following:

A Sick Day for Amos Mcgee: Amos receives unexpected guests from the zoo when he’s home with the sniffles and sneezes.
The Other Side: A friendship develops between two kids from opposite sides of a segregated town.
Cat and Canary: Cat’s unlikely friend Canary shows him a great time when his master is away at work.

This is a terrific DVD for any child who is making new friends or learning how to be a good friend. It has 36 minutes of videos plus some extras (such as author and illustrator interviews). It retails for $14.95 (though it is currently on sale for $12.99 on Amazon!).

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Bink & Gollie!

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

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I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Loving Moments by Leading Lady: Best Nursing Bras (Giveaway!!!)

June 20, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 57 Comments

When I was pregnant and nursing, I had a favorite nursing bra. It was the one I pulled out of the laundry pile the instant it was clean because it was so supportive AND so comfortable.

That bra was from Leading Lady, a company I have highlighted before and that I continue to love even though I’m no longer nursing. Leading Lady also offers an excellent selection of bras for full-figured women, starting with size 38A. This is a brand I would recommend to any of you in that size or higher!

If you are shopping for a nursing bra, however, Leading Lady sizes start smaller, and as you know, I think they are FANTASTIC! They have just launched the Loving Moments Collection, available exclusively at Wal-Mart and WalMart.com.

And I’m just thrilled to see that right now, Loving Moments by Leading Lady and Pampers are teaming up to offer new moms a limited time gift with their purchase of a Loving Moments Wirefree Sport Nursing Bra and a Loving Moments Nursing Bra Tank. When purchasing either of these styles, new moms will receive a sample of Pampers Newborn diapers and wipes. Plus, Loving Moments is hosting a fantastic contest and giving moms the chance to win a complete Loving Moments nursing bra wardrobe and one year supply of Pampers diapers at LovingMomentsBras.com. So much cool stuff happening with this company. Love it!!!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a bra of your choice from the Loving Moments collection!

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

I received a complimentary bra for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

NWF Is Writing the Book on Outdoor Time with Kids (Giveaway!!!)

June 19, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 250 Comments

If your kids are anything like mine, then they ask to go outside every day to play, whatever the weather may be like. With so many gorgeous days around this time of year, I’m partnering with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) to help you find solutions for getting outdoors with your kids during the summer. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to run out of easy and fun outdoor ideas and I’d love to get some new ones!

Also, if I’m being honest, I can’t say that I have the same excitement about going outside as my kids do. From hot and humid air, to mosquitos, to having to slather on sunscreen before heading out the door…I can pretty easily find an excuse for answering their requests for outside time with, “Not right now.”

Later this summer I’ll be part of a team partnering with NWF to launch a free e-book that will give you some great ideas to make outside time easier to fit into your day, less cumbersome for the grown ups, and WAY more fun for the kids. I’ve got a few of my own ideas for unstructured yet highly entertaining outdoor fun, and I can’t wait to share them with you! Here’s a little sneak peek! 🙂

In addition to this great ebook that will be launching this summer, NWF also has a lot of resources and ideas to share with you on their site, Be Out There. Definitely check it out and get inspired!

I Need Your Help!

For my section of the e-book, I’m going to be writing about finding time for the outdoors in everyday life, and as part of my contribution, I want to share ideas from my readers! Please let me know how you fit outdoor time into your busy family schedule in a way that doesn’t just feel like one more activity on your to do list! I’m not talking about structured activities like sports teams, but rather, unstructured, stress-free stuff. And how do you overcome those barriers to getting outside, be it the weather or the lure of the television or computer? Any tips or ideas you can share would be greatly appreciated, and you just might get published, too!

Win it!: To thank you for taking the time to share how your family gets outside, I’m offering up a $10 Amazon gift card! The deadline is 06/23, so hop to it!

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

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Thanks to National Wildlife Federation and The Motherhood for bringing me on for this sponsored campaign. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. The giveaway listed here is personally funded.

How to Save for Retirement with One Income #GenWorthUSA

June 18, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

I vividly remember when Tim and I reached the decision that our life in Memphis just wasn’t working (picture a huge house to maintain and pay for, 2 busy full-time careers, and a growing baby in a caring but not enriching daycare 40 hours/week). We made the choice to walk away from half of the money we were used to having (because I quit my job), moved across the state, and completely started over in a place that we rolled the dice on as the right choice for where to raise our children.

Our risk paid off in many ways. We adore Chattanooga and have made great strides toward putting down roots here and finding true community. We have been able to spend a lot of time with our girls and have them a home more than not, and we’ve found an excellent preschool that we believe is setting Darah up for success not just in terms of her knowledge set, but even more importantly, in terms of her character development.

Life is good, friends! We are so SO happy here and don’t regret the choices we made or what we gave up in order to live the life we are currently living.

With one exception: we have had to stop saving for retirement. And this has been a source of regret for us. I’m so thankful that we saved for retirement aggressively before we had kids, so at least we have a nest egg tucked away. But it has been so disappointing to watch it sit stagnant as we have shifted to being a one income family. We are financially savvy enough to know that RIGHT NOW is the time to be saving as much as possible for our retirement, while it still has 3 more decades to grow.

And yet, we face the same dilemma as so many families in this season of life: how do you save for retirement when you have just one income to support a growing family? It is the best time, for me personally, to be out of the work force, since my girls are little and never will be again. It is also the worst time for us to not have that extra money to sock away for later. We will only have to work harder and put even more money aside to try to play catch up for our lack of saving over the past 3 years.

I’m excited to report that thanks to my blog, I am now earning a bit of income every month, so we are ready to start contributing to our retirement again. I have two main tips I wanted to share if you are in a similar position and are struggling to figure out how to make contributions to your retirement funds.

Tips for Saving for Retirement on One Income

1. Know how to make a one time contribution. You would be shocked to hear how many times over the years we have received windfalls of money (and I use the term “windfall” VERY loosely here…maybe $100 we didn’t expect…not $10,000!). Almost every time we would say to each other, “We should put that in our retirement account!” and then we proceeded to NOT do that. Why? Because we didn’t want to take the time to figure out how to make a one time deposit. Is that ridiculously lazy? Absolutely. But also true. Now I know how to make a one time contribution and I have the step by step instructions printed out and in a safe but easy to access spot for future reference.

When you live on one income, you really may not be able to make monthly contributions (though I strongly encourage you to do so, even if it is only $20…every single dollar helps). But from time to time (birthdays, holidays, work bonus time, etc.) you find yourself with a bit of extra money on hand. Rather than let is melt away into your checking account, send it straight to retirement. Since my blogging income is very irregular, this is a great strategy for us, as there are some months when I can make pretty decent contributions, and there are other months when I’m not able to contribute anything at all.

2. Take a good hard look at your current budget. Have you ditched cable yet? Are you paying no attention to the sales flyers when you go grocery shopping? Done an insurance price comparison this year? There are several ways that you can trim your monthly living costs with not too much effort on your part. My family, for example, has been cable free since 2008. We missed it terribly for about 3 days. And then we got over it. The day we cut the cord, so to speak, we reclaimed $80/month! If we still had cable to this day, we would have handed over another $4,800 , and had nothing to show for it. And in today’s world, there are so many alternatives to cable like Hulu or Netflix. A Hulu subscription is just $8/month, 90% less than the cable bill you’ll have once any promotional rate you may have been offered is over. And for grocery savings, I’m not suggesting you learn how to extreme coupon. But use the sales flyer as your guide. My local store always has lots of stuff buy 1 get 1 free each week. I buy the majority of my groceries from that selection, instantly saving 50% on my grocery bill, no couponing required!

The reality is, when you don’t have a whole lot of money to start with, you need to stretch what you do have further. Some money saving measures take extreme amounts of time, and I judge those to not really be worth it. But some are quite simple, especially if you are willing inconvenience yourself just a tiny amount. Trade that little bit of time and effort for retirement contributions. Your 65-year-old self will thank you, I promise. And if you are lucky enough to be retiring very soon, definitely give this article on tips for 2013 retirees a read. I learned quite a few interesting tidbits, myself, and I’m nowhere close to retirement!

If you are looking for some help to get started with a retirement savings plan, or you just need some assistance managing your retirement contributions, consider Genworth. Genworth is the financial security company of choice for millions of people in all 50 states. They are a great resource to turn to whatever your age, be it 23 or 73. Speaking of 73, here’s a photo from my future 73-year-old self. It’s a great visual reminder that we’ve gotta take care of tomorrow by planning today!

This post is brought to you by our friends at Genworth and Brandfluential. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.