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

Colored Rice Activity: Simple and Very Entertaining!

June 8, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

I’ve said it a million times before, and I’ll say it a million times again: thank goodness for Pinterest! It is a treasure trove of great ideas for pretty much everything, including simple and fun activities to do with your kids. Since I’m not creative or crafty, I need all the help I can get to find summer projects for my girls that are fun and educational, and that don’t push me past my creative abilities (my limit in that regard is VERY low, by the way).

About two weeks ago, I embarked on a project to make colored rice, or rainbow rice. I found the rainbow rice project here. Please do go check out this great blog post to see the inspiration behind my work! It certainly looked beautiful and after reading the instructions, I realized that it didn’t sound terribly difficult, especially if I made a few modifications. So off we set!

Here’s what you will need to make rainbow rice (and by the way, I found the rice and the food coloring at The Dollar Tree…cheap thrills! The vinegar was also very cheap at my local grocery store).

In a glass bowl, place one cup of rice, 3 drops of food coloring and 1/2 tsp vinegar. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil (I chose this over the lid that came with my bowl just in case the food coloring caused staining). Shake it up like crazy!

The original instructions recommended letting the rice sit out in the sun for the rest of the day to dry. Darah was ready to play NOW so I needed to speed things up. I got out some parchment paper and placed it on a baking sheet. Then I spread out my newly colored rice and let is dry out in the oven, set to 200 degrees, for 20 minutes. This was the perfect amount of time and the perfect temperature, as it turned out!

I repeated the process for 4 different colors (red, blue, green and yellow), so it did take 1 1/2 hours to get all of the rice made, though the majority of that time was spent waiting for each color of rice to dry out. You could speed up the process by making two colors at once and utilizing both shelves of your oven. Why didn’t I do that? Simple: because I wasn’t wearing my thinking cap that day!

After your rice is all finished, you can make a pretty presentation to your kids. This definitely got some oohs and ahhs from Darah!

Now it was time for the moment we’d all been waiting for: mixing up the colors! I gave Darah a spoon and let her go to work. She was positively giddy!

Here she goes!

Darah played and played and played with her colored rice (probably for 45 minutes…3 eternities for a 3 year old). And we now have it sitting on a shelf in a glass jar for easy access. We get it out every couple of days and she spends a lot of time hiding treasures in the rice and pretending that it is where mermaids live. It is a fantastic sensory activity and promotes imaginative play. All this from a bag of rice, a few drops of food color and some vinegar. This activity totally rocks!

Let me know if you try out the colored rice activity! And if you love the idea, please share it with your friends (buttons over to the left!) via Facebook or Pinterest!

Krill Oil: What Is It and Why Should I Take It? (Giveaway!)

June 7, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 68 Comments

I’m sure that by now you’ve heard all about how wonderful it is to take fish oil as part of your nutritional plan. And as someone with a huge bottle of fish oil pills in my fridge, I can tell you that there are MANY benefits to taking this supplement.

So when I was recently contacted by the folks at Everest Nutrition (now part of Viva Labs) about Krill Oil, I assumed that it was pretty much the same as taking fish oil. After all, Krill is just a tiny shrimp-like creature, so it likely has similar benefits to fish oil.

This is what krill looks like. I was curious, so I thought you might be, too!

But I was wrong! The list of health benefits associated with krill oil is HUGE! For example, a study published by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that Krill Oil can reduce heart damaging inflammation. It was also found to be more effective than fish oil at reducing “bad” cholesterol (that’s LDL) and increasing “good” cholesterol (that’s HDL).

Other benefits of Krill Oil that have been confirmed by research include the following:

joint health support
PMS symptom relief
lower risk of cardiovascular incidents by up to 45%
improve brain health and memory function
reduce early aging lines in the skin
boost energy by 50%

These are some amazing health benefits! Not only am I glad to now be taking Krill Oil, but I also want to get some for my parents, and in particular, my father who has had some heart health issues in the past.

One benefit that isn’t as impressive as the list above, but when I am really enjoying day-to-day, is the fact that Krill Oil does not give you what are called “fish burps.” I know, that’s a strange and even gross term, but when you take fish oil, you sometimes will burp and it will taste like, you guessed it, fish. Kind of gross, especially when you haven’t eaten any fish that day! This just doesn’t happen with Krill Oil, which is a nice little bonus.

Have you tried Krill Oil yet? Viva Labs has a very good deal going on right now if you order 4 bottles at a time, they will give you two more bottles for free, as well as free shipping! The total for this value set is $119.80. Or you can just try one bottle for $29.95.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a bottle of Krill Oil, which contains a 30 day supply!

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

How I Save Money When I Shop Online With Zero Effort!

June 6, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

I’ve been a member of Ebates since 2007. In that time I have been sent checks totaling over $130. For what, you ask? For doing online shopping that I was going to be doing, anyway. It has been awesome! And honestly, I could have earned at least double that amount back if only I’d remembered to use Ebates every time I shopped. But now Ebates has a cash back app you can download that automatically alerts you and activates Ebates any time you are browsing a site that is an Ebates partner. They are making it pretty much effortless for you to save money! Woo hoo!!!

If you haven’t’ signed up for Ebates and you shop online (who doesn’t?!), you really need to get on this site! They have TONS of stores that you probably already frequent and they offer you cash back on your purchase, anywhere from 1-35% back, just depending on the store! They also have other store coupon offers for you to be sure to take advantage of, so that you don’t miss any extra percentage savings or free shipping offers while you are shopping. And of course, it is totally free to join. They don’t need any credit card information, or bank account information. Just a mailing address to send you your money! I’ve even been able to stack the Ebates cash back offer with online coupon codes to get really incredible savings. Ebates even has a list of currently available coupons at stores to help you stop hunting and start saving faster! Here’s a sampling of the stores I shop at and have saved big bucks from in the past:

Other offerings include popular sites like Diapers.com, Walmart, select sections of Amazon.com and Sephora. Oh heck yes, my friends, I know you are shopping online, so PLEASE let me help you save some extra money. Ebates makes is SO easy (especially with that new web app, which yours truly has already downloaded!).

Do yourself a favor and get signed up if you haven’t already. Look at all the money I’ve saved that I would have missed out on if I hadn’t joined Ebates!

This post contains an affiliate link. But I wouldn’t recommend this site if I didn’t know from experience that you really do get sent checks in the mail for your savings! I got my most recent check 2 weeks ago, which is what reminded me that I needed to spread the word!

Car Trip Tip: Get a 12 Foot Charger!

June 5, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Friends, will you be taking any road trips this summer? We have already been down to Southeast Alabama so far, and we have trips to Atlanta and Asheville in the works, too. Car trips with little ones can be challenging to say the least. Our youngest is still rear-facing in her car seat, which means she relies on her big sis to keep her company while she is awake. Our oldest doesn’t doze off very easily in the car, so she needs more entertainment options, especially while her sister is snoozing.

We are often using one of our iPhones as a GPS unit, which just leaves one free for her use. But her apps seems to drain our cell batteries so quickly! We’ve tried keeping the phone plugged into our car charger while she plays with it, but that totally doesn’t work, as it won’t reach to the back seat It has certainly created a dilemma.

And this is why I really love a new product from the Michigan-based company called Fuse (they manufacture cell and tablet accessories, in addition to a variety of audio products). If you poke around on their site, you’ll see lots of things you’ll love, but in particular, I want to draw your attention to their VERY clever invention, the 12 foot phone charger.

This charger makes it possible for your kids to play on your phone or your iPad in the back seat. And if you have a van, they can play with it in the very back seat while it is still charging, too! In fact, you’ll be surprised just how far this charger can really go. Take a look at this cute video the company put together demonstrating how it works:

Did you note that this charger also allows you to charge two phones at once? Woo hoo! I absolutely love that feature! Gone are the days when Tim and I had to take turns charging each other’s phones while on the road (which typically meant that one of us would forget to charge our phone and end up with a low battery at an inconvenient moment).

A 12 foot charger may sound a bit excessive at first glance, but trust me, if you have passengers in your back seat, and if those passengers like to play with your phone or your iPad, then this is a must. It will keep the good times rolling while your wheels keep rolling down the highway.

I am contacting you because I think our product line would be a great fit for the subject of your blog. A product that our parent bloggers love is our 12-foot car charger. It provides convenience and allows the parent to charge two devices while the kids play on the phone or iPad in the backseat. It is also heavy-duty in its design and build, which means that it is ready for whatever may be headed its way. And when you have kids, you just never know what that could mean!

I also want to add that this would be a great Father’s Day gift. A cool gadget that is also super functional AND affordable! This product is just $29.99! Don’t forget to follow Fuse on Facebook to keep up with their latest product releases and special deal offerings!

How do you keep all your electronic devices charged up while you are on the road? What do you think about the 12 foot charger concept?

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

Spring Cleaning Bug FINALLY Hit! And It Feels…Lucrative!

June 4, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I know I’m late to the whole “Spring Cleaning” party. Honestly, it’s a party I usually just skip altogether. Too much work. Not enough fun. I’d rather sit on my couch piled sky high with laundry and eat my dinner on a paper plate (due to there being no clean dishes) while I watch the only non-kid DVD I can manage to find in our spilled over tower of movies.

Oh wait. That also sounds terrible! And a little too close to my reality for comfort! The fact is, I was having a rare quiet moment in my home a few days ago, and I had about 15 square feet of my house that was legitimately clean. And organized. And it felt like the happiest place on earth. That’s when I realized that once again, my stuff was owning me and was taking WAY too much of my time.

Every day feels like Groundhog Day around here in some respects. The kitchen is constantly dirty, so we are constantly loading and unloading the dishwasher. Same story with laundry. There are piles EVERYWHERE! And we just have too much stuff to give everything a proper home, so there’s always a mess. I’ve heard before that you can’t organize clutter, and that is SO true.

So I took to my closet and got REALLY REAL with myself. If I didn’t love it I got rid of it. I now have a grand total of 20 things hanging in my closet. It is a slim wardrobe, but I will wear every single thing in there. That’s how it should be! And there will be many different women in the city who will stumble upon my wardrobe rejects and be absolutely giddy, because was was ill-fitting for me will be the perfect fit for them!

So where’s the “lucrative” piece I referred to? Well, in addition to snagging a hefty tax deduction for so many threads (most of which really are still in great shape, just wrong for me), I also have pinpointed several items that I can sell and have it actually be worth my time selling on Craigslist. Items such as a double stroller we NEVER use, some specialty cookware and some luxurious table linens that are only gathering dust in my home are going to be put up for sale. I won’t make a killing, but I’ll be able to supplement our vacation fund quite nicely, and make my house feel more comfortable in the process!

And in addition to getting rid of some big things in the house, I’ve also discovered that you can make quite a bit of money getting rid of some small things, like your old cell phones! Do you have any sitting in a drawer in your house? And you have no idea what to do with them? Rather than wait around until they really are worthless, go ahead and sell them! Check out what you can get for them at sellcell.com. I just learned that my old phone is currently worth $51 and there’s a company willing to buy it right now. Wow!! Talk about easy money!

Sometimes, my friends, it pays to dejunk your life. You’ll feel better. Your house will definitely look better. And you can skip the dishes tonight, because you can go out to eat with the cash you just earned! 🙂 Do you have any success stories with unloading your junk for tax credit or for cash? I’d love to hear about it!

Thanks to our friends at SellCell.com for partnering with Stuff Parents Need for this post.

Stuff Parents Need to Know: How to Perform CPR

June 4, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

Public Service Announcement: How to Perform CPR

Ever worry that you wouldn’t know what to do in an emergency situation? It’s a common concern. Nearly 70% of Americans feel they are not able to provide proper CPR should it be necessary. ACLS National has posted the latest guidelines to effective CPR as part of their Be A Shield campaign. This free public education service is intended to improve knowledge and understanding of CPR and basic lifesaving skills. Through the Be A Shield series parents can learn how to provide CPR to an adult, child and infant as well as how to recognize and treat heat exhaustion and choking. Take a few minutes to review the basics of CPR and gain the confidence that comes with knowing how to act in an emergency.

ACLS National is a medical education and training company that provides professional certification courses throughout the United States.

I’d also highly recommend getting this magnet to have on your fridge. It is very easy to reference if you are at home and find yourself with a choking child (been there…it’s very hard to be calm and do a google search at that moment, trust me!).

Thanks to ACLS National for partnering with Stuff Parents Need for this Public Service Announcement.

Real Nappies: Affordable Cloth Diapers and Diaper Liners

June 3, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

As a cloth diapering mama, I certainly have my favorite type of products. I tend to favor diapers that are super easy to use, and in the past, that has meant that using prefolds was not my favorite thing to do. Prefolds are larger swatches of material (usually cotton) that you fold in a certain way and either lay inside a diaper cover or stuff into a pocket diaper. Let me be clear: using prefolds isn’t hard. It just requires more effort than an all-in-one diaper, which is every bit as easy to use as a disposable diaper. So they just weren’t my go-to.

Real Nappies

But over the last month I have had a bit of a change of heart. I’ve really fallen in love with a cloth diaper company based out of New Zealand called Real Nappies. Their diaper line is super simple, super affordable, and super easy to use. They also have a GENIUS additional component that I’ll tell you about in a few paragraphs, so hang with me!

But first, let’s take a look at the Real Nappies Cloth Diapers Top-Up Pack I was sent. This kit comes with simple white diaper covers and 6 prefold cloth diaper inserts, each made with 100% Indian cotton (which is very absorbent). The price for this kit is just $44.99. Since the inserts can be removed and the diaper covers used multiple times before being washed, this means you can have up to 6 diapers available to you for this price. And that makes it a HUGE bargain. I love how affordable Real Nappies are, as not everyone (present company included) can afford to have an entire cloth diaper stash of easy all-in-one diapers.

But the other thing I’ve realized over using these for the past month is that they honestly aren’t difficult to use at all. If I want to treat them like my other diapers and put both the insert and the cover in the diaper bag after one use, that’s no problem. Or I can take a few extra seconds to just switch out inserts and use the cover again. I’ve been avoiding doing this type of thing for years, but once I forced myself to give it a try, I realized that it isn’t cumbersome to do this. In fact, it makes a lot of sense! The only thing that I wish was different about the covers is the velcro tabs. These are just like disposable diapers and are actually easier to use than a snap closure, but my daughter is at the age now where she loves nothing more than to rip off her diaper. I can fix the problem by just making sure she has on pants or bloomers. But I find that once they discover how to take off their diaper, life is just a lot easier if you go for snaps. So I’d love to see this company offer a cover with snaps in the future.

I’ve been very impressed with the inserts and how well they are working, too. But even more than that, I am head-over-heels about the Real Nappies Diaper Liners. Honestly, I’ve seen diaper liners before (had a package once when Darah was in cloth). I barely used them. Just didn’t really understand the point. My first child also happened to have fairly predictable bowel movements that were fairly easy to deal with (in other words, they could be dumped in the toilet from the diaper without too much fuss, usually). Layah, on the other hand, can poo at pretty much any time of day without warning, and let’s just say what she produces is really gross and leave it at that. That’s where these Real Nappies Diaper Liners totally save the day.

When we use the Diaper Liners and she poos, Tim doesn’t have to deal with nearly as much mess (he’s the household diaper sprayer, or the diaper pre-treater, and I’m the diaper washer). The liner can simply be removed and flushed, leaving a significantly cleaner diaper than you otherwise would have had. Tim is pretty much in love with these. And for this kid, this is a product that we will be buying again as soon as our current supply runs out. They just make life a little less gross for us, which we very much appreciate.

I also wanted to point out that the Diaper Liner are a great option for you even if you use disposables. Most people don’t realize that you are NOT supposed to throw away poop, but instead, are supposed to dispose of it in a toilet prior to throwing out your diaper. Read any box of diapers and you will see! Diaper Liners can help make this task much easier for you.

So after having tried two great products from Real Nappies, I have to say that I’m impressed with the quality and the price point, I’m converted to the idea that prefolds rock, and I’m dealing with less nasty poo. I’d say this has been a positive experience!

If you or someone you know is interested in starting cloth diapering but doesn’t want to break the bank, I can’t think of a better way to get started than with a kit from Real Nappies!

I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Prettiest Birth Announcements I’ve Ever Seen!

June 3, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Birth announcements have come a LONG way in the past 5 years. I’ve seen such an amazing growth in creativity, color schemes, and photography styles. But when I was recently asked to check out the offerings on minted.com, I was really surprised. I’ve never seen birth announcements as beautiful as these. Take a look!

I mean….c’mon. These birth announcements are GORGEOUS!!! And lest you think they all of their designs are girly and flowery, here are a few other options that caught my eye!

Minted.com offers some fantastic customization options, allowing you to alter the specific shape, size or layout of each design, which means you have endless possibilities. Or, if you are like me and lack that creative gene, just go with what the design staff at Minted has dreamed up already, because what they have to offer is perfection, already!

If you are on the hunt for birth announcements that will stand out from the crowd, Minted.com is the place to beat. Oh, and just to make your life as a new parent a bit easier, Minted.com offers FREE recipient address printing with your birth announcement order! 🙂

I received complimentary cards in exchange for sharing my honest opinions, which I have provided. This post contains affiliate links.

Exotic, Effortless Meal: Curried Chicken Thighs Over Jasmine Rice

June 2, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Success® Rice. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own, as always.

This week I tried something a little different for my family: I made a curried chicken dish and served it on a bed of delicious, fragrant jasmine rice. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? And complicated?

If you have read my blog for a while, then you know that complicated is NOT how I roll! No way, friends! I got stuff to do…get me in and out of the kitchen fast! So when I come up with an idea that is close to effortless but looks super fancy, I’m all over it. I was inspired to get adventurous in the kitchen once I learned about the fragrant rice varieties available through . Want to see what I made?

Curried Chicken Thighs Over Jasmine Rice

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken thighs (I used bone-in because they are less expensive, but boneless is fine)

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

1/3 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

3 Tbsp oil (I recommend olive oil)

1 package Success® Thai Jasmine Rice

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the curry powder, honey, salt, red pepper flakes and oil. Then add your chicken thighs and coat the chicken pieces evenly.

Place chicken thighs in a baking pan. I suggest lining the pan with aluminum foil for easier clean up, but that is optional. If you don’t line the pan, spray it with cooking spray. Bake 35 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop your package of Success® Thai Jasmine Rice into the boiling water, and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. That’s right, just 10 minutes! Then follow the package instructions for bag removal and rice draining.

Serve the chicken on top of the rice for a beautiful, fragrant, and super easy dish that will taste like an exotic culinary triumph!

Success® Rice is such a key pantry staple because there’s no measuring involved, no mess, and the results are absolutely perfect in 10 minutes or less! The Thai Jasmine Rice was truly exceptional, and I’m delighted to see it available as one of several great varieties int he Success line. In your local store, you can also find Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice, Success® White Rice and Success® Basmati Rice. Basmati will be the one I pick up on my next grocery trip! What about you? Be sure to print the coupon (link found below!) before you head out on your next shopping trip!

And please visit SuccessRice.com for quick and easy recipes that will help you get dinner on the table in a flash. You can also Like the Success® Rice Facebook page to get even more great recipes and lifestyle tips that make mealtimes easier and more fun!

A message from Success® Rice:

With 4 varieties available including: Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice and Success® White Rice, and globally-inspired aromatic varieties of Success® Rice, including fragrant Thai Jasmine or Basmati Rice, there’s a variety everyone in your family will love. Try your own twist on one of your favorite recipes by swapping an aromatic variety into some of your go-to rice dishes. To accommodate various households, Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice and Success® White Rice comes in two different sizes – 14 oz. or 32 oz.

So what are you waiting for? Use this coupon for $.50 off your next box so you can add this staple to your kitchen pantry: