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

Does Your Baby Suck on Wipes? Yeah…Mine Too (Here’s How We Deal)

May 26, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

Any diaper changer can tell you with certainty that all baby wipes are NOT created equal. I’ve actually written on this topic extensively because I have such strong opinions about which wipes rock and which ones don’t. I’ve talked about the worst baby wipes on the planet. And I’ve talked about the best value in wipes (hint…purchasing in bulk helps). I’ve even talked about the best baby wipes for Darah.

So you’d think I would be all set with wipes for Layah, right? I mean, this girl has done her research! And then I realized that my precious second child was different from her big sister in one important way. She does this:

And she does it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. She is really good at getting wipes packages open and at pulling out 27 wipes at a time and then licking/chewing/sucking on every one of them in mere seconds. If I put them on the edge of the table, she can now reach up and knock them back down. She is highly skilled and determined.

And that, my friends, is why Layah uses Earth’s Best Chlorine Free Baby Wipes. Edit: they are no longer available on Amazon, so if you shop there, I suggest going with water wipes!

These wipes are scent-free, chlorine free, and the “lotion” contained in the wipes is a gentle blend of aloe vera and vitamin E. Perfect for wiping up messes OR for an afternoon snack! 🙂 All kidding aside, I swear that I work diligently to keep her from munching on her wipes all day, but it really makes a big difference to my peace of mind to know that when (not if) she gets to the wipes, they will be Earth’s Best.

What kind of wipes are you using on your little one? And does your child also love the delicious taste of baby wipes??? I’d love to hear!

I am an Earth’s Best Preferred Blogger, and as such, have received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts, opinions, and wipes-loving children shown here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.

What I’m Doing Today: Working this Tea Sale!!!

May 25, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

It’s a lazy Saturday for my crew. We just got back from an out-of-town trip to see my MUCH younger brother graduate from high school. And now we are just getting caught up on life back at home.

But I’m stealing away a little bit of time to take advantage of the SWEET sale happening at Tea Collection (also known as my favorite brand of children’s clothing!). It ends on Monday, May 27th, so if you are around, now is the time to check it out. The sale features $15 Girls Dresses, $12 Girls Leggings and $12 Boys Tops. Now is the time to stock up on comfortable and durable tops for boys. Mix and match adorable girls’ legging and dresses for endless outfit combinations.

Don’t miss your chance to take advantage of this amazing sale from Tea Collection!

Happy Shopping!

What are you up to today? Vacation? Usual weekend shenanigans?

This post contains affiliate links. I only sign up as an affiliate for a company when I’m totally in love with them! 🙂

Kung Pao Crab with Soba Noodles Featuring Annie Chun’s

May 23, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 134 Comments

What’s your favorite type of cuisine? My all-time favorite is Chinese food (though admittedly, it is the American version of Chinese food). But I have a growing love for all types of Asian cuisine, as well. Thai food, for example, has some of the brightest and most exciting flavors out there (fresh basil, lemongrass, yum!). And I started craving sushi when I was pregnant with Darah and haven’t stopped.

In all the examples listed above, I have found that making my own version of these types of foods usually doesn’t end very well. Because I lack the right ingredients and the right cooking techniques, I’m rarely satisfied with the end result. I had pretty much reached the conclusion that if I wanted Asian food, I should just pay the price for someone else to prepare it for me.

Annie Chun’s is an Asian foods brand found in most supermarkets, and they want to change the perception that preparing Asian food at home is difficult by providing some of the tools that kitchens like mine really need. Annie Chun’s offers a variety of really delicious cooking sauces, noodles, soups and a whole slew of convenience foods for when you are REALLY stretched for time and can only manage to get something in the microwave (been there!).

We have been sampling a few different products over the last month, and I have to say, I have been really impressed. The Annie Chun’s line has 6 different types of noodle bowls. I tried a few of them, and the one that I’m really eager to stock up on is the Peanut Sesame Noodle Bowl. In just a few minutes I can have a VERY flavorful dish ready to serve, and the portion is generous. I have actually used this as a quick side dish for Tim and I to share alongside a piece of chicken. But it is also terrific on its own.

The other products I wanted to highlight for you are the Kung Pao Sauce and the Soba Noodles (also known as buckwheat noodles). I actually came up with a recipe using both ingredients and simply by cleaning out my fridge and freezer! You can make lots of substitutions as you see fit; simply see this recipe as an inspiration!

Kung Pao Crab with Soba Noodles

Ingredients:

16 oz crab (I used frozen)
8 oz frozen peas
1/2 – 1 red or orange bell pepper, cut into short strips
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup Annie Chun’s Kung Pao Sauce
greens of choice, such as bok choy or kale
Annie Chun’s Soba Noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegetable stock (can substitute chicken stock or water).

Ingredients for noodle sauce:

1/4 cup Annie Chun’s Kung Pao Sauce
1/2 tsp ginger paste (can substitute with 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
1 heaping tbsp peanut butter or almond butter
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce

At first glance, this recipe may seem to have a lot of ingredients and be a bit cumbersome. But it really is the result of me trying to use up what I had on hand in the fridge and freezer and grabbed what I knew I could throw together. You can substitute the crab for another meat, or swap out some of the veggies with whatever you have on hand or like.

I began by cutting the crab into bite-sized chunks. I used my Kitchenaid Professional Shears to make this work a bit faster! I use these for SO much in my kitchen. If you don’t own a pair of kitchen shears, let me STRONGLY recommend that you put them on your wish list!

Then I cut up bell peppers and your onions. I happened to have small bell peppers on hand. Next, add peas. I only had about 2 oz of peas, which is why they don’t look very prevalent in the dish. I would have used more if I had them on hand! I then mixed everything together.

The dish looked decidedly lacking in the green department, but then I remembered that I had some kale. I washed, dryed and then chopped up the leaves (remove the stems from the kale, as they are a bit tough to eat). Then I added the Kung Pao sauce. It was ready to go!

Next, I heated up the skillet on med-high with 1 tbsp oil (I used olive) and 2 tbsp vegetable stock. I added the stock because I knew the kale was going to need a bit of moisture to help it wilt. As I waited for the skilled to warm, I also got a pot of hot water boiling for the noodles. Quick tip: put a lid on your pots and pans while they are heating to get them hot faster!

Once the skillet was ready to go, I added my crab mixture, gave it a good stir, and then put the lid on and set the timer for 5 minutes. I opened the lid twice during the cooking process to stir everything around. If you think your mixture is starting to stick too much, just add another tablespoon of stock.

When the water for the noodles was boiling, I added the entire box of them, gave them a stir, and let them cook for 5 minutes, also. Drain and rinse under cold water once the noodles are done.

While the crab mixture and noodles were cooking, I made noodle sauce by combining all the noodle sauce ingredients listed above together in a bowl. I poured the sauce over the cooked, drained and rinsed noodles and coatedthe noodles evenly with the sauce.

Annie Chun's Kung Pao sauce as an ingredient

Then I placed the noodles in a serving bowl, and topped with the crab mixture. What a healthy, colorful and packed-with-flavor meal!

Want to hear my opinion on the dish after trying it? I thought the noodle sauce was AMAZING and the soba noodles were surprisingly yummy. Will definitely be buying them again. In fact, I’ll make some version of this recipe again sometime this summer. I think I’d like to try the Kung Pao sauce with some chicken next time. The crab tasted good (no regrets!) but I bet the chicken will taste even better.
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a variety of products from Annie Chun’s!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

4 Ways to Organize Your Deep Freezer

May 22, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 16 Comments

Do you have a deep freezer (also known as a chest freezer) somewhere in your house? Is it a HOT MESS???? (I guess “cold mess” is more appropriate, here).

A handful of months back, I shared with you how I organize our chest freezer. That post has really taken off on Pinterest (are we following each other?), which tells me that there are a lot of people out there at a loss for how to keep their frozen food organized so they don’t forget about it and have to toss it once it is too old to eat. Throwing out food defeats the entire purpose of having a chest freezer!

While I personally love the way I organize my freezer, I found 3 other organization methods that also rock, and I compiled them for your benefit! Please be sure to visit the other blogs listed below so you can get the scoop on exactly how they organized their freezers.

Starting with the top left:

1. milk crates (best deal on Amazon for milk crates here)

2. customizable dividers (original post is no longer up, but these are the dividers used)

3. canvas totes and chalkboard paper (that’s my method!)

4. flattened food storage and baskets (my tip? Head to Aldi or Costco for the best deals on freezer bags and find baskets here)

How do you organize your food in the freezer? Do any of these methods particularly appeal to you? If you found this post to be helpful, please share it with your friends via Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter! No more throwing away forgotten food!!!

And if the cleaning and organizing bug has bitten you, here are a few more posts to help you get your home spic and span and organized!

How I store my (THOUSANDS) of digital photos and videos

My favorite kitchen cleaners

How I organized my spices

Time for Some Ca$h!!! $200 PayPal or Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!!!

May 22, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

If you had your pick of $200 via PayPal or via Amazon gift card, which would you choose?

Spend some time thinking over the question carefully, because you just might win!!!

Fill out the rafflecopter form below. Simple as that! Good luck!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stuff Parents Need is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Any questions related to the giveaway should be directed to Stacie at simplystacieblog@gmail.com.

Earth’s Best Chlorine Free Diapers: What We Use to Cure Diaper Rash

May 21, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

One of the many things I love about using cloth diapers is the fact that diaper rash is a SUPER rare occurance while using them. While many disposable diaper users apply diaper rash cream after almost every diaper change as a preventative measure, we break out our stuff MAYBE once a month. And even then we typically use it for one or two applications and then everything is cleared up.

But in those rare instances where we do need to use it, we have found that most rash creams are not cloth diaper friendly. And so, we turn to disposables to use while we treat the problem. It is rather ironic to use a chemical-laden disposable diaper while you are trying to treat sensitive skin that has become irritated, don’t you think?

Earth’s Best TenderCare Chlorine Free Diapers are my VERY VERY favorite disposables to use every time diaper rash strikes. They are made with non-chlorine bleached materials, and that is friendly to little tushies as well as to the environment. Additionally, they are made with naturally absorbant materials that are also quickly renewable, such as corn and wheat. These diapers have no latex, no dye and no perfume.

Are you worried yet that they sound like diapers that probably don’t work well? I totally hear you. But I have used SEVERAL packages of these diapers over the years, and there’s a reason I keep buying them: they get the job done!

If your little one tends to get a diaper rash fairly easily, either in disposables or in cloth, I strongly recommend Earth’s Best Chlorine Free Diapers as the best choice to wear while healing the rash. Note that if you go through subscribe and save on Amazon, your price per diaper goes down from 32 cents each to 26 cents each. Score!!!

I am an Earth’s Best Preferred Blogger, and as such, I have received complimentary products for review purposes. But rest assured, this isn’t my first time using these diapers! All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Best Lift-the-Flap Counting Book Ever: David Carter’s 100

May 21, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Lift-the-flap books are SO cool when you are in preschool. At that point, you are old enough to use care when turning pages and lifting flaps, and you are young enough to still be fascinated by what might be underneath each flap, even if you’ve already seen it 50 times. Or 100.

David Carter’s 100 is, in my humble opinion, the best lift-the-flap book ever! It helps a child practice counting to 100 by making the task simply irresistible. There are 100 fun things to count in this book, and each page has 5 items that are hidden under a series of flaps, just waiting to be discovered. Here’s an example of what a page looks like in the book:

If you’d like to see the entire book, there’s actually a great Youtube video that quickly runs through every single page. It can give you a good sense for just how much fun the book really is!

The next time I make a purchase at Amazon, I’m actually planning on buying another copy of this book (priced nicely right now at just $12.92). It will go in my gift closet to wait for the next birthday party we attend. It makes an EXCELLENT gift.

Have you recently discovered any children’s books that are just too good not to share? I’d love to hear about your finds and your favorites!

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

How I Deal With Life When It Hands Me a Bunch of Lemons

May 20, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

It has been quite an eventful handful of days around here on Stuff Parents Need. I had a blogging emergency problem, I had out of town company (which was a wonderful thing…just time consuming) and my oldest got terribly sick. Have you ever been in a situation like this, where all signs seem to be pointing to the fact that you need to take a break from your work, like it or not???

It all started Wednesday when I started getting reports from readers that they couldn’t see my blog online anymore. I thought it was so odd because I could see it just fine. I made sure that I didn’t have any hackers getting into my account, and then I just played dumb. I assumed that it would just magically work itself out.

What was I thinking???

Finally, around 3am Thursday (yeah, that’s when I wake up so that I can “balance” a career as a blogger with a career as a mom), I couldn’t see my site either. And I couldn’t even get logged into the back end of the blog to fix it. As far as I could tell, my blog, my 3 years and 9 months of HARD work, had vanished into thin air. I almost threw up, no exaggeration.

I immediately woke up my tech support, also known as my husband Tim, and pleaded with him to please figure out the problem. After an hour and a half, he did figure it out. And the problem was simple, yet confusing at the same time: MY BLOG DOMAIN EXPIRED. You see, to run your own website, you have to pay for your address on the internet. Additionally, you have to pay for a server to host your site. Most bloggers get both things taken care of together through a hosting service. I have always been pleased with my host. But in this case, they had an expired credit card on file for me and NEVER contacted me to let me know there was any sort of problem. They just let my domain expire!

While the problem was fixable, it cost me nearly 24 hours of traffic. I get new visitors every single day, and the folks who were new to my site over that time period will likely never visit again, assuming that my blog is defunct. I also get emails from PR reps every day. Who knows what potential opportunities were missed because the reps couldn’t find my site? And I wasn’t able to get logged in at all for over 24 hours, which caused some significant delays in my posting schedule. Basically, this was a gigantic pain in the you-know-what.

I was very frustrated with my host for not communicating with me that there was a problem, but I also had to “put on my big girl pants” (a phrase I’m borrowing from the Shanty-2-Chic sisters) and realize that I was partially to blame, too. I should have known when my domain was up for renewal. I should have proactively checked on my account from time to time to make sure all my info, including my credit card number, was up-to-date. I should have called my host the second I started hearing that other people couldn’t see my site. Next time I will do better. And I will do that with the help of my Blogging Planner.

The Blogging Planner has been right by my side for the last 3 months, and especially for the last 5 days. Even though I haven’t been able to get much blogging work done, I have been able to quickly communicate delays in postings with my sponsors (all my posts are listed in my planner…they used to just be in my wordpress account, and if I couldn’t get into my account, I couldn’t see them). I also have put reminders in my calendar to check in with my hosting service every six months to make sure everything is in order.

My sister and brother-in-law arrived at my house for a 3 day visit in the midst of the blog drama, and I knew that I would not be able to do much at all to get caught up until they left on Sunday. I quickly scanned over all of my “to do” items for the weekend (which I had originally planned on getting through before they came). And I realized that every single thing could wait. The world simply wouldn’t end if a post went live on Sunday instead of Saturday! And while blogging is a really great source of meaningful relationships and community for me, it doesn’t replace the joy to be found in spending time with my family. I saw my sister’s visit for what it was: a real gift. I think I would have been more harried about the whole thing if I couldn’t have seen my blogging calendar at a glance and easily re-worked post due dates.

Finally, when the time to work yesterday rolled around, my oldest started throwing up. Of course. But as we all know, seeing your child sick will put EVERYTHING into perspective in about 2 seconds flat. All she wanted in this world was her mommy. And all I wanted to do was to be her mommy and cuddle her, tell her stories, and sing her to sleep over and over again throughout the day and night. While she rested I would get back into my Blogging Planner and continue to re-work the schedule and to cut out every task that wasn’t absolutely critical. When you don’t have enough time to accomplish all of your goals you have to go into triage mode, and let go of a lot of things. The Blogging Planner really helped me quickly prioritize what was a must based on commitments and based on my specific monthly goals I had created, and what could wait for another day, or even another week or month.

At first glance, the past 5 days have been really crappy. But as I head into a new week and start to get caught back up with everything, I also realized that my forced vacation from work was a blessing, too. I got to focus on what mattered the very most (my family) and I realized that I am now organized enough to deal with blog problems in an effective way that minimizes my stress level. As a person who is prone to worrying, this is a really big deal. The Blogging Planner played a very important role in saving my sanity. I can’t stress enough what a tremendous tool it is. If you blog, you need one. Period.

I received a complimentary planner and am providing my honest assessment through a review series. This post contains affiliate links, which I only include in a post when I’m SUPER excited about a product. If you blog, this planner is a game-changer.

3 Tips to Get Rid of Mosquitoes in Your Yard (Mosquito Treatment Giveaway!!!)

May 19, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 24 Comments

Here in eastern Tennessee, the mosquitoes are already out, and man are they hungry! I seem to be in the most fortunate category of people who are extremely delicious to mosquitoes. I’m sure you are jealous! Last summer, every day I would get bitten by at least one mosquito in the time it took me to go from my back door to the car (9 seconds…I’ve timed it).

Darah and Layah both really love to play outside, and I want them to get to enjoy the beautiful weather and get to play in the yard, with their splash table, and with the kiddie pool. And I want this all to happen without them being bit by mosquitoes like crazy. Also, I’d like to avoid that fate, myself!

I recently connected with Arrow Exterminators, a pest control company with offices in 9 different states (Alabama, Arizona, Flordia, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas). They came out and provided a mosquito treatment to our property, and they also taught me quite a bit about their services and what strategic steps I can take to help reduce the mosquito population around my house. I highly recommend this company, but even if you don’t live in their service area, you can still learn some great tips from them, so keep reading!

I have never had my yard sprayed for mosquitoes out of concern that very toxic chemicals would be used. I was really relieved to hear that Arrow uses products that are registered with the EPA and that is designed to bond to foliage, and not to people! Once the area that has been sprayed is dry, it is completely safe to walk around on (even barefoot!). In my experience, it takes about 4 hours for the product to dry. I also thought the fact that the person spraying our lawn wasn’t wearing special clothing or a special mask was very telling. If he trusts the chemicals enough not to be “suited up” and he sprays them all day, every day, then there’s little to worry about!

I was also concerned about the cost of the treatment. For a yard my size (which is admittedly small) and for the Chattanooga area, the montly cost of a mosquito treatment would be $55. Honestly, that’s not a price I would have paid before having kids, as I personally don’t like to spend a lot of time outside, but it is something I’m strongly considering now. Because my kids like to do this. A lot.

The exact cost for your property to be serviced is likely not going to be the same as mine, but Arrow can provide you with a free estimate.

I asked Arrow for some tips on helping me make the very most of my monthly treatment, as well as some good general tips for keeping the mosquitoes at bay. Here’s what I learned.

Tip #1. Eliminate as much standing water on your property as possible. For example, if you have empty pots on your deck that just collect rain water, turn them upside-down. If you have larger water containers like a kiddie pool or a splash table, it isn’t necessary to empty them daily, but they should be emptied once a week. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, which is why it needs to go! If you have something like a pond in your backyard, Arrow has specific chemicals it can use that targe mosquito larvae and that won’t harm the pond plant life.

Tip #2. Do you have any areas of your back yard that are overgrown? Mosquitoes rest on foliage, and LOVE to congregate on bushes, trees, or better yet, clusters of such things. We actually got rid of a lot of overgrowth this past winter, and I think that is going to help us significantly. If you ever needed a good reason to do some cleaning up in your yard, now you have it!

Tip #3. Mow your grass BEFORE you have it treated for mosquitoes. The product adheres to the blades, so if you cut your grass right after your treatment, your results will not be as optimal. Unfortunately, we were due for a grass cutting when our exterminator came over, but we let the grass continue to grow for about 5 more days so that we could get as much as possible out of that treatment. It has been 2 weeks now, and even though we have cut the grass, I am still not noticing nearly as many mosquitoes in our yard, so I’d say our treatment was successful!

If you live in an Arrow Exterminators service area, please do get in touch with them to get an estimate on servicing your yard. Your body will thank you for the lack of mosquito bites it will have to endure this summer!

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