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

How Keeping an Editorial Calendar Is Changing How I Blog

April 18, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I have been writing, at least a little bit, pretty much every single day since I started this blog in September 2009. When I started the blog, I had pages and pages of topic ideas written down and I couldn’t wait to start writing about them. As opportunities to partner with brands increased, my blog calendar filled up, and I have been operating at what feels like warp speed for at least the past 3 years.

But I have been posting like a mad woman without any sort of a clear plan about what I’m doing. My blog calendar has been completely at the mercy of sponsors, and not only is that not very fun for me as the blog writer, it also doesn’t make good business sense! I have all these fun ideas for blog posts that never see the light of day, and as a result, my readers don’t get to know me quite as well. I’m also often missing the boat, seeing things go viral on Pinterest or StumbleUpon that I had already thought of and planned to write about “one day.”

Since I have been using The Blogging Planner, I have been able to step back and actually think more long-term about the type of posts I want to write and figure out how to work them in. Believe it or not, I’ve already got a full editorial calendar for OCTOBER. Don’t believe me? Just take a look!

I decided that I’m going to participate in the “31 Days” series this year and offer great recipe round-ups every day of the month. While I don’t yet have everything written, the topics are already planned. That increases the odds that I’ll actually go through with the idea tremendously. I can also work on the posts between now and then little by little, and not be overwhelmed come October. And don’t worry, there will still be plenty of reviews and giveaways that month! 🙂

Thanks to having this planner, and thanks to advice I have received from other successful bloggers to plan my calendar out a year in advance, I’m now starting to make room for all those post ideas that are swirling around in my head, but that I haven’t been able to write in the past because I’ve given away all of my time and post slots to sponsors.

Stuff Parents Need, at its heart, is a review and giveaway blog. I have no intentions of changing that. I LOVE to tell readers about cool new products on the market. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE to give away prizes! But I have other interesting things to share, too, and I am absolutely thrilled that I’m starting to give those post ideas room in my calendar.

I’m still writing like a mad woman these days. But I’ve got a much clearer vision of where I’m headed, and I feel SO good about being able to offer my readers a really good mix of product-focused posts and other interesting content. I have learned so much about “blogging for stuff” over the past 3 1/2 years, and The Blogging Planner has helped me to finally take the reigns of my blog instead of handing them over to everyone else. What a game-changer it has been for me!

If you are a blogger, how do you plan out what you are going to write about? Do you keep an editorial calendar? Do you struggle to find opportunities to write about the topics YOU want to write about?

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

Where I’m Aging the Most and How I’m Fighting It With Olay

April 17, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

Want to see where aging is rearing its wrinkly little head the most for me right now? Here it is:

Can you see how I’ve got what looks almost like stretch marks under my chin? That’s because the skin right there is starting to get a bit looser on me and show signs of wrinkling.

Which is totally not cool.

For the past month, I’ve been using a great product from Olay that is helping me to hone in on trouble spots like this one for some serious repair work. It is called Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Intensive Repair Treatment, and it has been clinically proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots in eight weeks. I’m 4 weeks in, and I am seeing a little bit of improvement. The special ingredient found in this product is Niacinamide. Here’s a picture I took of the bottle so you can know what you are looking for. While it is a rather small tube, the amount I have squeezed out in the picture is all I need for the day. I apply this underneath my moisturizer.

I know you want to go check out how the skin under your chin is looking, so go ahead. I’ll wait for you. 🙂

Back? Ok. I’m also using the Olay Age Defying Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream. It has Pro-Retinol, which used to be considered too harsh for use for many skin types. But Olay has gentler formulas that are much more compatible. I tend to have sensitive skin, and I haven’t had any problems whatsoever with reactions or anything like that.

My only complaint about the eye cream is the dispenser method. You just use your finger to get out the desired amount of product. With eye cream you need VERY little, and I always get too much this way. I wish it was in a tube like the other product! But at just $6.99 on Amaon right now (regularly $12.99), I suppose I can afford to use a bit more than is necessary.

Those are the new products I’ve been using in the past month. What about you? Are you a huge Olay fan like me? What are you currently using on your skin, and do you love it, or want to find something different?

And the most important question of all: do you have wrinkly skin under your chin like me??? 🙂

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

If I Knew Then What I Know Now #MSNKnowNow

April 16, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 23 Comments

Most People Change Careers At Some Point

I remember being told in college that statistically speaking, I would probably change career paths at least once in my life, if not more. I thought that was a ludicrous idea. After all, I was committing 4 years of rigorous study to my degree, and then I went on to 2 years of graduate school, at Harvard of all places, so I was pretty darn committed to what I was doing.

If you would have told me the day I earned my master’s degree in theological studies that 9 years later I would be working from home as a blogger and brand ambassador, as well as staying at home with my 2 little girls, I would have been very confused, indeed.

You see, back when I was 23 and knew EVERYTHING, I thought staying at home with kids was not at all for me. And I’ll admit that at that time in my life, I even thought it was a backwards thing to do. It is painful to acknowledge that, because I’m so embarrassed that I ever felt that way, but it is the honest truth.

Re-Imagining My Career Path

MSN, in honor of their new site redesign, has asked me to talk about a time when I’ve re-imagined part of my own life. The timing for this post is perfect, as I’m smack-dab in the middle of such a personal and professional re-design. For a few years I have been “doing the blogging thing” to provide a little bit of supplemental income and to provide fun things to my family that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford on one salary. Until fairly recently, I didn’t even allow myself to imagine that blogging could become something more than a daily writing exercise and a source of community for me that could help us get by, financially, until I could return to the full-time work force. After all, this has absolutely NOTHING to do with what I earned my degrees in, and surely I want to keep working in a related field, right?

Receiving my diploma from Harvard, or if you look at it another way, receiving some REALLY expensive framed art.

But if I’m being honest with myself, I’m having a whole lot of fun learning entirely new things like social media, marketing, branding and the world of freelance work. It was recently time for me to return from maternity leave and go back to teaching world religions at University of Phoenix. I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it. Tim even actually said to me, “I want you to think REALLY hard before you go back to that job. You work REALLY hard for U of P for not very much pay, and honestly, you don’t seem to enjoy it at all.” He was absolutely right. But I was too afraid to admit it. I mean, after you have spent $30,000 on an advanced degree, you’d better put it to near-constant use, right? If I knew then, what I know now, I likely wouldn’t have pursued the degree at all. But that’s water under the bridge, as they say, and I can either let my decision be an anchor onto which I tie myself and sink, or I can remember fondly what I learned, feel proud of what I accomplished, and then cut the emotional cord to it and free myself to pursue what interests me. I’ve done hard things before. I can do them again.

My Current Career Didn’t Really Exist 9 Years Ago

And I can’t beat myself up for not knowing then what I know now, either. While blogs existed back in 2004, I didn’t yet even know what they were. There was no way for me to know that I would one day be interested in professionally pursuing blogging. And 10 years from now, blogs as we now know them won’t even exist anymore, either. It will be something else. Will I be stubbornly holding on to my old-school blog at that point, or will I be willing to take a leap once again and try something new and different? I hope I will be brave, and willing to follow my bliss, rather than simply following the path that my younger self chose for me.

I’d love to hear from you: what do you know now that you wish you’d know a long time ago? Have you ever made a big career change?

This post was created in partnership with MSN. Find out more about the all new MSN experience at allnew.msn.com or see it in action on Windows 8, Android, or on iOS at msn.com

Vitamin D for Infants: Supplements Help Meet Daily Needs (Giveaway!)

April 16, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 49 Comments

At Layah’s 2 week check up, the pediatrician recommended we begin giving her doses of vitamin D. She told me that breastfed babies tended to be deficient in vitamin D, as a high percentage of moms are also deficient in it. A supplement is needed from birth onwards.

I have to admit, I was pretty surprised by this news. I had just had a baby 2 years and 9 months prior, and my previous pediatrician had made absolutely no mention of this to me.

I’m not sure if my old doctor was a little out of the loop, but I do know that only recently a study came out showing that breastfeeding mothers would need 10 times the daily recommended amount of vitamin D in their systems to be able to pass on a sufficient amount of it through their breastmilk.

Yeah, pretty much nobody is getting 10 times the daily recommended intake of vitamin D. Certainly not me!

Why is vitamin D important?

Vitamin D is a major player in the normal development and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth. So not getting enough vitamin D, even as an infant, can have an impact on you for the rest of your life! Vitamin D is made in the skin that has been exposed to direct sunlight. In today’s age, most of us stay indoors for the majority of the day, and when we do spend a significant amount of time outside, we usually have on sunscreen. That’s the right thing to do for overall health, but the negative consequence is that sunscreen (as well as clothing, glass windows and shade) block the skin’s ability to produce its own vitamin D. Since infants tend to have more sensitive skin, exposing them to direct sunlight is not recommended.

Babies who are breastfed or partially breastfed, or who use formula but get less than 1000 mL of fortified formula each day need to get 400 IU of vitamin D each day according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. That’s exactly what you will get in one tiny drop from Baby Ddrops!

Baby Ddrops contains only vitamin D in a type of fat that is naturally found in breast milk. There is no gluten, no preservatives, no artificial flavors, no sugar, etc. Baby Ddrops don’t even need to be refrigerated and they are very easy to use. Simply add one drop directly on your breasts, or to a bottle or food. You are set for the whole day!

One bottle of Baby Ddrops contains 90 doses, so it will last for 3 full months.

We have been using Baby Ddrops for a month now, and have nothing but great things to say about it. I usually add it to Layah’s morning bottle (she is mostly formula fed at this point, but also breastfeeds briefly twice each day). If I forget to add it to her bottle, I just add it to her baby food for lunch. It stays right on my countertop with our other vitamins so it is easy to remember.

Buy it: If you have an infant at home who isn’t exclusively formula fed, I’d like to recommend that you try Baby Ddrops as a resource for the vitamin D you need to provide as a supplement. It is available directly from Amazon and the current price listed is $16.29, which makes each daily supplement of vitamin D just 18 cents!

Win it!: TWO lucky Stuff Parents Need readers will each win 1 bottle of BabyDdrops!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Bamboo Sheet Set Giveaway (ARV $154-$205!)

April 16, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 50 Comments

Have you had the opportunity to try sleeping on bamboo fibers, yet? It is grown without pesticides and if you’ve ever had bamboo growing in your yard, then you know that it is renewable at a VERY rapid rate. It is also an enxcellent choice for anyone with sensitive skin as it is hypoallergenic and naturally antibacterial.

In addition to bamboo sheet sets, Ettitude has a vast selection of , duvet covers, , pillows, mattress protectors, and towels to name a few. Ettitude was founded on the simple idea that all home and family essentials should not only be practical but also be unquestionably safe, Eco friendly, beautiful, and convenient.

Our Favorite Features of the Ettitude :

Available in six beautiful colors (white, sand, coffee, gray, aubergine, blue nights)
Equivalent to around 1000 thread count in cotton, luxuriously soft and silky!
Naturally antibacterial, great for sensitive skin and allergies
Wicks sweat away from body, cool in the summer, warm in the winter
Made from bamboo, a pesticide free, sustainable, and rapidly renewable resource
100% biodegradable
Oeko-Tex Standard 100
Easy care – cool wash, line dry

Purchase: You can purchase Ettitude Organic Bamboo sheet sets directly on their website.

Win It! Ettitude is generously blessing one winner with an Organic Pure Bamboo sheet set in your choice of size (twin, full, queen, king, or California king)!

Special thanks to AnaB Social for hosting this giveaway. Huge thanks to Ettitude and all the fabulous participating bloggers as well! Giveaway ends May 14th at 11:59 pm, open to residents WORLDWIDE, ages 18+. See detailed terms and conditions on entry form. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below (see directions on how to enter here). Thank you!

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Disclaimer: AnaB Social and all participating event bloggers are not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.

Ronco Hidden Veggie Pasta: One Year Supply Giveaway!

April 15, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 71 Comments

I am constantly trying to find ways to work more veggies into our meals. In the summer months, when lots of vegetables are in abundance at our local farmer’s market, the task isn’t so tough. There’s enough variety available to keep us from being too bored. But at other times of the year, I definitely DO get bored and I struggle. Also, to be frank, sometimes I just want to eat carbs and sugar and skip over the green stuff. Just sayin’.

But I have good news for the carbs fans out there who need a little more veg in their lives. Ronco has just released Hidden Veggie pasta. Every 4 oz. serving of the pasta has a full serving of veggies in it. I’ve tried it. I LOVE it. And I think you will, too! I recently made a SUPER easy recipe for some thai noodles and my family loved it!

I simply cut up some broccoli and some red bell peppers, and then I made my own peanut sauces (no recipe needed: just mix a littl soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, green onions and peanut butter until you get the flavor you like!).

Then all I did was to cook the pasta noodles according to package directions. I added the broccoli into the noodles that were cooking for the last 3 minutes of cooking time. You could also steam them in the microwave. I just went the easiest route!

Then I mixed all the ingredients together in a large serving dish. It wasn’t the prettiest dish I have ever made, but it tasted fantastic, and in addition to that broccoli and red bell pepper, the noodles also had veggies in them, which made this dish a new healthy favorite!

I found the flavor of the noodles themselves to be quite mild and versatile, so I think you won’t have any trouble coming up with recipe ideas. But Ronco also has some great Hidden Veggie recipe ideas on their site.

Ronco products are sold in the following cities and surrounding areas: Memphis, Birmingham, Little Rock, Mobile and Nashville. If you live in those areas, then you are in luck because I’ve got a fantastic giveaway for you!

Win it!: One lucky reader will win a 1 year supply of Ronco Hidden Veggies! This will be in the form of 24 foupons for 1 free package of Ronco Hidden Veggies pasta, so if you don’t live where it is sold, I wouldn’t recommend entering this particular giveaway.

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.
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I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

3 Earths Best Products I Buy on Amazon Regularly

April 14, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

I’ve been blogging faithfully about Earth’s Best products on my site for about 10 months, now. But I’ve been a loyal customer to the brand since I became a mom, and since the day that I realized we needed to supplement breastfeeding with some formula. I always love to hear about what products other moms are loyal to and how they find the best deals for them, so I thought I’d share with you 3 products from Earth’s Best that I order through Amazon.

My Earth’s Best Amazon Shopping List

1. Earth’s Best Formula. I actually buy the Earth’s Best Organic Infant Formula with Iron and the Earth’s Best Organic Sensitivity Infant Formula. I usually dump one can of each into a very large mixing bowl and combine the two powders, then put them back into their canisters all mixed up together. That is just what Layah seems to like best. Be sure to pay careful attention to the prices Amazon lists for each canister of formula. Right now, for example, it is cheaper to purchase the formula with iron 1 canister at a time than as a 4 pack, but it is cheaper to purchase the sensitivity formula as a 4 pack than 1 canister at a time. It makes no sense to me, but it must to Amazon!

2. Certain jarred foods. Recently I ordered the Earth’s Best Organic 2nd Gourmet Meals, Variety Pack. They offer a variety pack of 12, which includes Chicken Mango Risotto, Creamy Chicken Apple Compote, Sweet Pea and Turkey Wild Rice, and Tender Beef Spinach. Layah definitely loves to eat meat, and this way I know she’s getting organic goodness. And the price is right, at $10.99 for a pack of 12, shipped to my door!

3. Certain pouch foods. I always check out Amazon for the very best price they offer on Earth’s Best pouches. Right now they have a 12 pack of Earth’s Best Pear, Apricot, Barley Pouches for$14.08 for a pack of 12, which makes each pouch just $1.17. That’s a good price for an organic squeeze pouch, in my book! We often like to make our own squeeze pouches, but I have these on hand for an extra special treat, too.

That’s what I’m buying on Amazon from Earth’s Best. What about you? Do you have any favorites from the brand? Or is there anything else for baby that you love to order on Amazon? Please share!

I am an Earth’s Best Preferred Blogger, and as such, receive complimentary products as a thank you for posting. I really do purchase these items on Amazon on my own, though! This post contains affiliate links.

5 Online Sites to Visit to Win Prizes

April 14, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

Long before I was a blogger, and even longer before I was even a blog reader, I was a sweepstaker. A “giveaway enthusiast” if you will. Yes, I loved to win prizes. I came by it honest; my mom entered sweepstakes by mail in the ’80s, and I remember when she won his and hers 10 speed bicylces from Del Monte. They also sent along Del Monte themed stuffed animals (like a pineapple and peach). To this day I still have them! 🙂

I got into sweepstakes while in graduate school (don’t ask me how I had time…I have no idea). I won lots of really fun things over the years, perhaps the most amazing of which was a trip to Peru for a National Geographic Explorer adventure. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.

And now I’m on this side of giveaways. I get to host them and play Santa Claus several times each week, sending out congratualtory emails to my fabulous readers to tell them that they are prize winners. It is always a highlight of my day to do so.

Since I am now in the business of advertising giveaways, I thought I’d share with you my top 5 picks for places online to go to win prizes. I’ve chosen these sites based on the amount of traffic they send my way. Lots of traffic means that lots of contest enterers frequent those sites, and that means that they are good!

1. Online-Sweepstakes. Hands down, this is THE place to go online if you are serious about entering giveaways. It is where I got my start, and it continues to be my number one source of referral traffic. You can use the site for free, but the premium subscription is worth it, and I know from personal experience (that trip to Peru was a premium listing when I entered). If you decide to join, would you mind listing nothyself as your referral? Thanks!

2. Tightwad in Utah. This blogger has a running list of giveaways that are ending soon and that have low entries. Low entries means better odds to win!

3. Contest Girl. Great comprehensive list of all kinds of online sweepstakes, organized by category.

4. Just Sweep. Another contest directory. I love the different ways you can choose to view giveaways on this site (like by location!). I also love the “pinterest” type look to to their site. Very visual!

5. I Love Giveaways. I’m fairly new to listing my stuff here, but I’ve seen a good bit of traffic. Don’t miss the instant win tab. Those are always fun to do when you have a handful of minutes to spare.

I hope you find some great new giveaways to enter, and that you will soon find yourself winning prizes! If you found this post through a web search or Pinterest and are new here, I hope you’ll consider subscribing! I have several giveaways every single week!

Free Baby Shower Games You Will Love!

April 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

This morning I’m reminiscing about how much fun I had planning the games for my BFF’s baby shower back in 2008 (I can’t believe little peanut is 5 now!). I was in charge of the shower games. I remember scouring the internet looking for free baby shower games. Most of them were SUPER hceesy and not really any fun. That simply wouldn’t do!

If you are going to be hosting a shower, or perhaps you have going to have a shower thrown for yourself, here are 2 games we played at the shower, and they were both big hits. Maybe they will give you some ideas! And if you need ideas for baby shower food, I’ve got you covered there, too!

photo credit: Treasures and Tiaras Kids Parties via photopin cc

Free Baby Shower Games

When Mommy was Little

This is a multiple choice set of questions. You can either give every guest a piece of paper (plain is fine, or you can go fancy) with all the questions and the possible answers listed, or you can call them out one by one and simply have guests write down their answers. You will likely need to get answers to your questions from either the expecting mom or from her mother. Here are the questions I asked about my friend, Leslie. Feel free to alter your questions to best suit your guest of honor!

1. How long was Leslie’s mom in labor with her?

Here’s an example of the 4 possible answers

a. no labor – she was born by c-section
b. 9 hours and 37 minutes
c.Somewhere around 12 hours
d. She lost count after the first 24 hours

2. How much did Leslie weigh when she was born?

3. How long was Leslie at birth?

4. Was Leslie born with hair?

5. On which day of the week was Leslie born?

6. How old was Leslie when she started sleeping through the night?

7. What was Leslie’s first word?

8. What was Leslie’s favorite baby food?

9. How old was Leslie when she was potty trained?

10. What was Leslie’s favorite book as a small child?

11. In which state did Leslie attend preschool?

13. How old was Leslie when she got her first dog?

Tie-breaker question: Whose birthday is closest to Peanut’s due date? You win!

The Price is Right

At first glance, this baby shower game might not seem free at all, as you need to purchase items to play it. I simply included these items as part of my baby shower gift to my friend, though (remember to include the receipt!). Practical gifts are always winners at a shower!

For the game we played, I purchased 7 items that new parents need (diapers, diaper cream, wipes, hangers, changing pad, drool bibs and baby wash). I wrote up little blurbs about each product as if I was showcasing it on The Price is Right. I showed each item, one at a time, and had guests write down their best guess for the retail price of that item. The object of the game is to come as close as possible to the retail price of the item shown. In my version of the game, it was ok to guess a price that is higher than the retail price, but you can decide if you want to allow that or not in your version.

After the retail price of each item is revealed, each guest needs to calculate the amount by which they were off. It might be wise to bring a few calculators, though most people have calculators on their phones now. The person with the lowest overall total by which they were off at the end of the game wins the prize (I gave out yummy scented lotions from Bath & Body Works).

Here’s an example of how I showcased an item:

Our fourth item is a jumbo pack of Huggies Gentle Care diapers. These are specially designed for a newborn, with a curve in the front of the diaper to prevent the irritation of the umbillical cord. This package contains 40 diapers, which means it will last approximately 4 days…maybe! Please write down your guesses.

Actual retail price: $9.54

I hope that you enjoy these free baby shower games. We certainly had a lot of fun playing them!

Bonus: I also found this image online, and folks on pinterest seem to be LOVING it! Check out this totally free, totally fun baby due date guessing game!

Are you hosting a shower this year? Are you the guest of honor at a shower this year? Do you have any especially memorable games that were played at a shower you hosted or attended in the past? I’d love to hear about it!

If you are in shower planning mode, these posts might also help!

Summer Baby Shower Food Ideas

Book Gift Ideas for Baby Showers

Baby Shower Ideas for Second or Third Baby