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

Dress Up Idea: Take it Outside

April 3, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 53 Comments

If you combined being outside with playing dress up, you’d have, in mind of my daughter, the most perfect day possible. Chloe’s Closet, a delightful television program that features a little girl who discovers magical new worlds while playing dress up, combines these two elements. Check out the newest video from the program called Chloe’s Closet: Outdoor Explorer. In the DVD, many fun things happen, including investigating the cause of a dry river, travel to the jungle, and making things grow.

Chloe’s Closet has provided fun entertainment for my daughter, but more importantly, it has inspired dress up ideas that get us playing outside.

Chloe’s Closet: Outdoor Explorer is a terrific video choice as we head into Spring and then Summer and need to stretch our imaginations for more creative play and dress up ideas. Amazon has it value priced at just $8.99 right now with free shipping for Prime members! You can also purchase the video at NCircleEntertainment.com

edit: this giveaway is now closed

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Chloe’s Closet: Outdoor Explorer

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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 may contain affiliate links.

9 Blogs You Should Be Reading

April 2, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

The Reynolds Real Moms Finalist competition is now over, and we will be getting word any day now about who will be moving on. Before that happens, though, I want to take a moment to highlight the other 9 blogs represented in the competition. The women behind these blogs are all extraordinary. They are gifted writers, talented photographers, and skilled networkers. And yeah, they are also all real moms. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading their blogs over the past few months, and want to suggest that you check them out for yourself!

Here’s the list of great blogs in the order that the picture above was snapped, left to right (skipping Stuff Parents Need, because if you are reading this, then you clearly already know about my site!)

365 Days of Slow Cooking

I hope you enjoy these blogs as much as I have. Are there any blogs you are currently loving? Please share!

Showered with Love Baby Giveaway Hop! HUGE Prizes Inside!

April 1, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 98 Comments

Welcome to the Showered With Love Event hosted by the Blogging Mamas Network! We all know that April Showers bring May Flowers, but did you know that over 50 bloggers have come together throw a huge Shower of our own – a virtual Baby Shower! The Showered with Love Event will run from April 1-15, giving you plenty of chances and time to enter all of the great giveaways!

Be sure to hop around to each blogger in the linky under my giveaway, as well as check out the fabulous Baby Shower Grand Prize, including a Boba Wrap, Red Charlotte Doll Carrier, a $50 GC to Walls Need Love, AND 6 pocket cloth diapers from Little Monsters – worth over $300!

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My Giveaway: The Tortle!

More than a million babies each year are diagnosed with Flathead Syndrome in the USA. Nearly 48% of all babies 0-6 months old are affected by this condition. Tortle is a comfortable lightweight baby beanie that helps prevent and treat this condition, and that makes it a must have for new babies.

Flat head is not merely a cosmetic condition, but it can also cause varying degrees of developmental delays later in life. Additionally, Tortle helps provent a condition called torticollis, which is when an infant’s neck muscles become tight on one side, causing a neck tilt.

By switching the Tortle from side to side with each feeding, parents alleviate flat spots and neck tightness that newborns often develop, as the Tortle helps keep young infants from lying too long on the same parts of the head. This solution is affordable and stress free. Check out this video that features real moms sharing their experience with the product!

The Tortle is currently on sale for $19.99 at retailers such as Amazon.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Tortle!

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure I did not receive any products for review purposes, nor was I paid to participate in this event.

According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Showered with Love participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. _____________________________________ Linky:

Time to Warm Things Up! iPad Giveaway!

April 1, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 34 Comments

Let’s do this! This is NOT an April Fool’s Joke! 🙂

This has been a LONG winter. So let’s get spring going, and kick off with an IPad Giveaway. This giveaway is brought to you by the host, A Little Bit of Everything.

Also brought to you by this wonderful co hosts. Make sure to check them out.

My Four Little, Making Memories With Your Kids, Sarah SaturDIY, Life With Two Boys, Mommy Bear Media, This Girl’s Life, All About the Mommies, NYSavingSpecials, Pardon My Poppet, Dutch Girl’s Favorite Things, Spaceships and Laser Beams, A Man’s Take on Things, Don’t Mess with Mama, and We Are Earthformed

Giveaway runs from April 1 until April 30.

• 1GHz Apple A5X dual-core custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics • 1GB RAM • 64GB flash • 9.7″ retina display • LED-backlit glossy widescreen multi-touch display with IPS technology • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating • Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously • 2048 x 1536 resolution • Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) • Bluetooth 4.0 technology • 30-pin dock connector port x 1 • 3.5mm stereo headphone minijack • 5-megapixel iSight camera • Built-in 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery • Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music • Measures 9.50″ H x 7.31″ W x 0.37″ D • Package includes headphones, USB charger, USB plug, data cable, stylus pen, screen protector, and case • Available in your choice of Black or White

You will also get a case for this great Ipad as well. The case will be your choice from Domeo Products. They are available online and also at Sam’s Club. Check out my FULL review.

Stuff Parents Need is not responsible for shipment of the prize. Any questions, comments, or concerns, please send to littlebitofeverything@live.com

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Bright Starts Count n’ Roll Buggie: First Birthday Gift Idea (Giveaway!)

March 31, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 85 Comments

We have been truly having a ball, lately, with the Bright Starts Count n’ Roll Buggie. This is definitely a good first birthday gift idea! I’m going to let Layah show you exactly how it works in this super short video clip:

Layah will stay entertained by this toy for 10-15 minutes. Let me be real: I appreciate toys that can help me get a few minutes to get some work done! But even more importantly, I REALLY love it when a toy makes my daughter want to work on both her gross motor skills and her fine motor skills. She has worked hard over the last week to learn how to get the ball in the hole herself, and she gets better with every play session. It is a joy to observe! In my book, a learning toy is the best toy, and that is why the Bright Starts Count n’ Roll Buggie gets my stamp of approval.

I have even seen her find one of her balls in one room, and then walk into another room where her Count n’ Roll Buggie is and hunt it down so she can put the ball back in the hole. For a 10 1/2 month old, I think that is a pretty amazing task that she gives herself, and motivation comes from how much she loves to see her ladybug spin around. If you are seeking a first birthday gift idea, you can’t go wrong with this one!

I want to encourage you to follow Bright Starts on Facebook and on Twitter. You can hear about their latest fantastic toys, and you can also gain extra entries into giveaways, like the one below!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Bright Starts Count n’ Roll Buggie! !

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page!
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This review was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Bright Starts. I was provided the featured product fre of charge to facilitate my review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Homegrown Collective Subscription Box Review (Giveaway!)

March 31, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 93 Comments

So this whole subscription box concept has really taken off, huh? I actually met a woman in my city a few days ago who is starting one up, and in the past month, I’ve probably read 15 different reviews for 15 different companies that offer this monthly gift service. Some of them are amazing. Many of them are just overpriced and not at all useful. But today I’ve got a real winner for you, at least I think so!

Check out Homegrown Collective. The concept behind this monthly box is to, “receive seasonally appropriate, professionally curated products that deliver the satisfaction of living a more self-sufficient & sustainable lifestyle to your doorstep each month.”

I recently received the February box from the company, and it was all about bees. We had all kinds of very interesting goodies to play with, including raw honey, bee pollen and beeswax, as well as essential oils and round tins for making our own lip salves. We even had a ball jar to use for adding rose hips to some of the honey so we could infuse it with a delicious special flavor. Darah asked to introduce you to the kit by way of a video. She is SO stinkin’ cute! Perhaps she needs to work on her product presentation a bit more, but still, I think we have a blogger (or perhaps a vlogger) in the making!

What I love about this kit is that the products are VERY useful, and that you have the opportunity to really learn something every month. I also think this box is EXTRA awesome for families with children, as children love to get to do experiments and to get to learn. Darah was a captive audience and a full participant in the process of making the lip balm and the rose hip infused honey. We talked a lot about the different products we were using and their purpose, as well as some of the extra things that we could do with them (the salve, for example, is good for diaper rash and minor scrapes in addition to being great for the lips!).

I would highly recommend the Homegrown Collective Box for families who are interested in sustainability, “do it yourself” remedies, natural solutions to problems, and opportunities to mix and create something yourself. You will find all of those needs met through this one service. Remember, summer will be here soon and it will be SO nice to have some really cool projects that you and your kids can work on together to help pass the time in a meaningful way. Note Darah’s butterfly wings in the picture. She doesn’t have a bee costume, but she thought this was a fair substitute.

Monthly subscription boxes are $39 plus $9 shipping. Or if you bump up to a 6 month subscription then shipping becomes free. If you do an entire year, you get free shipping AND one month totally free. Are you a little put off by the price? I can tell you from experience that everything in the box is VERY high quality and worth what you pay for it, but we all understand the need to choose wisely how we spend our hard earned money. Homegrown Collective would like to offer readers a special 10% discount off your purchase. Simply enter STUFF10 at checkout!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the April Homegrown Collective Box, which will feature an assortment of products to get you ready for gardening season!

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Yummy Tummy Oatmeal for Kids Now Has Less Sugar and More Fiber

March 30, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

I always appreciate when a company tries to improve upon its creations, and strives to make a good product even better. That’s why I was really impressed to learn that Earth’s Best has reformulated one of my daughter’s favorite products, Yummy Tummy Oatmeal, so that it includes 25% more fiber and 25% less sugar than the older version. That really shows a dedication on the part of the company to providing an excellent source of nutrition to children. This oatmeal for kids is great in theory.

But the real test is how Darah responds to it. Does she still love it????

You tell me!

If you are searching for oatmeal for kids that keeps the sugar in check and has a high dose of fiber, this is it!

I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions express here are strictly my own.

4 Simple Rules for a Clean and Tidy House

March 29, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 12 Comments

Today I have a guest post from a new mom and one of my favorite new (at least new to me) blogs to read! Enjoy these really good tips (I learned some new tricks, myself!). Need more advice? The solution for me was getting rid of clutter.
Hi! I’m Hannah and I blog at Simply Add Coffee. I’m a wife to Harrison and Mama to our little 5-month-old daughter.

When my husband and I brought home our little girl as first time parents, we had a lot to learn and figure out! One of the biggest challenges for me was to learn how to clean house and keep things neat in our home. Of course, I knew how to clean before, but like most things with a new baby, it was very different than before.

As a working wife, I usually did most of the home cleanup on the weekends when I had more time available. But now, as a stay-at-home-mom, my Saturdays weren’t any less busy than the other days, so I had to figure out a new system.

The system and routine that I use now would work for a stay-at-home parent, or a working mom or dad. These are my 4 Simple Rules for a Clean and Tidy House:

Rule # 1 – Leave the house straight when you go to bed.

I quickly learned that if I wake up to a messy house, my day feels like it starts out as a failure and goes downhill from there. But if I wake up to a neat house, I can get started on today’s work instead of cleaning up from yesterday. For me, this means making sure all dishes are loaded in the dishwasher and cleaned and laundry and toys are picked up from around the house.

Rule # 2 – Do one cleaning task a day.

Cleaning an entire house can feel overwhelming, but I made up a list of all the weekly cleaning jobs and assign one job to each day. Then if for some reason I miss a task one day, it’s only one task and not the whole house that missed getting clean.

Rule # 3 – Set a timer to complete work.

The work we need to do will find a way to take up whatever time is allowed for the job. So if I give myself the whole day to do one task, it will probably take all day to do it! But if I set a timer for 15 minutes and I have to be finished when the alarm sounds, I will get it done.

Rule # 4 – Take a few minutes and quickly straighten up the house before dinner or sitting down for the evening time.

I have found that if I set my 15 minute timer and just quickly (very quickly!) walk through each room of the house and straighten things up it makes my evening a lot easier. I pick up dirty dishes to take to the kitchen, put any toys away, take any laundry or shoes to closets and straighten any books or paperwork that are out. I try to do this before my husband gets home from work, but I definitely do it before I sit down for the evening, whether that’s for computer work or watching TV. And when that is done, I don’t get to bed time and then worry that the house is a mess (which takes me back to rule #1!).

These are just a few simple things that help me as a mom, do you have a routine or system that works for you?

Our TV Power Consumption is in Check Thanks to Smart Strip

March 28, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Do you have an area of your house that has a lot of energy hogging items plugged in? For us, our TV power consumption is a problem, not because we use it all the time, but because it is plugged in all the time. Most folks do have places like that, where they have many things plugged in, but those things are not in constant use.

And so they get a power strip, both out of necessity to have more plugs available, and because they tell themselves that they will be able to turn everything off easily and save electricity that way.

But they never do turn everything off, do they? I can tell you that we don’t! But we have a reason! In our living room, we’d love to unplug our television, Wii, speakers and DVD player, but if we were to do so, we’d also be unplugging our router which keeps us connected to the internet. For people my age, cutting that off would be like cutting off the oxygen supply in the house. I’m only sort of kidding.

Cutting Our TV Power Consumption

This is why I LOVE the Smart Strip SCG3, as it is specifically designed for areas where most things can be “unplugged” for much of the day, but at least 1 thing needs to remain plugged in at all times. You can actually do that with this strip all with the push of a button. Check this out:

We are plugging in our television to the control outlet. This is where you want to put the primary device that you want to be able to “unplug” without actually unplugging it.

We are putting our router in the constant hot outlet. This is where you want to put things that should never be unplugged. Perhaps in some homes this would be where the computer tower plug goes.

And we are putting all of our television accessories in the green outlet. This space is for anything that is fine to be without power any time the control outlet is without power.

The demonstration light bulbs I have show you where the power is going when everything is turned on here. Everyone is getting the juice!

Now see what happens when I “unplug” the control panel:

With one simple flip of the switch, I’ll be able to have my TV, Wii, DVD player and speaker system stop draining power, yet have my router keep going. This is SO nice!!!!

If you have run into the same problem as me, where you thought a power strip could help you save energy only to discover that you have to leave it on all the time because of one or two items that need to be on at all times, this is the answer! The device retails for $29.95 but can also be purchased on Amazon for $24.60 and will likely pay for itself in a year thanks to all the standby energy you stop using! Bits Limited, the company behind this smart strip, has an entire line of surge protectors “with brains.” There’s something there for everyone, so be sure to check them out!

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