Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

$100 Target Gift Card GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 4 Comments

Here’s one you’ve been waiting for! Wouldn’t this be an amazing thing to win this time of year??!!

 

The holidays are fast approaching and it would be great to get a jump start on your Christmas Shopping!
Well Tailor Made Momma is ready to help you out! We are giving away a $100 Target Gift Card to one lucky reader!

Entering this giveaway is simple. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to be entered to win!

This giveaway is open WW but note that the Gift Card is limited by Target rules and shipping!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. The prize is being provided by Tailor Made Momma with additional funds coming from participating bloggers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Restaurant Quality at Home: Bertolli (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 201 Comments

I’m not superwoman. I don’t think any mom out there is, really. We all have to-do lists that are impossible to complete in a 24 hour day. Some days we get far enough through them to make peace with what’s left over, and sometimes we are hopelessly behind before breakfast is even finished!

On those super crazy days, I have no reservations about getting some help in the meal prep department. But my budget is tight, so going to a restaurant (or even just hitting the drive-thru) is not something I can do often. I need a more affordable option. In fact, on those days when I’m that pressed for time, it’s inconvenient to have to leave the house at all, even if it is just to pick up dinner!

Bertolli has got me covered, though. They have 4 brand new frozen products. I have tried AND LOVED every single one of them. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to know that dinner needs to be ready in 20 minutes, and to open the freezer and find a Bertolli Meal Soup or a Bertolli Risotto staring back at you. When I had NO plan for dinner and very little time, I suddenly had my pick of Italian-Style Wedding soup, Ricotta & Lobster Ravioli in a Seafood Bisque, Garlic Shrimp Risotto or Roasted Chicken Risotto.

My first pick was that fabulous Roasted Chicken Risotto. I took just a moment to read the directions:

That’s my kind of recipe! Pour contents into a skillet, cover and cook!

I played with Layah and hopped over to the kitchen every few minutes to give this a stir. It was just that simple.

And it was so good that I completely forgot to snap a photo of the final product! We gobbled it up completely before it occurred to me. Oops!

I would highly recommend Bertolli frozen meals. The taste was fresh, the meals were something outside of the norm, and it was a very special treat to have risotto, which is a labor-intensive food to prepare, while putting forth very little effort, myself!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will receive 4 coupons for FREE Bertolli Frozen Meals!

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. 

 

How to Let Children Be in Charge of Snack Time

· by · 3 Comments

“Let me do it, mom!” are words that frequently come out of Darah’s mouth. She is working so hard to be independent, and I am trying my best to listen to her and give her the opportunity to do things all by herself. It requires patience on my end, to be sure, but I can see the pride she has when she accomplishes something on her own. I imagine that it must be a very empowering feeling to a 3 year old!

One step I have taken toward giving Darah the freedom of choice and the ability to take action on her own is with her afternoon snack. It is part of her daily ritual to have a little something to eat after her quiet time. I used to prepare the snack for her, but lately I have been stocking the snack bin in the pantry and letting Darah go in on her own and select the item she wants that day. Darah LOVES getting to make her own decision, and she loves to talk with me about her different options while she mulls over her options. She also loves to work on opening her snacks herself, although this is an area where mom is still needed to help.

It is my job to make sure that every option in the bin is a healthy choice. Del Monte Fruit Cups have been introduced to the snack bin, and they get snapped up VERY quickly, I have to say. I recently went to Walmart to restock our supply of fruit cups, and while I was there I picked up two new flavors, Diced Apples & Pears with Caramel Flavor and Diced Pears with Vanilla & Spice. Don’t those sound simply scrumptious for the fall and winter seasons? I spotted them on the shelves at my local Walmart a few days ago. If you want to come along with me on my entire shopping trip, click here to see what I saw while grocery shopping at 6 am!

(At. $2.28 for a package of four, these cost just .57 per snack).

 Before these new fruit cups landed in my cart, I needed to check for an important ingredient, or perhaps I should say, a lack of an ingredient:

(Bingo! Del Monte Fruit Cups contain no high fructose corn syrup! The presence of that ingredient makes or breaks whether or not I buy it for my daughter. I wish I could say I was as disciplined with that rule with my food, too. Baby steps, right?)

After I got home, Darah helped me unload the groceries and very quickly found her new snacks. She was thrilled, and she helped me add them to her snack bin so that they could be an option for her later that day.

After her quiet time (and she actually napped that day! Woo hoo!) Darah made a bee line (or should I say ladybug line? She was trying out her Halloween costume…) for her snack bin. After double-checking with me that it was time for a snack, she looked over her options and made her choice. Del Monte Fruit Cups, please!

(Notice how I keep the snack bin at Darah’s eye level. This is key, but it also requires that your child develop discipline to not raid the snack area when it isn’t snack time. Our daughter is getting better at this, but we’ve had more than a few conversations about it, I assure you!)

Darah was quite pleased with her selection, and after trying to get it open, herself, she asked me for some assistance.

While she doesn’t normally wear bibs, I thought it might be wise to put on a smock over her costume since these fruit cups do contain a light syrup and the odds of it landing on her costume were good. I sat with her while she ate, and we talked about what our plans were for the afternoon. We decided that a walk down to the park might be fun. While we chatted, she made a point of telling me that she liked her snack because it was just the right size for her. I think she’s right!

After she had eaten most of her snack, I asked her if it tasted really good. She didn’t respond to my question with words, but instead, with action!

(I’d say that drinking the leftover liquid to make sure every drop of this snack was eaten is a good sign that it was a hit!)

As I watched Darah slurp down every bit of her snack, I couldn’t help but think about how glad I was that this product is free of high fructose corn syrup. That makes it a #SmartSnack in my book, and means that it will be in regular rotation in our snack bin. I’m especially looking forward to stocking up on this to use when apples and pears aren’t in season and finding tasty ones is a challenge. That’s the perfect time to reach for a Del Monte Fruit Cup!

One other idea I have for this healthy snack is to use it at breakfast. Tomorrow morning I’m planning on giving Darah a fruit cup along with her oatmeal and letting her combine the two for a fruity twist to a hot breakfast staple! Darah will be able to control the amount of fruit she uses, and I think that will make it a lot of fun for her.

Do you have any tips for ways to make snack time for your kids a more enjoyable experience, and one in which they take some ownership? Do your snack options include Del Monte products? Drop the company a line on their Facebook page or on Twitter to share your tips and tricks or to get more information about all the ways Del Monte can help make snack time healthy and fun.

 

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Del Monte #CBias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinion expressed here are strictly my own.

Stock Your Gift Closet with Affordable Fun from Knock Knock (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 80 Comments

If you have school-age kids, then you are probably getting birthday party invitations on a regular basis. I actually love getting to go to birthday parties as it gives me an opportunity to spend some time with the parents of Darah’s friends, and also to put faces to names of children she talks about at home. But if I don’t keep my gift closet well-stocked, I also find myself blowing our budget on last minute birthday gifts, which really add up!

Do you have a gift closet with a variety of options that were affordable to purchase ready to go? One place I would recommend shopping for really cute and different gifts to have on hand is Knock Knock. This is a stationery and gift company and they are overflowing with cute and cheeky items for kids and adults.

Right now, I have two items in my gift closet that I can’t wait to give to a child at an upcoming party. We’ll be giving the Big Word Flashcards and My Food Passport to a classmate of Darah’s, and I think they are both going to be well-loved by the child. Big Word Flashcards contains 25 really big words along with illustrations and an explanation of meaning. I recall as a young child learning a few big words (supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, anyone?) and thinking they were SO COOL. This set gives them 25 words to learn and to use to amaze their friends (and some grownups, too, as I will fully admit to not knowing quite a few of the words in the set, myself!). Big Words Flashcards are just $12.00, which makes budget-friendly!

The My Food Passport is the PERFECT gift for a picky eater. It has 20 different foods for a child to fully explore, and room to write down their thoughts about the experience. We are fortunate enough to have an adventurous eater, ourselves, but I can see this activity book being an effective tool to help a child who is not as willing to try new things to give them a whirl. I think it is brilliant! My Food Passport is a very reasonable $10.00.

Knock Knock has wonderful items for kids starting at just $6.50! Definitely check them out and get loaded up with stocking stuffers and last minute gifts for kids and adults, alike!

Win it!: I’m giving away 3 items from Knock Knock that are perfect for the academic year! One winner will receive the Academic Planner, the Aha Sticky Pad and the Bookmark Pad!

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.

Announcing the Earth’s Best Healthy Halloween Sweepstakes (Hurry! Ends 10/12)!

· by · Leave a Comment

If you have a toddler or preschooler in your house, you are definitely going to want to enter this great new sweepstakes on the Earth’s Best Facebook page! To celebrate Halloween, and to make sure that your kiddos have some snacks on hand that are sweet AND healthy, Earth’s Best is giving away 25 grand prizes, each of which has a case of Earth’s Best Organic Pop Snax and a case of Sesame Street Organic Letter of the Day Very Vanilla Cookies. YUM!!!

Entering is very simple. “Like” Earth’s Best to become a fan (if you aren’t one already!). Then click on the sweepstakes tab and complete and submit the simple entry form. That’s it!  The contest ends October 12th, so hurry up and get entered!

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 expressed here are strictly my own.

Manner Mats: Keep Your Child at the Table! GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 60 Comments

My oldest daughter tells me at least a few times a week, “Mommy, it’s hard to be patient!” As someone who is not a patient person, I totally empathize with how she feels. It IS hard to wait, sometimes.

When you combine Darah’s inherited lack of patience with the low tolerance for remaining at the dining room table (which is something she inherited from her father, who likes to dine and dash), it can make meal times a real test for her. We have to constantly try to bring her focus back to the meal and even to the family time together.

Manner Mats have helped us keep Darah in her chair. Specifically, we’ve been using Preschool Manner Mats. These were invented by an etiquette expert and they each come with 38 one-use place mats that contain lessons about good behavior and good manners. They also have pictures to be colored. Basically, they provide an educational opportunity for your child and topics for conversation with the family at the dinner table.

While I don’t use these every day, I find them to be especially helpful when Darah is trying to avoid eating her dinner. The longer she sits by her food, even if she is distracted by a different activity, the more likely she is to take a few bites!

Manner Mats and Preschool Manner Mats are available online for a very reasonable $9.99. I think they make great, affordable holiday gifts! They can also help a night at home feel more like a night at a restaurant!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your choice of Manner Mats (ages 6+) or Preschool Manner Mats (ages 3-6).

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.

$50 Educational Insights Gift Card GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 3 Comments

Big things are happening at the Educational Insights Facebook page! They are working hard to get to 50,000 fans (they are currently at 19,000). They have a survey they want people to take (I just completed it and it took me about 45 seconds…SO easy!). For every 1,000 fans they get between now and 50,000 one survey respondent will be randomly selected to win a customized Educational Insights prize pack worth $500! Once 50,000 fans are reached, ALL fans will get a reward! Woo hoo! Entries are good for the duration of the contest, so you only need to enter once to be eligible.

But it gets even better, folks! I also get to host a giveaway right now for $50 to Educational Insights and there’s only one entry! Easy peasy! If there are ANY children on your holiday shopping list, this contest is not-to-miss. Educational Insights has some of the most AMAZING toys that are so much for and so educational!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t forget to fill out the 50,000 fan survey on the facebook page so you can be entered for all those $500 giveaways, too!

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

I received a gift card as a thank you for hosting this fabulous contest. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

$200 Giveaway Coming Up Soon!

· by · Leave a Comment

Because this is something I personally would love to win, I decided to join this group giveaway! Stay tuned for its launch at the beginning of November!

whatyouwantgiveawayOctober-November_zps5a704539

FREE Blogger Opportunity! We will be giving away $200, in their Have it your way event! How will this work? Whatever the winner wants, the winner will get! Kindle Fire, PayPal Cash, Amazing, Wal-Mart, Target! Who cares, they get just what they want!

Blogger get FREE Facebook llink with the option to purchase additional links!

About the event

    • Prize: Whatever you want up to $200 (shipping included) Do you want a Kindle Fire? Maybe an iPod, hummm maybe gift card to Target, oh wait Paypal cash? We don’t care we want you to have it your way! So let the games begin, and let’s have some fun with this one!

We’re celebrating the lunch of Pink Ninja Media and we would love for your to join us!

    • November 5, 2012 and end on December 5, 2012
    • FREE Facebook Link – With Announcement Post
    • Winner will receive $200 anything they want – if they choose a product shipping is included in the $200.
    • Additional links will be $2 – Daily Votes $3 – Paid links will be moved up on Rafflecopter.
    • Sign up HERE