Stuff Parents Need

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

Two Products that Streamline Our Mornings: GIVEAWAY!!!

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For those of you with kids back in school, have you found your morning rhythm? Does your household run like a well-oiled machine from the time your alarm goes off until the time you head out the door to take the kids to school or the bus stop?

Yeah, mine neither.

Some days we do great, and others, well…let’s just say my child has gone to school before with teeth that haven’t been brushed or with a tummy that isn’t as full as it should be.

There are two products that are helping us be more consistent with good morning routines, though. First, I’ve got some breakfast products from Van’s in my freezer, and they are frequently requested for breakfast by our preschooler. We’ve got waffles and english muffins, and Van’s Natural Foods are high in protein and whole grains, and they are low in sugar. So they are a healthy choice and give Darah the fuel she needs to get through the day, not a sugar high to get through the next hour. And I love these products because putting together a hearty breakfast is a breeze.

The other thing we are doing is taking a healthy habit with us in the car since we are pressed for time. Darah is learning how to floss her teeth with the help of Plackers Kids Flossers. These individual flossers are in cute animal shapes and the floss is flavored so that kids are motivated to keep trying! :-). I love that we can leave the packet in the car and she can grab one every morning and practice flossing while I drive. What a great use of that time! 🙂

Plackers and Van’s are helping to streamline our morning routine and they are also encouraging good eating and oral hygeine habits.

Is your morning routine in need of some assistance? Well friends, you are in luck!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a prize pack just like what is shown above (it also includes FREE Van’s product coupons!).
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Disclosure: I received a complimentary prize pack for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

My New Morning Ritual: Honey Maid Grahamfuls (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Darah LOVES graham crackers. She eats them with peanut butter and bananas. She eats them crushed up in her yogurt and oatmeal. And she eats them by themselves. They are definitely a go-to snack in our home.

Unfortunately, I recently took a moment to read the labels of a few different boxes of graham crackers, and noticed that they all contained high fructose corn syrup.

BOO!!!!

But did you know that Honey Maid graham crackers are made with 100% whole grain, contain real honey, and leave the high fructose corn syrup out of the mix?

YAY!!!!!!

But the news gets even better, folks. Honey Maid has just launched the perfect after school snack (or lunch time treat) for your kiddos. Its called Honey Maid Grahamfuls, and these are individually packaged graham cracker “sandwiches” that come in three varieties: peanut butter, peanut butter & chocolate and banana vanilla creme. And yes, these are totally free of high fructose corn syrup. That’s what I’m talking about!

Each box has eight individually-wrapped packages. I’m not a big fan of excess packaging, but I can see that these are packaged perfectly for sending in school lunches.

Darah absolutely loves these, and I’ll be stocking up on more, as they do make for a very convenient snack to give her after her afternoon “quiet time” (formally known as nap time…sigh…). Each box retails for $4.19.

I also need to buy more of these because Darah’s not the only one who likes them. I wake up REALLY early every morning so that I can get my blog and other computer work done for the day before my girls wake up. And I need a bit of fuel to get me through those first few hours. So this is my new morning ritual, and I love it!

Win it! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a really fun prize: all 3 grahamful flavors AND a Honey Maid backpack!
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.

My New Calorie-Free Sweetener: Nectresse

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This post brought to you by NECTRESSE™Sweetener. All opinions are 100% mine.

When my BFF visited me last month, she told me that she had successfully made the switch from sugar in her coffee to something more natural. I was really intrigued, because I knew at that time that my coffee addiction was a significant barrier to my weight-loss, and all because I like my coffee to be sweet. 

There are LOTS AND LOTS of sugar alternatives on the market, and my head started to spin as I researched them to determine what I wanted to try. 

But one caught my eye in particular, because it was the only 100% natural sweetener made from fruit. To be more specific, it is made from monk fruit! (I've never heard of it, either, but it is a real fruit, I promise!). 

Check out NECTRESSE™Sweetener, which is made from the makers of Splenda. This product is 150 times sweeter than sugar(!) and has zero calories. Now that's refreshing! 

It comes in canisters as well as single serving packs. I make a pot of 6 cups of coffee each day (I know…but I do make my coffee weak, at least), and I like to pre-sweeten my coffee while it is still hot (remember, I'm an iced coffee freak, so my coffee needs to be cold before I drink it!). I decided to use a crazy small amount of this product to see how it tasted, fully assuming that I'd be adding more. I added just two individual packets to my 6 cup carafe. And guess what? I was pleased with the taste! Yeah, I didn't even need to add any more! But if you were to try it out and determined that you wanted another packet or two, go for it since that will add zero calories to your drink! 🙂 

Photobucket I like that my iced coffee has a naturally sweet flavor. If someone had served it to me like this I would not have guessed that it didn't contain sugar. Way to go, Nectresse!

For those of you who grew up with Channel One in your middle school and high school classrooms, you may well-remember the celebrated journalist and tv personality Lisa Ling. She is also a huge fan of Nectresse. Check out what she has to say about it!

I think you will really like Nectresse if you give it a try. But why not start out with a FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener? I think you'll be pleased! 

Visit Sponsor's Site

My Triumphant Return to Walgreens: Who Needs Coupons with Deals Like This?!

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I used to rock out with coupons every week. I vividly remember stocking up on diapers for Darah when I was pregnant (this was before I knew about cloth!). I amassed 6 months’ of diapers for her, and paid, on average, about 25% of the retail cost per package. It was pretty awesome.

I stopped couponing for about a year after Darah was born just due to a lack of time. Once I got her into a parents’ day out program and once we found our new rhythm in Chattanooga, I got back into couponing. And once again, I got wonderful deals, largely at drugstores like Walgreens. I routinely saved between 50-75% on stuff I needed, as well as stuff I could save for later.

But as soon as morning sickness with baby#2 set in, I was off the couponing wagon. And I have yet to get back on. I’m just short on time, folks! I’m sure you can relate.

But here’s the weird thing: I’ve noticed that because I don’t use coupons anymore, I feel as though I shouldn’t even visit my favorite drugstores. It’s like I have this mentality that if I don’t know how to maximize the deals for the week and get all those Register Rewards then there’s no point in even trying. So I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been in Walgreens in the past year. And I used to go every single week! I think in some weird way I felt as though I would be a failure if I shopped without all those coupons.

But just this past week, Walgreens unveiled a new program that is SUCH a good thing for people just like me: the ones who love to save money but who also need to save time. They now have the Balance Rewards program, and Layah and I ventured into the store I used to frequent to get signed up and see what all the buzz is about. You can see my full shopping experience (including two diaper changes BEFORE we got out of the house! Sheesh!) in my Google+ story here.

Here are some highlights:

 

This is my (little) big helper, Layah. I successfully got her in the car, finally! She’s ready for our adventure.

I signed up for Balance Rewards at the front register. The salesperson was very helpful and had me all set up in 3 minutes!

I was THRILLED to see that Walgreens sells milk at a competitive price. This is actually cheaper than what I pay at the grocery store. I’ll be back for milk next week, and the week after, and the week after…

JACKPOT!!!! Walgreens had all their summer toys marked down by 75%, and the selection was great! May I suggest that you make a stop at your nearest Walgreens today to see if you have the same good luck I had? 🙂 I bought several cool gifts for our gift closet (those birthday party invites keep rolling in!).

I learned all about some of the great features of the rewards program, such as the fact that if you can build up your points a little bit more, your payout rate improves ($50 for 40,000 vs. $5 for 5,000 points). And please check out the pharmacy chat option that Walgreens offers its customers!

When looking through the sale flyer, I was really impressed with some of the point earning opportunities. By spending on Zyrtec and/or Children’s Benadryl (which you’ll likely need at some point this fall!) you get 10,000 points, which is basically like getting $10 back!

While I have a dinosaur model of the iPhone, those of you who are slightly more up-to-date will most definitely want to download the free mobile app. You can keep track of your points balance on your phone, shop online (oh heck yes! Free shipping with orders over $25 and under 10 lbs!), and even ask a Walgreen pharmacy professional a question. Gotta love a store that takes the convenience factor to a whole new level.

Walgreens is definitely on the cutting edge of offering a variety of ways for its customers to save time AND money. I’m so very glad I got over my fear and stepped back into the store. What I found waiting for me were great deals galore!

You can keep up with all the latest and greatest Walgreens happening by following them on Facebook or Twitter.

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 Walgreens  #CBias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

An Amazing Exercise Technique: Yamuna Body Rolling GIVEAWAY!!!

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As you get older, are you interested in gaining any of the following physical benefits:

Improved posture
Increased range of motion
Improved alignment in all parts of the body
Increased muscle tone
Increased flexibility
Increased organ function

Me, too! I can still remember when it was no big deal for me to only get 5 hours of sleep and it was no big deal to have 3 hours of dance lessons back-to-back. But my body just doesn’t work like that, anymore! I find myself to be stiff more often now, and I’ve also noticed that my posture isn’t what it used to be.

I recently learned about a wonderful woman named Yamuna who has dedicated her life to helping others create positive changes with their bodies. Her practices compliment yoga (I’m a fan of yoga, so this intrigued me) and her system is highly portable, which is a big plus!

Today Yamuna wants to reach out specifically to Stuff Parents Need readers and offer a Pregnancy kit, which is complete with a DVD and gear. This kit retails for $86 and teaches you how to promote fitness and wellness in your body before AND after delivery. And even if you aren’t pregnant, there are many great techniques that are helpful for any and everybody!

Here’s a video of Yamuna demonstrating how to target a problem area. Can I just say that this woman looks AMAZING?! Clearly, she knows what she is doing!

Be sure to follow Yamuna Body Logic on Facebook and Twitter (you’ll get bonus giveaway entries below if you do!).

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Yamuna Pregnancy Kit! ARV $86.75!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Thanks to Yamuna for sponsoring this post and this wonderful giveaway. 

New Daily Deal Site for Moms (And a Giveaway!!!)

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Are you a daily deal site shopper? I totally am. I probably purchase something from a group deal site once a week. It saves me a lot of money and enables me to get really cute stuff (especially for my girls) that I could not afford at retail prices.

Plus, shopping from home is MUCH more fun than having to get out to a store!

Today I want to introduce you to a brand new daily deal site that launched yesterday. It’s called Liam’s Loft, and every day (Monday-Friday) they will have one fantastic deal running. The deals go live at 7am MST and run for 24 hours, or until the limited quantity of the product is sold out, whichever comes first!

Yesterday’s deal was for a really cute scarf that was modeled on both a mom and a daughter. It bargained priced at 55% off retail. It’s hard to find scarves on sale at all this time of year, so I thought the deal was especially good.

Liam’s Loft wants you to be in the know about their daily deals so that when one comes along that is perfect for you or your little one, you can scoop it up before its gone! Here’s a cute example of the kinds of things you can find at Liam’s Loft, and this is also what the winner of today’s giveaway will receive!


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Thanks to Liam’s Loft for sponsoring this post and this giveaway. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with Music (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month, everyone! Did you know that this month-long celebration takes place in the U.S. every year from September 15-October 15 (kind of fun that it touches on two calendar months!)? Your children are likely having lessons in their classrooms all about Hispanic culture and how it is woven into the fabric of America, and is becoming more and more part of our collective cultural identity every year.

To ensure that the fun of this celebration continues at home, I’ve got two newly released children’s cds that will get you dancing and singing, both in English AND in Spanish!

First up is the artist Mister G (he’s a former elementary school teacher, and I think his name stuck!). His album is called Chocolalalala. It has 11 different songs and they really are quite easy to sing along with in English and Spanish. I’ve been having fun with this opportunity to speak the language around Darah (I took several years of Spanish throughout high school, college and even grad school, but I’m admittedly quite rusty). Darah has even surprised me with her knowledge of a few Spanish words (credit goes largely to Dora!). We love having songs to sing in the car, and this is a cd that has made it into our vehicle, and is now requested during the morning commute to school! This cd became available on September 15th.

The other great new cd that’s out is Ozokidz from a very popular group called Ozomatli. This group has been spreading messages about justice and violence prevention since the 1990s, and now their important messages are ready for younger ears! The band is pretty awesome, I have to say. And they also gave a Ted talk/performance! Check it out!

Ozomatli has won Grammy Awards and have a sound that is uniquely theirs! I love the messages in the music and I think you will, too! This cd or the mp3s are available on September 25th.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of both cds featured here!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

$50 Target Gift Card Giveaway for Smartphone Users!!!

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Attention all smartphone owners! I have a fantabulous giveaway just for you!!!

My friends over at Babyzoehealth.com have a super awesome (and super FREE!!!!) app, and they are working hard to get the word out to folks about it. It’s called Baby Zoe, and it provides a way for you to keep track of so many different things that are related to the health and wellness of your child. You can keep track of your child’s eating and sleeping habits (SO nice for parents of babies), growth, medications, emergency contacts and other helpful information. You can also share this information with babysitters, healthcare providers, even curious grandparents, all with the touch of a button.

And you did hear the part about it being FREE, right?!

But here’s what’s even better than free: getting a gift card for downloading the app. And for one of my readers, that’s about to happen!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a $50 Target gift card! Downloading the app only takes a second, and it is mandatory (we will check!). Here’s the Itunes link, and here’s the Google Play link.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

This post and giveaway have been sponsored by Babyzoehealth.com. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. 

Learning Resources My Very Own Doctor Set Review and GIVEAWAY!!

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Can you think of any toys growing up that you never got and still to this day remember how much you wanted them? A doctor’s kit falls into that category for me. I had friends and cousins who owned doctor’s kit, so I frequently got to play. But oh my goodness, how I longed for one of my own!

Darah recently received from Learning Resources the New Sprouts Cure It! My Very Own Doctor Set, and let me tell you, she and I BOTH have been having a blast playing with it! We have opened up a stuffed animal urgent care facility. Darah is the attending doctor on staff, and I am her trusty assistant. I report the symptoms of our patients to her, and she gives a thorough exam and diagnoses the problem.

Here’s the adorable part: about 90% of the time Darah determines that the patient has a hurt heart, and the prescription she gives is, “lots of hugs.”

So. Stinkin’. Cute. It just about kills me, folks.

In addition to healing heartaches, playing doctor is also giving us the chance to talk more about anatomy, and even about viruses, diseases and injuries. There are so many great ways to incorporate some knowledge into our pretend play with this kit.

Naturally, I very highly recommend it. It’s going to be played with for a long time, I can tell! You can find the My Very Own Doctor Set at Learning Resources for $24.99.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a My Very Own Doctor Set from Learning Resources!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

sprouts cure it! my very own doctor set