Stuff Parents Need

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

My Favorite New Baby Gear Product: The First Year’s Deluxe Reclining Feeding Seat (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 129 Comments

I’ve been swooning over a new product in our home. Would you believe that little Layah, at just 3 months old, has been in a high chair for a month now?

I’m guessing you are a big confused.

First let me make sure nobody thinks that she is eating solids, yet. Nope, not at all, and she won’t until she shows sings for readiness (I’m guessing that will be around 5 or 6 months old).

But she absolutely has a place at our table. And she LOVES to sit right there with us at meal time. We are really enjoying it, too. So how can she sit in a high chair when she can’t even sit up on her own?

Well, she’s got The First Years Deluxe Reclining Feeding Seat. It is designed to hold little ones from birth all the way through four years of age! It literally grows with your child, which gives it so much bang for the buck. Layah is currently in the most reclined position which is quite comfy for her, and she is safely strapped in using the five-point harness. We don’t yet put the tray on when she’s in there, and that leaves her more free to move her arms and legs around.

This chair has 5 positions (2 height adjustments and 3 tray positions). Additionally, it converts into a booster chair for older tots.

Also, this feeding chair takes up SIGNIFICANTLY less room than a traditional high chair. This is such a nice feature in our home, which is extremely tight on space in our eating area. All we had to do was give up one of our chairs around the table and strap the feeding chair on it. We are most definitely going to be selling the old high chair we have tucked away and will be using this system until she outgrows a booster.

Want to hear the best part? This feeding chair is just $39.99! That’s over $60 less than we paid for Darah’s high chair, and we are going to get SO much more use out of this one! It honestly never occurred to me to put a young infant in an elevated chair with the rest of us at meal times, but we all really enjoy it; it makes Layah feel even more a part of what we do together as a family.

The First Years Deluxe Reclining Feeding Seat is currently on sale at Amazon and can also be found online at Babies ‘R Us. I’m absolutely delighted with this product and would strongly recommend it as an affordable and very convenient alternative to a traditional high chair.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win The First Years Deluxe Reclining Feeding Chair!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

 

Quick and Healthy Lunch Ideas for Back to School!

· by · 1 Comment

We have one more week until Darah goes back to school as an official pre-schooler! My eyes well up with tears at the mere thought of it!

Darah won’t be staying at school for lunch, so I don’t actually have to pack one for her, but I still have to have a lunch prepared for her when she gets home every day. I work as hard as I can on the blog and on grading work for my college class I teach, so I don’t really have much time to devote to preparing a lunch. I need to rely on more convenient options so that I can spend as much time as possible working before she gets home.

But like most moms, I don’t want my need to go for convenience to eclipse my desire to provide healthy food for my child.

Earth’s Best has got some great products that are absolutely perfect for the mid-day rush, and if you are packing a lunch, they work well in a lunch box, too!

Darah has been enjoying the Earth’s Best Sunny Day Snack Bars at lunch time and as an afternoon snack. They are naturally sweetened cereal bars filled with real fruit. They come in strawberry and apple flavors, and have Big Bird and Grover on them, which delights my little preschooler. I’m delighted by them because they are the right serving size for smaller tummies, and they provide big doses of calcium, iron, zinc and six B vitamins.

The other item in my pantry “lunch box” is Earth’s Best Kidz Organic Apple Sauce. Did you know that conventional apples are one of the “dirtiest” items of produce? The amount of chemicals from pesticides that is found on them is absolutely astounding. Going organic when it comes to apples is a very good idea, even if it is one of the only fruits for which you pay the higher price. I especially like having these individual servings of applesauce on hand for days when we might be out of fresh fruit. Darah can still get a serving of something healthy and delicious when I’m overdue for a trip to the store!

I do try to keep a specific box in my pantry for lunch staples that I can easily grab to help supplement the meal with minimal effort on my part. That is really essential so that I can be confident that I can pull lunch together for her in 5 minutes every day and not find myself spending 30 minutes of my work time in the kitchen scrambling to cook something. It’s a strategy that has served me well, and I highly recommend it!

Here are some other things I keep on hand for a healthy and quick lunch for Darah:

  • baby carrots and ranch dip
  • blueberries
  • strawberries
  • bananas
  • whole wheat crackers
  • slices or cubes of cheese
  • yogurt (I usually buy plain and mix in a little organic jam to sweeten it)
  • round and thin sandwich bread (it’s the perfect size for a younger child’s sandwich!)
  • peanut butter and graham crackers for a dose of protein
  • hummus

I’d love to hear what your go-to lunch and lunch box items are. Sometimes I get in a rut and love to be inspired by what other parents are doing! Please share (and remember…comments on this post earn you extra entries in the Earth’s Best giveaway I’ll hold in a few weeks)!

Disclosure: 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.

Time to Win a Dyson Vacuum!!!

· by · 75 Comments

Woo hoo! I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while. Good luck, everyone!!!

Mom Powered Media proudly presents the Dyson DC24 Giveaway

 

Dyson “The Ball” DC24 Vacuum

Impress yourself with your beautiful floors when you use the Dyson DC24 All-Floors Lightweight Upright Vacuum. Ultra lightweight and compact makes vacuuming with this machine effortless. The Dyson “Ball” technology turns the vacuum on a dime with no loss of suction, combined with the patented Root Cyclone technology makes this one extreme powerhouse of clean.

Dyson “The Ball” DC24 All-Floors Lightweight Upright Vacuum Includes:

  • Bristle brush
  • Product manual

Product Features:

  • Clear hygienic dust collection bin – empty the bin with a push of a button
  • Lifetime washable HEPA filter – requires no maintenance and lasts for the life of the vacuum
  • Fingertip brush control – turn brushbar on and off at the touch of a button
  • Motorized brushbar – powerful bristles remove dirt and pet hair from carpets
  • On-board tool storage – brush, stair and crevice tools store right on your vacuum so they’re always on hand
  • Reversible wand – for dual usage
  • On-board tool storage – brush, stair and crevice tools store right on your vacuum so they’re always on hand
  • Certified Asthma and Allergy Friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

ABOUT DYSON

Many vacuums use filters to trap dirt, which can cause clogs and suction problems. But Dyson, maker of the world’s first cyclonic bagless vacuum, features technology that uses centrifugal force to separate dirt out of the airflow, so the vacuum doesn’t clog. Dyson proves no loss of suction using the IEC 60312 Cl 2.9 test standard. As the only vacuum to be certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and featuring Clean Exhaust Air, it’s easy to see why Dyson is an excellent choice for all your floor surfaces.

Silk Duvet from Nordic Comfort: Review and GIVEAWAY ($414 VALUE!!!)

· by · 215 Comments

I have a down comforter on my bed. I’ve had it since Tim and I got married, and I absolutely adore it. It is SOOO comfortable and I typically sleep very well with it.

Except for during the summer. My beloved comforter usually has to come off the bed for the hottest months of the year because if left on, I often wake up in the middle of the night sweating. Yuck!

I’ve recently had the opportunity to try out a new kind of comforter that uses a special silk fiber called SilkFX and it breathes so beautifully that sweating at night, even in August, is a non-issue! And you’ll still be kept toasty warm in January, too!

Nordic Comfort is the company behind this revolutionary new fiber, and it provides even more benefits than traditional silk duvets. The fiber is still 100% natural, but it has been refined to reach its maximum potential. It can absorb more moisture, better regulate the temperature, and it does a great job of rejecting dust mites and bed bacteria.

And here’s a benefit that all parents will love: SilkFX is MACHINE WASHABLE!!!! This is such a huge selling point for me! I go to the dry cleaners MAYBE once a year, so having a duvet that needs to be taken there to get cleaned is not attractive. Being able to throw it in my washing machine when something gets spilled on it (hello, I have kids in this house…it’s gonna happen!) is a major plus.

Here’s another benefit of using a silk duvet over other materials: it helps with allergy problems! There are all sorts of microscopic bugs and bacteria that LOVE to hang out on our beds and sheets, and if you suffer from allergies (like I do), your bed might actually be making you sick! Silk is a naturally anti-allergic material and all those nasty germs and allergens DO NOT LIKE IT! So by having a silk duvet, you are helping your body stay healthy! It never occurred to me that my bedding might be contributing to my bad allergy problems, but it actually makes a lot of sense, as it is fairly common for me to wake up congested, and then feel fine a few hours later.

Darah is the lucky person in the house to have a silk duvet from Nordic Comfort. She’s been snuggling up with the twin Superior Silk duvet, and she loves it! I have actually spent a bit of time with her lately in her bed (she just gave up her pacifier at night time and has needed some extra comforting). A few days ago, I accidentally fell asleep in her room with her, and when I woke up under the comforter, I have to say that I felt REALLY comfortable. Not too warm, not too cold. JUST RIGHT! She has the year round version of the silk duvet, and it is absolutely perfect for the weather here in Tennessee, which is mild for most of the year.

I’m really glad I fell asleep under the duvet, because now I want one for my room. When you consider the allergy benefits, the washability, and the temperature control it provides, I can see this positively contributing to my overall quality of life.

I’ll be honest with you, these are pricey. The silk duvet in a twin size is 199 euros, which is roughly $244. The duvets are also shipped from Europe, and the shipping fees run 49 euros, which is roughly $60. So we’re talking about spending $300 for a twin duvet. No doubt about it, that is steep.

BUT

Based on my experience with the product so far, I believe that it will last for MANY years and provide exceptional comfort as well as exceptional protection from allergens and bed bugs. Remember that you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping…this is an area where investing in quality pays off. I am starting to save my pennies so that I can get a Superior Silk duvet for my bed. It might take a little while to get the funds together, but as someone who is currently waking up really hot and who frequently has an unexplainable runny nose in the mornings, I know it will be worth it!

Take a moment to check out the great selection of silk duvets and maybe add one to your holiday wish list. I’ve got one at the top of mine, for sure!

Win it!: And now for the really fun part: one of you is about to win a FULL SIZE Superior Silk Year Round duvet from Nordic Comfort! It has a retail value, including the shipping cost, of $414!!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Win a Year’s Supply of Organic Candy RIGHT NOW!!!

· by · 55 Comments


Candy, Candy Candy! Who doesn’t love Candy! But have you tried organic candy? What would you do if you could have some delicious all-natural candy right at your doorstep? Introducing YumEarth!

YumEarth is a brand of candy produced by YummyEarth. Everything YummyEarth makes is certified organic or all natural, gluten-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, and has no chemical colors, artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup. This is why they are the #1 organic company in America! The company was founded by two dads to share healthier treats with their kids and are proud to share that each serving provides 100% of daily vitamin C. It has been called “The Best Lollipop I’ve ever tasted” by Today Show Food Editor Phil Lempert, YumEarth Organics Lollipops come in eight mouthwatering flavors: Very Very Cherry, Too Berry Blueberry, Strawberry Smash, Sour Apple Tart, Pomegranate Pucker, Razzmatazz Berry, Mango Tango and Wet-Face Watermelon. Featured as the “Snack of the Day” on the Rachael Ray Show, YumEarth Organics Gummy Bears have the quintessential texture of a traditional gummy bear with unique mouthwatering flavors: Pomegranate Pucker, Strawberry Smash and Sour Apple Tart.

YumEarth Candy is now available at Target! That’s right, you have the option of buying the candy online or at your local store! Check this list to see YumEarth Candy is available at a Target near you. To celebrate the release of YumEarth Candy at Target, YummyEarth is sponsoring a giveaway of a YEAR’S WORTH OF CANDY to one lucky winner!

Enter on the rafflecopter form below! This giveaway is open to the US only. You are entering to 12 bags of YUMEARTH ORGANICS LOLLIPOPS and 12 bags of GUMMY BEARS. Must be 18+ to enter. Giveaway closes on August 21 at 11:59pm est. Only one person per household/IP address may enter. You only need to enter the giveaway on one of our blogs. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top 10 Ten Minute Craft Projects!

· by · Leave a Comment

Please enjoy this guest post brought to you by our friends at Katie’s Cards. I am LOVING the simple ideas below for getting your craft on with your kids! 

A 10 minute craft project can take many forms, from making your own mini seed magnet, through to creating fun bracelets, paper dolls and bath bombs. All of these projects, however, share a speed of creation, and are generally suitable for all ages. Whether that means finding something to do on a rainy day, or just exploring your crafty side, these projects should give you something to keep yourself busy. Materials can also be cheaply sourced, and the finished projects can be given as presents, or kept as decorations.

 

1 – Growing Seeds Magnet

Easy to make with children in under 10 minutes, this project involves taking an empty pill bottle – ideally one that is see through – and placing cotton bills inside. A magnetic strip can be attached to the side with craft glue, and plant seeds placed inside out of the cotton balls. When attached to a fridge, and regularly watered, the bottle will eventually produce a distinctive plant. Ideal for cress seeds.

 

2 – Bracelet

A simple bracelet variation, this project involves taking an 18 inch strand of twine, and attaching looped items to it. These can be rings or anything circular, which are braided through strands and tied off with lark’s head knots.

 

3 – Candle Vases

Take a glass vase, a candle holder and tea lights, as well as a pattern wrap. The latter can be wrapped around the vase, and secured with double sided tape. The candles are then placed into the holder, and lit to create unusual colours and shapes.

 

4 – Hand Made Cards

Handmade cards can be quickly made through the use of backing cardboard, several sheets of paper, and decorative items like ribbon and glitter. Pre selected templates can also be downloaded and printed online to create the front of the card. Of course, another alternative from handmade cards, especially with the hectic times of Christmas approaching, is to send someone a Christmas ecard.

 

5 – Paper Dolls

Another good project for children, this paper dolls idea couldn’t be simpler. Buy a set of paper doll templates, decorate, and then cut out and attach to magnetic sheets to be hung or attached to a surface in the house.

 

6 – Bath Bombs

A potentially messy project, this involves mixing together essential oils with baking soda and citric acid to make a dry ball. When put into water, this organic product will fizz up.

 

7 – Bubble Mixture

A simple but popular project, simply take cups, dish soap, water and sugar. Mix the ingredients together and add them to the sealed cup. Children can then draw and blow bubbles from the resulting mixture.

 

8 – Noise Maker

A noise maker is a good idea for younger children, and can be made by using an empty, dry bottle filled with glitter, glue and beads. Fix the top of the bottle securely and shake for noise.

 

9 – Photo Ornaments

A good Christmas idea, a photo ornament involves removing the top of an ornament bulb, and filling it with glitter and a photograph. When tied off with a bow and reattached to a tree, this bulb can make for a more distinctive Christmas tree.

 

10 – Pincushion Ring

This project involves using fabric, felt and denim, as well as the top from a drinks bottle. Make holes in the bottle, and attach it to the felt and denim using string and fabric glue. Run through a loop to create a ring.
About the Author

Serena is an arts and crafts fanatic, blogging and writing about her experiences of all things crafty. In addition to this, she designs personalised cards and ecards online for special occasions.

Paper Culture: Simply Stunning Stationery For You or Your Littles

· by · Leave a Comment

Darah had her very first birthday party last week. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! We had a great turnout and had lots of laughs at the splash park. It was a terrific way to bid summer farewell as we get ready for the next school year.

Since Darah’s friends came bearing gifts to her party, we sat down to write our thank you notes and express gratitude for all the kind gestures, and also for friendship. I was so glad that Darah had her own personalized stationery for the notes. I think it added a nice touch!

I asked my BFF a few months ago if her little ones had any personalized note cards yet, and she said that they didn’t but that she could really use some, especially for her 4 year old. Being the fabulous Aunty that I am, I set out to find the perfect cards for little Livy.

Let me tell you about Livy. She is a firecracker. She is confident, creative, full of joy, and she LOVES to use her imagination. I needed something extra special for her, and I definitely found several great options that were unique at Paper Culture.

I have looked at a whole lot of kids’ stationery over the past 2 years, and there are many wonderful options at various stores online. But I will say without hesitation that Paper Culture has the very best selection of stationery for kids. They have designs that are very unique, that speak to many of the unique traits of our children, and that don’t box kids into the standard pink and blue, princess and sports fan type of stuff.

When I originally went through their selections, I probably picked out 6 different options that reminded me of Livy. Ultimately, though, I went with a rocket ship, as Livy LOVES to learn about space, and to pretend that she’s an astronaut. It’s only fitting that her cards should reflect that interest! It’s what makes them “so Livy!”.

One of the elements that is very unique about this notecard set is the fact that the back is just as lovely as the front! Since the back of the card is dark blue, it would be difficult to write on, but since this card is for a younger child, that’s probably ok, as the notes will usually be short.

I also think that the box the notecards came in is really nice. It’s definitely gift-ready if you are purchasing these for someone else. And it comes with a note about how a tree was planted as part of your purchase. Very cool!

I am very impressed with the quality of the products, and I will definitely go back to Paper Culture in the future when my girls run out of stationery and need some more. The prices are on the high end ($2.59/card if you purchase 10, and the price goes down the more you buy), but the quality is unparalleled.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products through the Global Influence campaign. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Extra Giveaway Entry Opportunities For My Readers! Help Me Win the Watermelon Contest!

· by · 7 Comments

You may recall that last month Tim and I created a watermelon hedgehog in celebration of national watermelon month.

Well….

Our little hedgehog made it to the finals for the watermelon carving contest sponsored by the National Watermelon promotion board! Woah!

There will be a $500 Amazon gift card prize for the fan favorite, and that’s where you come in! I’d love for you go to this site: http://www.whataboutwatermelon.com/index.php/watermelon-carving-contest/. You will see the voting options on the right sidebar. Please click on the hedgehog!

I want to thank you for your vote in two ways!

1. From now until August 15th, all of my current giveaways will offer 2 bonus entries for people who voted for the hedgehog. So that means you increase your odds of winning some cool stuff. I’ll be adding this entry option to the rafflecopter forms this morning, so just go back to the forms and find that entry option. You can only vote one time per IP address in the watermelon contest, but you can get bonus entries for all my giveaways for that one vote. Pretty sweet, right?

2. If I win the grand prize, I will be giving back to my readers by holding a giveaway for a $50 Amazon card. I bet you can think of lots of things you could buy with that, right?!

So please, click here and then click on the hedgehog button on the right. Thank you SO MUCH for your help! And if you are ever in a voting contest, let me know so that I can return the favor, ok?

 

 

 

 

How to Transfer VHS Memories to DVD: YesVideo

· by · Leave a Comment

I’m assuming that most of you out there are old enough to have videos from your childhood and teen years still on VHS tape. My parents got a camcorder in 1987 and we have at least 12 years of videos tucked away. When I got married, I took a few of those tapes with me to keep as my own. They mostly included high school choir performances.

Tim and I got rid of our VHS player at least 3 years ago. It was so coated with dust that we realized it was just taking up space. And at that point I knew that converting tapes to DVD was a possibility. I would get around to doing it someday.

And finally that someday arrived! I worked with YesVideo to turn 3 of my choir tapes into DVDs, and I cannot emphasize strongly enough how very glad I am that I did it.

Just this past week my BFF came to visit. She was in choir with me, and I found that to be the perfect opportunity to break out my new dvds. We laughed so hard as we looked at our ridiculous choir uniforms, our hair dos, and even remembered some folks we hadn’t thought about in years. We also found ourselves singing along, remembering the songs we were taught some 13 years ago (wow….that just made me feel pretty darn old).

I’m absolutely delighted to have these memories available to watch again. While I don’t anticipate watching them on a regular basis, I definitely will pull them out when I’m feeling nostalgic. I’ll also really enjoy showing them to Darah and Layah when they are older. Leslie and I actually joked about how I could break out my old show choir routines in front of Darah’s friends when she is in middle school and how mortified she would be. Just the thought of that cracks me up. Yup…I’ll be doing that! 🙂

I know you have some old VHS tapes gathering dust in your home. It’s time to give them new life as dvds! YesVideo is really quite simple. You can place an order online and then print a mailing sheet and ship off your videos. OR….you can drop off your videos and place your order at one of over 34,000 different locations! There’s almost certain to be a drop off business near you!

The next step is to sit tight and wait patiently while YesVideo works their magic. It took about 3 weeks before my videos came back. I got my old VHS tapes back and I also had 3 new dvds! Each dvd was packaged with its orginal VHS tape so that I’d know what goes with what. If you place your order in the store, your order comes back to the store and you can pick it up there.

And here’s what makes YesVideo even more awesome. Your videos are also available online in a private, secure account, that you can share with others. That means that you can post videos online for your friends and family to see! One of my videos has some footage of my 16 year old brother as a 2 year old…that will be getting posted on his facebook wall in short order! 🙂

My parents still have their VHS player (way to hang on, ‘rents!). I will be giving them back the choir tapes since I now have my own copies! I’m also going to encourage them to start making the switch over to dvd so that our childhood memories can continue once the old VHS player goes the way of the buffalo.

I spent a total of $60 getting 3 tapes converted. I think it was worth the price, especially since I can also share the videos with people online.

I definitely recommend YesVideo. I found their process to be easy, their final product to be high quality, and their customer service to be stellar. I would trust them with my cherished childhood memories again! AND…I have a discount code for you! YesVideo Coupon Special – Get 20% Off your entire first order by using Coupon Code: 20TR at YesVideo.com. Bring your favorite memories back to life!

I’d also suggest keeping up with YesVideo on other social media outlets, like Twitter, Facebook and their blog. They post discounts and great tips on these sites!

Disclosure: I received a $50 credit to YesVideo to help cover expenses incurred reviewing the service. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.