If you are a blogger and would like to get more likes on your Facebook page, you should sign up for this FREE giveaway event being put on by cute-ecakes! Your readers will get the chance to win $100, too! Woo hoo!
For all of you blog readers, I’ll be posting this giveaway in a few days. I hope one of you wins!!!
We’ve talked before about the importance of having quality nursing bras in your collection, and having them ready to go before you bring your little bundle home (I promise you will NOT want to go bra shopping the week after you have a baby!). This is such an important topic that I’m bringing it up yet again, because I really want the message to be received!
Today I’m featuring a company that specializes in nursing and full figure intimate apparel, and has been in the business since 1939…they must be doing something right! Leading Lady really strikes a great balance between comfort, style and affordability, all while keeping “real” women and their comfort in mind. Their mission falls in line with exactly the type of products I need and want, so I’m excited to show them off here on Stuff Parents Need, especially if you are not currently familiar with the brand.
Their entire collection, for the first time, is now available to purchase online. So even if you don’t have a nearby retailer, you can still shop for a nursing or full figure bra that meets your needs. Simply head over to LeadingLady.com and check out their great selection! I actually prefer to shop for bras online because I often find in the stores that they either don’t carry or are out of my size. It’s so frustrating to not be able to purchase what you need when you make a special trip to go get it! Shopping online eliminates that issue!
Lately, I have been wearing the Santoni Wirefree Nursing Bra and I absolutely ADORE it. It is doing a great job of offering the support I need (without uncomfortable wires) AND it has removable bra pads that I can use when I am out and about and want a bit more modesty. The nursing clasp is easy to remove, but at the same time, doesn’t look as though it is going to come off on its own (I’ve had that happen in the past with other bras!). Nursing bras are available in sizes 34B to 48 F, so there’s something on their site for every shape and size!
I’m also very pleased with the overall fit of this bra. Leading Lady ensured I got the right fit thanks to their bra fit calculator that helps determine your bra size. I highly recommend using it to make sure you get exactly the size you need, not the size you think you need!
Leading Lady is also a company that supports programs empowering and supporting the health and welfare of women throughout the nation. It also is working on sustainability issues as a company by actively working on reducing their packaging and using more products made of post-consumer recycled materials. I love when a company is thoughtful about these issues, as it falls in line with what I value, too!
Edit: this giveaway is now closed.
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a nursing bra in your choice of style and size from the e-boutique at Leading Lady, as well as free shipping!
Thanks to the Beaba Babycook, I made about 95% of Darah’s baby food, and I plan to do the same thing with baby #2. There were times, however, when homemade food was just not as convenient (such as long car trips or overnight stays somewhere). That’s when I discovered all these fabulous squeeze pouch foods that various companies offer. Do you know what I’m talking about? They are plastic pouches that the baby/toddler just sucks the food right out of, like a Capri-Sun!
Darah LOVED these products. In fact, she still loves these products, and I have found them to be one of the very best ways to sneak in some veggies without any complaint from her. If it is in a squeeze pouch, my child wants desperately to eat it. NOW.
But here’s the thing: those pouches are pricey! I’ve noticed that the organic options easily cost $1.50 each or more. Given the fact that Darah completely empties one in about 30 seconds and then says, “More, please!” that’s a treat I simply cannot afford to indulge her in often.
Fortunately, Beaba has come up with a reusable squeeze pouch for you to put your homemade concoctions in! Hooray! It’s called the Beaba Babypote
The Babypote has saved me a lot of money and given me the opportunity to try out some great puree recipes that incorporate fruits and veggies and that Darah happily slurps down! It’s even brought back applesauce into Darah’s diet. She used to love applesauce with a passion, but then just sort of got over it and didn’t want it any more. All it took was a change in the presentation method and she’s into it again! That’s good, too, because I had purchased 3 large containers of applesauce just before she decided she didn’t like it anymore!
Buy it!: The Beaba Babypote is available for $14.95 (TOTALLY worth it!) and you can find a list of retailers who carry it here, or you can just snag it on Amazon
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Beaba Babypote!
Recently I noticed that Darah’s coloring and drawing is starting to look much more controlled than it used to. When she is “writing words like Mommy” her grip on the pen is very close to accurate, and she is drawing shorter, more carefully placed lines and curves. It has been very exciting to watch, but it took me a little while to figure out what has caused this progression.
But then I remembered: tonging! At Darah’s school, several of the lessons involve the use of small tongs to pick up objects and move them from one area to another. At first glance, this may not seem like a very interesting or useful exercise (at least that’s what I thought), but I have since learned that this particular type of lesson helps with the following:
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a set of Gator Grabber Tweezers!
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Tim and I both really enjoy playing card games and board games. Having another couple over for dinner and some games is much more fun to us than going out to eat and hitting a bar. We are just homebodies like that!
But in the world we live in, with everything going digital, a board game can feel a little bit outdated, at times. I think kids, especially, can lose interest in the slower pace of a board game because they are so used to the quickness of their iPads and Wiis and other gaming systems.
One of the most classic games designed for the family has decided to give itself a major update so that it can be more in tune with what kids these days really love: technology. The Game of Life has officially been zAPPed!
The Game of Life zAPPed is very similar to the Game of Life that you grew up enjoying. It has different phases of life that you have to go through, and different decisions that need to be made in order to determine your fate. The person with the most money at the end wins, just as always (I do wish such an overly simplistic and money-focused end result could have been changed, but I digress…).
But this game uses an iPad to play the game, and it really bumps up the entertainment value significantly! We played with Tim’s mom during a recent visit, and really had a good time. The iPad takes the place of the spinner, and it also delivers the questions to you. It’s a very smart app, as it seems to know exactly where you are at each point in the game. It also reminds you you pay yourself as you pass each “paycheck” point in the game (something I’m bad about overlooking on my own).
I think this game is really on the cutting edge, and that we may see other board games follow suit in the near future. I had a lot of fun with it, and I would definitely recommend it for families or even for tweens as a great game they can play with each other. They certainly already have the technical chops to figure out how to play without help from mom and dad!
The Game of Life zAPPed retails for $24.99 and you can find your nearest retailer here.
To keep up with this and other family game night ideas, follow Hasbro’s family game night on Facebook or on Twitter!
Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
I am SO excited to be sharing a fantastic website with you today, and you are most definitely going to want to get signed up. The site is called MaggiesDirect.com, and it is a social network shopping site.
Scratching your head about what that means? Let me explain! The basic idea is that this site, which already had AMAZING prices on some fantastic merchandise (with new stuff coming in regularly!) will reward you for sharing what you have found with your friends. It is extremely easy to earn social bucks, which translate to credit in your account for future purchases. And the social bucks are generous, my friends! 🙂
My very first product from Maggies came in just yesterday! I received the soft fill pillow and Tim is on cloud nine! You see, Tim and I have very different tastes in pillows….the squishier the better for him, where as I like a bit more firmness. He has found his pillow soul mate with this option from Maggies. I also love that it has a hypo-allergenic fill and is free of harmful chemicals. That’s important for something so close to your face for 8 hours each day! Also, I want to point out two special things about the price. First, it is heavily discounted from its suggested retail price of $88.00 (for a queen size) down to $39.00. But also notice in the top corner a count down time telling you how much longer this particular item qualifies for 50% social bucks back when you purchase it.
Let me break down what this means. If you were to purchase this item for $39.00 today, you would immediately received 19.5 social bucks in your account for a future purchase. One social buck is the same as $1. So do you see how unbelievably AWESOME it is to shop here?!?! Also, shipping is always free at Maggie’s!
This particular pillow is part of a special sale that Maggie’s has every month. This month, anything from their hotel coordinated bedding collection is eligible for a 50% social bucks return. The following can be ordered with this deal:
Now to sweeten the deal with the social aspect of shopping at Maggie’s. Once you sign up for an account (totally free, of course), you get a special code where you can refer people under you. You get 10% in social bucks back for anything that the people you tell about Maggie’s purchase, not just on their first visit, but for always! And if they refer people, you get 5% in social bucks back for anything that the individuals they referred purchase. You can see just how quickly your social bucks earnings can skyrocket. Pretty awesome, right?! Maggie’s also makes it really easy to keep track of all your social bucks earnings via your account by showing you who has signed up under you and how much you have earned. There’s no mystery to it!
But wait! There’s more! There’s also a special shopping spree giveaway happening right now at Maggies Direct. One lucky winner is going to win $5,000 to spend at the store! There are also runner-up awards for $500 shopping sprees. And if you refer the person who wins the either the grand prize or a runner up prize, you also get a $500 shopping spree. It really pays to spread the word about Maggies!
So seriously, go get yourself signed up for a fun shopping experience at Maggie’s. I spotted some pj bottoms that I’m going to have to buy…marked down to $5! Can’t believe it! Don’t miss out on the great deals and the opportunity to earn bucks by telling your friends!
Disclosure: I have used my referral code in this post. I also received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
Australia has done it again! First they brought us The Wiggles, and now they are bring us The Fairies
Darah is currently going through a phase where she loves to dress up in anything twirly. She loves the costumes that Harmony and Rhapsody wear, and she usually asks to put on a tutu and some wings while she watches. I have also found that she’ll usually try to dance right along with the fairies while she watches. It’s a cute DVD and I like that it gets Darah moving around!
Perhaps the best thing, though, is the price. It is just $6.99! Can’t beat that! The DVD runs for 60 minutes and has plenty of music and laughter. It’s a terrific buy!
Edit: This giveaway is now closed.
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Fairies: Fairy Dancing
In my house, we appreciate having a variety of options for our morning meal (which we NEVER skip!). Depending on how much time we have on a weekday morning, we go with anything from cereal to pancakes and scrambled eggs.
Some mornings we really are in a bit of a rush, though (on rare occasions, Darah will sleep in until about 30 minutes before we have to leave the house….the mad rush is worth the extra quiet as Tim and I get ready!). On days like this, we need something fast, but I’m not interested in reaching for something like a Pop Tart (ok, I AM interested because they taste like candy, but I’m not going to choose it!).
Kraft has just come out with a brand new breakfast item that has been terrific for these kind of days. It’s called belVita, and it is a package of breakfast biscuits that you can eat at your table, in your car or even at your desk. They come in three great flavors: blueberry, apple cinnamon and golden oat. Blueberry is my personal favorite, though I would purchase any of these flavors, because they are all quite good.
Each package of belVita breakfast biscuits is packed with 18-20 grams of whole grains. They are also a good source of fiber and B vitamins. When paired with a piece of fruit and a serving of dairy they make for a balanced breakfast.
What I find interesting about this product is the science behind it. It has been specially developed to release carbohydrates regularly and continuously throughout the morning so that you receive sustained energy. Pretty cool, huh?
I think belVita biscuits are delicious and very convenient. And I love that they are good for you, too! They don’t have any high fructose corn syrup and no partially hydrogenated oils. Look for them in the cracker/cookie aisle of your favorite grocery store!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win 3 boxes of belVita breakfast biscuits (one of each flavor).
Lately I’ve been reading a book all about breastfeeding. It’s really helping refresh my memory on just exactly what it takes to feed a newborn…and it’s a LOT of work. You have to feed the newborn a minimum of 8 times each day, round the clock. I can tell you from experience just how easy it is to lose track of the number of times you have fed the baby, or when, exactly, they last ate, or how long it has been since their last diaper change, or even how long it has been since their last dose of medicine if they happen to be taking anything.
With Darah, we had an old-school pen and paper system, and it got the job done, but we would still sometimes forget to stumble over to our dresser and write things down in the log, especially in the middle of the night when the last thing we wanted to do was turn on the lamp. We would promise ourselves that we’d write it down in the morning. You can probably guess how often that actually happened, though.
While it isn’t the end of the world to miss a log entry, keeping up with this sort of thing really is extremely helpful. If you are feeling worried about your baby’s milk intake, for example, you need your log to determine how many wet diapers she has had in the last 24 hours, as this will help you know if she’s eating often enough. So that log really is quite important.
And now there’s a way to make keeping track of it all SO much easier. It’s called the Itzbeen baby care timer, and it makes recording all these events as easy as the push of a button. One handy little device (that can clip onto your belt loops for easy travel around the house!) can keep track of the following:
Buy it!: The Itzbeen timer retails for $24.99 and can be purchased at many online retailers or at a location near you. For a complete list of place to buy, click here.
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your own Itzbeen Timer!
