Stuff Parents Need

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

Emerald Breakfast on the Go! Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Today I’m bringing you another product that can help you ensure you have a healthy, balanced breakfast, even if your mornings are extremely hectic! Emerald Breakfast on the Go! has some delicious oatmeal nut blends that you just pour straight into your hands and eat.

And let me tell you, these are YUMMY!

This product comes in 6 flavors:

  • Maple & Brown Sugar
  • Apples & Cinnamon
  • Blueberries & Créme
  • Breakfast Nut Blend
  • Berry Nut Blend
  • S’Mores Nut Blend
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana
  • Berries & Creme

You absolutely cannot go wrong with any of these choices! These packets are designed to help satisfy the cravings you know you have for something yummy, while also providing the energy you really need to get through the day. Each pouch has 200 calories or less, 3 grams of fiber and 3-4 grams of protein. I will say that they tend to be a bit heavy on the sugar, but not more so than a “kid” cereal, which is something I love to eat, anyway. I love the protein boost I get with these products, as that really does make a difference in just how long it takes before I’m hungry again.

You can take this meal with you in the car for your commute if that’s your only time to eat breakfast, or you can snack on it throughout the morning, like I do! And don’t forget to clip the box top! Emerald Breakfast on the Go! is part of the Labels for Education program, and each box has 10 points! And don’t forget to get a $1 off coupon here, too!

Win it!: THREE lucky Stuff Parents Need readers are each going to win 3 boxes of Emerald Breakfast on the Go! Woo hoo!

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Get Your Kids Interested in Jazz: A Jazzy Day App Just Released!

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Got a minute? Then check out this great video that previews an app that is perfect for kids ages 3-8.

This is a really cool, interactive and fun story that teaches kids SO MUCH about music and musical instruments, specifically through the lens of jazz. Your children will join in with two kittens and their father as they visit a Jazz Big Band and learn more about the sounds each instrument in the band makes. In addition to the great story, there are also wonderful game features that help continue the learning. Kids can test the aural and visual knowledge as it relates to various musical instruments.

Don’t just take my word for it, though. This app recently won the Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice Award for 2012. That’s no small feat in the world of apps! Additionally, it has been featured in the “New and Noteworthy” and “Staff Favorites” Education section of the iTunes app store. It’s getting a lot of well-deserved recognition!

A Jazzy Day can be downloaded on the iPh0ne, the iPad or the iPod touch and is available for $4.99 in the U.S.

Disclosure: Special thanks to The Melody Book for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Are You a Blogger? Get Signed Up for this Great Giveaway Event (FREE!!!)

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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!!!

Maternity Monday: Leading Lady Nursing Bra Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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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!

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DIY Baby Food Pouches: Beaba Babypote Review

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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.

DIY Baby Food Pouches

DIY baby food pouch

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, and we are absolutely loving it around here. I predict that I will need to buy another one for baby sister, because I don’t see Darah losing interest in having these pureed treats anytime soon.

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 for $11.95!

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

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Getting Ready to Write: Gator Tweezers Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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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:

  • hand-eye coordination
  • developing the pincer grasp
  • overall strengthening of the hand muscles, which also helps prepare a child for writing
Since I came to understand just how valuable tonging lessons were, I wanted to get Darah her own set. Learning Resources has just the thing I need by way of these Gator Grabber Tweezers. They come in a set of 12, which means you can put together many different lessons for your child. I actually think I’m going to give a few of them away to younger cousins, as well, so that they can have their own tong sets. Along those same lines, I think giving these out as party favors would be really cool, too! Talk about a fun and useful present!
Learning Resources has these fabulous Gator Grabber Tweezers available for just $10.99, and you get 12 tweezers in the set! That’s an awesome deal! Be sure to check out some of their other great products (one of my favorite ways to poke around the site is to shop by subject).

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a set of Gator Grabber Tweezers!
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The Game of Life ZAPPed

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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. 

Some of the Very Best Deals Online: Maggie’s Direct (Earn Money Back and Win BIG!!!)

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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:

  •         Down or Synthetic comforter
  •         Down or Synthetic fill pillows
  •         Sheet sets
  •         Duvet cover

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. 

 

Wonderful Fairy Video: The Fairies – Fairy Dancing

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Australia has done it again! First they brought us The Wiggles, and now they are bring us The Fairies! We recently received a fun DVD from NCircle Entertainment called The Fairies – Fairy Dancing. It is about Harmony and Rhapsody, two fairies who love to have fun together. In this DVD, they spend the day learning all kinds of dance styles (jazz, tap, tango and ballet just to name a few!).

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 DVD!

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