Stuff Parents Need

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

Can’t Wait from Grenadilla CD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Grenadilla is the South African name for passion fruit. It’s also the name of a group that puts out kwela music, which is a updeat indigenous South African style of music marked by joyful, lively rhythms and birdlike pennywhistles.

Lead singer and South African native Debbie Lan has a beautiful voice! And the entire cd has such a fun feel…like a neighborhood coming together for a party! We have been absolutely delighted to welcome this fresh, vibrant music into our home. It’s probably not something I would have ever picked up on my own, but now that we have it, I’m so glad we do! It is expanding our musical horizons, and brings sunshine to our day when we listen to it. I highly recommend it!

Can’t Wait was released on March 6th and retails for $14.98. You can puchase it through Grenadillasings.com!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a copy of Can’t Wait by Grenadilla!

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Ezistock: Fair Trade from Thailand Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Ezistock is a company that promotes talented artisans in Thailand to the rest of the world. These artisans produce eco-friendly goods and artifacts using techniques that preserve local artistic traditions and cultures and bring those authentic pieces into your own home to enjoy. Ezistock is committed to not only helping to preserve the crafts of these artisans, but also to advancing fair labor practices in Thailand as well as sustainability practices.

I was recently contacted by the company and had the opportunity to shop with them and report back on my experience. I thought that they had a nice variety of really beautiful pieces in a wide range of prices to accommodate most any budget. They have everything from small trinkets to exquisite pieces of art.

I opted to shop for some jewelry for myself, as I rarely have time to shop for such things. I decided on a fair trade necklace with pearls, smoky quartz and glass beads. It came beautifully packaged in a decorative box, and looked absolutely beautiful when it was opened. I have been very impressed with the quality of the piece and the overall look. I think it was a very good buy at $44.59.

One other thing I absolutely love about the necklace is that Ezistock told me exactly who made it! From their site, “This product was designed and handcrafted by Sirada Chongsukwarakul. She was born and grew up in Chiang Mai. She is married and has a young daughter. She has a passion for flower arrangements and jewelry making. She draws inspiration from nature, beautiful flowers and crafts her jewelry accordingly. She works from home in Chiang Mai.” Ezistock even has a picture of this artisan on the site. This makes me feel so much more connected to the piece, and I absolutely LOVE knowing that this purchase has helped support another mother working from home, just as I work from home. I am very pleased with what I received and with all the great information that Ezistock.com supplied about the artisan who made it. It really does make this piece of jewelry much more special to me.

I do have a few suggestions for improvement, though. The shipping charges for larger and more fragile items (pots and vases, for example) are extremely high. No doubt the charge is true to the cost to ship something like that to the opposite side of the world (products are shipped to the buyer directly from Thailand). But I think buyers will be a bit turned off by the added expense. Perhaps having a distribution center in the United States would be ideal, as shipping prices could be reduced, as well as the time frame for receiving a purchase. The current 3-4 week turnaround might not be realistic given time constraints people might have when shopping for gifts. I will say that my necklace actually showed up in 12 days, which was much sooner than expected, though. But it is my understanding that you need to be prepared for it to take 3-4 weeks before your order arrives. 

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Ezistock.com!

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Maternity Monday: Undercover Mama Nursing Tank Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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One area that needs some advance thought before you bring a baby home is your new wardrobe, especially if you plan to breast feed. For the first two weeks after you have a baby, you’ll pretty much be living in a nightgown or something else that is super easy to get on and off and not too tight. Once things start to calm down a bit and your body slowly starts the process of taking on its new shape (not its old shape, because that’s not coming back for most of us!), you can also start to wear more “normal” clothes.

Sort of.

You see, when you are breastfeeding a little one, you’ve got to be able to get in and out of your clothes quickly and often. So you need clothes that will easily accommodate that. Trust me, I tried to wear more traditional things early on, and quickly found that I had to completely remove my clothes in order to nurse. That might work in your home, but it certainly won’t work if you are out and about.

So you are going to need some nursing clothes. Most tops designed for breastfeeding are ugly. There, I said it. In my experience, the way to go is to get nursing tanks which you can wear underneath tops that are more attractive then nursing tops. Even if you have to completely remove your top, you still have on a nursing tank and can remain covered.

But after having spent a lot of money on nursing bras (which are a necessity), there wasn’t much money left over for lots of nursing tanks. This is where today’s featured product comes in really handy. It’s called Undercover Mama, and it is a tank top that will attach to any of your nursing bras, transforming them into nursing tanks! Genius!

Check out this quick video that shows you exactly how Undercover Mama tanks attach to your nursing bras to create nursing tanks for you!

Talk about one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?!” products! I can tell you right now that my Undercover Mama tank is going to be a workhorse in my post-partum wardrobe. What a great money saver this is, and it also is more comfortable than a traditional nursing tank because you don’t have to wear one more layer of straps. Just your bra strap is needed! Thank you, Undercover Mama, for making dressing for breastfeeding more comfortable and more affordable!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an Undercover Mama nursing tank!

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Seventh Generation Partners with The Lorax! GIVEAWAY!!!

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I’m all geared up to go cloth from the start with baby #2. I plan to go cloth as soon as the umbilical cord falls off! I’ll have a few days where I need to use disposables, and about 2 weeks after baby is born, we’ll be hitting the road for a few days to go to my sister’s wedding. Cloth is totally doable on the road, but I just don’t want to mess with it in the midst of trying to enjoy Laura’s big day. So I’ll be taking some disposables. But I still want to keep all those nasty chemicals away from my newborn, so I’m being quite choosy about which disposables I will be using. is what I’m going to use!

They have actually just released a new and improved Free & Clear diaper product line, and are launching these products with a little help from Dr. Suess’ “The Lorax!” The Lorax is the “Speaker for the Trees” in this classic tale, which Universal Studios’ has now released as a motion picture. He is a great advocate for those who may not be able to advocate for themselves (the earth, the animals, the air). Seventh Generation will feature limited edition Lorax prints on all diapers and training pants. This is such a great way to remind parents and caregivers that we are responsible for caring for the earth, and we don’t speak up, who will?

Seventh Generation has an entire line of Free & Clear baby products that your family is sure to love, including brand new overnight diapers. Hooray! Free & Clear diapers also have improved tabs for a better fit and the training pants have an absorbant core made with more renewable materials. Seventh Generation truly listens to feedback from its customers to ensure that they put the very best products possible on the shelves. Furthermore, these products are free of chlorine, fragrance, petroleum-based lotions or latex and they are hypo-allergenic.

Beginning March 2nd, if you purchase any 3 Free & Clear diaper products, you can register for a FREE The Lorax scrapbook! Fun!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a prize pack with the following great items:

  • A copy of Dr. Seuss´s The Lorax storybook
  • One package of new Seventh Generation Free & Clear diaper product

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Hot Dots Jr. Alphabet Cards Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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We have a FANTASTIC new educational toy at our house, and I’m so excited to share it with you! It comes to us from Educational Insights, an online store that is packed with really great games and toys that help children learn important concepts.

Hot Dots, Jr. is an interactive set of flash cards. We received the beginning alphabet cards. You use these cards in conjunction with a special talking pen that helps children know if they have solved the problem on the card correctly, or if they need to try again. Darah has Kat, and they also offer Ace the dog. Kat’s eyes turn green and she purrs when Darah selects the right answer. She meows when Darah needs to try again.

The cards in the beginning phonics set have various problems that need to be solved. Darah is just now mastering the set of cards that has her match upper case and lower case letters. We are now moving into the cards that also have her match upper and lower case letter, but offer more options and seem to be a bit more difficult. Darah absolutely LOVES to do these flash cards, and she does not get discouraged when she misses the answer. She remains very focused and also practices the sounds the letters make while doing her work. Its really pretty awesome to watch!

I will most definitely be getting more of these cards for her to work with because she has responded so well to them. I also like that they come in a compact case with a velcro lid and a canvas handle for easy storage as well as easy access by Darah. She can pull these out on her own and put them away on her own, which is really nice.

Hot Dots, Jr. card sets retail for $14.99 each and the talking pens retail for $12.99 each. I highly recommend these products as a way to keep the learning that is happening at school also happening at home.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Hot Dots Jr. card set and a talking pen!

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Join Me for a Twitter Party with the National Pork Board! Great Prizes!

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Remember last month when I featured all those delicious and healthy recipes using different cuts of pork? I had so much fun with that campaign, and I’m excited to tell you that the fun is continuing this month with a Twitter party! Your truly will be one of the co-hosts along with the National Pork Board and The Motherhood. We are celebrating March, which is Nutrition Month! What better way to do so than by talking about all the lean cuts of meat that come from pork!

Join me on March 13th from 7-8pm EST as we discuss how we develop and maintain healthy habit and ensure that our meat choices are lean and full of flavor! We’ll get to dish on recipes that we have enjoyed (like the ones featured last month!). And don’t forget the prizes! 5 prize packs will be given away throughout the hour based on responses to trivia questions. Prize packs will include GENEROUS coupons for pork, as well as other items to help you live a healthy lifestyle (such as a meat thermometer, a reusable grocery tote and a water bottle).

Please join me at the #PorkPledge Good and Good for You Twitter Party on 3/13! You can RSVP now to make sure you are eligible for the prizes! I recommend signing into Tweet Grid to follow the party (makes Twitter parties SO much easier to follow!). Just follow @AllAboutPork and @theMotherhood and use the #PorkPledge hashtag during the party. Can’t wait to see you all there!

Want to invite your friends? Simply post this on your Twitter or Facebook feed to encourage more folks to attend. Twitter parties are even more fun when your friends are there with you! 🙂

“Join me 3/13 at 7p ET for a #PorkPledge Twitter party! Win prizes and swap recipes and healthy eating tips! RSVP:http://twtvite.com/gku88u“

Get Ready for Spring with Havainas Flip Flops! GIVEAWAY!!!

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Here in Tennessee, the weather is starting to get downright gorgeous! The high yesterday was 72!!! I’m starting to pack away my boots and to unpack my sandals and flip flops!

If you are doing the same thing, you may be noticing that some of your spring/summer footwear looks a bit worn. Maybe it’s time for an update! And have I got a CUTE one for you today! Check out Havaianas flip flops. They give a whole new updated look to this casual style! They have bold, fresh colors and patterns that will make your feet look great, even if you are in desperate need of a pedicure (That’s me! My toes are screaming for some TLC!). I’m currently swooning over these lace pattern sandals! How cute!!

You are sure to find something that makes you swoon in their collection, but even if you don’t, do not fret, because at Havaianas you can make custom sandals suited to your individual preferences! I tried it out and made the cutest purple and green sandals with just a little bit of bling on them. They are so me!!

Aside from the amazing style selection, what I really love about Havaianas is that this company is all about social responsibility. From their site, “Havaianas stands for style, comfort, affordable luxury, and positive energy. As a part of this positive energy, Havaianas, along with its parent company, Alpargatas, believe in social and environmental responsibility. We participate in many programs and contribute to organizations ensuring that we do our part to support society and our planet.” In addition to supporting conservation programs, they also practice what they preach in their factories by using sustainable business practices that ensure the health and safety of their workers and their local environment. Love it!

Win it!: Just in time for spring, here’s your chance to win a pair of flip flops of your choice (up to $40) from Havaianas! Woo hoo!

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Elizabeth Grant’s The Socializer Skincare Collection: Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Recently I came across Canadian Skincare company Elizabeth Grant. I’d been hearing glowing reviews about her products from some other moms on a few chat boards about how great the products were for brightening, tightening and giving your skin an all-around tune up!

When I checked out the site, I was drawn to The Socializer Skincare Collection. These products are specifically aimed to help you look refreshed and awake, even after a LONG night. Their marketing strategy is a very interesting one, as it seems focused on women in their twenties and thirties who rock the board room during the day, and rock the club at night. It’s sort of that glamorous Sex and the City type of life. Sounds fun.

It also sounds a million miles away from my own life. I rock the work-at-home mom routine during the day, balancing blog posts, grocery trips and increasingly frequent doctors appointments since I’m getting close to my due date. Night time for me is spent tossing and turning in a desperate attempt to find a comfortable sleeping position. Two months from now, I’ll be doing awesome to get 3 hours stretches of sleep, so its going to get even worse.

While my days and nights are not as sexy as what is projected by The Socializer collection, the end result is the same. I look TIRED, and yes, even a bit older than I should. I need some specialized skincare products that can really help out, and I can tell you that Eliabeth Grant’s products are doing a fantastic job. I’m so pleased! Here’s what I’ve been using lately:

Bright Lights and Late Nights: This product has two tubes for different needs. You apply late nights just before you head to bed (or perhaps during one of your late night/super early morning wake up sessions with baby) and it helps to reduce the puffiness that you know is coming. The Bright Lights tube is meant to be applied in the morning, and it literally helps brighten the area under your eyes, helping you go from looking haggard to looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. This product retails for $40

Porefection: This is a product designed to help with the “extra dull” look overtired skin gets. It helps stimulate exfoliation, reduces the look of pores and adds a boost of hydration to your skin. You apply it in the evening so that it can work its magic while you (finally) sleep. The retail price is $22.

Spotlight Exfoliator: This product is designed specifically for an area that is a trouble spot for most women: the t-zone. It is a very gentle exfoliator that helps reveal more radiant and healthy looking skin. I use it in the shower about twice a week. It retails for $26.

Can You Keep a Secret? This might be my very favorite product in the line. It has two components: one size of this tube has a gentle vibrator as part of the applicator, and you apply it to your lips in order to remove the dead skin on them and reveal a MUCH prettier smile! The other side of the tube has a deep conditioning balm with anti-aging properties to help keep your fresh lips looking kissably soft. This product retails for $38.

I’ve been very pleased with the results of using The Socializer products from Elizabeth Grant. I can definitely see some improvement in how I look, despite the fact that I most certainly don’t FEEL any more rested (on the contrary!). So even though I don’t need to look my best for an important meeting, and even though I wasn’t out until 3am partying hard, I still suffer from the same struggles as the Carrie Bradshaws of the world, and The Socializer products really help out!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win two products of your choice from those I reviewed in the post!

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Clean + Green Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Our family cat, Hattie, has a very special place in my heart. We’ve had her since 2004, and she was, in some sense, our first baby. She does not reciprocate my affection, though. Her love is for Tim. I am like an annoyance she must endure most of the time. The time when she was the most loving toward me was when I was pregnant with Darah. She would lay on top of my belly and purr. In hindsight, I don’t really think that was an act of kindness! She didn’t want me producing any heirs! Ha!

But I love her, anyway. What I DON’T love is cleaning up after her. She is a long-haired cat, and LOVES to eat her hair as she grooms herself. As a result, we get some killer hairballs left as presents for us around the house from time to time.

And since she is an indoor-only cat, we also have a litter box. Tim is in charge of that, thank goodness. We try to go for the more eco-friendly litter options, but they just don’t handle the odors as well as the other stuff.

For the past 2 weeks, we have been trying out some cleaning products that are green and are specifically designed to work with pet stains and odors. Clean + Green is the name of the company, and we tried the following products designed for cats and dogs:

  • Carpet & Upholstery Stain, Odor Eliminator, Cleaner & Stain Remover
  • Wood & Tile Odor Eliminator, Cleaner and Stain Remover 
  • Litter Box Odor Eliminator and Cleaner

I have found every single product to be very effective. And I love knowing that it is non-toxic. I have no worries using them as a pregnant lady or using them around Darah! The carpet cleaner works great on those yucky stains left behind by hairballs. And I like that you don’t need to saturate the stain with the product in order for it to work. This product can also be used on the insoles of shoes. I am constantly wearing flats without any socks, and the end result of that combo doesn’t smell like roses. So it is awesome to have this product on hand, and to know that it is perfectly safe for my twinkle toes!

We don’t have any product that has been designed to be particularly safe on wood floors, so we are really enjoying the Wood & Tile product. Previously, we’ve just been mopping the area with a vinegar/water mix and hoping for the best.

And the litter box product is AWESOME! As a pregnant lady, it is actually not safe for me to clean out the litter box (one of the few perks of being an expecting lady). There are times when I find the litter to be quite smelly, but it’s the middle of the day and Tim won’t be home to deal with it for several more hours. This product makes it all better, as it really does eliminate the odor! I also learned that I can use this same product on our toilet bowl if I think it is smelly as well as in a diaper pail. Very cool!

Buy it!: Clean + Green products can be purchased online and you can also click here to find your nearest retailer!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Green+Clean product of your choice!

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