Stuff Parents Need

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

Farmer Jason CD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Today I’m featuring a children’s artist named Farmer Jason. The “farmer” part of his title isn’t just for fun, folks. Jason really does operate a farm outside of Nashville, TN! He’s also a father of 3! And as if that weren’t enough, he’s also an American Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award winner!

Jason Ringeberg created Farmer Jason in 2002 to help educate children about farm life and the wonders of nature. This is his third album to date. Previous works have won him an Emmy and a spot on the Los Angeles Times’ Childrens’ Record of the Year list!

If you’d like to check out some of Farmer Jason’s music in video form, you can find a variety of songs at MyKaZoo TV (and lots of other great children’s music videos, too!). I think you’ll find his style to be easy on the ears and a whole lot of fun. Give him a listen!

Nature Jams is currently available for purchase through his website for $12.98. We have certainly enjoyed listening to this cd, and I bet you will, too!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Nature Jams by Farmer Jason!

 

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Watching Other Kids Eat Their Veggies: Copy-Kids DVD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Over our holiday break, I noticed something very interesting at the dinner table. If Darah saw her older cousin Thea munching on something, she wanted to try it. Thea is a very good eater, and goes for her veggies and fruits without hesitation. Darah is a decent eater, but she will reject more than Thea will. But if she saw Thea eat something (even something green!) then she wanted it, too! That’s the kind of peer pressure that I can support, for sure!

Kids will eat what they see other kids eating, whether its is brussel sprouts or Doritos. There’s actually a new DVD out that plays on this reality. It’s called Copy-Kids, and basically, it’s a video of toddlers eating, playing with and enjoying a variety of fruits and vegetables. The following foods are featured in the video:

  • bell peppers
  • cucumbers
  • carrots
  • avocado
  • tomatoes
  • broccoli
  • oranges
  • bananas
  • raspberries
  • strawberries
  • apples
  • blueberries

There’s a section for parents, too. Pediatrician Dr. Jay Gordon gives some helpful information about childhood obesity and ways that parents can encourage our kids to make healthy food choices.

But it begins with making these yummy fruits and vegetables available for them to munch on. Before you pop in this video, I’d recommend making a tray with at least 3 or 4 of the featured foods on it. It may really surprise you to see your child pick up and eat those cucumbers, but I bet they will!

Buy it!: Copy=Kids runs 115 minutes and is available for $19.95 here.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of this dvd!

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Celebrate Leap Day with Bright Starts (Review and GIVEAWAY!!!)

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It only comes around once every 4 years, so what are you doing to celebrate Leap Day today???

If you need a fun idea for celebrating with your little one, why not plan to make a little bit of NOISE today?! Shake, rattle, roll and even squeak to your heart’s content!

Today I’m featuring a fun little toy designed to get infants making some music. It’s called Lil’ Squeakers, and it is a sweet little squeaking rattle from Bright Starts. They are plush and easy to hold, and they make a fun (but not overly obnoxious) squeaking noise when you squeeze them. This is a great toy for a baby from birth because at first the bold colors will be a big draw, along with the plush texture. As baby’s muscles develop and s/he can get a noise out of the toy, that will add to the fun!

Buy it!: Lil’ Squeakers (and other Bright Starts products) are available at most major retailers. For a complete list, click here.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Lil’ Squeaker plush from Bright Starts!

 

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Let’s Give Away a Kindle Fire! For Real! GIVEAWAY!!!

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You know I love you all, right?! Well here’s a belated Valentine from me to you: I’m taking part in the Social Buzz Giveaway along with lots of other bloggers, and we have pooled our resources to give away a Kindle Fire!!!! And I REALLY want a Stuff Parents Need reader to be the winner!

How can you make my dream come true (and snag one of the hottest tech gadgets on the market for yourself)? It’s simple, really. From now until March 21st at 12:01am, you can enter using the form below. Fill out as many or as few of the entries as you want, but more entries equals a higher probability of being drawn as the winner, so do the smart thing and enter every possible way! As a bonus, you’ll be introduced to some fantastic new blogs (yes, some even cooler than this one…shocking, but true!).

Ready? Set? GO!!!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Are you looking for a way to add some serious flavor to your favorite meat dish? And are you interested in achieving this taste revolution with approximately 4 seconds worth of effort on your part?

Then you, my friend, are in for a real treat. I had the opportunity recently to try a specialty sauce from the gourmet brand Fischer & Wieser. It’s called Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce and it is FANCY! I made some pork tenderloin last week and simply added some of this sauce on top at the dinner table. What a “Wow!” factor it created! And just yesterday I added it to a bbq quesadilla (as an alternative to bbq sauce). It rocked my face off, people! And I think this would be tremendous over some cream cheese for an elegant display at a party. The sauce has a beautiful color and a very fresh taste. It ends with a kick of heat, but not in an overpowering way.


Buy it!: Click here to find your nearest retailer. I’m excited to see that my Wal-Mart carries the brand! Hooray! Fischer& Wieser have an entire range of specialty sauces that will certainly make your mouth water. Now that I’ve tried this sauce, I would like to try other products. Perhaps the Charred Pineapple Bourbon Sauce should be my next item?

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a bottle of Raspberry Chipotle Sauce from Fischer & Wieser!

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How to Clean a Stroller Using Eco-Friendly Products

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As we get ready for our new baby’s arrival, we have decided to part ways with our old stroller and get one that will accommodate both a toddler and an infant (one of those sit ‘n stand types). So we recently got the old stroller out of storage and got it ready to sell. It didn’t look BAD, but it certainly looked like it had been used by a baby before, with spit up stains found here and there, dirt on the tires from all our neighborhood strolls, and of course, dust from being away in storage for a while. It also smelled like it had been in storage; just not very fresh!

How to Clean a Stroller

But what do you use to properly clean a stroller? Especially when you are pregnant and don’t need to be around harsh chemicals. Also, keep in mind that a baby will be put back into the stroller, and chewing on everything in sight, so you don’t want any harsh chemicals around.

buggy love eco-friendly stroller cleaning kit: how to clean a stroller

 

Enter Buggy Love, a line of products that is 100% natural line of products designed to safely and effectively keep your stroller clean and fresh! We received the organic stroller cleaning kit which comes with the following products:

  • Fresh Love: 8 oz. of exotic, delicious, pure, organic rosehip scented solution for all over re-freshening
  • Polish Love: 8 oz. of crisp, organic tangerine scented solution for cleaning dirt and grime from stroller frames and wheels.
  • Fabric Love: See ya’ milk and formula stains! 4 oz. of refreshing, organic clementine scented solution for universal use on stroller surfaces and fabrics
  • Wheel Love: 1 oz. of the first-ever, all natural, stroller wheel lube that eliminates squeaks and squeals.
  • Scrub Love: Wheel scrub brush withwhite tampico bristles
  • Micro Love:  Re-claimed microfiber cloth
  • Bag O’Love: – Re-usable, cotton, drawstring to-go bag

This kit is really amazing! And it is SO beautifully packaged. It would make an absolutely stunning baby shower gift, for sure. In addition to looking so snazzy, it also performs really well! Tim got the kit out and got to work polishing up our old stroller for an upcoming consignment sale. Here you can see a picture of some unidentified stains on some of the stroller fabric both before and after being treated with that fabulous Fabric Love.

how to clean a stroller (before)

how to clean a stroller (after)

True story: when we took the stroller in for drop off at the consignment sale, two of the workers both came up to us and stated that our stroller looked absolutely fantastic. The owner of the sale strongly encouraged us to raise the price by $10 because the stroller looked better than pretty much anything else at the sale, and virtually new. I credit Tim’s hard work, and of course, Buggy Love, for that response! And yeah, we did raise the price by $10! Woo hoo!

Buy it!: Buggy Love is available for purchase AND to be added to your registry at Buy Buy Baby! The kit retails for $50, and as we have seen, can really help not only with your own stroller maintenance, but also with resale value of your stroller! You can snag it on Amazon right now for $29! Hurry!

Win it!: One super lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a Buggy Love organic stroller cleaning kit!

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Beautify the Space You Occupy All Day: Your Office!

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When I worked outside of the home, I had a really nice private office with beautifully selected furniture that I inherited from the person who was in it before me. But the walls were all bare and it still had an overall “generic” feel to it. One day it occurred to me that I was literally spending 1/3 of my day, 5 days a week, in that space. Why couldn’t it look a bit nicer? I asked my boss if there were any extra funds available to do just a little bit of decorating. He didn’t have much ($150, I seem to recall) but I said I would work with that and I hopped online to see what I could find to beautify the space.

In the end, I purchased some lovely curtains and rods, which really gave my office a more comfortable and less institutional feel. I also shopped around the office suite for some items. We had several pieces of framed art work from previous city-wide multi-cultural festivals just gathering dust in a closet. I selected a few and put them on the walls. They looked great! Then I spent the remaining funds I had on some plants, which also helped the space feel so much more inviting. My students commented that the office was staring to have a really peaceful feel to it and that they enjoyed visiting.

Now I work from my home, but I have taken the same mentality with my work space. I want it to feel productive and not cluttered, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be bare and devoid of anything interesting! I have art on my walls here to inspire me, and I’ve also put down area rugs and made sure my office chair is decent.

When Valentine’s Day was approaching a few weeks ago, I started thinking about a way to show my love for Tim outside of typical gifts like chocolate. I started to think about the space he dwells in when he is away from home. I asked him if he likes the look and feel of his office. I’ve seen the space, itself. It is large and has a lot of windows, which is very inviting. But other than that, it looks SO BORING!!!! And there’s not one single thing on any of the walls. So I encouraged him to think about a piece of art he might like to have on his walls, both to enjoy himself, and also for his visitors to get to enjoy.

He headed to Gallerydirect.com and spent some time looking around. And he did find something that he felt spoke to his role as a City Planner, and that would also bring some color and some life into his bland office. He loved this print by the abstract artist Jasper. While this isn’t the original piece, Gallery Direct is only offering 950 prints total of the work, so it is a limited edition. The print is also signed and numbered. Tim selected to get the print on paper, and to have it framed in a gorgeous metallic aged bronze frame. The end result was fantastic!

I have to say, we have ordered so many different combinations of print and frame options from Gallery Direct, and every single time, we are thrilled with the end result. Everything they offer is of the highest quality. Tim absolutely loves having some nice art work in his office, and it looks so polished and professional; just perfect for an office!

Gallery Direct is sure to have whatever you might be looking for to make your work space more inviting. You can search by style of art work, by color, and you can even upload your own images. I can’t say enough great things about this company and the quality of what you will receive. You will most definitely be pleased with your purchase!

Be sure to check out their site; it just got an overhaul and now is even easier to use!

Disclosure: I serve as a blog ambassador for Gallery Direct. Product samples are provided as part of the program. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Adding The Mustard of Royalty to Your Fridge: Colman’s Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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I’m a pretty simple cook. I like recipes that get me in and out of the kitchen quickly and that provide a lot in the way of taste. I’ve learned over the past 9 1/2 years that I’ve been cooking that there are some ingredients you can go frugal with, and there are other ingredients where you get exactly what you pay for, and bumping up the quality a bit can make an ENORMOUS difference in just how good your dishes actually taste.

One ingredient I had not considered upgrading until recently was mustard. I had the opportunity to try out Colman’s mustard recently. This product originates in England, and has been around since 1814. In 1866 it actually received a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria, and that made it official: this was the best mustard in the country! It continues to be the best of the best overseas, and lucky for you, it can also be found in American grocery stores now!

I’ve been using both the prepared mustard and the mustard powder for dishes that call for it. The prepared mustard definitely has a spicy kick. It makes regular yellow mustard seem like SUCH a joke! You only need a small amount to take your sandwiches from tasting just fine to tasting out of this world. I have been extremely impressed, and I don’t think I’ll ever buy the other stuff again, honestly!

I’ve also been enjoying putting together a quick homemade honey mustard dressing (no point in me buying a whole bottle of dressing, as I’m the only one in the house who uses it!). Additionally, I tried the meatloaf recipe from the Colman’s site that called for a bit of mustard powder, and I LOVED the flavor it added to the dish. I’ll definitely keep incorporating mustard powder in my meatloaf recipes down the line.

Perhaps the best news of all is that getting this top-of-the-line mustard isn’t going to break the bank, as some high-end products tend to do. The prepared mustard retails for $3.99 for the prepared mustard and $5.99 for the mustard powder. You can find your nearest retailer here or purchase from Amazon.com.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a jar of Colman’s prepared mustard AND a container of Colman’s Mustard Powder!
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Preparing for Nursing Now with Bravado (Review and GIVEAWAY!!!)

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As I head into my third and final trimester of pregnancy, my body is starting to really prepare itself for becoming a mom. Those of you who have been pregnant before know that your breasts grow quite a bit in the early part of your pregnancy, and they grow a bit more in the final trimester, as well. They also sometimes start leaking colostrum (sorry if that is TMI, but its something I wish I had been told the first time around, because when it happened to me it totally freaked me out!).

I recommend sleeping with a comfortable nursing bra as early as late in your first trimester. I would say to absolutely be sleeping with one by your third trimester. At this point in my pregnancy, sleeping on my side is a must for the health and safety of the baby. But sleeping in this position without providing some additional support for my breasts is a recipe for a terrible night of sleep (I know from experience!). Quite frankly, your breasts are just heavier than they have ever been, and they need some support so that you aren’t feeling really uncomfortable.

So why get a nursing bra instead of something else? Well, first and foremost, you need something that offers a balance of support and softness. I promise you don’t want any underwire within a 10 foot radius of your breasts! Also, since you are going to need a nursing bra in the near future, it makes sense to go ahead and get one now so that you can get even more use out of it. But shop carefully, because I cannot stress enough how important it is for this bra to be comfortable. In just a few short months, you will be wearing it to bed and using the nursing feature all hours of the day and night!

I have been wearing the cotton nursing bra from Bravado lately (poor thing is constantly getting yanked from the dryer and then worn and worn some more until I give it a break, but only to be washed and quickly dried before the cycle repeats!). This bra is EXCELLENT! I am top-heavy, and it rises to the challenge of providing me with the support I need. In the past, I’ve had the experience with some wire-free bras where they felt nice, but were sort of pointless in the support department. This is not the case with this bra. With that said, comfort has not been sacrificed. I have also practiced unlatching the bra so that I will know how to do it when it is time to breastfeed, and I’m pleased to report that it is very easy to do with one hand.

Want to hear something REALLY cool? This bra comes with a neat little conversion kit so that when you are all done with breastfeeding, you can covert the bra back to something more traditional. What a great value this provides!

Wherever you may be in your pregnancy or breastfeeding journey, I can say with full confidence that this bra is a terrific purchase choice. I already love it because it keeps me comfortable day and night (a decidedly difficult task at this point) and I know I’m going to enjoy using it as a nursing bra, as well. Bravado really got it right with this product. Well done!

Buy it!: The Bravado Original Nursing Bra is available online for $35 and comes in several attractive colors and patterns.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win an Original Nursing Bra from Bravado!!!

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