Stuff Parents Need

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

Affordable Scarves Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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I think scarves are one of the greatest accessories you can have in your wardrobe. They add a pop of color, bring some texture to what might be a very forgettable outfit, and when it is cold out, keep you warm. Super big, chunky jewelry never really appealed to me, but I’ll take a big scarf any day of the week.

Even though it might feel too hot to be thinking about scarves, I promise that fall is right around the corner (and thank goodness!). Even so, scarves need not be reserved for the coldest months of the year. They also make excellent transition pieces as you move from one season to the next.

I just got the Rebecca Linen Scarf from Affordable Scarves. You read that right…this scarf is made from linen! This makes it absolutely perfect for times when the weather isn’t hot, but isn’t cold, either. It is excellent for spring, and I will be wearing it throughout the fall, as well (that old rule about setting aside anything made with linen after Labor Day is so outdated, by the way!).

Think outside the box when it comes to scarves; Affordable Scarves has a selection that goes far beyond knit and wool options. Right now they are featuring a leopard print scarf, for example. It’s not so much my style, but it is a great example of using a scarf more for adding a great print to your outfit than for trying to keep warm. And I appreciate the wide selection of options they have in this category: 25 different looks just for leopard print! Wow!

Affordable Scarves really is an excellent place to look for my favorite accessory. The prices are fantastic, and they make it so easy to find what you want, as you can shop by season, shape, color, material or even trend (the ruffle scarves trend is really getting my attention right now!).

Win it!: One lucky  Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $20 credit from Affordable Scarves! Yay! The contest will run until August 28th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Go to Affordable Scarves and pick out the scarf you will get if you win.

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like Affordable Scarves on Facebook

2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

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

 

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

Creative Display for Children’s Art: Works for Me!

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Darah has been bringing home art projects from daycare since she was about 6 months old. I wasn’t really expecting to start getting these types of things until preschool, but I was wrong! I’ve already had to start letting some of the art go just due to space constraints. But some of the art is precious to me, and I’d like to display it without completely cluttering up the fridge.

Thanks to Pinterest, I discovered a really creative idea for displaying children’s art! All you need is a variety of old frames and some paint.

I picked up 5 different frames at my favorite thrift store (I think they cost $7.50 total…note the family photo still inside one of them…random!). Then we headed to the hardware store and purchased 3 different sample size paints. We selected two shades of yellow and one shade of white. We then cleaned and painted each frame. Every frame is a different color (we mixed the colors is various ways). Unfortunately, the difference is shades is a bit difficult to distinguish in our frames. But I still love the pop of yellow that they bring to our dining room!

What makes this gallery idea the most successful, though, is not the paint choice. It’s the location. We put it on a half wall in between our kitchen and dining room. This puts the pieces directly on Darah’s eye level. When I decided to pursue this idea, my main goal was to have a fun way to display D’s art and to be able to switch out the featured art with ease. An unexpected bonus has been that Darah has really enjoyed looking at the pieces, herself, and talking about what she drew. It has also caused her to want to produce more art so that she can display it. She’s started asking for more art to go up, which means I need to buy some more frames!

I’m absolutely thrilled with the way the project turned out, and I’m just tickled that it has caused a heightened interest in drawing and painting for Darah. I can’t wait to see her proudly display her pieces for years to come!

I think my next step might be to get some framed art for Darah’s room so that she can have a more complex piece to examine and enjoy. I know I continue to enjoy the wrapped canvas in my room, and I think Darah would enjoy having something like that, too! Gallery Direct is having a 50% off sale on their wrapped canvas right now, which makes it a great time to buy a piece of art!

As for us, this month we welcomed a  new piece of “grown up” art into our home from Gallery Direct. Once again, we got a canvas print, but this time we opted for a more traditional framing method. Our piece looks like something that would hang in a gallery, don’t you think? It’s called Harmony. Swoooon! It hangs in our long hallway and can be admired from our living room sofa. I love it, and since I had such a great experience with our first piece of art from Gallery Direct, I’m not the least bit surprised with just how wonderful it looks.

What about you? Do you have any tips or tricks for encouraging a love of art in your children?

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.

Parents Magazine Best Gear and Toys Blog Nominee! I Need Your Help!

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I’m not usually into the various awards and “vote for me” contests that pop up from time to time in blog land. But in this case, there’s a contest hosted by Parents magazine, and Stuff Parents Need has been nominated for Best Gear and Toys Blog. That old saying, “It’s an honor just to be nominated,” really is true. I’m a subscriber to Parents  and find them to be a very reputable publication, so I do feel extremely lucky to be in their pool of contenders.

If you enjoy reading Stuff Parents Need, would you be so kind as to pop over and give me a quick vote? I’d be ever so grateful! And while you are there, do check out my colleagues in this and other categories. There are some really fantastic blogs that you will be so glad to have found, I promise!

Thank you!!!

Preggie Pops Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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My first trimester of pregnancy with Darah was not too terribly bad, other than the fact that I threw up every single day. Thankfully, my nausea would usually come in two predictable waves (while getting ready for work, and about 20 minutes after getting home for the day). I know that not every woman who deals with this symptom is quite so lucky.

Still, even though I knew when it was coming, I still struggled with it. I remember walking up and down the aisles of our local Whole Foods one day, desperately seeking any type of food product that didn’t make me want to hurl at the mere thought of eating or drinking it. That was a tall order for many weeks, I’m afraid.

A girlfriend gave me a few Preggie Pops that she had leftover from her pregnancy, and I LOVED them. Preggie Pops are lollipops that are designed to help with morning sickness. I recall that they helped me a great deal. In fact, I was very sad when I ran out because I couldn’t find any more in Memphis (and I guess I was just not thinking straight or else I could have just ordered more online!).

Preggie Pops has two main products for pregnant women. The Preggie Popscome in packages of 7 for $3.95 and have the following flavors: sour fruit, ginger and mint. They also have a variety pack, which is what I would recommend so that you can find your favorite flavor. The second option is the Preggie Pop Drops. These come in packages of 21 and are really ideal for any environment where you don’t especially want to be seen sucking on a lollipop! Their size is much closer to a lozenge. These are available for $5.50. They also have an organic drops option, but it is considerably more expensive, at $5.5o for just 12 drops.

I remember the feeling of morning sickness, and how horrible it felt to not be able to find anything to help alleviate the feeling. Preggie Pops really did work for me, and so I highly recommend them to anyone who is dealing with pregnancy-related nausea. They just might do the trick! They are also a very thoughtful gift for anyone who just announced a pregnancy!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win Preggie Pops and Preggie Pop Drops! The contest will run until August 26th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me which flavor of Preggie Pops sounds the best to you!

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like Three Lollies (the parent company) on Facebook

2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (found on the sidebar)

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

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. No, I don’t have any announcements to be making! Opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

My First School Supply List as a Parent

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Well, it came a little bit sooner than I expected, but I received my first school supply list last week. Fortunately, it was not overwhelming. Here’s what I have to bring with Darah on her first day of “school” (a parent’s day out program):

  • Cotton balls (200 count)
  • paper bags (50 count)
  • glue sticks (6 count)
  • crayola crayons (chubby 8 count)
  • pipe cleaners

That’s really not so bad! I actually picked it all up at Walgreens and made good use of some register rewards I had there to cover most of the cost. The only thing I’m missing is pipe cleaners. I’m guessing a trip to Wal-Mart is in my future to get those (unless they are sold at The Dollar Tree? Does anyone know?).

I don’t feel sad or scared about Darah going “back to school” this year, but that’s because she’ll be going to the same place she went to last year, with many of the same children. The teachers will be new, which does make me a little bit nervous, but I am confident that wonderful people will be hired. Darah will also only be away from home for 10 hours each week, which is an amount that I find very helpful as a work-at-home mom. Ask me about next year, though, and I’ll probably start crying…

I always think of late August as the new year. Perhaps it is because that’s when my birthday falls, so it literally is a new year for me, but mostly its because of heading back to school. For 20 years of my life I did start a new year at this time. And then I worked in higher education, so I continued to be immersed in a work environment that had a August-May heartbeat (not that we weren’t busy during the summer, but the vibe was decidedly different).

Even though it isn’t back to school time for me, personally, I actually do have a supply list that I need for the upcoming fall. It is time for me to have some new business cards for the blog! Since I had a blog makeover, my cards need a similar facelift. And with school headed back into session, this is the perfect opportunity for me to connect with other moms who might be interested in Stuff Parents Need. I need to be able to hand them something to take back to their computers or else they will likely forget the name of my site (I know I’ve done that before after hearing about something cool I wanted to check out online). As a bonus, they will also have a way to contact me if they ever want to schedule a play date!

Even if you don’t have your own blog or business, having a personal calling card on hand is a great idea, as it makes exchanging personal information with another parent quick and easy. Tiny Prints has some great templates that you should check out, and they also have an entire section of goodies that are perfect for back-t0-school. One of my personal favorites are their genius allergy cards that you can send along with your child so that teachers can have the information they need on hand about what your child can and cannot eat, and what to do if a reaction occurs. Definitely check out their selection for everything from labels to classroom wall art!

Disclosure: TinyPrints is providing a gift card as a thank you for my post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Tropical Traditions Antioxidant Omega 3 Greens Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Did you know that the recommended serving amount of fruits and veggies is 5-9 per day? This is not crazy hard for me to do in the summer when the markets are bursting with amazing fresh produce. But 9 months out of the year, I just don’t reach this goal…some days not even remotely close.

I’m not the only one with this problem. One great solution, at least in theory, is a drink mix that contain a high level of greens. They usually come in a powder form and you mix them in with water and then drink them as fast as you possibly can. They taste disgusting and they look like pond water. Drinking one of these every morning takes something beyond dedication; it takes an iron stomach!

Because I have been so impressed with everything I’ve tried so far from Tropical Traditions, I thought it was time to put this company to the ultimate test. I noticed that they have an Antioxident Omega 3 Greens powder, and I decided to try it. I mean, it’s really just impossible for a product like this to taste good.

Here are my thoughts after drinking a few of these concoctions. TT’s version also does look like pond water, so I can’t say that it looks appetizing. BUT…the taste is not bad. I’m not going to say it tastes great, because it doesn’t. But it doesn’t taste bad. You can drink the whole thing without gagging, and that’s more than I can say for any other greens drink I’ve ever tried. We got the berry flavor, and I think that tinge of sweetness goes a long way for this drink. I can’t tell you that I would happily drink this every morning of my life, but I would gladly take it a few times each week on those days when I know I didn’t get the amount of fruits and vegetables that my body needs for fuel.

If you are not very familiar with the concept of a product like this, let me tell you why the Tropical Traditions Antioxidant Omega 3 Greens formula is such a super drink. Drinking one glass of this each day is designed to help you with all of the following:

  • Providing ALA Omega 3 fatty acid
  • Improving Immune Function
  • Providing fiber for better digestion
  • providing high antioxidant benefits
  • alkalizing body and balancing pH
  • excellent source of probiotics

From the website, “Antioxidant Natural Greens supplies a rich blend of totally natural vitamins, minerals, plant enzymes, antioxidants, phytonutrients and symbiotic intestinal flora for optimal energy metabolism, digestion, detoxification, and immune enhancement.” (Please note that these statements have not been verified by the FDA).

This really is an incredible product that provides an amazing amount of health benefits. And it tastes better than anything similar to it on the market (at least that I’ve tried). I give it two thumbs up. Tropical Traditions surprises me, once again!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a canister of Tropical Traditions Omega 3 Greens (ARV $44). The contest will run until August 25th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: This giveaway is for the Facebook fans! Like Stuff Parents Need AND Tropical Traditions on Facebook and then come back here and let me know you did! Done!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter (you’ll hear about all their sales!)
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

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

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

Scholastic’s Newest Release for Budding Artists: Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Introducing Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, a 3-disc collection newly released from my favorite line of children’s videos, Scholastic Storybook Treasures! This set has 2 hours and 47 minutes of delightful and award-winning stories all about performance, music and art. It is a joy to watch!

It’s also a joy to listen to, as narrators Darah and I both love make an appearance on this set, including James Earl Jones and Zach Braff, not to mention a singing performance by the one and only Aretha Franklin!

If you want to introduce your kids to the arts in a fun way, bring this fantastic collection of stories home! You can purchase the 3 disc set for $24.95 or purchase them individually for $14.95

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin! for your collection! The contest will run until August 24th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me one other DVD you’d like to own from Scholastic!

My answer: I’d love to get The Wheels on the Bus and More Sing-a-Long Favorites!

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like New Kideo (makers of Scholastic Storybook Treasures) on Facebook

2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

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

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

 

 

 

Helping Kids Feel Excited About Bedtime: Shushybye Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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When I was a child I was genuinely excited about when it was time to go to bed. I would always think about what I wanted to dream about that night and then close my eyes good and tight so that I could fall asleep as quickly as possible.

If you want to know the truth, I still do this. Sleep rocks, and I always get a little burst of energy just before bed because I’m so darn happy to be going to sleep.

But here’s the thing: that’s kind of unusual. Especially for a kid. Many kids argue with their parents and have a whole bag of tricks that they use to try to avoid going to bed each night. Darah sometimes doesn’t want to go to sleep, but she takes after her mama in that once she is down, she is usually asleep within 10 minutes.

If that’s NOT the case for your little one, Shushybye products might be of some help! From their site, “SHUSHYBYE is the land way above the clouds – and the land where the resident Shushies live and make dreams for children. Led by Snoozles, Dozie and Zeez, the Shushies place their completed dreams in Dream Boxes that are sent to children via the Shushybye Train driven by Conductor McCloud as they fall asleep. Nothing brings the Shushies more joy than to make the most wondrous dreams for little ones.”

Shushybye has a fun line of products including plush figures, cds and books. They also have a live tour! I will say that the stories and music don’t seem to be about helping your child feel sleepy, which is what I was initially expecting. They are really about helping your child get excited about the dreams that await them at night, and the fun they can have while they are sleeping. The cd is surprisingly upbeat (I was expecting lullabies, and I was totally off base!). This is a different approach to talking about bedtime, as the focus isn’t so much on whether or not the child is sleepy, but rather, what fun they are missing out on if they aren’t sleeping. It’s all about shifting the attitude toward sleep, which is really a much better approach than simply trying to wear your kid out or somehow trick him/her into falling asleep.

I think Shushybye products are ideal for 2 and up, and I would recommend them to anyone whose child thinks bedtime totally stinks.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a Shushybye book and cd! The contest will run until August 23rd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Go to the Shusybye website and tell me the character you think your child would like the best!

My answer: Zeez is Darah’s favorite, I think!

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like Shushybye on Facebook

2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

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

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Red Robin Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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A few months ago, I read an interesting article in Parents magazine that highlighted the top 10 chain restaurants in the U.S. to consider if you are going out to eat with children. Red Robin was one of those restaurants.

Until recently, I had never been to a Red Robin in my entire life! I was so curious about what made this restaurant great that I contacted the company and asked if they wanted to be put to the ultimate test: have me come check out the place for the first time ever, viewing the restaurant with the eyes of a parent who does NOT enjoy going out to eat with her toddler. I love little D, but she is a pain in the rear at restaurants, always wanting to walk around checking everything out, wanting her food YESTERDAY and wiggling in and out of her seat constantly. It’s exhausting to me and I always feel stressed out, and never relaxed when going out to eat. That’s why we rarely go! So yeah, Red Robin had a tall order to fill when they invited my family to come check out their restaurant.

When we walked into Red Robin just after they opened, the place seemed ready for business, with a handful of families already beating us there in the first few minutes! That seemed like a good sign when people are ready to go in as soon as they open.

The staff was very friendly. Our waitress asked if we had ever been to Red Robin before, and when we told her that we were new, she gave us a lot of helpful information about how their menu works and special perks to be aware of in their restaurant. There were a few things that REALLY impressed me about their menu:

1. If the meal comes with steak fries, those fries are bottomless, meaning that you can get as many helpings of them as you’d like.

2. You can substitute those fries for sweet potato fries (or SEVERAL other side dishes). The sweet potato fries have an extra charge, but they are also bottomless. Yay!

3. For kids entrees, the side dishes are excellent (apple slices, mandarin oranges and the like) and they are also bottomless. Darah had 3 servings of mandarin oranges!!!

4. Kids entrees come with milk or juice (although soda is also an option). And it is bottomless, too! I was absolutely delighted to see that as a choice for Darah.

In addition to the great menu perks, there were other things that really impressed me about Red Robin:

1. Bendy straws for the kids. Seems like a minor point until you are trying to help a toddler drink something. That’s when you realize that the bendy straw is brilliant.

2. Red Robin celebrates with you. We were asked by our waitress if we were celebrating anything special, and we mentioned that Darah’s birthday was the following day. Well guess what? At the end of our meal, she got a special birthday song and a sundae! 

3. Red Robin has a loyalty card. You get a free appetizer just for registering, a free burger on your birthday and get your 10th purchase free when using the card. Pretty awesome, right?!

4. The chocolate milkshake. OMG. So good. You can see that Darah was impressed by the fact that she quickly pulled both our shakes to her side of the table.

This is the most fun that I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time. The staff seems  not only used to being around kids, but also genuinely fond of them and infinitely patient with them. That goes such a long way toward making a nervous mama feel more relaxed. I thought the food was tasty and I felt like the value was excellent. I’m sad that I waited so long to visit a Red Robin, but that certainly won’t be my last visit! It’s at the top of my list, now, of places to go out to eat with Darah.

I wanted to highlight two cool things happening at Red Robin right now. First, there is a special burger on the menu called the Mt. Vesuvius Burger. It was created by a 12 year old in the Red Robin Kids’ Cook-Off last year. This burger is topped with applewood smoked bacon, provolone cheese, bleu cheese and tangy lava sauce, which is a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce.  Sounds great, right? Here’s what makes it even better: fifty cents from every one of his burgers sold will benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, up to $50,000!

Second, the 2011 Kids’ Cook-Off Cookbook is available for you to check out. It has 50 gourmet burger recipes from kids across the country, as well as child safety tips and activities from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Best of all: it’s FREE! Go to the Red Robin website to download it now!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $25 gift card to Red Robin! The contest will run until August 22nd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Check out the Red Robin menu and tell me something you’d like to try (or something you already know you love!)

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like Red Robin on Facebook! Don’t forget to come back here and leave me a comment that you did.

2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by email or RSS

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

Disclosure: I received a gift card to Red Robin for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.