Stuff Parents Need

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

The Natural Dentist Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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One of my best physical features is my smile. I am very lucky that I never had to wear braces and was blessed with straight teeth.

Unfortunately, my teeth have been paying the price for years of soda drinking and candy eating that I did as a child and teenager. And I also rarely flossed for many, many years. Gross, I know. But it’s true. I have a new cavity (or 3) almost every time I visit the dentist. The damage was done long ago, so there’s not much I can do about that. But now I see that my teeth are certainly not invincible, and that I need to take excellent care of them moving forward.

I recently learned about a line of products that has hit the market and is getting great reviews called The Natural Dentist. This line of oral care products contain no alcohol and no sodium lauryl sulfates (most toothpastes and rinses have these ingredients). If you have been trying to keep unnecessary chemicals out of your system, consider switching to a more natural toothpaste. Alcohol and SLS both can do damage to the tissues in your mouth, and be a contributing factor to bleeding gums. This was a really interesting thing for me to learn, as I do unfortunately battle bleeding gums, as well.

I have been using the natural toothpaste and natural rinse from this company for about 3 weeks, and guess what? My gums have stopped bleeding when I floss! This is major progress!

I will tell you that I felt challenged by these products for the first week that I used them. I wasn’t sure if they were really getting my teeth clean. They felt clean, but the toothpaste doesn’t taste like traditional stuff, and doesn’t foam in your mouth. The rinse doesn’t taste strong or sting or anything like what I’m used to, either. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t working. Since my gums seem to be doing so much better, I’m convinced that these products get the job done and just leave the chemicals behind. I love that!

I feel comfortable letting Darah use the children’s toothpaste at this point and have switched her over to this line. She’s not yet old enough to use the children’s oral rinse, but it is something I will be getting for her again when she is old enough. In the mean time, yours truly is using the cavity zapper rinse and hoping it helps with my cavity-prone teeth!

Buy it!: The Natural Dentist products are currently available at a wide variety of retailers, including Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS. Click here to see a complete list of stores.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will receive a selection of products just like what I reviewed above (ARV $35!). The contest will run until August 11th 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 the product offered by The Natural Dentist that you would most like to try.

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like The Natural Dentist on Facebook

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

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. 

What’s a Probiotic? Why Should I Care? #DigestiveHealth

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Do you know what a probiotic is? I seriously didn’t until I had Darah and was advised by her doctor to get some for her while she was taking antibiotics.

A probiotic is good bacteria that normally lives in your intestinal tract and helps your body process everything without any trouble. Probiotics are found in yogurt with active cultures, which is what makes yogurt a really awesome food to eat on a regular basis. However, if you are sick and taking antibiotics, then the level of probiotics found in yogurt is not necessarily enough to replace what the antibiotics wiped out. That’s when a probiotic supplement can really come in handy.

In addition to being helpful during times of sickness, probiotics are also a fantastic thing to have on hand for people who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Chron’s disease.  They are also especially handy to bring with you whenever you are traveling and will be experiencing food and water that is different from what you normally eat and drink.

My family is going to be trying out Member’s Mark 4X Probiotic for the next few weeks and will be letting you know about our experience. I’m personally interested in trying it out for overall digestive health, as I don’t care too much for yogurt, personally, and so I know I’m missing out on all that good bacteria my body could use. My husband does face some digestive health problems (nothing that has been diagnosed, though), and I am very curious to see if he can tell a difference in how he feels after using this product for 2 weeks. I hope it makes a difference for him!

If you are interested in trying out Member’s Mark 4X Probiotic for your family, it is available at Sam’s Club.

Disclosure: This post has been compensated as part of a Social Shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Cubbie Cup: Keeping Snacks and Drinks Together for Toddlers (GIVEAWAY!!))

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Did you know that as a general rule, I avoid running errands with Darah? It’s true! I do most of my grocery shopping in the early morning hours on the weekends, and if I need to do any other shopping, I try to do it online, or on the weekend right when the store opens to beat the rush.

Know why?

If you run errands with your babies/toddlers, then you know exactly why: it is HARD. Never mind all the time you have to spend schlepping them in and out of their car seats and taking them to the potty at every single store. That’s pretty annoying, but I can hang with it. What I can’t seem to get over is the whining/crying that happens when Darah drops something that she wants in the car. She is getting better at realizing that I can’t pull the car over, but she still talks about whatever item she dropped nonstop until we park the car again. NONSTOP!!!!

She also sometimes asks for a snack, and I don’t like to let her eat in the car. This has nothing to do with wanting to keep the car pristine. Trust me…that’s not the kind of car we have. I’m actually really afraid of her choking on something and not having her drink nearby. Why wouldn’t she have her drink? Because she would throw it at some point, silly! Doesn’t your toddler throw things that she actually still wants all the time? No? LUCKY!

But…now she actually DOES get to snack in the car, all thanks to the Cubbie Cup. Once again, a clever mom comes to the rescue for all of the white-knuckled driving mamas out there. The Cubbie Cup is a sippy cup attached to a spill-proof snack cup. YES!!!! Now, I can’t keep Darah from throwing the entire unit, but so far, she hasn’t done it, which rocks. She seems very intrigued by her new travel food system, and quite proud of it, too.

It’s really the perfect solution for the car when there isn’t a second person to watch/help the toddler. It’s also great for around the house. My child does have a dedicated snack time, and she is also allowed to roam the house at that time. As a result, her snacks and her sippy cup often do not stay together. The Cubbie Cup eliminates that problem, as well.

The Cubbie Cup retails for $12.99 (with free shipping!) and is BPA and PVC free. It is also dishwasher safe.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your own Cubbie Cup! Hooray! The contest will run until August 9th 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 one strategy you have for coping when running errands with small children!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Cubbie Cup on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (found on my sidebar)

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

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

Solution to Constantly Losing your Keys: Charming KEYper Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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I lose my keys approximately twice a week. I used to lose them twice a day until we got a hook in our kitchen that I’ve been using, at least some of the time. They say a new habit takes 30 days to form. In this case, the habit of putting my keys away will take approximately 30 years to stick, but whatever.

In addition to losing my keys in the house, I also lose them ALL THE TIME in my purse. I don’t even have one of those monster “baglady” handbags. But still, I often have to shake my purse and do some serious digging to find them.

It seems that I’m not alone with these key problems. I’ve been trying out a new device that is really helping me, especially with the purse issue. It’s called the Charming KEYper and it does several really neat things, but most importantly, helps you put your hands on your keys very quickly.

Here are some of the reasons why the Charming KEYper is so great to have:

  • Time: Studies show that women lose approximately 35 minutes a week searching for their keys and phone. KEYper gives you the gift of time.
  • Safety: The number 2 most dangerous place for women is the mall parking lot. Safety experts recommend quick and easy access to your keys to help reduce vulnerability.
  • Defense: Self defense experts have been quoted that having your keys in your hand gives you a valuable weapon in self defense.

The device is very simple to use. You simply attach your keys and/or cell phone to your KEYper, and then throw them in your purse like you normally do. Let the strap with the charm dangle slightly outside of the purse, and you’ll always be able to retrieve these items quickly! I personally don’t feel comfortable having the strap visible, but I can tell you that having it attached to my keys in my purse makes finding them take half a second, as opposed to maybe 15 seconds. Yay! It also makes it very easy to spot my keys when I leave them in random spots all over the house.

The KEYper can be attached to many different things, including student or work IDs, flash drives, or pretty much anything else that you need to be able to grab quickly (except for kids!).

I wasn’t able to successfully attach my phone to the KEYper, and I think that’s because of the case that my phone is in. I did learn that it can be slipped around the case, and then you put the case back on your phone. I actually haven’t taken my case off since I put it on almost 2 years ago, and don’t even know how (!), so I’ll just leave it as is.

My other suggestion is to offer even more variety in the way of strap colors. I like the one that I have, but a different color palette might have suited my personality even better. There are 6 styles and lots of different charms, so customizing to your liking shouldn’t be too difficult!

Buy it!: The Charming KEYper is available for $10.99 and can be purchased here.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Charming KEYper in your choice of strap color and charm style! The contest will run until August 9th 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 all the options and let me know which strap color and charm you would want for your KEYper. Choose wisely, as the winner will received what is listed for the mandatory entry!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Charming KEYper 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 a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Extend the Shade from Your Umbrella or Canopy: ezShade

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I have a story for you today. It’s about the almost best vacation I ever had. I’ve traveled to many different places in the world and had many unbelievably awesome experience, so it may surprise you to hear that my (almost) best vacation ever happened in my old stomping grounds of Destin, FL (the beach I grew up going to as a child and teenager).

It was the summer of 2008. Tim and I were in DESPERATE need of some R&R, so we planned 5 full days at the beach. We had a stack of books, plenty of sunscreen and a brand new beach umbrella and chair set. We were good to go.

That first day on the beach was unforgettable. The water was crystal clear and the most beautiful shade of aqua. There were even a few fish swimming around. The waves were completely docile. There was a slight breeze in the air. We read books, ate yummy snacks and even did a bit of dozing on the beach. We stayed under our umbrella, and had to move it around a few times (and move our chairs) so that we could stay under the umbrella’s shade. There were even times when we weren’t even under the umbrella because the shadow was so far to the side of it. But we stayed in that shadow for sure!

It was only when we left and got into the car to get a good look at ourselves did we realize that we were TOTALLY BURNED. The type of burned that nobody wants to get. It was BAD. So bad. It honestly physically hurts just to remember it. That bad. That’s what made this ALMOST the best vacation we ever had. I am fully confident that it would have been had we not ruined it on the very first day.

This memory of how we were completely not protected from the sun even though we thought we were is a major reason why I am so excited to introduce you to an excellent new product on the market. It’s called the ezShade, and it can help make sure that your umbrella or tent really and truly protects you from harmful UV rays. It also keeps you from constantly scooting around to try to find the shade.

There are two different ezShade products available; one for umbrellas and one for tents. We tried out the one for umbrellas. We spent the morning at our local park pretending to be at the beach by setting up our umbrella on the volleyball court (if your little one loves sand, this is a great place to take him/her, by the way!). The ezShade comes with a set of stick-on attachments so that you can easily attach the ezShade to your umbrella (it comes with 2 sets so that you can have 2 different umbrellas prepped for use, or just have an extra set in case you need them.

Installation was very easy, and just took a few minutes. The ezShade, once added to your umbrella, can be secured by putting anything with some weight on the bottom of it. We just added sand and that worked perfectly. It also has two open flaps in it so that when the wind blows, your ezShade won’t try to blow away.

I was very impressed with how much additional shade was provided once we got it installed. We, admittedly, have a rather wimpy umbrella that usually provides shade for one person, at best. We can all be protected from the sun now with the help of ezShade.

Speaking of protection, here’s something else that is totally awesome about this product. It provides a UPF of 50 and blocks over 99% of UVA and UVB rays. This product is so fantastic in its ability to protect you from exposure that it is approved by the Melanoma International Foundation. Take that, sunburn! As Darah gets older and becomes involved in other outdoor activities, this will be an excellent thing to take with us to the ball fields or the track meets or whatever the heck she ends us doing. And toting it around is no problem, whatsoever, because it weighs just 9 ounces!

Buy it!: The ezShade is an outstanding product for families who want to enjoy time together outside, but not have their skin pay the price for it. It is available in blue, red, yellow and green and costs $24.95. You can find it many places online (including Amazon!). You can get 20% off your Amazon order, also, by using the coupon 1ezstuff at checkout! Woo hoo!

 

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

Move in Progress!

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It’s moving week for the blog! I’m switching domains and moving to WordPress, and as a result, I’m not posting any giveaways until everything is finished because I dont’ want the posts (or your comments!) to get lost. Bear with me; we should be up and running in the next day or so.

I can’t wait for you to see the new site! Thanks for your patience!

Getting Pampered on the Cheap: Wahanda Mob Deals for Spa Services

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In my world, getting to go to the spa is a complete indulgence. Yes, I’ve done it before, but I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve done anything of the sort. It’s not that I don’t enjoy a little pampering. To be perfectly frank, I just can’t afford to go very often. I think for the most part, massages and facials and mani/pedis are worth the money (as long as you go to a reputable place), I just don’t have a spare $60 to blow on myself.

Can you relate to my situation?

Well, my friends, you need to check out Wahanda. This is your ultimate resource for cheap spa breaks! If you are a big city gal in live in any of the following cities, you can find group deals through Wahanda for pampering on the cheap!

  • Atlanta
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Dallas
  • Denver
  • Detroit
  • Houston
  • Las Vegas
  • Los Angeles
  • Miami
  • Minneapolis
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Phoenix
  • San Diego
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Silicon Valley
  • St. Louis
  • Washington D.C.

Even though I don’t live in one of these places, Wahanda is still a useful site for me. It has an EXTENSIVE directory of salons, spas, fitness centers and more. I’m still shopping for a place to land in regards to getting my hair done, and I love being able to check out the list of Chattanooga salons through Wahanda. The Chattanooga list of venues has over 160 places listed. Exciting!

Wanting to plan a little getaway that includes time at the spa as a key piece of the trip? Wahanda can help you find great deals on spa weekends, too!

Thanks to Wahanda for sponsoring this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Christmas in July: Chance to Win $200 with Things Remembered

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There’s nothing like a 95 degree afternoon to put you in the holiday spirit! It seems that whenever the weather reaches its extreme, I start to crave its polar opposite. All those snowstorms we had in December don’t sound so bad right about now!

Things Remembered is also getting in a festive mood by hosting a Things Remembered Facebook photo contest. Entrants have a chance to be in their holiday campaigns! All entrants who have a chosen photo will win $200! Woo hoo!

Here’s the cute picture I just submitted. This is Darah when she was just 4 months old. We were having our first family Christmas card photo shoot. Big smiles were still relatively new to her, so when she busted out with this “joy to the world” face, we were positively giddy! It remains one of my all-time favorite shots of her to this day.

I know you have some super cute holiday photos taking up space on your hard drive. Take a minute to go through them and pick out your favorite. It will help you not feel so darn hot, if nothing else! Then enter the contestand see if your holiday memory might make the Things Remembered Holiday Campaign! And that $200 will help with all the gifts you need to buy, too! 🙂

Disclosure: I am receiving a gift card as a thank you for blogging about this contest. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. Good luck!

Freschetta Pizza By The Slice: Try It For Free In This Upcoming Event!

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Do you like pizza? (Honestly, who DOESN’T like pizza?!) If you do, there is a great event coming up for us pizza lovers, so mark your calendars!

Freschetta Pizza is hosting a FREE Freschetta By The Slice pizza event on August 4th, starting at 11 AM. It is a special live online event, and they will be giving away tons of their By The Slice pizza every half hour. There will also be other fun contests to win additional coupons.

On Thursday, July 28th, go to the website www.freefreschetta.com to sign up for a reminder email for this event. (I highly recommend doing this so you don’t miss out on the fun!) You will also get a preview of the events coming up on the 4th. They are giving away THOUSANDS of free slices of pizza. This giveaway is truly not-to-miss!

What a fun and exciting way to try out Freschetta Pizza By The Slice for FREE!

Disclosure: I have written this post so that I have a chance to win cash or pizza for a year.