Stuff Parents Need

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

Envirosax Bags for Kids Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Have you joined the forces of awesome yet and ditched plastic grocery bags? If not, I want to give you a big dose of encouragement to go for it. Come on in…the water’s fine! As with any new habit, it can be tricky in the beginning to remember to bring your bags. One tip I have is for your bags to live in the trunk of your car, NOT inside your house. That means they are one step closer to making it into the stores with you at all times!

There are all sorts of reusable bags on the market today and they are easy to get or buy. It’s common to get a free bag now when you go to conferences. Stores you frequent likely have bags available with their store logos on them for super cheap (around $1.00) and you can definitely find them in thrift stores if you spend a bit of time looking for them.

And one more thing: I have frequently had cashiers hesitate to put heavy items in my reusable bags because they assume that they won’t hold as much as a plastic bag. ON THE CONTRARY!!!! They hold up MUCH better than plastic. I have yet to have a reusable bag bust on me while carrying in my groceries. I can’t say the same for plastic.

If you aren’t so much into having bags with company logos on them, and want something that expresses your personality a bit more, I can’t think of a better company to try than Envirosax. These are reusable totes taken to the next level because they are SO STINKIN’ CUTE!!!

Envirosax will outfit you beautifully for any shopping trip. But they go beyond helping the moms and dads out there look smashing while shopping. They’ve got bags for the kiddos, too! We have been using the robot bag, and we are so in love with it! These bags have SO many uses. Darah has pretty much outgrown needing a diaper bag since she is potty trained. But that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have various supplies that we need to take with us if we are going on a big outing. I love that Envirosax are so versatile. They can hold up to 44 pounds of stuff (!!!), they fold up nice and tiny, they weigh pretty much nothing on their own and they stand out in a crowd. On a recent trip, we used this bag to hold all of Darah’s snacks for the drive and all her toys and books. When Darah gets older and can be my big helper when out grocery shopping, we’ll bring this bag along so that she will have something to carry that is all hers.

Buy it!: Envirosax start at $8.95 and are worth every penny and then some. You MUST check out all their print options…you’ll be blown away by the beauty!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a kids tote in your choice of print! The contest will run until July 4th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit on entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me the kids tote you will choose if you win. Choose wisely, as the winner will get what s/he selects for this entry!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Envirosax 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 homepage.

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

Bar Stools: One Thing I Really Miss!

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When we moved to Chattanooga, we moved into a house almost half the size of our old one. Most days, I don’t miss all that extra space one bit (we have half as much to clean, now!). But I do miss our kitchen. It was recently renovated and very spacious.

What I miss most of all about the kitchen were the bar stools. They didn’t even come with the house, but were something we added. We had an island that was open and had space for two stools to fit inside of it. We spent a LONG time looking for just the right height, but we did eventually find it! I wish I had known then that you can find bar stools with adjustable height.

In all honesty, the stools were had were probably the most cheap looking thing in the kitchen, but they were still my favorite. The reason is because once we got them, we had an easy way for guests to sit and linger. It was also easier for Tim and I to have good conversations with each other while one was cooking or doing dishes. We even found ourselves just sitting on the stools and eating dinner in the kitchen!

The stools we had were perfect for two adults. If we were still living in the house I might think about replacing them and getting two cheap bar stools with backs. That would be a safer option for kids, I think. Also, they are fun to spin around on if you get the type that can do that! 🙂

In our kitchen now, there’s just NO room for bar stools. We do have a tall counter that divides the kitchen and the dining room, but there’s just not enough of a ledge to put bar stools there. Believe me, I tried really hard to convince myself that it would work! The good news is that since our kitchen and dining room are basically the same room, there’s still an opportunity for company to have a seat and chat with us while we are doing whatever we need to do in the kitchen. But I still miss those bar stools, and when we move to a bigger house down the road, I’ll hope to have them again!

What about you? Do you have bar stools in your kitchen? Do you have a fabulous back deck with outdoor bar stools? If so, can I come over and hang out?

Or is there anything that you miss from a house or apartment you used to call home?

 

 

 

How to Make Mozzarella Cheese! For Real! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Can I just tell you guys how much I love you? The response to the automatic yogurt maker was HUGE, and that tells me something really important: YOU GET ME!!!

Some people might think that making yogurt is pointless or even a bit dorky. But not you, my friends. You are keenly aware of just how cool it is. After all, you aren’t making a recipe. You are creating a whole new food! So awesome! And if you are like me, then you can imagine doing away with all those plastic cups you have been recycling for years. No more…you can DIY! We have been making our own yogurt for weeks now, and I can tell you that it tastes better than what we were buying at the store and is much cheaper. Our automatic yogurt maker is now a beloved gadget in our kitchen.

how to make mozzarella cheese Because you guys rock SO hard, The New England Cheesemaking Supply Company is sponsoring another review and giveaway. This time, we are taking it up a notch and learning how to make cheese! Oh yes! I have a video that will show you how Tim and I made Mozzerella for the very first time using the 30 Minute Mozzerella & Ricotta Kit, which comes with (almost) everything you need to make 30 batches of cheese! (If you are reading this is an RSS feed, you need to click over to the blog to see the video).

Here are my overall thoughts about this kit:
1. Don’t expect to be making incredible cheese the first go around, and don’t expect to do it in 30 minutes. This is not hard, but I think there is a bit of an art to it, and that will just take some practice.
2. Like I said in the video, I think gloves would be good to add to the kit, as most of us don’t have unused gloves on hand.
3. Holy crap, we made cheese!!! Do you have any idea how smug you will feel to sit down to crackers and homemade cheese? Pretty darn smug!

I think that this is a VERY cool gift to give to anyone who likes to dabble in the kitchen or who just loves cheese and would be interested in this fun experiment. I think the price is right, too, at $24.95. This is a great kit to start out with, as I get the impression that ricotta and mozzarella are the easiest cheeses to make. Tim and I are thinking about spending a few months getting really good at making these cheeses, and then we might move on to something a bit more advanced.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your own 30 Minute Mozzarella & Ricotta Kit! The contest will run until July 3rd 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 your favorite cheese!

My answer: I think my favorite cheese is Gruyere!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like New England Cheesemaking Supply Company 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 homepage.

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

Yoga By the Dozen Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Have you exposed your child to yoga? If not, I want to encourage you to do so. Kids seem to be naturally good at it (perhaps because they are flexible!). Kids are also so very good at being present, and fully in the moment. This is a key practice in yoga, and one that so many adults (myself included) struggle with every day.

You don’t have to be a yogi, yourself, in order to introduce your little ones to this fun activity. There is a truly excellent DVD out now called Yoga by the Dozen. This is a really great video that definitely captures Darah’s attention. It showcases a dozen fundamental poses to introduce you to the world of Yoga. What I love the very most about this video is that it has 12 small children in it. The intended audience is children from 2-6.

The kids in the video are so free-spirited (it doesn’t feel like they are actors or that they have over-trained for their yoga debuts). It feels VERY natural, and I think that’s a big part of why Darah tunes in to it.

The leader in the video, JoAnna, does a fantastic job of demonstrating all the different poses. I think it is really cool that she uses the official names of the poses. It’s amazing how quickly the little ones pick up on the names, even though they aren’t terms heard in everyday English.

What I also like about this video is that Darah and I can do it together. I certainly didn’t know all 12 of these poses when I first watched the video, and a few of them are a bit challenging for me, but it is fun to practice them alongside Darah. Overall, I find this to be an excellent bonding activity, as well as a great introduction to one of the most beneficial forms of exercise that I know!

Buy it!: Yoga By The Dozen is available for $17.99 and Stuff Parents Need readers can snag 15% off any purchase (excluding any kits) by using the code BLOG15. Be sure to check out their great shirts that help kids find their lungs, heart, kidneys and stomach, which are all used in yoga.
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Yoga By The Dozen DVD. The contest will run until July 3rd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using 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 of the 12 yoga poses you think your little one will like the best!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Yoga By The Dozen on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect

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.

10 Tips that Will Save You Some Time!

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Are you short on time? Dumb question, I know. Seriously, who in this world is satisfied with the 24 hour days we get??? If you are, I want to know you and learn from you!

Until I hit my more enlightened stage of life, I will try to get more out of my day than I really should, and part of how I do that is by making use of a few tips and tricks that save me time, and really do make my life a bit easier. Wanna hear them? Thought so!

Tiffany’s Totally Terrific Time-Saving Tips!

1. Shop online, baby. I’ve addressed this a million times: taking Darah shopping is a recipe for lots of wasted time, lots of frustration and lots of missed items on the shopping list (or worse, purchases that I made too hastily). I prefer to shop around 5am, and sometimes around 8 or 9pm. Always in my pj’s. The deals are just as good (and sometimes even better) than what I can find in the stores, and I don’t have to schlep out to the mall! I save gas and commute time and I get my shopping done quickly.

2. Keep a list of errands you need to run by the door. Unfortunately, you can’t live your ENTIRE life online. Believe me, I’ve tried! Sometimes you have to brave the world and run some errands. It’s a good idea to keep a running list of things you need to pick up or places you need to go by the door. Then, when you are headed somewhere, you can browse over the list and see if there’s an errand you can run in the direction you are headed. This keeps the cross-town trips down to a minimum.

3. Do a load of laundry every day. This works for me SO much better than having a laundry day. Also, if I don’t, I regret it the next day, because the pile gets out of control, and then I spend time procrastinating about doing multiple loads. Seriously! But if I just do one load a day, the pile of clothes to fold stays manageable and I’m actually willing to do it. This means that I also spend less time ironing wrinkled clothes, or worse, re-washing clothes that were clean but that stayed in a pile on the floor so long that I thought they were dirty again (you know that’s happened to you…be honest).

4. Create a menu of meals for the week. I think a lot of people already do this, and it saves so much mental anguish at the witching hour (5pm at our house). When you are hungry and don’t know what you are eating for dinner, that’s a recipe for overspending (grabbing some takeout that you don’t need and that likely is terrible for you) or for spending too much time in the kitchen rummaging around and wringing your hands about how you have NO food (when in fact you probably have a pantry full, but you haven’t thought about how to put it together yet and can’t really figure that out when you are hungry!).

5. Wanna know the real trick to creating those weekly menus? You need to create your own cookbook! No, I’m not saying that a published work should be in your future. I’m saying that you need to build a solid collection of recipes that your family has tried and loves to eat. And 10 recipes is not enough. In my opinion, 30 recipes isn’t enough, either. We have worked on this project a little at a time for several years now, and we have well over 100 recipes that we know we love. This makes choosing 7 for the week a walk in the park, I promise!

6. Set the timer when you check your email. I am the world’s worst at sitting down, “just for 5 minutes” to check email and coming back up for air 45 minutes later. Don’t do it! It feels SUPER productive to check email. I totally get that! But it is a major (MAJOR) time suck! How often do you check your email and then feel awesome about what you accomplished during that time? Maybe when you empty your inbox, but how often does that happen (about once a month for me…). When you choose to spend so much time in your inbox, it comes at a cost to your family, your home and your other interests. Just try out setting the timer, and then when it goes off, getting up and walking away. If you are REALLY bad (like me), you can set the timer again and not let yourself check it until it goes off. I do that on my days when I’m procrastinating on other tasks, and it works like magic.

7. Stop using shampoo. Huh? Yeah, I said it. Switch over to baking soda and vinegar for your hair. You’ll save time int he shower, money on products, and you’ll have the best hair of your life. Promise.

8. If you blog as more than a hobby, hire a Virtual Assistant. This has got to be the best decision I have yet to make for my blog. My VA saves me so much time and has taken on some of the aspects of blogging that I wish I could live without (and now do!). My time is freed up to spend with my daughter and to spend on some of the more strategic aspects of growing the blog. This makes me soooo happy!

9. Blogger, or not, if you are a stay-at-home parent, hire a Mother’s Helper. A Mother’s Helper is a young person just getting started as a babysitter (think ages 12-14). Their rates are much lower, which is great if you are short on funds to hire a babysitter. I have hired one and she starts this weekend. I’ll actually still be in the house while she is babysitting in case there are any problems, but I’ll be able to focus on other things like blogging and house work without being interrupted and knowing that Darah is having a blast. SO worth it.

10. Adopt a “good enough” philosophy. I’m thinking of this particularly as it relates to housework, but it can be applied to so many areas of your life. Striving for perfection has its place, but if you take that approach to every single thing in your life, you will be one seriously worn out and unhappy person. I have felt such a tremendous weight lifted off my shoulders ever since I realized that spending time with Darah was far more important than making sure every room got vacuumed on schedule and that our bathrooms sparkled. I do what I can, and then I just don’t worry about the rest. I figure that if anyone comes to my house and is grossed out by our “lived-in” house, we probably weren’t a good fit as friends, anyway, and their opinions don’t matter to me nearly as much as spending time with D and Tim matters!

What about you? What’s your very best time saving tip?

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

KidsSocks.com Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Darah is a dress girl. To be honest, she isn’t yet at the age where she has too much say in the matter. I love to put her in dresses, and her aunt, who we inherit a majority of her clothes from, also likes for her daughter to wear cute little frocks. So I’d say 3/4 of her wardrobe is dresses.

This is AWESOME for the summer months when a dress just feels so much more comfy than pants. It also makes trip to the potty much easier. But Darah wears dresses in the fall and winter, too. All she needs is a good pair of tights, and the styles by Jefferies you see here are my top choice for this upcoming fall (it will be here before you know it!).Since Darah plays a great deal when wearing her tights, I am always on the lookout for good deals so that I can stock up. And I found a great site where I can buy all her tights, as well as any socks that she may need. It is called KidsSocks.com, and they sell an amazing variety of children’s socks! You can easily search by age, style or brand. I also love that they have a clearance section (lots of tights there right now!).

When I’m browsing for clothes for Darah, I rarely think about purchasing socks or tights. Frankly, it’s just more fun to look at the cute dresses! But when you realize you need more for your growing kid, you usually need them right away. KidsSocks.com offers free priority shipping for every order over $30, which means you can stock up and then get your order in just a few days’ time.

I appreciate the wide selection and the reasonable prices I see at KidsSocks.com. I most definitely recommend that you check it out!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win one pair of socks or one pair of tights of your choice from KidsSocks.com! The contest will run until July 2nd 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 exactly what you’d get from Kidssocks.com if you win, and choose wisely, as the winner will get what s/he picks out for this entry!

My answer: I think these kids legwarmers are adorable!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like KidsSocks.com 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 homepage.

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

Time for a Business Card GIVEAWAY!!! Ends 06/25!

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If you have a blog or a business of any sort, business cards are really a MUST. I got my very first set of business cards just before my blogging conference this January. I brought 80 and I used every. last. one. I held off on getting more because I knew I was going to buy my own domain (stay tuned for info on the move over to Stuffparentsneed.com!). But now I’m about to get some more. In the past few months I have missed so many opportunities to take the networking I was doing one step further by handing over a business card. I honestly wish I had just ordered more because once you start looking for opportunities to connect with others, you’ll be truly amazed at how handy your business cards are (and how much business they can bring you!).

Another reason to go ahead and get some business cards if you haven’t already done so is because they aren’t at all expensive. UPrinting.com offers fantastic online printing services, including business card printing. Rates start as low as $20! You can customize your cards with any logo or color schemes that you like, or if you need some help in the design department, UPrinting offers die-cut business card templates. It couldn’t be easier!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the following from Uprinting:
  • 250 pcs Die Cut Business Cards
  • 1.75” x 3.5”, 2” x 3.5”, or 2” x 2”
  • 2.5” Diameter (Circle) Rounded Corners, Leaf, Rounded Single-Corner,Half-Circle Side, or Circle
  • 14pt Cardstock Gloss / Matte / High Gloss (UV), or13pt Cardstock Uncoated,
  • 6 Business Days Turnaround, *Free shipping

The contest will run until June 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 18 years of age or older. Limit one entrant per household, please. If you have won the same item from UPrinting in the last 6 months, you are not eligible for this giveaway.

Mandatory entry:
Tell me what you will use the business cards for (if you have a business or a blog, tell me a little about it or send me a web link…I’d love to see!).

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like UPrinting on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect

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

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive business cards for hosting. For more information about business cards, please visit UPrinting online printing services.

 

Aqueduck Review: Bring the Water to Your Child (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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My dirty little secret
I’m about to admit something very embarrassing. Here goes…

Sometimes, after Darah has gone potty, I will skip washing her hands.

I know. GROSS!!!! And I’m setting a terrible example by not being consistent with her about it. I’d guess that until recently, I’d probably skip it about 1/3 of the time. I always wash my hands (I’m the one doing the wiping at this point!) but as for her, it’s just easier to skip sometimes.

I don’t skip it because I don’t think it is important, or because I want to save water. I skip it because it is SUCH a pain to hoist her up and over to where she can reach the water. Lame excuse, I know, but I’m just being totally honest here.

Help is on the way!
And thankfully, there’s at least one other mom out there who understood my frustrations, and she did something about it. She created the Aqueduck, which is a genius little device that is easily added to any faucet to help bring the water to your children instead of the other way around. Check it out!
Why it rocks

  • First, the Aqueduck attaches to your faucet in all of 2 seconds. Easy! And since it can be taken on or off so easily, it can travel with you if you are going on a trip.
  • Second, this has caused Darah to become very interested in getting her hands washed. That means that even if gross mom over here tries to skip a hand washing session and shave off a few seconds from the potty trip, Darah won’t be having any of that. 🙂
  • Third, it really does work (as you can see!). I have a step stool in front of the sink, and she can totally reach the water now thanks to Aqueduck.

Buy it!: The Aqueduck is available for $12.99 and is available at several online retailers (including Amazon). I highly recommend it!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your own Aqueduck in your choice of aqua or pink! The contest will run until June 30th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to 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 something that you know you should be teaching your kids to do, but that you don’t do 100% of the time.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Aqueduck 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 homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes through The Family Review Network. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.