Stuff Parents Need

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

Portable Solar Panels: Making Solar Energy Truly Affordable!

· by · Leave a Comment

For the longest time my husband has wanted to install solar panels where we are living and “get off the grid.” While the cost of solarizing a home keeps going down, it is still cost prohibitive for us. This is especially true for us since we have never lived anywhere long enough to be able to pay it off and then receive the benefits of “free” energy. Our most recent calculations were that we wouldn’t reap the benefits, financially, for big solar panels for almost 20 years. Yikes.

Last Christmas (or maybe the one before…can’t remember), Tim received a portable solar panel. You should have seen the look on his face when he opened it. While it wasn’t a large solar panel, it was a solar panel none the less. Specifically, he received a Solio Rocsta portable solar panel which costs around $80. It is designed to charge your small portable devices when you are on the go. The unit came with a several different adapters so that it could connect to popular portable devices.
The solar panel charges a battery which in turn charges the portable device. It is designed to to hook on backpacks and other bags so that it can be charging the battery while you are out and about. When we had the terrible storms come through in April and we were without power for 6 days, we used the charger to keep one of our phones and our iPad running. I had honestly never paid attention to this device before last month, but when Tim broke it out to charge our phones, I was overjoyed. It was so very cool to keep our phones running courtesy of the sun.

There are several other options out there for portable solar power. The device Tim had was small but companies also make larger portable solar panels that are great for camping or other outdoor uses.While installing solar panels on your roof may still be too pricey for most of us to consider, there are ways to start letting the sunshine do a bit of work for you. So exciting!

Disclosure: I am participating in a blogger campaign and was compensated. However, the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

The Perfect Toddler Snack You Probably Aren’t Serving: Olives (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 89 Comments

I don’t know anyone who is neutral about olives. It seems everyone has a decided opinion about them. They either rock hard or completely disgust you. My stance is that they are awesome, and Tim thinks they are too gross to even look at. I think it is a texture issue for most people, although for some, they are just too brine-y (not really a word, but just go with it).

Whether you personally enjoy olives or not, I bet you haven’t ever considered offering them as a snack option to a small child. They don’t seem to make the traditional lists that include things like bananas, apple slices, graham crackers and raisins. Olives just don’t fit into that crowd, maybe because they seem more like a garnish to a cocktail? But they really should be included, so today I’m making a case for the olive.

Watch what happens when I present Darah with some olives, alongside other snacks she loves to eat:

You saw it happen, people. Olives beat chocolate, and she didn’t even consider her yogurt melts (also known as “crack” around here) before eating every last olive. They are delicious to her! And it’s all in the presentation. I introduced olives to her by putting them on my fingers. It was pretty much love at first sight! Also, they are chock full of the good fats that we need for healthy nutrition and that little ones especially need in their diets!

Lindsay Olives is a brand we enjoy around here, and today I especially want to highlight the super functional packaging that they have come out with for their black olives. Check out Re-closeables! These are absolutely PERFECT, because they provide a very easy way for you to open your can of olives, get a few (or a handful…just sayin’) and then put them away in the fridge until your next craving strikes. It removes the extra step of having to find a separate container for them, and the lid stays nice and tight, so you don’t have to deal with spills. Very smart!

toddler snack: olives Additionally, Lindsay Olives has a Naturals line that I’m very interested in. These products are preservative and color-free. I really love this. No unnecessary chemicals are going into my body (or Darah’s). We don’t need those preservatives…we eat our olives fast!

Buy it!: Lindsay Olives can be found nationwide. If you don’t remember seeing them in your store, click here to learn where you can buy them!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the latest Re-Closeables and Naturals products from Lindsay Olives! The contest will run until June 12th 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 an unconventional snack that your kids like!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Lindsay Olives on Facebook (they have a giveaway happening right now for fans!)
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via RSS or email.

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.

Things to Consider Before Buying a New House: What I Will Do Differently

· by · 1 Comment

Tim and I bought a home together in the summer of 2007, just a few months before the economy really started to sour. We had heard that if we were going to be somewhere for 3 years or more, that it made complete financial sense. That really was the case in most places. At least until 2007. But here are some things to consider before buying a new house (and things I really wish I had done differently!).
Millions of Americans are in a similar situation as us, with a house that they cannot seem to sell. And millions more are in an even worse place, without renters in the home to at least help with the bills. We have the most wonderful tenants in our home, and while the rent we can charge in this economy only covers about 2/3 of our expenses for the home, I count my blessings to have them.

things to consider when buying a house

I’ve been thinking about when the economy will improve, and the truth is, even if it gets significantly better in the next 3-6 months (which is unlikely), there will be an overabundance of housing on the market for years and years. Tim and I may find ourselves to be renting this house out for the next 5 or even 10 years. When we purchased our house, we never thought we’d be landlords. But the only other choice we had was to take a humongous (like a year’s salary) loss on our home to get it to sell. The one silver lining of hanging on to the house is that we are still putting equity into it. We just have to hope that we can get it back out down the road.
Still, owning this house also keeps us from buying one here in Chattanooga. And the truth is, we aren’t all that eager to buy one! It turns out that owning your own property can be a really scary experience, as we learned the first time around. Here are some things that I will do differently the next time I buy a house.

things to consider before buying a new house

1. I will save MUCH more money up for the down payment. I think we made an 8% down payment on our first house. That wasn’t too shabby at the time we bought it, when many people put nothing down. But we bought a house at the top of our budget and 8% pretty much drained our savings account. Taxes in Memphis seem to rise every single year, and because of that, our mortgage amount has gone up every year. We now pay just over $100 a month MORE than we did when we bought the house, all thanks to crazy high taxes. I never thought about the fact that the mortgage amount could change, and next time around, I’m going to do everything possible to keep the number low from the start. That means putting down as much money as possible.
2. I will pay close attention to the property taxes in the area where we buy. I think Memphis had some of the highest property taxes I’ve ever heard of, all over the country! It was truly insane, and it was something we gave ZERO thought to before buying. The taxes alone are about 1/3 of our payment each month. Gross.
3. The “charm” of older homes is not really for us. Our house in Memphis was built in 1927. So much of the stuff inside the house isn’t current regulation size, which made replacing and repairing things really tough for us to do on our own. This meant that we had to spend more money to hire professionals. And the frequency with which stuff breaks in an old home was quite surprising to us, as well. I don’t need a brand new house in the future, but I think I’ll aim for one that is 50 years old or less! Older homes really are charming, but expensive to maintain.
4. I will be very picky. Even if the housing market has totally bounced back by the time we buy again, I will not cave in to pressure to choose a house right away. I am now so very aware that a house is a house, and if you are very lucky, then it is an investment. But mostly it is just a place to live. And a place to live is VERY expensive, so I should take my time making sure I find a home that has as many of the features we really want as possible. We have been keeping a list of the types of things that are non-negotiable for us to have in a house, along with some “nice to have” features.
5. I will be as certain as anyone can ever be that I don’t want to move anywhere for at least 10 years. The old 3 year rule just doesn’t seem to apply anymore. While we never know what the future holds, if we have even the slightest hunch that we might be relocating in the next handful of years, we won’t buy a house.
6. I will get a 15 year mortgage. And I will pay that off early. Do you realize that with a 30 year mortgage, even with a pretty decent rate, you will pay for your house almost 3 times over 30 years? That is definitely something to know before buying a house, and once you know it, you may feel the same way I do about it: NO THANKS!
What about you? What are your take aways from this sour housing market? What will you do differently if and when you buy a house?
Disclosure: I am participating in a blogger campaign about Missouri Real Estate and was compensated for my time. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Some of My Picks for Cute Tops This Summer

· by · Leave a Comment

Have you had that moment that we all seem to get at the start of a new season where you stand in front of your closet and realize you have NOTHING to wear?! That happened to me last week, so I hit the thrift store. And of course, I mostly bought for Darah, but I did snag a cute and on trend top from Ann Taylor Loft for $3.50!

But thrift stores are so hit or miss, and you definitely can’t always find what you are looking for by shopping there. Believe it or not, I do also shop retail. I’m just very selective about where I do my shopping! As much as I love the prices at places like Forever 21, I don’t like feeling like all my parts are hanging out everywhere. At the risk of sounding old fashioned, why can’t I look nice without looking like I’m not wearing enough clothes? In fact, I think that once you are out of college, less is NOT more when it comes to clothes (unless you have genes like Beyonce Knowles. In which case we can’t be friends).

One store I love to shop at is DownEast Basics. It is a great place to shop for more modest clothing, all without feeling like you suddenly relegated yourself to the embarrassing section of the department store (you know what I’m talking about…).

Here are my suggestions for tops to consider this season!

1. Mirror, Mirror. This blouse makes me think of the beach, but not so much so that it can only be worn there! What a beautiful way to look effortlessly elegant. Pair with your favorite denim (or even some cute short) and some flats. Add some chunky jewelry and you are ready to roll.

2. Royal Ruffle. This takes the tank top to places it has never been before! I love how DownEast Basics took something that is the ultimate in casual and made it dressy! So cute!

3. For you real bargain hunters out there, may I suggest the Appliq-A-Ok top? I own it, and I adore it! And it is currently on sale for $12.99. I can tell you that you will be so glad you got this top if you purchase it! It goes with everything, and dresses up or down with ease!

So what about you? What are some of the styles you will be sporting this summer? Any top picks of your own to share with others? Any jewelry picks??? (I stink at picking out jewelry!)

Disclaimer: I am participating in a blogger campaign and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are strictly my own.

The Great GFC Experiment: The Results Are In!

· by · 3 Comments

You may recall that at the end of April I made the announcement that I would be trying an experiment on my blog. I decided to test out an increasingly popular requirement that many review/giveaway blogs are setting: following the blog via google friend connect in order to be eligible for a giveaway.

Here was my hypothesis: Blogs that made this requirement were experiencing tremendous (and rapid) growth to their follower numbers by setting this requirement. I thought that there would be an attrition rate of a handful of people who didn’t want to use GFC, but that it would be offset by the very large number of people who would be willing to sign up or were already signed up, and would be willing to add my blog to their list in order to be eligible for the giveaways.

So for one month, I did set this requirement

My results were completely surprising to me. I found that my growth while requiring GFC was very similar to the growth I had the month prior, when I did not require it! During the month of April, my GFC follower number grew by 70 people. During May, it grew by 80. Though I find the difference to not be negligible (every person counts!), it is still so much smaller than I thought. I was honestly expecting my GFC follower numbers to be twice what they were in April with this requirement.

It seems that I incorrectly assumed that requiring GFC was the very best way to grow blog numbers. In fact, it had very little impact!

I’m SO glad I did this experiment, because I’ve been wondering if I should do it for almost a year now. I did it. I saw the impact, and I don’t need to do it again.

While I would love for you to still sign up for my blog on GFC, it is no longer a mandatory requirement (you will see it show up as a bonus entry, though!). In a month or so, I might try a month long experiment with requiring subscribing to the blog. I’ll give you advance notice if I do, and I’ll also report my results back to you. For any current giveaways where GFC is listed as mandatory, that is still the case, so just be aware of that.

This was so interesting, especially since it disproved my hypothesis! Thanks for sticking it out with me!

If you have a blog and you had a very different experience (or even a very similar one), I’d love to hear it!

New Releases from Scholastic Storybook Treasures (GIVEAWAY! 2 Winners!)

· by · 63 Comments

Are you familiar with the fantastic children’s book called “The North Star“? It’s all about the realization that life is a journey, and that there are many different paths to take, and we have to find our own North Star to help guide us on the path that is just right for us. Raise your hand if you are a grown up who could benefit from reading this story. Me, too! Scholastic has just put it out on DVD, so now’s the perfect time to enjoy this fantastic story with your little one. You’ll both learn valuable lessons from it, guaranteed! The DVD contains other stories that all relate to the theme of following your dreams. It’s very inspirational, and I’m delighted to have it in our collection. It runs 57 minutes, and is available now for $14.95.

The second new release from Scholastic is so very perfect for the school age tots in your house. It’s called “The Scrambled States of America” and it makes learning the 50 states in the union a whole lot of fun! From the press release, “One day, Kansas wakes up grumpy and announces to his kindly neighbor Nebraska that life is dull and changes must be madeNebraska, sick of hearing North Dakota and South Dakota bicker all the time, agrees to help organize a party for all the states. When, at the party, they all decide to switch places to see a new part of the country, what will happen to “The Scrambled States of America?” While it isn’t yet holding Darah’s attention, I watched it and thought it was so fun! It also has several other really fun and award winning stories on the DVD. It’s a terrific choice for any child who might need to learn all the states in the near future. This dvd runs 66 minutes and includes extra features like discussion questions! It can be purchased for $14.95

Does your home not yet have a Scholastic DVD? What are you waiting for?! These are THE BEST out there, and you will not be disappointed. 90% of Darah’s videos are from Scholastic, and the other 10% rarely, if ever, make it to the DVD player. That’s the truth!

Win it!: Two lucky Stuff Parents Need readers are about to win! One will win “The North Star,” and the other will win “The Scrambled States of America.” The contest will run until June 10th 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.

REMEMBER, YOU MUST BE A PUBLIC FOLLOWER VIA GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A GIVEAWAY. YOU CAN SIGN UP THROUGH THE SIDEBAR OF MY HOMEPAGE IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE SO ALREADY.

Mandatory entry: Tell me which dvd you’d like to win, and why you want it.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Subscribe to the Scholastic newsletter (found on the bottom right side of the linked page)
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 complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Win $5,000 for Eating a Prune!

· by · 1 Comment

Want a chance to win $5,000? Yeah, me too! You don’t have to let weird bugs crawl all over you, or do any other Fear Factor kind of stuff to win it, either.

But you do have to eat a prune.

I know. That’s probably not high on your list of things you wanted to do today. But Sunsweet, the sponsor of the contest, really believes that they will surprise you with their new D’Noir prune. Sunsweet says, “These are the juiciest, best-tasting prunes of their kind and they are free of preservaties and full of all the whole fruit antioxidants and all natural fiber and potassium that make prunes the ultimate Super Fruit they are.”

All you have to do us upload a video on the Sunsweet Facebook site sharing your thoughts about D’Noir prunes. You have until June 17th, and you can be a prune lover or a prune skeptic! All are welcome to give these prunes a taste!.

After June 17th, 5 finalists will be selected and put to a public vote for the grand prize of $5,000. That would buy a lot of prunes! Or in my case, reduce a lot of student loan debt!

Here’s a video of me trying Sunsweet D’Noir prunes for the first time. It’s pretty funny!

So what are you waiting for? Grab some Sunsweet D’Noir prunes and get that camera rolling. You might just be $5,000 richer by this time next month!

Introducting 100% Whole Grain Pasta from Ronco (Big GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 267 Comments

We all know that whole grains are much better for us than enriched ones. We tried to make the switch to whole grain flour, but found it to be just SO dense. But we’ve had great success combining it with the enriched stuff….we are very used to the taste, and find it to be quite yummy, actually!

We’ve also tried out several different brands of whole grain pasta. Let me be honest, I haven’t had complete and total success in this department. In fact, most everything I have tried has been not so good, and I’ve rarely bought those items again.

Ronco has just released their 100% Whole Grain Pasta line, and they worked really hard to maintain a taste that consumers would love all while giving us all the benefits of those whole grains. It’s really cool to read the label. Wanna hear the ingredient list? Here goes: durum whole wheat flour. That’s it!!!

I just tried their spaghetti noodles the other day, and while I can’t say that they taste like enriched noodles, I will say that they are truly the best tasting 100% whole grain noodles I have ever tried. I would definitely buy them again because I think that their flavor is close enough to what we normally eat that we could get used to it, just as we have with our flour. I’m excited about this, because I always feel bad about serving enriched pastas to my family.

Buy it!: Wanna give it a try? Now is the perfect time, because if you like Ronco on Facebook, you can snag a $1.00 off coupon (while supplies last).

Win it!: In celebration of Ronco’s new launch, one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless Steel 4-Piece 12 Quart Pasta/Steamer set and 4 boxes of Ronco 100% Whole Grain Pasta! The contest will run until June 8th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using 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.

REMEMBER, YOU MUST BE A PUBLIC FOLLOWER VIA GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT OF STUFF PARENTS NEED TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE GIVEAWAY. YOU CAN SIGN UP THROUGH MY SIDEBAR IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE SO ALREADY.

Mandatory entry: Tell me your very favorite type of pasta!

My answer: Penne!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Ronco on Facebook (don’t miss the coupon!)
2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

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

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

Toe-Tapping Music for Chilled Out Fun (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 22 Comments

I was recently introduced to one seriously great children’s music performer, Hope Harris. Have you heard of her? Here’s what one critic had to say of her, “Hope Harris combines country and swing with a little touch of show music…Harris has a clear and friendly voice that reminds one of Kate Taylor and Patsy Cline.”

She does, indeed, have a pure and smooth sound, and I found the tracks on her latest album, Cousins Jamboree, to be very easy to pick up and sing along with (jazz hands optional, unless you are me, in which case they are mandatory). Even with all its personality (and it is packed with it), I really like that this album keeps the vibe relaxed. Not sleepy, by any means, but definitely chilled out.

There are also great lessons to glean from each piece. I was really struck by, “Hang on Friend,” which is all about learning how to stand in line and wait your turn. I hadn’t yet thought about that lesson for Darah, and the fact that we aren’t born knowing how to wait our turn for things!

Here’s a new fun video that features the title track from the album!

Buy it!: Cousins Jamboree is available online for $15.00 and is recommended for ages 3-10. It runs a comfortable 42 minutes and has 16 fun songs!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Cousins Jamboree! The contest will run until June 7th 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.

REMEMBER, YOU MUST BE A PUBLIC FOLLOWER VIA GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT TO BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN A PRIZE. YOU MAY SIGN UP THROUGH MY SIDEBAR IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE SO, ALREADY.

Mandatory entry: Tell me the song your child loves to sing the most right now!

My answer: Skidda ma rinky dinky dink is Darah’s favorite song of the moment!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Hope Harris on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via RSS or email

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

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