Stuff Parents Need

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

Horton Hears a Who! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 13 Comments

Oceanhouse Media has done it again!!! Horton Hears a Who! is available for download, and it is not to miss!

Horton Hears a Who! is a delightful story about an elephant who discovers an entire world that lives on a speck of dust! Horton works very hard to keep the tiny town of Who-ville safe from harm.

This and other books from Oceanhouse Media can be read 3 ways:

  • * “Read to Me” — listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read
  • * “Read it Myself” — read the book in its traditional form
  • * “Auto Play” — plays like a movie, automatically reading and turning pages. Great for younger children!

These books are AMAZING! At $4.99, they might cost a little bit more than your average app, but they are also SO MUCH MORE than your average app. They are full books brought to life and I can tell you from experience that they are thoroughly enjoyed by little ones! What I love is that they cost about half of what you might pay for a Dr. Seuss book in the store, and you can store them all on your phone or iPad…that helps lighten the load, significantly, whether you are stepping out for a few errands or hitting the road for a week.

I also want to say that because we have great apps like Horton Hears a Who! for Darah to enjoy, she has really started to take a bit of ownership over the iPad (whether we like it, or not). At 19 months old, she already knows how to turn it on and find her favorite app and get it started. It is incredible to watch!

Buy it!: Horton Hears a Who! is available for $4.99, and is 100% worth it! While you are at Oceanhouse Media, be sure to not what the app of the week is, as that one is always on sale! Sweet!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your very own download of Horton Hears a Who!. The contest will run until April 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 worldwide! Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me one other book that Oceanhouse Media offers that you’d like to download for your child or yourself!

My answer: The New Potty (a Little Critter) book just caught my attention. Actually, I just bought it because it was on sale for .99!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow Oceanhouse Media on Twitter
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 download for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Update on Our Financial Journey: Part 2 (YNAB Review)

· by · 1 Comment

Hello friends!

Today I’m excited to give you the second installment of our financial journey that we’ve been taking, using the budgeting software You Need a Budget (YNAB). If you missed out on part 1, you can check out our YNAB review (there’s a video so you can see and hear me!).

Since that time, a lot of things have happened for us, and you’ll just have to watch this quick video to get the scoop(And sorry that I said it was April in the video…I guess my brain is a few days ahead of schedule)!

Did YNAB, itself, make this happen? Of course not! WE made it happen. But YNAB definitely gave us the tools to set goals and realize our potential to reduce debt and to enhance our quality of life. YNAB rocks, folks!

I’ll be updating you once more, in a few months, and you’ll have a chance to win the software for yourself, then. But if you are considering making the purchase, PLEASE don’t wait for the giveaway…look at we have accomplished in just a few months using it!!!! It is $59.95, SOOOO worth it!

I’d also love to hear from you in the comments a bit about your financial life. Do you keep a budget? Have any tips or tricks for saving and debt reduction? Looking for any advice or have questions for me? I’d love to hear from you!

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.

Nutrisystem 10 Day Challenge: My Thoughts

· by · Leave a Comment

I recently applied for a very cool blogging program put out by Nutrisystem to join their program for four months. You see, I’ve been about 20 pounds overweight….for FOREVER. It just seems to be where my body likes to hang out (no, I don’t think it is all genetics…it most definitely has to do with my eating and exercise habits, or lack thereof). You can imagine that the response they got when they made the call for bloggers was overwhelming, and yours truly wasn’t selected for the campaign. However, they did offer to let me do a 10 day challenge with them and tell you all about my experience. I thought it sounded like an awesome opportunity, so I jumped on it!

Please watch my video (just 3 minutes) where I give you the skinny (tee hee) on the program and an EXCELLENT free tool from Nutrisystem!

The app I mentioned in the vlog is wonderful and wonderfully free! You can download it here.

Ok, so now it is time for me to give you the scoop on the breakfast foods I tried from Nutrisystem. Please note that what I tried is not even close to their full breakfast menu, and I can only speak for what I have sampled.

My overall thought is that if I were to use Nutrisystem to help me lose weight, long term, I would probably skip most of their frozen breakfast offerings. No, I would NOT skip breakfast (this is a terrible idea, dieting or not!). I’m just more of a cereal gal, and many of the meals I tried were egg-based, which just isn’t my thing. If it is your thing, then they do have several good choices! I would also try their oatmeal, as I personally find oatmeal to be really filling.

Here’s what I did try:

  • Garden Vegetable Omelet (2.5 out of 5 stars…I really don’t like red and green bell peppers, which are in this dish)
  • Golden French Toast (2 out of 5 stars…tasted fine, but really, it was just a piece of lightly sweetened frozen bread)
  • Breakfast Burrito (3 out of 5 stars, though I suspect folks who like eggs will find this one to be a winner, as it is quite filling)
  • Ham and Cheese Omelet (3 out of 5 stars)
  • Homestyle Pancakes (4 out of 5 stars…the portion size is disappointing, but I guess what I’m realizing is that I eat much larger portions than I really need. The pancakes heat up nicely and are rockin’ with a serving of fresh fruit on top)

I’ll be back in a few days to tell you all about lunch with Nutrisystem!

In the mean time, I’d love to hear what you eat for breakfast! Any tips for getting a good morning energy boost without loading up on too many calories?

Disclosure: I participated in a 10 day challenge with Nutrisystem and was provided with complimentary products in exchange for my honest opinions.

Mixing Up Animals! JUMBIES (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 77 Comments

Isn’t the imagination of a child so awesome? I’ve been reading about how the brain of a 6 year old child is just so very alive, with trillions upon trillions of connections (we lose a lot of those connections as we age, just in the interest of efficiency). But even though a young one may not be the most efficient thinker, s/he is often a much more creative thinker, making connections between things that an adult might not ever make! The end results are often hilarious and even inspiring.

Today I’m featuring a company that brings that imaginative spirit of a child to life through plush toys called JUMBIES. JUMBIES are delightful creatures that combine two animals into one! In our house, for example, we now have a Blabbit (blue bird and rabbit) and a Leopird (leopard and bird). I actually remember as a child trying to imagine new creatures that were combinations of existing ones, but of course, I can’t remember any of them now! In any case, they probably weren’t quite as creative as JUMBIES! Check out our new additions (note the toe rings that Darah gave to the Leopird!).

One thing I like about JUMBIES is that they have created a really fun website so that for a child, getting one is a true experience. You can log on to the site to read the story of how JUMBIES came to be (it is very cute, and involves some busy storks crashing into each other). There are also JUMBIES cartoons on the site, which are short and fun to watch. Finally, the site offers free downloadable coloring pages featuring their animals. All of these elements make for a wonderful way to introduce a child to the JUMBIES and encourage them to come up with their own jumbled animals! This also serves as the perfect way to get a child familiar with the animals before you do something extra fun, like hide one in the house and go on an expedition to find a JUMBIE! 🙂

JUMBIES can be found all over the U.S., though their market is a little bit limited. They have a list of stores where JUMBIES are sold, but there aren’t any retailers in my entire state, so buying JUMBIES online is really the only option for me. Fortunately, there is a store online (but I do think they need to work on making it a little bit easier to find…I missed it when originally looking for it!). Each plush is available for $7.95, which is a great buy!

Win it!: If you don’t have a JUMBIES retailer near you, then this contest is not to miss! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win two JUMBIES! Woo hoo! The contest will run until April 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.

Mandatory entry: Like JUMBIES on Facebook and post your favorite JUMBIE on their wall! Then come back here to tell me you did! (This will clue you in to other giveaways they have, too!)

My answer: Zelephant is my very favorite! What a cutie he is!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow JUMBIES on Twitter
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

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

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

My First Spring Break in 13 Years

· by · 3 Comments

I don’t think I’ve had a legitimate Spring Break since high school. Yeah, we had Spring Break in college, but I remember always being loaded down with papers to write, so it never really felt like a break to me.

So that means my last true spring break was in 1998. Woah.

This is why I’ve decided that 2011 is the year that marks the return of the Spring Break for me! March 19-27, Stuff Parents Need will be quiet. I’m not gone, and I’m certainly not done blogging. I’m just taking a much needed rest. I’m not going away because I don’t like blogging. On the contrary! I’m taking a break because I love it, and in order to continue loving it, and to get new ideas, it is healthy to step away from it for a short while (this is something I haven’t done since I started this blog in September 2009!).

While I’m not going anywhere special, I’ll be basking in the sun and enjoying the blossoms on the trees with little Darah. I hope you might also create some time and space for slowing down.

See you in a week, my bloggy friends! Wish me rainbows and sunshine!

Tips for Grocery Shopping with Kids

· by · 71 Comments

For several months after we arrived in Chattanooga, Darah and I would go grocery shopping together once a week. It was a fun time for Darah to go see a lot of new things and for us to talk about different foods. Aside from lugging the groceries in the house by myself, it was an overall pleasant experience!

But then, three things changed.

First, I started trying really hard to only grocery shop every two weeks. I found that this strategy saves us a bit of money as it gives me fewer opportunities for impulse purchases. The downside, of course, is that shopping for two weeks worth of groceries takes more time.

Second, Darah has started to exert her independence much more. She is a squirmy worm who wants to run around in the store, not have to sit in the cart. Naturally, this does not work so well for me if I’m also trying to buy groceries!

Third, Darah now notices all those cartoon characters and bright colors put on packages that are at eye level for her. I never realized how many packages in the stores are truly made for kids until now. Curse you, food manufacturers! It makes shopping much more of a chore when I am constantly having to tell Darah, “no” as she points to a million things and reaches for them.

So, in truth, our shopping trips together are on hiatus. I’m working now on getting my bearings with how to manage Darah while we are in the house, and then I’ll turn my attention to the store trips. My goal is to have us shopping together again in about 3 months.

canvas totes for grocery shopping with kids And when we go, I have something new that I am going to try that I think will help her feel more engaged in the process: she will have her own children’s canvas totes. Check out this fabulous set from Cloud B. The designs on the bag are some of the Cloud B. animals that are so popular. But even if your child doesn’t own any of these products, the bags are still absolutely darling! Darah has seen them already and quite likes them!

When Darah and I resume our shopping trips, one of my goals will be to make her feel as though she is really part of the experience, not just forced to tag along and stay quiet. She will have her own bags that I will have the checker put just a few things in, and I will ask Darah to help me put those bags in the car and get those bags out of the car. She can also help me unload them in the kitchen. She wants to be involved in the process, and even though for a little while this will take more time than it saves, it will make things so much more fun for her!

Toddlers also highly value having something that is theirs (oh yes, Darah has totally picked up on the word, “MINE!”). So anytime that you can make a big deal out of the fact that they have something just for them, it can get them pretty excited.

As Darah gets a little bit older, these bags can also be a great starting point for a conversation about being resourceful and not wasteful. As a family, we already use canvas bags for our grocery shopping, which I am sure Darah has noticed. We can talk about why we use them, and I will feel proud to know that Darah has had her own canvas shopping bags for as long as she can remember! This is one of the very best ways to get her in the habit of turning to reusable bags when going out to make a purchase.

In addition to being terrific tools to help turn dreading shopping trips into something fun, the Cloud B. totes also make fabulous eco-friendly gift bags. They are surprisingly large, and definitely sturdy. I was honestly expecting something rather flimsy for the price, but these bags are real quality!

Buy it!: These reusable bags from Cloud B. are a total steal at $9.95 for the set of 3. I very highly recommend them!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a set of Cloud B. reusable bags! The contest will run until March 28th 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 anything about taking your children shopping with you! If it is fun, what makes it so? If it is awful, why?

My answer: At this particular moment in my life, I’ve switched to doing grocery shopping early Sunday morning. Sometimes I leave Darah at home with Tim, and sometimes we all go as a family. Darah enjoys going to the store, but her patience runs thin because I typically buy a lot during each trip. What do you think about the strategy I’m going to use with the canvas bags?

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Cloud B. 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 complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

How to Get Your Car Problems Diagnosed BEFORE You See the Mechanic

· by · 1 Comment

Raise your hand if your stomach turns into knots anytime you have to take your car to the mechanic. We are fortunate to have a car right now that it still in the midst of its “reliable years” (knock on wood), but I had a Kia Sportage for almost a decade, and in the last few years of her life, she was ridiculously expensive and unreliable. Stuff would break all the time, and each time I would take her in, I would have no idea if she had an $80 problem or an $800 problem. It made me physically ill.

What if I told you that there’s a product out there that can help you anticipate the problem? You know those computers things that mechanics will often hook up your car to so that they can get a read on what is going on? Haven’t you ever wished that you could have one of those? WELL YOU CAN!!

best car diagnostic tool
You guys, this product is so amazing! It is called the CarMD Vehicle Health System and I honestly think it is a game changer for anyone out there who doesn’t moonlight as a mechanic (so, 99.9% of us). This product can empower you as a customer bringing your vehicle in for repairs and give you confidence before you hit the road for a longer trip that everything is in good working order.

If something is wrong…let’s say that “check engine” light is on…you can get probable cause, fix and estimate repair costs by plugging the device into your car. I LOVE this….now you can have a general idea before you get to the mechanic so that you know if your repair should be $100 or $1,000! The device also keeps track of recall information, just in case your car (or something in your car) has been subject to a recall.

This device is hand held and it is compatible with Mac and PC software (edit: there’s now a version that syncs up to your smartphone!). I love that it can be plugged into any car. It doesn’t have to be specially programmed for your vehicle. This means that you can share it with family, friends and neighbors when they are in need. You will quickly become their hero when you bring over Car MD to someone who needs some help!

If you are ever in the market for a “new to you” car, this is also really nice to take with you as you shop. You can quickly get a sense for any problems that the vehicle might be having and don’t have to just rely on the word of the person who really wants to unload the vehicle!

If there is a problem with the vehicle you are inspecting, you can go online to get specifics. But what if you aren’t near a computer? No problem! 6 days a week, there’s a CarMD ASE Certified Tech available to speak to you by phone, just call the toll fee number on the back of the tool!

Pretty awesome, right?!

I just can’t say enough great things about this product. If they can make the next version so that it can actually fix the problems, that would be awesome! 😉 Right now we are very much enjoying seeing the green light on our Car MD, which means everything is looking good. But one day, when something does go wrong (and that day will come, my friends…we keep our cars for as long as possible), it will be so great to know what the problem is and roughly how much it is going to cost to fix before we even take it in. It will certainly save me a lot of anxiety and stress!

Buy it!: The CarMD is available for just $69.95. When you think about the amount that car mechanic bills can vary by, you can just imagine how quickly this will pay for itself (our mechanic charges $89 for a diagnosis, so this would pay for itself with just one use!). It could even save you from taking the car in for what will just be a minor fix, should you be handy with a car or know someone who is. And when it comes to shopping for a used vehicle, I’d just say that having this is an absolute must, as it can save you from buying a lemon!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. Affilate links may be included at no cost to you. 

Flameless Candles Help Parents with Small Children Enjoy Candlelight Again

· by · 81 Comments

The irony of what I’m about to say isn’t lost on me, but I’m going to say it, anyway, because it is true. I put, “light a candle” on my to do list twice a week, as a way to help me relax and slow down. Believe me, if I didn’t put it on that list to be marked off, it would rarely happen, even though I absolutely love when a room has a candle in it. I’m such a busy body during the day that I literally have to force myself to do something relaxing for a few minutes, or else I’ll just keep barreling through, usually feeling quite burned out and grumpy by dinner time.

Until recently, the days when I would light my candles were Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is because these are the days when Darah is out of the house for a few hours. When there’s a toddler at home, I’m just way too nervous to have a lit candle going. Not only am I afraid that I’ll absentmindedly put it somewhere she can reach, but I’m also afraid that I’ll forget all about it in the midst of playing with Darah, and cause some sort of fire.

But friends, there is the COOLEST alternative out there, and it is just perfect for anyone who craves the warmth and calm that can only be brought about by candlelight, but who just can’t, for whatever variety of reasons, have a tiny little fire burning in your house.

flameless candles This is the alternative you have been seeking. These are flameless candles. There is a “flame,” and it even flickers, but it isn’t fire. It is LED lighting! It lasts an average of 450 hours before the batteries need to be replaced. Amazing!

There are just so many great things to say about these candles! Aside from the point I made earlier about how much safer they are when children are at home, here are some other reasons I love them so much.

  • You can literally leave these on all day and all night, if you so desire (or if you forget about them). The batteries last hundreds of hours.
  • Some of the models have timer settings so that they will automatically go off after 4, 6 or 8 hours. This is perfect for when you are having a social function!
  • They are sooo nice to have when the power goes out (and I already know this from experience). No need to fumble around in the dark for matches, and they are super safe to put in a child’s room for lighting.
  • The wide variety of candles (styles, textures and scents) rivals what you might find in a candle shop. There’s truly something for everyone!
  • The level of detail is amazing! The tops of our candles have a bit of a curve at the top, so they already look like they have been used a few times.

Best of all, you can find flameless candles at places you probably already frequent, such as Target, Kohl’s, Michaels and of course, Amazon.

Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. 

A Collectible Item With a Purpose! Zippies!

· by · 1 Comment

I’m curious how many of my readers out there have little one who seem to love to collect things. It’s still a bit too early to tell for Darah (although I will say she has yet to see a stuffed animal that she doesn’t like, so we are certainly starting a collection of those!). I almost wonder if it is a phase that almost all kids go through. There’s a reason that collectible cards, for example, have always been popular. Baseball cards are the originals, I think, but I remember kids collecting and trading Pokemon cards when I was a babysitter back in the late 1990s. Now they are trading silly bands and working feverishly on their collections. And who can forget the great beanie baby mania that swept the world 10 years ago???

Today I’m highlighting a product that is quite collectible, but it also serves a purpose, which from the perspective of a parent, makes it far less annoying! 🙂 They are called Zippies, and they are known as, “the pals that hang around.”
Basically they are these cute little characters that get attached to things like backpacks, water bottles, jackets, etc. They are an awesome way for a child to easily be able to identify his or her own items (think of how handy this could be in your kid is on a t-ball team, and everyone has matching drinks!). You can even put these on your child (they can be hung like a necklace or attached to a pant loop). Nobody wants to lose their child in a crowd, but it DOES happen. Little ones might not be able to tell a grown up their first and last name, and very few can tell you the names and phone numbers of their parents. The Zippies will do that for you, as you can put contact information on the back.

I think these will be a hit with kids at that age where collecting and trading stuff is fun. The entire set of zippies is available for $39.99, which is a discount off the per piece price of $4.98. They can be ordered online at www.zippiesfun.com. I think ordering a set to give out as party favors for a birthday would be fun, too. Every child would have a cool keepsake from the party, and it would be something useful, not something that would just go in the trash!

I will say that I wish some of the characters looked a bit less, well, mad. They all look grumpy to me! Perhaps the second edition of characters will have some more pep? Grumpy faces and all, though, they are pretty stinkin’ cute. Darah has the bunny “flops” on her diaper bag!

Disclosure: This post was written for Family Review Network & Zippies who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions