Stuff Parents Need

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

Charlie Banana Diaper Review: One Size Diaper

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I have several very dear people in my life who are expecting at the moment. 2011 is going to be a banner baby year for me. I get to have all the fun and none of the pain! 🙂 Hooray for being an auntie!!!

I remember all too well how overwhelming (or even annoying) it can be when someone tries to convince you that they know what is best for you and how you should go about the business of raising your kid. And for those of you out there who are pregnant with your first, just know that such advice doesn’t stop after you have the baby. I’m pretty sure it never stops. Ever!

So of course, I don’t want to be one of those people. But here, on the other side of the fence, it is just so dang hard, sometimes! Especially when it comes to the world of cloth diapering. In the blog world, cloth diapers aren’t really unheard of. They still aren’t used as much as disposables, but if you read blogs, then you most assuredly know someone (at least virtually) who is cloth diapering. But outside of the blogosphere, it seems to be MUCH more rare. I forget that sometimes. Most couples never even consider cloth diapering because they don’t know anyone who does it and don’t have anyone in their lives encouraging them to try it. If anything, they have the opposite, which is parents or grandparents telling them how awful cloth is and how disposable diapers are the greatest invention since sliced bread.

And they do have their place, as I’ve mentioned before.

BUT……

Cloth rocks, and the cloth of today is not the cloth of even 10 years ago, let alone 30 years ago!
I’ll just stop there, because do you see what I’m saying? It is SO HARD not to get on a soapbox and yell, “Just try it! You will love it! Promise!”

Charlie Banana

So for now, I’ll just introduce you to an absolutely fabulous cloth diaper company and let their cute dipes speak for themselves! The company is called Charlie Banana, and they have many fabulous organic baby products, including a one size (OS) cloth diaper, which is what I’m reviewing today.

Charlie Banana diapers do not contain any chlorine, perfume, chemicals or gels, which is just part of what makes them so much more wonderful than disposables. Their entire line is made with 100% certified organically grown cotton. Only the best for your little bunny’s tush!
charlie banana diaper review
Charlie Banana diapers are called 2 in 1 diapers, which means that they are designed to be used with either reusable or disposable inserts. Very handy! You can use a Charlie Banana disposable insert for those moments when you might have reached for disposable diapers in the past (such as a visit to Grandma’s house). The insert is just thrown out after use, and the shell can be used again and again (unless it gets really messy, and then you might want to change the shell). You can also put a reusable insert inside the sleeve of the diaper, which is what we do.

charlie banana diaper review

We have found the fit of Charlie Banana diapers to be terrific, and the color selection to be fabulous. They even have some adorable prints! My only complaint is that the insert sleeve for the diaper is at the front, which can make it a little bit harder to make sure that you have full protection all the way to the front. All my other diapers have a sleeve in the back, so I’m used to making sure that I get the inserts all the way to the front. With Charlie Banana diapers, that same move puts my inserts all the way in the back, and depending the specific insert I have grabbed, could leave a bit of space at the front. The Charlie Banana inserts don’t leave any gap, by the way.

If you are someone who likes the idea of cloth, but finds yourself reaching for disposables more than you’d like, Charlie Banana diapers are definitely the way to go! Even if you are in full-time cloth, they are still a very reliable diaper. I don’t hesitate to grab this diaper out of the pile at changing time!

charlie banana review Buy it!: Charlie Banana diapers are available for purchase individually through Target, or in packs of 6 from Amazon. You can expect to pay around $22 for 1 diaper, or around $115 for a pack of 6.

Edit: Giveaway is closed

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need Reader is going to win a OS diaper in your choice of color from Charlie Banana! The contest will run until February 1 at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using 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 the color/print you would choose AND tell me the #1 reason you love cloth!

my answer: I love cloth because it saves us a whole lot of money, which means we can breathe a little bit easier every month.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Charlie Banana on Facebook and post on their wall that Stuff Parents Need sent you!
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS or email

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. Affiliate links included at no cost to you. 

You Need a Budget: An Honest Talk About Finances

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Today I want to just have a chat with you about money. Friend to friend. I want to tell you a little bit about how Tim and I have approached finances for the past 8 years, why our approach needed to change, and how we finally got ourselves on a path that we know is going to be a game-changer for us. If you have a few minutes, please check out my YouTube video below:

We really needed a budget. Now we have one, but it is so much more. It’s a plan. It’s exciting, it’s achievable, it’s liberating.

You need a budget, too. Hopefully you already have one, but the vast majority of households don’t. If you are one of those households, I want to tell you that YNAB is an amazing solution that our family is finding to be very helpful. If I didn’t feel so strongly about the benefits of using this software, I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you. Promise.

Check it out. They offer the full version free for 7 days if you want to take it for a spin before making a financial commitment to it. And they also offer an incredible number of resources to you (whether you purchase or not) because they truly want you to find the financial freedom you seek; it’s not just about selling you a product. It’s about helping you change your life for the better.

We waited 8 1/2 years to do this. I’m glad we didn’t wait one second longer. I’ll be posting again in March with an update on how things are going with YNAB. Stay tuned!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the program for review. This post contains affiliate links.

Drink Your Vitamins: Ola Loa Vitamins

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Do you ever wonder if product reviewers are just lying through their teeth most of the time when they sing the praises of a product? I can’t speak for other review bloggers, but I can tell you that if I don’t like something, I won’t ever lie and tell you that I do. Typically, if a product disappoints me, I contact the person I’m working with on the review and share my concerns. I prefer to give my feedback to the company directly so that they can seek to make the needed improvements.

Today I’m bringing you a product that I originally thought I didn’t like. It was through my conversations with the PR rep for the company, though, that I was able to try the product in a different way, and in the end, I really and truly liked it, after all. I wouldn’t be telling you about it if I didn’t!

ola loa vitamins It’s called Ola Loa, and it is a powder that you can add to water to give you a big ‘ole dose of nutrients that will absorb into your system better than any pill or tablet. The supplements are basically a way to drink your vitamins. I loved the concept, because I’m always sipping on a drink, but I’m terrible at remembering to take my multi-vitamin.

So what went wrong, at first? Well, I found the drink mixes to be just really intense, and not super sweet and awesome. What can I say? They didn’t taste like iced coffee or a super cold coke (the two things I’m normally drinking) and so, my taste buds just weren’t having it. After I talked with my contact, she said that she had a similar problem the first time she tried it. If your body is used to sugary drinks (and mine is…I like a little coffee with my sugar and cream), then the mixes might taste funny/weird. But there is a solution! She suggested that I mix the powder with half water and half orange juice to sweeten it up a bit.

I tried it. I liked it. A lot, actually! And I’m pleased to report that after downing my second drink (rather quickly, I might add), I did feel a bit of an energy boost for the next few hours.

In doing some research about Ola Loa’s supplements, I learned that the Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) says you only absorb 10-20% of the nutrient content of a pill or tablet. I guess I shouldn’t feel as bad about not taking my multi-vitamins…doesn’t sound like they were giving me much, anyway. Ola Loa has an advantage from the start: the contents are already dissolved! Roughly 98% of the nutrients in a supplement like Ola Loa get absorbed by the body. That’s much better!

Buy it!: Do you need to add something to your diet that really and truly will help you get your daily needed vitamins? Ola Loa has what you are looking for. Just add a little orange juice to it! 🙂 In my experience the two places to buy the vitamins (for the best price) are Amazon and Drugstore.com. Prices fluctuate, but these two stores seem to be competitive with each other, and depending on which flavor/type you want to try, one of them will have a slightly better price than the other.

 

Edit: giveaway is closed! 

Win it! Ola Loa is giving one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a 5 pack of their supplements! The contest will run until January 31st at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. 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 what you do currently to try to get all the daily vitamins you need.

My answer: not much, unfortunately. I eat things that are green whenever I can, but I have a long way to go on this on.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Ola Loa 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. Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. 

Kaspersky PURE Review

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How much time do you spend thinking about protecting your computer(s) from all those crazy viruses that run rampant on the internet? If you are like me, probably not much…until you get one. And then you curse yourself for not investing in some quality internet security software.

Kaspersky is a company that offers the absolute top of the line when it comes to protecting your computers. They have some new software out called Kaspersky PURE, and it is seriously awesome. I’ve never seen such a comprehensive approach to protection packaged in such a user-friendly format. It works just as well for those who want to set it and forget as it does for those who want to “geek out” and customize every feature.

My own favorite geek, Tim, has put together a video review to give you a good idea of what Kaspersky PURE has to offer.

To summarize, Kaspersky PURE has these awesome features:

·Run scans on any PC in your household to make sure they’re secure

·Automatic file backup and restore functions

·An integrated Password Manager to protect your identity

·Data Encryption and File Shredder to make sure your private information stays private

·Perform file backups remotely, to protect your data no matter what machine it sits on

·Fix security issues before they become problems

·Administer parental controls so kids are never outside of your protection, even when they’re out of view

·Control over when and for how long your children can be online, or on the computer at all

·Limit access to the Internet, web content, applications, games, or social networks

·The ability to keep important information from being shared

·A communication-safety hub

Kaspersky PURE will be available for purchase beginning January 24th, but right now you can

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will snag a copy of Kaspersky PURE, which comes with a 1-year license that can be installed on up to 3 computers. It retails for $89.95. Woo hoo! The contest will run until January 30th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the 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: Two things: 1. You must follow me in Google Friend Connect (see the sidebar to get signed up…super easy, I promise) and 2. Tell me about a time when you weren’t prepared and your computer suffered the consequences. (these together count as one entry)

My answer: We had a laptop that got so loaded down with little bugs and viruses. I don’t think any one of them were deadly in and of themselves, but the sheer volume of them caused that computer to slow down to a depressing crawl. It was ugly, folks.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Kaspersky 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 home page.

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

One Simple but Powerful Change for 2011

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I just took a break from the lengthy process of purging my daughter’s room of excess to hop on here and tell you all about it (let’s be real, talking about the hard work we are doing can be more fun that actually doing it!).

Before we moved to Chattanooga, we got rid of a TON of stuff. It felt so liberating, and I have to say, I NEVER think about any of the stuff we parted ways with when we left. But we still found ourselves over-crowded in our new home that was about 40% smaller than our old one. And of course, new items seem to keep finding a home with us, which just adds to it. If anyone out there knows Fly Lady, one thing she taught me is that you just cannot organize clutter.

So one change we are making this year, a baby step at a time, is asking ourselves if the items we own actually own us. Do they bring us joy or anxiety? Do they function the way we need them to? Are they tools for a happy, healthy and productive life? Or are they weighing us down in one way or another? We’ve already cleared away much of the “obvious” clutter, but now we are going a layer deeper.

Here’s an example: Darah gets lots of hand-me-down clothes from her cousin. And these aren’t just any old hand-me-downs. It’s almost all stuff from Janie and Jack, Gymboree and boutiques from France. Oh yes, we are SOOOOO lucky. But Darah’s closet, which is a full walk-in closet, is completely bursting at the seams with all these beautiful clothes. I get so stressed out trying to make sure she wears everything, and making sure everything is staying in good shape. I can’t even begin to tell you how much time I have spent in there trying to wrangle the clothes monster that is her closet.

Finally, I realized that there really is just too much of a good thing. I cleared out about 1/3 of her clothes, even though they are awesome and she still fits into them. And you know what? I feel a tremendous weight lifted off of me! Those clothes were stressing me out! It took me a while to realize it, because I was so grateful for them, and I wanted to be able to make good use of them. But seriously, Darah just doesn’t need 7 winter coats (yes, 7). We are so much happier now with 3 (I know, she doesn’t need 3, but give me credit for making progress).

So that I don’t get overwhelmed and give up, I’m taking this purge much more slowly, and plan to be working on it throughout the whole year, just asking myself a little at a time to be REALLY honest about what things I love, and what things I own out of other reasons (guilt, obligation, habit). Those things can go. And my home will be a more peaceful place without them.

What about you? What are some simple, positive changes that you are working on this year?

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Simply Orange® blogging program. If I am one of the first 65 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 Target gift card and a gift pack that includes a Simply Orange® cooler bag and logoed fleece.


Creating Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule

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I’ve been reading the blog i Dream of Clean for several months now, and I have to say that I find it to be a breath of fresh air. There are many organization blogs out there, and frankly, I find that so many of them just make me feel bad! That could be my own issue, but so often the images they show are of homes ready for a magazine shoot. That is just not ever going to be my home. I also think that the organization ideas they propose are so complicated that they only seem achievable if you don’t need to do anything else, at all, for the next week. I need ideas that are quick and effective so that I can get a lot of mileage out of the time I put into projects. Basically, I need a cleaning schedule for working moms.

Christine is the brains behind the very inspiring blog i Dream of Clean. She offers user-friendly tips to help you conquer clutter and bring a bit of order to your chaotic life. I was absolutely tickled when I saw that she created a new e-book called Creating Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule, just in time for the new year and for folks who are wanting to make some positive changes in the way they run their households. Sign me up, Christine!

whole house cleaning schedule Creating Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule is very easy to digest, and I love that! Christine does offer a list of pretty much every household task you can think of, and even makes suggestions for what should be done daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. Of course, she encourages you to customize the schedule to your liking and personal needs (for example: as much as it might need it, our bathrooms just aren’t getting cleaned more than once a week. Sorry!). Several of the tasks listed in the book are even hyper-linked back to posts that Christine has written about how to tackle that specific chore.That’s super helpful for folks like me who weren’t ever taught how to clean in an efficient and effective way.

Now, I’m gonna tell you the truth, here. Putting together a cleaning schedule that really and truly works for your family is not going to be effortless. You are going to need to spend some time really thinking about it, and also thinking about how your household management needs tie into everything else you are committed to doing on a daily and weekly basis. I have found that if I put together a cleaning schedule without thinking about what else is happening in our lives, I’ve just set us up for failure. So I’ve been slowly working on putting together a specific plan for every day of the week that makes the most sense for us, and I also have a running list of less frequent tasks that we can accomplish (usually 2 each week). Creating Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule really has empowered me to roll my sleeves up and get to work. Having guidance from Christine has given me the head start I needed, while her book also helped me realize that there is no such thing as a magic plan made by someone else that I can just plug into my own life.

As I slowly map out objectives for each day of the week in my home, I am feeling more and more confident that I’m creating a plan that will truly work. This is just one more way that positive change is coming to our family this year. As the household manager, I’m setting myself up for success by creating a schedule that makes sense and allows me to work smarter, not harder.

Buy it! Creating Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule is available for just $7.99, and is SOOOO worth the money. Let Christine help you create a system that works for you and your house today! IF YOU BUY THIS AND THEN WIN, YOUR MONEY WILL BE REFUNDED!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will snag this helpful e-book! The contest will run until January 29th 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: First, “like” i Dream of Clean on Facebook, then come back here and let me know you did!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Subscribe to i Dream of Clean by email or RSS (you will love it!)
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need by 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. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Smiley Cookies!

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When was the last time you got something fun and sweet for yourself? Something that would just make you smile? If it has been a while, I have a suggestion for you: Heart shaped cookies from Smiley Cookie. smiley cookies

Don’t they just make you smile to see them? I can tell you from experience, they taste pretty darn good, too! While I recommend them as the perfect cookie gift to yourself (I’m my own Valentine, people), they are also perfect for school or office Valentine’s parties (“Why yes! I did just whip these up!”) or for a sweet alternative to a box of chocolates.

Smiley Cookie has a very impressive selection of gourmet cookies for any event. You can shop by price, occasion or category…the website is super easy to navigate! Shipping is just $6.99 regardless of the size of your order, so get a few different types of cookies and bring some cheer to lots of people in your life. I think I’ll be helping out with a baby shower or two this year, and these mini cookies would be perfect!

Buy it!: Smiley Cookies can be purchased for $12.99/dozen and up!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Handstamped Jewelry You Will Adore (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Last May I featured some of the best of the best when it comes to Memphis artists. It was such a fun experience. My old hometown really has a lot of talent! One such designer is Christine, owner of Mozella Designs. Last year I featured her lovely earrings, which I still wear on a very regular basis, because they are really fetching, and also because I always get compliments on them!

I think Mozella Designs is an amazing Etsy shop. Christine seems to stay on top of fashion trends with her jewelry, while also incorporating a certain sense of femininity to every piece that gives them staying power beyond the trends, themselves. She has such a good eye for balancing style with function. Every time I browse her shop I am struck by her beautiful jewelry.

And I’m always especially pleased with her prices. For handmade jewelry that is fashion-forward and that won’t be out of style next month (or even next year!), Mozella Designs just can’t be beat!

Christine has added handstamped jewelry to her collection, and you are going to love what she is currently showcasing in that line! She sent me a beautiful bracelet that is absolutely perfect for wearing between now and late spring! I love the delicate pink beads and accent pearls. But the handstamped initials on the piece are my absolute favorite. I’ve got to tell you, I’m not all that big into having my initials scrawled all over everything I own (more power to you if that’s your thing). These initials are like a whisper, and I adore that. They are soft and sophisticated, just like the bracelet. They are just very…me!

For the gents, oh how I’m swooning over the personalized cuff links Christine has for sale. What a PERFECT Valentine’s Day gift for your man. They are so much cooler (in my opinion) AND so much less expensive than what you’ll find at a department store. They are also a perfect gift for groomsmen if anyone out there is getting married. They can be personalized however you like. I’d love to get a pair for Tim with our wedding date on them.

Buy it!: If you have been wanting some handstamped jewelry but haven’t been too keen on the price tags, drop a hint to your loved one to check out Mozella Designs. The work is top notch and the prices are quite competitive!

Win it!: One lucky winner is going to get $25 to spend at Mozella Designs. Oh how I envy you! The contest will run until January 28th 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.

Mandatory entry: Show some love for Mozella Designs by liking it on Facebook and post on her wall that Stuff Parents Need sent you!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Subscribe to Christine’s blog, where you’ll see her complete a new piece of jewelry each and every week (so fun to watch…she’s so talented!).
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need using Google Friend Connect (if you don’t know how to do this, just email me and I’ll help you out!)

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.

Outdoor Enclosures for Cats

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Have I told you that we have a cat? Her name is Hattie. She’s an 8 year old long-hair calico, and she is a DIVA. She has picked up on the fact that I think I’m in charge around here, and this completely disgusts her. Who do I think I am?!

Hattie has been an indoor-only cat her ENTIRE life. And yet, she tries really hard to get us to let her outside. If we ever have company, she’ll go to the door and cry in the room they are in, hoping that they will take pity on her and let her out. She’s jumped out of a 2 story window before (well, we actually think she fell….story for another day…she landed on her feet, as they always do!). And since we moved to Chattanooga, she has escaped from the house when we left a door open for just 2 seconds too long on multiple occasions (like 5 or 6).
But here’s the thing, you guys. She’s curious, but very scared once she gets out there. She’s like a deer in the headlights, seriously! She’ll sniff around a bit, and then she’ll just sit down and cry until someone comes to get her.I’m super reluctant to turn her into an indoor/outdoor cat because she isn’t used to it, I fear for her safety, and Tennessee also has a HUGE feline AIDS problem. Our neighborhood has lots of stray cats, so it just isn’t a good environment in which to turn Hattie loose.
safe outdoor enclosures cats
Thanks to other bloggers I learned about a product that is just perfect for cats like Hattie. It is called the Kritter Kondo. It’s basically a cat enclosure, so that they can safely have some outdoor time. It’s the coolest thing! We put Hattie out in our backyard, and after her initial fear of being outside wore off, she was SOOOOO happy. She purred and purred, and walked around her “kondo” and just enjoyed the winter air. She’s got really long hair, and it finally got put to good use out in the cold for a few hours.

cat outdoor enclosures kits I know she enjoyed herself, because when we brought her back inside, she stared out the window and cried. So sad!

This is the perfect solution for apartment dwellers, especially if you have a balcony or porch. The kritter kondo does take up quite a bit of space, so if you are always out on your little balcony, yourself, you may find that it takes up too much space. The Kritter Kondo is designed with cats in mind, but it can also work for small dogs. When you aren’t using it, it folds up compactly and even has a carrying case in case you want to travel with it.

I think it rocks that Hattie can now go outside and enjoy herself a bit each day, and I have absolutely no worries about her getting lost, running into the street or fighting with other cats.

Buy it! The Kritter Kondo is available for $124.99 (this price includes free 2 day shipping). If you have a small pet who longs to be outside, this is the ultimate gift! You can also check prices on Wayfair, but when I last checked, the price was significantly lower on Amazon.

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