Stuff Parents Need

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

Sale at My Baby Clothes Boutique!

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Two days ago I posted a great giveaway from My Baby Clothes Boutique! Today I’m bringing you a great sale from the same store. If you are still shopping for a little one, check them out!

15% OFF ALL ORDERS over $75!

Everyone needs a little help once in a while, even Santa.

For four days you can finish your holiday shopping with big savings at My Baby Clothes Boutique.

Holiday baby clothes with matching baby headbands, warm and snuggly baby hats,

Tutus for your little prima ballerinas, and so much more – whatever you need for your baby, you will find it here.

Take $15 off any order of $75 or more.

Starts 12/16/2010 and ends 12/19/2010 at midnight EST

Don’t wait – inventory is selling fast!

This is your last chance to order and have your gifts arrive by 12/24/2010.

Use the discount code below to get 15% OFF any order over $75.

Simply enter this code at checkout

Discount Code – SANTASHELPER2010

* Offer valid from 12/16/2010 to 12/19/2010 at 12am EST.

Cannot be combined with other offers. Shipping not included.

Baby’s First Photo Album

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In the last few months, Darah has taken a keen interest in the pictures that we have up on the wall. In particular, she seems to enjoy the large frame we have that has dozens of pictures of her during her first year. She loves to point to the baby, and when I tell her that these are pictures of her when she is small, she seems absolutely amazed. So cute!

baby's first photo album

Earlier this week, we received something in the mail that Darah has also become quite attached to: the Take Your Pix Board Book Album. This is a very sturdy album (just like a board book) with slots in the middle of each page for a 4 x 6 picture. It comes with a picture of a baby on the very first page, which Darah immediately began giving kisses to. She also sat right down and started flipping through the album to see if there were more pictures. I knew right then that I’d better get some photos in there, and fast!

I actually stuck an engagement photo of Tim and me in there, and I’m not the least bit worried that it will be damaged. The pages won’t bend and there’s a protective covering over the photo, so it can withstand her toddler kisses.

The album also has little grooves in each page that make it easy for little hands to flip through. I can also see this feature being ideal for anyone who has trouble doing things like turning pages of a traditional photo album, young or old.

Another great feature of this photo album is that it can be customized. There is a lot of room around each picture, and that’s by design. The idea is that the owner of the album may want to decorate it in some way. This would make it a perfect first scrapbook for a child or just a fun art project. It also can help make this photo album a very special gift for someone!

Darah is delighted with her photo album and has been toting it around quite a bit. I only wish I had known about this product sooner!

Buy it!: If you like the idea of a board book photo album for your little one or as a gift, Take Your Pix Board Book Albums are available for $19.95, have 10 pages, plus the cover and come in white, black, pink, blue and yellow.

Win it!: Take Your Pix wants to give one very lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a board book in your choice of color! Woo hoo! The contest will run until December 26th 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 why you like the idea of this type of photo album. Would it be for a young child? Would you make use of the ability to add your own embellishments?

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow Board Book Albums on Twitter
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

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

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 & giveawayDisclosure. This post contains an affiliate link.

My Baby Clothes Boutique GIVEAWAY!!!

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Have you finished your holiday shopping? Are you still looking for a few great finds for little ones? Today I’m bringing you a store that offer so many great and stylish products, and the prices are kept really low, especially considering the quality and designs that are offered!

I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing My Baby Clothes boutique before, and we were really impressed with our order. Darah got that jaw-dropping adorable tutu (which she is still rockin’, by the way). That tutu has held up beautifully to being worn by a curious and playful toddler, and that’s really saying something! The quality of the tutus found at My Baby Clothes Boutique are high, let me tell you!

I have a few gift suggestions for the baby on your list: What about one of the baby hats found at My Baby Clothes Boutique? If I had a little boy to buy for, this fedora would be high on my list! And for my little one? The hat shown in the picture here is so cute it hurts! And the price is just $9.50…unbeatable!

 

I’d also like to recommend some adorable baby socks to warm little toes this holiday season! And by the way, if you have a strategy for keeping your baby IN his/her socks, please let me know! 🙂

Win it!: My Baby Clothes Boutique wants to bring some holiday cheer to one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader! You will score a $25 gift certificate to their site! The contest will run until December 24th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected by Random.org (also known as Santa Claus, to some!). The winner will have 28 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me one thing you have left to buy for the holidays, or if you are completely finished, what was the very last thing you purchased? My answer: I’ve still got stockings to fill with yummy candies! And I’m looking for some tub toys for Darah.

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: “Like” My Baby Clothes Boutique on Facebook

2. Blogger love: Follow me on Google Friend Connect

 

Be sure to enter the other giveaways, found on the sidebar of my home page.

 

Disclosure: No compensation or free products were received in exchange for hosting this giveaway. I’m hosting because I love My Baby Clothes Boutique! Merry Christmas!

(GIVEAWAY! 5 WINNERS!) Serious Family Digital Organization Made Easy: AboutOne

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Tim and I are both really big fans of using Google Docs to try to manage our household in various ways. For many things, it works just great. But as life is getting a bit more complicated (just a part of getting older, I suppose), I find it not to be a totally comprehensive system. I’m finding myself overwhelmed with all the different documents and spreadsheets we are creating for various aspects of our lives and for Darah.

This is why I was excited to have the opportunity to review AboutOne. AboutOne is described as an affordable online storage system for families. Its design is more specific that what you will find at a place like Google Docs. It has categories for storing detailed information about everything from your best friend’s cell phone number to the amount you sold your home for (oh how I long to be able to fill that section out….PLEASE sell, house!!!). Best of all, the system is VERY secure, so there’s no need to feel concerned about putting your private information in the system. It’s on lockdown!

There are many great features to this site, but I want to tell you about a few that stuck out to me, in particular.

1. There’s a place to keep you medical records. This is so valuable! I can imagine taking Darah to the doctor for the first time here in Chattanooga (which reminds me…I need to schedule an appointment!) and being able to pull up a copy of her shot records from my phone (because yes, the odds are good that I’ll forget to physically bring them).

2. You can send pictures straight from your phone to your AboutOne account. Love that! This comes in especially handy when something cute is happening that you want to capture as a memory. I have so many cute pictures on my phone, but they never go anywhere because I don’t know where to send them!

3. You can keep track of the gifts that you get (or even that you have in mind) for loved ones. You guys would be so embarrassed for me if you saw the random scraps of paper that I often you to keep track of this kind of stuff. I’m very lucky if I don’t lose it before Christmas! With this system, you can also see what you got for the person last year. So helpful!

4. You can easily compile newsletters for your family based on the memories that you have entered throughout the month, or coming soon, throughout the year! I’m putting together our Christmas letter this way. Hooray!

When I first got started with AboutOne, I’ll admit that my launch was a bit bumpy. I was having a difficult time remembering to log in and make updates. About a week after I got started, I got an email from the company just asking how everything was going. I told them I was struggling a bit, and do you know what they did? They set up a web meeting with me to go over some of the features I hadn’t really noticed right away and to help me feel more comfortable getting around the site. That’s some of the best customer service I’ve ever experienced! I learned how to create newsletters for family and friends, which is something I’m using to the fullest for our holiday letter this year (which I wanted to have out last week…AboutOne, I wish you could magically prevent me from procrastinating, but I suppose you aren’t magic!).

I’m very happy to be using the AboutOne system, and I think it is going to be such a great landing pad for all the important things we need to keep up with as a family. I also really like that the company is very open to feedback and is continually making improvements so that AboutOne can be exactly what families need it to be! Digital organization, here we come!

And I just want to point out, I have BARELY scratched the surface of what AboutOne can do. I highly recommend that you check it out!

Buy it!: AboutOne truly is affordable, with a one year membership fee of just $30/year. You can also go for the $5/month plan, or even try AboutOne free for 15 days!

Win it!: Oh my, you lucky ducks! FIVE Stuff Parents Need readers are going to each win a one year subscription to AboutOne! How awesome is that?! The contest will run until December 23rd at 11:59pm EST when winners will be selected using Random.org. The winners 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 about any struggles you are having with keeping your household organized (especially as it relates to any sort of data you need to keep up with). My answer: Oh my gosh, if you could see how I squirrel away tax info. Yikes, people. It’s ridiculous, and of course, doesn’t really work.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” AboutOne on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (find it on my sidebar)

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

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

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

 


Let’s Talk Lightweight Strollers

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Moms and dads out there, I want to talk with you about your stroller(s) of choice.

We have 2 strollers in our home. We have a chicco travel system stroller. It certainly has its purpose, but there’s no doubt that it is BIG and BULKY. If we are ever in a place where we need to fold it up and tote it, we are sort of screwed. It is technically toteable (is that a word?) but it’s a beast. Let’s just say I only took it on the bus once and then swore I would never do that again.

Since Darah and I are on the bus at least once a week going on an adventure, this makes the travel system stroller not very practical for everyday use. So I’d say 75-80% of the time we use a stroller, we are using a super lightweight umbrella stroller that we got from Tim’s brother when his kids outgrew it. Does it get the job done? Absolutely. It is on its last leg (er, wheel)? Absolutely. You see, that’s what you get when you have something that isn’t really built to last…it DOESN’T last. This stroller won’t still be breathing by the time baby 2 hits the scene, I’m afraid.

So I want to hear what you use for a stroller. Do you have multiple strollers, or one that meets most every need you have?

If you are like me and looking for a better option, I did just hear about a brand that is the #1 seller in Great Britain, but is brand new to the U.S. It is called Mamas & Papas, and they are currently being sold through Babies R Us. They seem to offer several different products, but I’m the most intrigued by their lightweight strollercollection. Aren’t they beautiful? I’ve looked over their specs, and from what I’m seeing, they seem to strike the perfect balance between some of the luxuries you will find on a bigger stroller like one that is part of a travel system, but are lightweight enough to meet those daily needs of people like me who want to be able to grab the stroller and go.

But they certainly aren’t cheap, starting at $130 and going up from there (let me just be clear, both strollers that I have were hand-me-down gifts, so perhaps I have no real concept of what a stroller does/should cost). You tell me, does this seem like a fair price, especially if the result will be that you’ll just have 1 stroller, rather than 2 or even 3? I’m thinking maybe so, but I’ve never actually shopped for a stroller…

I just “liked” Mamas & Papas on Facebook to see if I can get more of the inside scoop on just how great these strollers really are. Feel free to do the same if you are curious, like me. You could also follow their tweets, if you like.

And seriously, I’d really love to hear what stroller(s) you use and if you like them!


Disclosure: I am entered for a chance to win one of five Mama & Papas strollers in exchange for this post. All thoughts in this post are strictly my own!

Make a Pretzel Pizza with Auntie Anne’s Baking Kit

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As a general rule, my family avoids trips to the mall. We don’t like the crowds, we don’t like all the “stuff” and we definitely don’t like feeling sad that we can’t really afford to buy whatever strikes our fancy. My husband doesn’t even like to shop, at all, so the mall is pretty much pointless to him.

With one exception.

If he ever must go into a mall, he follows his nose until his comes to his favorite place: Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. I swear, it’s as if they call to him like a siren as soon as he sets foot in the mall. He can’t NOT find them. I feel so bad when he doesn’t get a pretzel, and he’s certainly not one to make the special request. But every now and again he gets one, and he’s always so happy. It makes for such a fun treat. I suppose I should be grateful that his weakness is pretzels and not something like new watches.

Recently I learned that the company has developed Auntie Anne’s At-Home Baking Kit so that you can make their signature pretzels in your own home! PERFECT! Now Tim can have that delightful treat without having to brave the mall, and the overall cost is less, too. Win-win!

Pretzel Pizza

Last week we broke out the baking mix, and even watched this video showing us how to use the kit (loved that; a video is much more fun to watch than reading the instructions). While watching the video, though, I learned that the dough really can be used for more than pretzels. I was particularly intrigued when I learned that it could make an awesome pizza dough. Believe it or not, we decided to make pizza dough with our Aunt Annie’s At-Home Baking Kit instead of pretzels. I guess I should tell you that the only thing Tim likes more than these pretzels is pizza.

Here is our finished product.

pretzel pizza
It is a bit over-cooked, and that’s entirely our fault. We just forgot about the pizza for 2 critical minutes. Oops!

So how did it taste? Really quite good! At first, I wasn’t in love with the crust. It was much thicker than the crust we normally make for our pizzas. But after about 3 bites, I really started to like it quite a bit. I guess my taste buds were just getting used to it. The dough is almost a little sweet, so that’s another difference. I do think we could have stretched the pizza out a bit more than we did. So this will make a very big pizza and feed lots of people! It is also just perfect if you prefer deep-dish pizzas.

Buy it!: Auntie Anne’s At-Home Baking Kit is such a great kitchen project do do with kids. It’s also a great way to satisfy a craving for an Auntie Anne’s pretzel without having the schlep out to the mall. And it’s a surprisingly delightful pizza dough. Whatever your particular needs, I recommend this baking kit!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains an affiliate link. 

Socks that Rock!

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One thing I ALWAYS love to find in my Christmas stocking is a fun pair of socks. Sure, I like basic black, gray and tan trouser socks, as those are workhorses in my wardrobe. But I also love to occasionally get a pair of truly fun socks. As I get older, I’ve started to gravitate more in the direction of unique but beautiful socks, as opposed to just plain wacky socks (though I must confess, my all time favorite pair of socks had monkeys in tutus on them!).

So what, exactly, does a “grown-up” funky/fun “socks that rock” sock look like? I’ve seen plenty of examples where designers definitely missed the mark, but today I’m bringing you one company that has nailed it. These socks are BEAUTIFUL!!!

socks that rock knee high I’m pleased to introduce you to Ozone Design. This company knows how to make socks that are simply delightful. What I love about socks is that they aren’t the centerpiece of your wardrobe. Oftentimes, they are barely visible. But when you get a glimpse of them, and they are this outstanding, that adds such a punch to your outfit. And even if nobody notices, YOU know that you are wearing something super cute!

I was sent a pair of short socks to try out, and I’m in love, people! These socks are the ones I reach for as soon as they are clean. And maybe, just maybe, I’ve worn them twice in a row before washing them because they are just that beautiful. Go ahead and judge. I understand. But I promise you, they really are that pretty! 🙂

Do you need a really creative gift idea for someone special? Ozone Socks has a sock of the month club. ROCK!!! For $130, your gift recipient will receive $250 of socks throughout the year. How fun is that?!

As you can see, these are not your everyday run of the mill socks. You would be devastated to lose one to the sock monster that lives in the dryer. And Ozone Socks knows this. That’s why you can contact them to get a replacement sock for half the price of a pair. Is that not the coolest thing you’ve ever heard?!

socks that rock Buy it!: Ozone has the right sock for you or for that super stylish person on your holiday shopping list. Give the gift of socks this year, and sit back and watch it become one of your recipient’s very favorite items under the tree! My top picks for the ladies are Garden Party and Bloomers, and for the gents, Dots-to-Dots!

Edit: This giveaway is closed.

Win it!: You guys are so lucky! Right now you’ve got a chance to win TWO pairs of socks (your choice!) from Ozone Socks! Your feet have never had it so good! The contest will run until December 21st 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: Go shopping at Ozone Socks and pick out the two pair you want! Choose wisely, as you’ll get what you request! I’d also love to hear what drew you to those particular socks.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Ozone Socks on Facebook (they often announce special discounts there!)
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 home page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

B. Toys and the Fabulous Spinaroos! Gift Idea Not to Miss!

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For those of you out there with tiny little babies, I want to tell you two things:
1. Snuggle them as much as you possibly can. Everyone tells you they grow so fast, and everyone is dead on. Just two years ago we were settling into the realization that we were expecting, and now I have a tiny child (not baby) on my hands!

2. If you think your baby is fun now…..JUST. YOU. WAIT. I swear, Darah delights me with something new that she has learned or that she is able to do every single day. Play time is a blast now; it’s more fun than it was a month ago, it will be even more fun a month from now, and my head just about explodes when I think of the adventures we’ll be having in one short year. Kids are awesome!

B. Toys

Today I wanted to tell you about a toy company who really seems to have their fingers on the pulse of the joy that comes with being a kid (and being the parent of a kid!). I’d like to introduce B. toys to you. This is a line of toys that you will find at Target stores throughout the country, and they are, in a word, amazing!

The Chief Toymaker at B. (wouldn’t you love to have that job title?) says, “Everything we do at B. is part joy, part mischief, part serendipity.” Doesn’t that pretty much sum up what it means to be a kid???

B. Toys spinaroos B. toys has created a fabulous website that is truly engaging, and doesn’t simply serve as a info hub about their products (although you will find that information there, as well). They have gorgeous worlds made out of B. toys as well as my favorite section, the quote gallery. This is a place where you can read some hilarious (and sometimes poignant) quotes from children, and you have the opportunity to leave your own. You can design a custom quote and send it to your family and friends as an e-card or post it on Facebook. I love it!

B. toys cares deeply about providing quality toys that will encourage individuality and creative play They also care about the environment, packaging their products in environmentally-friendly material. They even have some toys whose packaging reverses to become wrapping paper. That is genius, people. Now that you see that B. is a company with the heart of a playful child and the mindfulness of a wise sage, let me tell you about the toys themselves! We had the opportunity to try out the Spinaroos, which are Bristle Blocks in modern colors and funky designs. Some of the blocks have twisty bases so that your creations can move in a circle. They are ick-free, containing no BPA, phthalates or lead. They are PERFECT for chubby little hands that are working hard on hand-eye coordination and gripping. They are recommended for children ages 2-6. At 16 months, Darah is already a big fan, so I think you can give these to a child under 2.

b. toys spinaroos They are easy to connect together, which gives Darah a boost of confidence as she tries to build things (though her favorite thing to do is tear apart what mommy and daddy made!). This is going to be one toy set that will get years and years of play, no doubt about it. I absolutely love the Spinaroos set, and I’ll definitely be looking for other B. during my next Target trip. They seem to be high quality, and I really like the vibe of their company.

So how about you? Have you purchased any B. toys, yet? What do you think of the toys they have shown on their site? Do you have a funny/cute quote to share with them?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All opinions are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

Love Dr. Seuss? There’s an App for That!

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As much as I can’t stand the monthly bill for having two iPhones, we sure do use the heck out of them! I love being able to glance at my email when I’m out and about, get directions when I get lost (which is pretty much all the time), take pictures of Darah on the spot or, you know, actually call someone and have a chat.

And then there are the apps. Apps are just the coolest thing, you guys! And there’s an entire world of apps designed with the little ones in mind. You know, the ones who are going to play with your phone, regardless. So you might as well have something on there that they’ll like. It might prevent them from sending text messages to random people in Botswana. Might...

Oceanhouse Media is a company that offers a goldmine of apps for children. Seriously, their stuff is AWESOME! Looking for a Dr. Seuss book to put on your iPhone? Look no further! I recently had the opportunity to try out Dr. Seuss’ ABC and it is a hit, for sure. She already has this book, so she’s familiar with it. We must have the abridged version (did you know that they do that with some Seuss books???) because the app has more detail to it than our book. You can have the book read to you, you can listen to the book but be in charge of turning the pages yourself, of you can read on your own. This means that the app will grow with your child as s/he becomes more advanced! dr. seuss app

Oceanhouse Media also has many other very cool Seuss apps that look great, like Green Eggs and Ham, The Foot Book and Yertle the Turtle! And don’t even get me started on their apps of The Little Critter!

Buy it!: I personally think that Dr. Seuss’ ABC app is an excellent buy at $3.99 because it will entertain your little one for hours and hours over the course of a few years!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to snag a free download of Dr. Seuss’ ABC. The contest will run until December 19th 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 your very favorite Dr. Seuss book! My personal favorite is Fox in Socks!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Oceanhouse Media 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 free download in exchange for my honest opinion!