Stuff Parents Need

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

Grounds for Change: Fair Trade Coffee That is Changing the World!

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Did you know that coffee is the #1 traded commodity in the entire world? #1! Billions of people all over the world seem to agree that coffee is a delicious way to start the day. Of if you are like my old boss, the way to keep the day rolling along, cup after cup! My husband thinks that coffee tastes like wet acidic dirt. I’m afraid you have the minority opinion on that one, my dear!

Grounds for Change One of the items on my holiday wish list is coffee, in particular, fair trade coffee. What is fair trade coffee? It is coffee that is grown in a way that provides a living wage for the farmers growing and cultivating the beans. I know that I’m grateful that my husband earns a living wage for his work. Why shouldn’t anyone who is doing an honest day’s work be able to earn enough to keep food on the table, a roof over their heads and plan a bit for the future? I want the people who help bring me my morning cup of joy to be fairly compensated for their efforts! I value them in my heart; I should value them with my dollars.
grounds for change logoGrounds for Change is an awesome coffee company that offers exactly what I’m looking for when searching for organically grown fair trade coffee, or when I’m looking for coffee gifts. For example, while out of my price range, the coffee of the month club looks like an amazing gift for any coffee fan! You basically get to travel around the world, getting a new flavor from a new spot on the globe every month. How fun!

Grounds for Change has one particular line that really struck me: Cafe Feminino. From their site:
“There are currently well over 1000 women coffee farmers involved with the Cafe Femenino Coffee Project in Peru. The women farmers participate in all farm activities: preparing the terrain, nurseries, and the compost to fertilize the soil; preparing bio-fertilizers; as well as harvesting, de-pulping, fermenting, and drying the coffee. It is very rare for women to participate in selling coffee or in deciding how the money from coffee sales will be used – all of which they do with Cafe Femenino.

Once the coffee leaves the co-op, all sales contracts for Cafe Femenino must be signed and committed to by a woman, and a woman must participate in the sales and marketing of this coffee. An extra two cents per pound above the Fair Trade price for green coffee is paid by the US importer of Cafe Femenino, and these funds provide income that goes directly to the women producers – the use of this money is for them alone to decide.

Grounds for Change donates an additional 10 cents for each pound of Cafe Femenino sold directly back to this women’s coffee growing project to fund annual grants requested by the members. This year, we funded a dental health grant for several rural communities in Northern Peru that aims to improve dental education and provide toothbrushes for local children.“

I’m delighted to have the opportunity to support the economic enterprises of women who are working hard to be seen on a more equal playing field. I know it is a long and arduous road, but with supporters backing them, they will find success, and that will absolutely transform their lives. I find that prospect so appealing, which is what makes Grounds for Change seem like a more logical place for me to shop for coffee than my local Food Lion.

As for the flavor? Awesome! I found my coffee to be fresh and true to taste. This morning I’m enjoying the bold flavors of the Agate Pass Blend. It’s waking me up, for sure!

Buy it!: Grounds for Change coffees start around $9.75 for a 12 ounce bag. Right now they are offering a flat $5.95 shipping rate, so you could stock up on several flavors and tuck them away in your freezer to keep them fresh. Check out their Holiday Blend, which has mocha and dark cherries!

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.

EcoMistic: Eco-Friendly and Optimistic!

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All of you fabulous folks out there in bloggy land know that I love going green, especially when it is also a frugal choice! Today I’m bringing you a company with a mission based on making “going green” not only easy, but also inexpensive! EcoMistic is a company that you’ll want to do some shopping with, especially if you are on the lookout for economical ways to lighten your footprint on this earth.

ecomistic logo
I love the name of the company, because it is a blend of two wonderful terms: eco-friendly and optimistic. From their site, “One who has a positive outlook on the future of our planet is to be
EcoMistic.” I love it, and I hope that I’m an EcoMistic person in my day to day life!

EcoMistic has waded through much of what is being offered on the “green” market today, and has sought out the smartest products that are eco-friendly and kind to your wallet, all at the same time! Every product in their store is useful and high quality. I know I saw several things on their site that I’d love to start using in my home!

I purchased some holiday gifts through EcoMistic, and my invoice included a personal note from an employee who put together my order about how he personally owns one of the products I purchased and how much he loves it. I thought that was a really cool and personal touch and showed me that EcoMistic is a company run by real people who really care about customer service. Take that, Amazon!

If you are shopping around for something green for yourself or someone else, EcoMistic has a lot of great things to offer. Some of my top picks include the odor neutralizing carpet shake (never seen a green version of this type of product!) and the Water Week bottle set, which offers 5 really cute REUSABLE water bottles, so you are set for the week!

Buy it!: I think EcoMistic is a perfect holiday shopping destination. I know I love getting gifts that are super cool and are actually useful. And if they can save me some money over time? That’s a winning gift, to me! Be sure to check out the money saving packages they offer!

Win it!: EcoMistic wants to give one super lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a water bottle makeover unlike any you’ve known before! You’re going to snag those amazing Water Week water bottles I mentioned earlier in the post! Woo hoo! The contest will run until December 10th 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 about one product you own that saves you money AND that is good for the environment!
My answer: For all but my cloth diapers, I make my own laundry detergent (using Ivory, Washing Soda and Borax) for mere pennies per load, and the ingredients are much more eco-friendly than the stuff you find in most stores!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Ecomistic on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

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

Disclosure: I purchased the products reviewed myself, though I did receive a discount on my purchase in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Simple Blogging (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Most any blogger will tell you that forming relationships with other people all across the country (and even the world) is one of the coolest things about blogging. I know that I really and truly love getting to interact with my readers. Your messages in my inbox are like little gifts, seriously!

I am often asked about how I got started as a blogger, and what advice I might give someone who wants to get started, in general, or who wants to focus on the same niche I have (product reviews and giveaways). I love answering this question, but I feel so overwhelmed for a beginner, because the blog learning curve is so steep, and the approach that works best will vary person to person.

One very important thing to know about blogging, though, is that it takes as much time as you give it. There’s ALWAYS more you can do with your blog, and you can quickly find yourself becoming overwhelmed by your blog “to do” list!

Rachel Meeks, the blogger behind Small Notebook (yeah, you’re gonna want to subscribe if you haven’t already, folks) recently came out with an e-book to help guide those of us who are lost in the sea of blogging, drowning in our inboxes and feeling overwhelmed by the commitments we’ve made as bloggers. She wrote Simple Blogging: Less Computer Time, Better Blogging.

SIGN. ME. UP!!!!

You guys, this was a really good read (and not surprisingly, a simple one!). Rachel gives so many wonderful tips. I’m not going to give away all the good stuff that’s in this book, but I will tell you few things I’m taking away from it.

1. It is time to step back and think critically about the purpose of my blog, to make sure that I’m heading in a direction that is personally fulfilling to me.

2. I feel encouraged to share a little bit more of my own personal perspective. Writing about things I’m always thinking about will come easily, after all, and I’ll really enjoy hearing what my readers have to say about those topics.

3. Oh my gosh do I need to change the way I check my email. It eats up 10 minutes here, 5 minutes there, 20 minutes here, 30 minutes there, etc. and before you know it, I’ve spent a few hours throughout the day staring at my inbox! YUCK! I need to get in there, answer what matters, get out and then LET IT GO!

The overall key message from Simple Blogging is about viewing your time as the valuable and precious resource that it is. And it’s about getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to how you spend your time blogging. Rachel has given me a lot of good encouragement, a lot of things that I need to critically evaluate in my own blogging and time management practices, and a whole lot of ideas for doing this blog thing in a way that means so much more to me. After all, if it isn’t personally fulfilling, why the heck am I doing it?

If you are a blogger and are feeling a bit lost in your journey, or if you want to get started blogging but have no idea how to get off on the right foot, this is a really worthwhile read. I guarantee you that if you put even just a few ideas Rachel has into place you’ll reclaim some of your time back from the computer without sacrificing the overall quality of what you write.

Buy it!: Simple Blogging is very modestly priced at just $8, which is more than fair for the great content you will find in this book.

Win it!: Rachel wants to give one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader their own copy of Simple Blogging. The contest will run until December 9th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: If you blog, tell me something you are struggling with as a blogger. What ideas are you mulling over, or what changes would you like to make? Anything relevant will work! If you are a blog reader, do you have hopes to one day have your own blog? What do you think it will be about?
Here’s my answer: I’m currently struggling with figuring out how to make my blog more personal, while still remaining in my chosen niche, which is product reviews and giveaways.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Subscribe to Small Notebook via RSS or email (you’ll see a subscribe link on the right side, halfway down the page)
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 e-book for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

DidiPop Goes to Hawaii, and You Can, Too

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Oh the weather outside is frightful!

DidiPop I’m totally in love with the holiday season, and with the season where fall starts to give way to winter. I embrace the cold (probably because I live in a part of the country where winter is relatively mild). I love to bundle up in the covers, or take long hot baths and even go outside and just enjoy being cold for a little bit! Over time, it makes me a bit nostalgic for the warm days of summer (which is good, because I sort of don’t like summer…TOO hot!). Am I the only one who starts daydreaming about trips to Hawaii in November and December? Yes, I think sunny and a high of 76 sounds quite lovely, and I think I could go for a little bit of that right about now, but just for a few days!

Well, Darah recently got a new cd, and it is so much fun, because it takes you straight to Hawaii, no plane ticket or packed suitcase required! DidiPop Goes to Hawaii is just what the title suggests, a musical trip to the islands!

I’ve got a fun way to give you a preview of what DidiPop Goes to Hawaii is like! This video shows you a mango picker on Maui and gives you some glimpses into the recording of the song, “Mango.”

I love having a little splash of summer in November! It’s fun to embrace the holidays, but I also like to remember all the fun we have to look forward to when the weather warms back up again! And mangoes are my very favorite fruit, too. I always welcome their return to the stores!

Buy it!: DidiPop Goes to Hawaii will be released on Decmeber 14th, just in time to make it into the stockings of good little girls and boys! 🙂 You can pre-order the cd here for $15 or you can download all the mp3s for only $8.99!

Win it!: DidiPop wants to bring Hawaii to you! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Didi Pop Goes to Hawaii! The contest will run until December 6th at 11:59pm EST when the 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 favorite warm weather location! Do you wish you were there right now, or are you enjoying the cooler temperatures? My favorite spot to go is to Destin, Florida, though there’s plenty more beach in this world that I still need to see! And actually, I love going to the beach when it is cold, because I think the blue-gray skies and stormier weather are beautiful!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Sign up for the DidiPop Times, a monthly newsletter (that is super good!). Also, they give away a cd every month! (look in the bottom right corner of the linked page to sign up).

2. Blogger love: Subscriber to Stuff Parents Need by email or RSS

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

What’s on Your Wishlist for the Holidays?

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Image from RealSimple.com

I’m really curious to hear what you, my readers, are hoping for this holiday season. Let this be your opportunity to send a message out to the universe (or at least the blogoverse…is that a word?)! As adults we are doing most of the shopping and thinking about others, but we often don’t take a moment to think about what we would love to have. I know I draw blanks almost every time anyone asks me for my wishlist. So I’ve been working on it, and it has been fun!

Here are some things I’d love to find in my stocking or under the tree this year.
1. Some sort of coffee maker
2. Coffee (I know, big surprise)
3. Chocolate. All sorts!
4. Funds for the Blissdom conference (I know, money is sort of a lame request, but Blissdom is anything BUT lame!)
5. canning supplies. Yup, I’m sort of curious about this and would love to try my hand at it. I need a canning pot (I’m so new to this that I don’t even know the proper name for it!). I have some cans stowed away, but more would be cool.
6. Hugs from people I love. This is the one I’m pretty much guaranteed to get, at least from one side of my family this year, and it is the one I want more than anything else. All other gifts are just little bonuses!

Enough about me. I really want to hear what you want this year. Please tell me! I love to ooh and ahh (and get ideas!).

Celebrity-Inspired Jewelry from Fantasy Jewelry Box

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I always feel a bit more put together when I’m wearing some nice jewelry. It is all too easy to forget about how we look when we’re so focused on making sure our kids are wearing socks and shoes (why yes, I did take Darah to daycare recently without them, and why yes, it was way too cold for me to forget!). If I’m lucky, I’ll give myself a quick once over to make sure I don’t have dried food on me from Darah’s breakfast. Half the time I do. And half the time I still don’t change. Because dried food is oh-so-chic, my friends.

Kate Winslet - Fantasy Jewelry Box Review Every once in a while, though, I’ll snag some affordable jewelry for myself. I’m always pleased when I can find something that is inexpensive and that I know will not be out of style or broken within a season (this is assuming that Darah doesn’t get into my jewelry box, of course). Fantasy Jewelry Box is an online site that offers really beautiful pieces of jewelry that might not be the real deal, but are just as lovely!

I was sent these super gorgeous CZ diamond drop earrings. Check out the earrings they are inspired by on none other than Ms. Kate Winslet.

These are .925 sterling silver and fantasty jewelry box review 14K White Gold Electroplated. They have a 1 inch drop and are 2.5 carats each (that’s what I’m talkin’ about!). I love the setting they are in, and I’m really having fun wearing them. I’ll never have real diamond earrings this big, let’s just be real about that. But now I have these, and they are beautiful! 🙂

I don’t normally follow along with the latest happenings of celebrities, but I have to admit, I really had a blast checking out this site’s celebrity jewelry section. Celebrities are often the ones who get to show off some of the most stunning jewelry in the world. Fantasy Jewelry Box re-creates those beautiful pieces for the rest of us! I have no idea who this celebrity even is, but I sure do want her bracelet!

Buy it!: Fantasy Jewelry Box has an amazing selection of truly gorgeous pieces that will add sparkle to your holiday party attire, or just bring some bling into your everyday life! Their prices are very reasonable, and there’s something there for everyone! Right now they are offering an additional 10% off any item that’s already on sale! Just use the code SPECIALSALE10 at checkout!

You may also want to consider “liking” Fantasy Jewelry Box on Facebook, as they often have special giveaways there!

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.

Easy Craft with Your Kids: Thanksgiving Placemats!

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As you prepare for Thanksgiving, I’ve got a wonderful guest post for you today, courtesy of My Baby Clothes Boutique. This should be a breath of fresh air for all of you, because yours truly doesn’t have a crafty bone in her body! Thank goodness other people do!!
Perfect Place Settings: Easy Thanksgiving Placemats for Children

Thanksgiving craft idea: placemats Do you like to set a beautiful table for your family’s Thanksgiving celebration? Though I am not graced with the creativity or vision to create designer tables, I am blessed with two children who love to make art, so when it comes to table décor, I am usually in pretty good shape.

This holiday, my children’s places will be set with homemade placements that remind them—and me—of all the people for whom they give thanks. Here’s a simple “recipe” for making Thanksgiving placemats:

Materials Needed:

    • Photographs of family members
  • 11” x 14” construction paper in a Fall Color of your choice
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Pre-Printed letters or words spelling out “Happy Thanksgiving” or other holiday message.
  • Contact paper or access to a laminating machine

 

Instructions:

    1. Tell your child that he will be making a Thanksgiving placement that represents the family members and loved ones for whom he is grateful. Allow him to select 6-7 photos of people that he wants to include on his placemat. The photos will be laminated, so be sure to give your kids prints you don’t mind parting with or ones of which you can easily print or get doubles.
  • Have your child select construction paper in the color of his choice. If you have access to it, use legal size (11” x 14”) sheets. If not, consider taping together two regular-sized sheets of paper to create an 11” x 14” mat.
  • Allow your child to lay out the photos on the construction paper. You may want to cut the papers into interesting shapes in order to arrange them in visually interesting layouts. Scrapbookers: go wild!
  • Affix the photos with glue to hold them in their desired spots
  • Add your holiday message to a desired spot on the mat.
  • If you have access to a laminating machine, laminate your entire placemat, leaving a ¼” border around all of the sides. If you do not have access to a laminator, contact paper will work fine to cover and seal your child’s placemat, though your creation may enjoy a shorter overall life-span.

 

That’s it! I made these placemats with my daughters when they were both two years old. Now, five and three Thanksgivings later respectively, I still have two adorable placemats that are the crowning glory of my child-friendly table and a keepsake I plan to have around for my grandchildren to eat on someday.

Signe Whitson is a licensed social worker and co-author of The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools, and Workplaces, 2nd, ed. As a mom of two girls she has been able to come up with some creative ways to handle many of the common issues facing parents today. My Baby Clothes Boutique partnered with her to increase her audience and give back to the parenting community. The holidays are upon us, now is the perfect time to find the perfect outfit for you little ones. They carry everything you need from baby dresses, coordinating baby headbands, fashionably warm baby hats and so much more.

Amazing Skincare, Amazing Commitment, Amazing Blog: Therapon

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A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend an incredible event here in Chattanooga, hosted by a skincare company called Therapon.

I had never heard of the company before, but as I started learning about them, I was truly impressed. First and foremost, they take producing the very best skincare products on the market very seriously. From their site, “Our policy is that every Therapon product must outperform any other product in its class and must have its own unique function in the skin restoration process before receiving the Therapon name.”

We had the opportunity to try out their products and I was impressed with the results. We each had facials using the products, and also got our makeup done. I couldn’t help but notice that the ladies who had already had their facials but hadn’t yet had their makeup done really did have a natural glow.

I really appreciated that the company let the products speak for themselves at this event, and didn’t try to make a case for why we should buy them or why we should blog about them (I’m under absolutely no obligation to talk about Therapon!).
What they DID talk about was the nonprofit Operation Smile, and how they have a goal of raising $5 million for that organization over the next 5 years. The founder of Therapon (a doctor) has worked with this organization and even performed some of their operations. He is dedicated to their mission and sees Therapon as a way to not only radically change the quality of skincare available to women, but also make a huge difference in the lives of children all over the world. Rock on, Therapon. A company gets my attention any time they get serious about making a difference. In fact, if anyone decided to make a purchase during the event, 100% of the proceeds went to Operation Smile. Therapon was making it clear that they weren’t out for our money, and I thought that was really cool.

I wanted to recommend to my readers that you subscribe to Therapon’s blog. When you do, you’ll be eligible for their monthly giveaway of $100 in products. Since the blog is still pretty new, the subscriber numbers are kind of low (which means your odds of winning are kind of high!). Also, the content is really good! I’m enjoying their posts, for sure.

Many thanks, Therapon, for supporting female bloggers, providing superior skin health products and for making such a big commitment to Operation Smile.