Stuff Parents Need

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

Do We Like Pacifiers? Yes MAM! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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EDIT: Giveaway CLOSED!

Before Darah was born I didn’t think we would use a pacifier very much. I didn’t want to risk nipple confusion when she was a newborn, and I also didn’t want to have to deal with taking it away from her later.

BUT…..
My little one had a strong need to suck on something from the onset. Here you will see our solution for the first two weeks of her life…our fingers! That was cute for a minute, but then got old. After her 2 week checkup, we were given the green light for pacifiers. We had a couple of different brands for her to try out, but there was one very clear winner: MAM.

Darah has been loyal to MAM pacifiers since the first day she tried one. She spits out every other binky out there, even the one that I thought might have almost identical shapes. They must not, because Darah can clearly tell the difference. Can I tell you how awesome it is that the MAM website has a store locator on its site? We’ve used that during an emergency missing pacifier crisis!

So what makes MAM pacifiers so great? From their literature, “MAM pacifiers have been developed in partnership with internationally known pediatricians, orthodontists and pediatric dentists. The exclusive MAM shield has a unique system of large ventilation holes and a patented raised pattern of dimples that reduce skin irritation by not allowing saliva to be trapped against the skin. MAM nipples are extra soft and ventilated to adapt naturally to your baby’s sucking action. MAM nipples are symmetrical so there’s no danger of them being used upside down. The concave shield is contoured to conform to your baby’s face. It pulls gently inwards as your baby sucks to encourage the healthy development of teeth and jaw.”

In short, there are many different things that make MAM pacifiers a great choice, not the least of which, for me, is that my child absolutely adores them and can spot an imposter a mile away!

MAM has an amazing selection of pacifiers for different ages, stages/fashion needs! Darah likes their 2+ month pacifiers, and even as an 8 month old, she prefers them to the 6+ month models, although she’s slowly warming up to the larger ones now. She has every MAM Pearl that we have been able to find in the stores. MAM Pearls are a great option because they have really pretty colors and designs on them, so it is easy to make sure the pacifier coordinates with the outfit, if that is something that matters to you (check her out, here, at 3 months old rockin’ the head-to-toe pink and white look!).
After contacting MAM to tell them that we had their biggest fan living at our house, I learned that they had some options that we had never even seen. I’m a little bit embarrassed to admit how thrilled I was to learn about this. What can I say, pacifiers have become really important in my house, and to learn that the only brand my daughter will accept has some models that we don’t have was awesome news, and I wanted to get my hands on them ASAP! MAM sent me those models, and no surprise, they are much loved.
First, let me tell you about the MAM Night. It glows in the dark! I cannot tell you in strong enough terms how much we love this pacifier. The glow holds for several hours, so that when she wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t find her binky, we can easily locate it for her! I was worried, at first, that it would be so bright that it would keep her awake. But that has not been the case. At this point, she doesn’t seem very curious about the fact that it glows, and goes right to sleep with it just as she does with her other pacifiers. This is a huge hit at our house, and I have no idea why our local stores aren’t carrying it!
The second model we got was the MAM Soft. The outside edges of the pacifier are made of silicone, which makes it good for the skin. More importantly, however, it makes for a terrific chew toy for teething babies! Darah absolutely loves to take her MAM Soft out of her mouth, chew on the edges, and then go back to sucking on the binky. We don’t give her this one at night time because she plays with it so much, but it gets used frequently during the day.

Buy It!: MAM products are available nationwide at places like Target and Rite Aid, just to name a few. Give MAM a try…the odds are good that what they offer will be a huge hit with both you and your baby!

Win It!: MAM would like to offer one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader 3 sets of pacifiers in your choice of size and style! Awesome! The contest will run until Friday, May 7th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it in your profile or else I can’t contact you to tell you that you won!

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry: Tell me one thing you learned about MAM when checking out their website!

Additional entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (one extra entry total, even if you subscribe both ways)
2. Follow me through Google Friend Connect
3. Put my button on your blog (leave blog url)
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
5. Follow MAM on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
6. Become a fan of MAM on Facebook
7. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter) and even

Current giveaways: Ranky Tanky children’s cd (ends 4/27), Hen and Chicks cloth diaper (ends 4/30), Sugar Free Allstars children’s cd (ends 5/4)

disclosure: MAM sent me a few sets of pacifiers for review purposes. The opinions expressed above are strictly my own (and my daughter’s!)

Easy Mexican Chicken Marinade Recipe

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We made this easy Mexican chicken marinade and really loved the tangy flavor it gave to the chicken.

Use the chicken for any type of Mexican fare that you like (burritos, chimichangas, tostadas, tacos, you name it!). We cut the chicken into small pieces so that the flavors could really seep into the meat.

1/2 cup lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil (we used slightly less with good results)
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp chili powder

Let the chicken marinade for 5-6 hours (or more!) in the Mexican chicken marinade before cooking on the stove, oven or grill. Enjoy!

Funky Fresh and Sugar Free! (Music Giveaway!)

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sugar free allstars funky fresh and sugar free I just received a copy of a new children’s album called Funky Fresh and Sugar Free by the Sugar Free Allstars. Funky Fresh and Sugar Free presents a rock-solid sound that parents will love and kids will groove to. From the initial call-and-response strains of “Rock Awesome” to the rousing choruses of “In My Pocket” and “SFA Disco Dance Party” and “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da” (a new arrangement of the Beatles’ classic), these tunes will get any party started. “Hey Now, It’s Your Birthday” invites kids to “run and jump and play on this wonderful day.” The songs “Little Red Wagon” and “Cars and Trucks” and “The Train Beat Song” are perfect for family road trips, too. The brassy song “6th Grade Band” will inspire young musicians to “learn how to rock” while they’re still in school!

funky fresh and sugar free sugar free allstars Sugar Free Allstars is Chris (Boom!) Wiser (lead vocals, keyboards, saxophones and bass clarinet) and Rob (Dr. Rock) Martin (vocals, percussion) a duo that has been making funky-fresh music for families for five years. Their 2007 debut family music releaseDos Niños(their fourth CD release overall) brought them national attention and acclaim, including selection as one of the best CDs of the year by the Fids and Kamily critics’ poll and heavy rotation on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Kids Place Live, where the song “Bathtub Boy” topped their playlists for many weeks.

Listen to a few of the songs from the album here or check them out on YouTube! The album will be available for purchase on April 27th.

EDIT: Giveaway closed!

Win It!: Now is your chance to snag your very own copy of Funky Fresh and Sugar Free! The contest will run until Tuesday, May 4th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it in your profile or else I can’t contact you to tell you that you won!

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry: Tell me your favorite song of of the 5 you can preview!

Additional entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (one extra entry total, even if you subscribe both ways)
2. Follow me through Google connect
3. Put my button on your blog (leave blog url)
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)
5. Become a fan of Sugar Free Allstars on Facebook
5. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this album for review purposes. No form of compensation was received in exchange for this post.

Get Ready: Memphis in May Review and Giveaway Series!!!

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May is the month when my city is absolutely glorious. Everything is green and lush. The weather is delightful and invites you to come outside and play in the sunshine. Memphis is dressed in her finest, and can be compared to no other in May, no doubt about it.

The city is alive with festivals, barbecue contests, graduations and all sorts of fun. I’m happy to be adding my own little piece of joy to the mix this year by hosting my own personal Memphis in May review and giveaway series. I will be featuring 8 amazing local artists who have whipped up some finery for you all to check out. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to introduce you all to some Memphis talent (yes, we have more going on than Elvis!). Get ready, because you are not going to want to miss this! The fun starts May 3rd! Stay tuned!!!

AND...if you leave a comment on this post with something you know or love about Memphis by 8pm CST on May 2nd, you’ll get an extra entry for the giveaways! Show me your Memphis love!

Save Trees with Rain Tees Rainforest Animals Shirts

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It is very common these days to use your clothing as a means to make a statement of some sort. Most of the time the statement comes in the form of having a designer’s logo across your chest, all over your handbag, or in the case of Victoria’s Secret Pink collection, square on your bum (this still baffles me, people)!

But what if you wanted to make a statement that wasn’t about your own wealth or your favorite designer labels? What if you wanted to inspire conversation about social and environmental issues, and even create some positive change by the very act of making your purchase?

Rain Tees is an apparel line that gives you the opportunity to do just that. Every shirt you buy gives back to the rain forests in a myriad of ways, including reforestation and green job creation, just to name a few.

Rain Tees contain original drawings of rainforest animals made by children who live in tropical forests in Central and South America. Art supplies are donated to these children, and they are asked to draw what they see in their environments. Rain Tees provide a way to share these stories with the world. Any child whose drawing is selected for a Rain Tee design is also supported by the company to continue their education. I think that’s an amazing way to have a positive impact on the artist!

Additionally, for every Rain Tee that is sold, one tree will be planted in Costa Rica’s most threatened tropical rainforest in an effort to bring it back to life.

Rain Tees come in a fantastic variety of prints, and they are all made on 100% eco friendly fabrics. The shirts are put together in a family owned factory in Peru where the workers are paid 25% above the average wage of the area. This is clearly a company who prioritizes sustainability not only environmentally, but also economically. This is such a rare thing to find in a business, my friends.

So let’s review: If you buy a shirt from Rain Tees, you not only get a really cute shirt, but you also support the following:
1. A child’s education
2. Tree planting in an endangered tropical forest
3. Fair wages
4. Environmental awareness

If that’s not fashion-forward, I’m not sure what is. It beats having a label across your butt any day, in my book!

Buy It!: Women’s shirts from Rain Tees start at $34.00 and shirts for little ones are $32.00. Go ahead and make your statement. Change the world one shirt at a time!

Special thanks so Rain Tees for sending a tee for Darah and a tee for me to try out! The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own.

Hen and Chick Cloth Diapers

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If you are following along with my journey figuring out how to use cloth diapers, then you’ll know that I’ve discovered that there is a bit of a learning curve to using these diapers. It just isn’t the case that you can just whip out a cloth diaper that is always ready to go (as long as it has been washed!) and that fastens on as quickly as a disposable diaper, and that is as thin as a disposable diaper.

Well, that’s what I thought, at least.

I baby wearing a hen and chick cloth diaper (review) t turns out that there are cloth diapers that are remarkably similar in their ease of use and thin design to disposables. They are called All in One diapers (often referred to as AIO). Let me introduce you to Hen and Chick Cloth, a fabulous Etsy store run by a delightful mom named Heather. She makes super cute AIO diapers! If you want to try out cloth, but you want it to be as close to your disposable diaper experience as possible, in terms of ease of use, I think giving AIO diapers a try is a good idea!

Here’s what I loved about my Hen and Chick Cloth AIO diaper that Heather sent me:
1. Bumblebees?! I almost can’t stand how precious this is. I mean, look at that!!!
2. The diaper couldn’t be easier to get on and off. There’s nothing to stuff or snap.
3. Velcro ensures a really nice and snug fit.
4. This diaper is almost as thin as a disposable diaper. This makes it really easy to use in conjunction with any outfit she has (you may recall that I stated earlier that cloth diapering requires sizing up your baby’s pants, but in the case of the Hen and Chick AIO, there’s no need!).

Here are the things that I found to be not as awesome:
1. Darah is just about to outgrow the diaper already. It is meant to be for sizes 10-20 pounds. I’m guessing that Darah is around 16.5-17 pounds, but she won’t be able to wear this diaper much longer at all, so either they run small, or Darah’s thighs are on the roly poly side! This brings me to an important point: cloth diapers, just like disposables, are going to fit each baby differently, depending on their build. So for Hen and Chick Cloth, in my opinion, I would err on the larger side when purchasing these diapers unless your little one has thin legs.

2. AIO diapers take much longer than any other cloth diaper I own to dry. Because the inserts are sewn in, as opposed to being detachable, there are just more layers on hand to dry. This is a problem you are going to run into with all your AIO diapers and is not unique to Hen and Chick Cloth diapers. Heather has a suggestion for this problem, though. She keeps a few towels in her laundry room to throw in with her AIO diapers. She says it really helps cut down on the drying time!

3. Because the diapers are thin, they just aren’t as absorbent. However, this is easy to solve by simply adding an insert. Heather sells inserts that fit beautifully into her diapers for just $1.00 each! So that problem is very easy to fix, I’m pleased to say.

Overall, I think Hen and Chick Cloth offers very cute diapers that are very easy to use! Two thumbs up, Heather!

Buy It!: If you are on the lookout for a slim AIO diaper in a really cute pattern, Hen and Chick Cloth has what you need. Prices start at $10 for small diapers, and go up to $16 for large diapers. The shop also carries cloth wipes and wetbags!

Win It!: Heather wants Hen and Chick Cloth diapers to be on your baby’s bottom! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an AIO diaper of their choice from the available listings! The contest will run until Friday, April 30th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it in your profile or else I can’t contact you to tell you that you won!

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry: Tell me the diaper you would choose if you won (choose wisely, as you will win what you select if your number is drawn!).

Additional entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (one extra entry total, even if you subscribe both ways)
2. Follow me through Google connect
3. Put my button on your blog (leave blog url)
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)
5. Subscribe to Heather’s blog
6. Add Hen and Chick Cloth to your favorites on Etsy (leave your etsy username)
7. Make a purchase from Hen and Chick cloth (worth 5 extra entries!!!)
8. Make a comment that contributes to the conversation at this post (“I like cloth” would not be a good comment, for example) and come back here to tell me you did.
9. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

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

Time for Some Respectable PJ’s, Ladies! (Eden Home Review)

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Let me tell you a little bit about my pajamas. My “go-to” attire for bedtime or lounging around the house consists of a mismatched top and bottom. The top is a t-shirt from my graduate school that seriously needed to be thrown out 2 years ago. It has permanent stains in the armpits for all those times when I was sweating it out over a paper, holes dotted throughout the shirt such that it would be indecent to be seen in public wearing it for that reason if no other, and despite my best efforts to soak the shirt and wash it with the most scented stuff I can find, it still has a slightly funky smell that just won’t go away. The bottoms are very loose fitting Capri-style pajama bottoms. Yup…CAPRI pajama bottoms. Oh, and I wore them all throughout my pregnancy so they are good and stretched! I’m one hot mama in this outfit, as you can imagine.
I’m embarrassed just typing out a description of what I wear, but I’m doing it for a reason. I bet many of you are wearing things around the house that aren’t too much better (please don’t tell me that what you wear is any worse!). Why do we neglect ourselves? Here’s my list of excuses: 1. Money can sometimes be tight, and pajamas for myself just don’t make the priority list for spending; 2. Sometimes I don’t feel cute, so why bother looking cute?; 3. Aren’t pajamas supposed to be comfortable, and therefore, sort of ugly, anyway? All of these reasons are ridiculous, my friends! First, let me just say that we all deserve to feel as though we look nice at any given time. That doesn’t have to come at the expense of comfort, either. You also don’t have to spend $100 dollars to get something really nice for yourself (I mean, you COULD, but it isn’t necessary!).

As I type this, I am wearing a new lounge set. Let me just be completely honest, I’m wearing this set any chance I can get these days. It is the perfect balance of comfort and style. I feel pampered and pretty when I wear it, and the price tag is palatable, especially considering how comfortable it is! Introducing the lounge set from Under the Canopy, offered by Eden Home. From the website, “This 3 piece organic loungewear set includes organic pants, an organic shirt and an organic eye mask. The stretch jersey, roll waist, organic women’s pants offer a very flattering fit. Made from 95% organic cotton and 5% spandex.” The very first time I tried on this set, I was a bit surprised by how fitted the top is. I thought for a moment that perhaps the size was too small for me. Then I realized that I’m just so used to wearing extremely loose garments around the house, and that something can be fitted and still fit! Now I absolutely love the look and feel of this set. I also wouldn’t be too embarrassed to go to a yoga class or sign for a package at the front door wearing these, and that’s definitely not something I could say in my old jammies (I have actually missed the delivery of a package before in my old pj’s! How ridiculous is that?!). I also love that it is made of organic cotton. I have been increasingly on the lookout for organic cotton clothes for Darah, but I’ve never even thought about trying to find some for myself. I just assumed that it would be cost-prohibitive. This set retails for just $48.00. If you’ve priced matching pajama sets lately, you know that this is right in line with what you’ll find in department stores for cotton sets that AREN’T organic!

In addition to selling wonderful organic clothing, Eden Home is also a great resource for finding a wonderful selection of items for your home, your baby and for gifts. From Eden Home, “On our website you will find a complete selection of the best organic, all-natural and eco-friendly products for your home and life that won’t have you compromising your sense of style. Plus we know it’s important to you to understand which products are truly organic and how and where they are made so, in addition to including the product story, ingredients and care instructions, we’ve developed the Eden Home Seal of Assurance labeling system to describe the virtues of each product: (O) organic, (N) natural, (E) eco-friendly, (FT) Fair Trade and (USA) made in the USA.” I love this labeling system. It really helps you shop with confidence and know that your purchase is going to tread lightly on the planet. A few of the items they sell that I’m currently coveting are the organic towels in every color (their selection has every color I want in my home!), the organic blue duvet cover and the ducky pajamas for Darah!

Buy It!: Eden Home has something for everyone! Check them out and see what earth-friendly treasures you can find. If your pajamas sound anything like my old pajamas, take my advice and get an upgrade that will look and feel terrific. This set is available in sizes S-XL. If you sign up for their newsletter, you can get a 15% off coupon for any baby purchase, as well! Woo hoo!

Also, right now Eden Home has a contest to win an organic baby registry! Woot! There will be one grand prize winner who will receive $1,000 in baby merchandise, and there will be weekly winners who will each receive $85 gift certificates to Eden Home. What are you waiting for, go create your registry!!! If you are a weekly or the grand prize winner, please come back and let me know so that I can be jealous of you! 🙂

Special thanks to Eden Home for providing a complimentary lounge set in order to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Healthy Butternut Squash Risotto Recipe

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It’s been several weeks since I’ve posted a Simple Sunday recipe. I promise we’ve been cooking, but we haven’t’ had much that we’ve made really blow us out of the water. But today we made a healthy butternut squash risotto you will love!

This is a fantastic vegetarian dish from All Recipes (my favorite place to look online for meal options!).

The dish is only complicated in that cooking risotto requires that you constantly stir/monitor the rice for 15-20 minutes. That is totally annoying, and so you should only do it when the end result will be worth it. I believe that in this case, it is totally worth it! Bon Appetite!

healthy butternut squash risotto in a bowl Healthy Butternut Squash Risotto

  • 2 cups cubed butternut squash
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 1 cup Arborio Rice
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 5 cups hot chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Place squash cubes into a steamer basket in a saucepan. Add water, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to steam until the squash is tender (10 to 15 minutes), then drain, and mash in a bowl with a fork.
  2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then stir in the rice. Continue cooking and stirring until the rice is glossy from the butter, and the onion begins to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes more.
  3. Pour in the white wine; cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated. Stir in the mashed squash and 1/3 of the hot chicken stock; reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until the chicken stock has been absorbed by the rice, 5 to 7 minutes. Add half of the remaining chicken stock, and continue stirring until it has been absorbed. Finally, pour in the remaining stock, and continue stirring until the risotto is creamy. Finish by stirring in the Parmesan cheese, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

This post may contain affiliate links. 

Ranky Tanky: Music the Whole Family Will Love

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ranky tanky

Darah squeals with delight when we play music at home. She loves to hear a good beat and just thinks it is so funny when mommy and daddy sing along with a song. Over the past few months we have been listening to some terrific music from artists like Charity and the JAMBand, Earthworm Ensemble, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Family. We recently added another absolutely fantastic album to our collection. Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem is a folksy string band and they have just released a family album called Ranky Tanky. I would say that the style of music in this album is upbeat, playful, rockabilly, and even a bit impromptu. I LOVE this album. I wish I had a way to express how much I like it beyond the caps lock function of my keyboard! Every single song on here is fun, catchy, and sounds great. Great classics such as Purple People Eater and The Green Grass Grows All Around are huge hits here. In fact, when I put this cd on for Darah (and also for me, since I love it), we don’t skip over a single song. We love them all! Don’t just take my word for it, though, listen for yourself!
ranky tanky
Buy It!: Do you need some tunes to groove to with your kids that won’t drive you crazy? This is the album to buy, then! Ranky Tanky is available for $15 plus shipping today!

EDIT: Giveaway closed

Win It!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is about to bring some musical joy home. You will win your very own copy of Ranky Tanky! The contest will run until Tuesday, April 27th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it in your profile or else I can’t contact you to tell you that you won!

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry: Of the songs available for preview, tell me which one you like the very best.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email
2. Follow me through Google connect
3. Put my button on my blog and leave a url where I can find it
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (include your TwitterID)
5. Sign up for the Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem mailing list
6. Become a fan of Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem on Facebook
7. Enter any currently open giveaway (1 extra entry per giveaway)

Disclosure: I received a product sample for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own.