Stuff Parents Need

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

Take Time to Throw Away Old Medicine

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This past weekend, we reorganized all of our drugs, bandages, ointments, vitamins and other similar items. We had been keeping these things in a small plastic container the size of a shoebox. When we outgrew that, we just bought another shoebox. I decided that it was time for something a bit larger, so we bought an organizer with three drawers to keep under our sink. We sorted through both of our boxes, and we threw away about 15 items that had either expired, or whose purpose was totally unclear. We also put like items together in Ziploc bags and labeled the bags. Hopefully this will make it easier to quickly find the pain relievers or the cold medicine, etc. when we are searching for it. Going through our medicine also gave me a sense for items that we have PLENTY of right now (Tylenol) and items that we are almost out of (Pepto Bismol).

Try to take a few minutes this week to go through your medicine cabinet, drawer, shoebox or whatever you use to store these items. The odds are really good that it could use some weeding out and organizing. Down the road when you are sick, you’ll be so glad that you didn’t have to dig around for 10 minutes, only to discover that you are all out of the medicine you need!

Please let me know if you tackle your medicines!

How to Start Cloth Diapering

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A few weeks ago I talked about us cautiously dipping out toes in the cloth diaper lake and figuring out how to use cloth diapers. We decided to give it a try because I won a cloth diaper.

how to tart cloth diapering
My very first cloth diaper came from the company Holden’s Landing. Bonnie, the owner, contacted me to let me know that I won a rainbow cloth diaper (similar to this one). I mentioned to her that it would be my very first cloth diaper, and she responded that the diaper was the type that needs a cover, and that she would just send one to me along with the diaper. She also helped me figure out the best size to buy for my baby (and it turns out that with cloth diapers you need to give it some careful thought and, depending on the specific diaper you get, talk with other folks who use the diaper about how it fits).When the package arrived from Holden’s Landing, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Bonnie sent me the rainbow cloth diaper, a second diaper that had a similar look but that is designed with its inserts to be used overnight, an AI2 diaper (details on what that means later) a wool soaker and a pair of knit pants that also serve as a diaper cover. I haven’t added up the worth of these 3 diapers and 2 covers, but rest assured, this was EXTREMELY generous of Bonnie. She did it simply because she said she wanted to give me a good introduction to cloth diapering and to teach me how to use cloth diapers the right way by giving me several options.This brings me to the primary thing I have learned about cloth diapering: cloth diapering mamas are SUPPORTIVE. They will talk with you at length, make suggestions and display generosity in numerous ways. So I have to say, for that, the cloth diapering community (and Bonnie in particiular) is amazing. When you don’t have other folks around you cloth diapering, it can be really easy to give up, so it is great that you can find a community online to help you work through any difficulties you might be having.

Now onto the diapers. Holden’s Landing diapers are wonderful! They definitely give babies fluffy butts, which was something I wasn’t used to seeing. When I add an extra insert, sometimes Darah struggles to sit up without wobbling, so that’s the primary drawback I see. But the cuteness factor is out of this universe. OH MY! Also, the diapers are very soft. They make disposables seem like the scratchiest stuff out there! Bonnie makes her diapers out of organic bamboo and organic cotton. I have noticed that they don’t quite have the absorbency of her disposables, but I also have to confess that I only pre-washed them once before using them (more on that later).

how to start cloth diapering If you are looking for a top of the line cloth diaper, check out Holden’s Landing. She has so many great things to offer, and she is such a genuinely nice and helpful person! Also, how can you resist this Hedgehog diaper?!

Other Cloth Diaper Tips

Here are a few more things I’ve learned about cloth diapering due to receiving these awesome diapers:
1. Cloth diapers need to be washed a few times in order for their absorbency to increase. This is particularly the case for diapers made with bamboo. I didn’t do that to start, and I think that’s why the absorbency was a little bit lacking at first.

2. Wool soakers only need to be washed once they start to get a little bit stinky. At first I thought you had to wash them every time, and I thought that was disappointing. But I was wrong!

3. Wool soakers need to be washed with a special type of soap. Bonnie also sent me a wool wash bar of soap (it isn’t really soap, but I can’t remember what it is called).

4. Unless they are AIO (All-in-one) or AI2 (all-in-two) diapers, most other cloth diapers need a cover to go over them to help prevent leaks.

5. Extra inserts are like pads that you can either lay in the diaper or, in certain diaper models, you can snap in. They are a great way to add some extra protection, but they do add some bulk!

6. If you cloth diaper, your little one is going to need bigger pants!

Stay tuned, as I’ll be bringing you news about my very first AIO diaper experience, as well as a GIVEAWAY sponsored by Hen & Chick Cloth! Tell me something interesting you have learned about your cloth diapering journey (or lack thereof!) in the comments of this post in order to gain an extra entry in the upcoming giveaway!

Disclosure: I won the original diaper that I talked about in this post, and Bonnie sent the other items just because she is nice, and not in exchange for me telling you about her! I just wanted to return the favor and spread the word about her great diapers!

Customized Greeting Cards (UPrinting GIVEAWAY!)

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EDIT: Giveaway closed!

One of my favorite partners, UPrinting, is teaming up with me to do another awesome giveaway!

A little while back I told you about the custom stickers and labels that you can make with UPrinting, for anything from address labels to business logos that you put on your packages. I recently ordered my address labels, and I was very impressed with the customer service. They were lightning fast and helped me out when the file I submitted was the wrong size. I was very pleased with the service!

Today I want to talk about greeting cards. UPrinting can custom make greeting cards for you! How cool is that?! Perhaps you run a business and you like to send out cards to your clients during the holidays. UPrinting can help you create the perfect card, customized to your needs. No more generic boxed greeting cards for you! UPrinting also offers envelopes that can have your return address printed on them, which will save you a lot of hand cramps from writing your address 100 times, and which will look even more professional than an adhesive address label. Or perhaps you need a really nice set of thank you cards, but everything you see in the stores is either extremely boring or extremely expensive (that’s my experience, at least). Now you can get something personalized at a price you can stomach!

Today you have the chance to win a set of 50 7x 5″ (folded to 3.5 x 5″) Custom Thank You Cards with plain envelopes, including 14 pt Cardstock Gloss coating and full color outside and blank inside. Awesome! The contest will run until Saturday, April 24th 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.

How to Enter:

Mandatory Entry: Follow me on Google Friend Connect or subscribe to my blog via email. Your first entry should be a statement that you have done so. It’s just that simple!

Additional Entries:
1. Put my button on your blog and leave a url where I can find it
2. Subscribe to the UPrinting blog
3. Become a fan of UPrinting on Facebook
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)
5. Tell me one other product UPrinting offers that you could use.
6. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. I will receive the same greeting card package in appreciation for hosting the giveaway.

Free Planet Earth Download!

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Planet Earth download DVD cover
Do you remember when BBC put out the beyond-breathtaking 11-part series, Planet Earth? To me, this is the most visually stunning series I have ever seen, hands-down!

Today I have some good news about this series: It is now available on iTunes for download! And here’s even better news: In celebration of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, the first episode “Pole to Pole” can be downloaded FOR FREE between April 12-26!!!!

If you haven’t seen the Planet Earth series, here’s a little bit more info from BBC: “This jaw-dropping, 11-part series from the BBC’s Natural History Unit presents the epic story of life on Earth. Series producer Alastair Fothergill and his team spent four years in production, over 2000 days in the field, using 71 cameramen filming across 204 locations in 62 countries to capture the ultimate portrait of our planet. It has garnered legions of fans and universal critical acclaim with Oprah Magazine saying “It is the most beautiful, wondrous and truly majestic series – the best thing I’ve ever seen on TV.” Using a budget of unprecedented proportions and captured on HD cameras, Planet Earth is among the highest rated and best selling HD programs ever made.”

You absolutely MUST see this series. Download “Pole to Pole” and you’ll see what I mean! The whole series is available for download on iTunes for $20.99 ($31.99 High-Definition).

Happy (early) Earth Day, everyone! Oh, by the way, the picture listed is from my favorite moment of the entire Planet Earth series. This is a male bird trying to impress a female bird with an elaborate mating dance. There’s no way to describe it…you just have to see it. It absolutely blew my mind. Nature is amazing!

Ecotools Bamboo Brush Set Review

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I hate to think about the number of makeup brushes I have been through in the 15 or so years that I’ve been wearing makeup. In general, I’m just too thrifty to spend a lot of money on those brushes that they claim last forever (I think I also just don’t believe that they will really last long enough to justify the cost). However, in retrospect, I have certainly spent more than what I would have on a nice set of make up tools over the last decade or so, going from ineffective brush to ineffective brush.

ecotools bamboo brush set I was really intrigued to learn about an affordable set of makeup brushes that Alicia Silverstone has put out called EcoTools. EcoTools sent me the EcoTools 6 Piece Essential Eye Brush Set to try out and tell you all about. The brushes are distinct among all makeup brushes out there for their cruelty-free taklon bristles, recycled aluminum ferrules and bamboo handles.The 6 piece eye brush set is priced with the frugalista in mind, at $7.99. It contains a large eye shadow brush, angled crease brush, petite eye shading brush, domed highlighting brush, smudge brush and a compact cosmetic case with mirror.

There’s only one thing I don’t like about this set, and that is the hemp and cotton carrying case. I keep my makeup brushes in a cup so that they are all standing up, plainly visible, and ready for quick use. The carrying case is something that I personally would never use as it takes up quite a bit of space in my makeup bag and it only holds the eye makeup brushes, and not all of my other brushes. So that went straight to the donation pile, unfortunately. I know that some women out there like to keep their brushes in a palette, and if that’s you, then you’ll like it.

Now for what I do like about the set: the brushes! They really do a great job! I confess that I’ve never really had eye make up tools that were so distinct. I just use the same applicator for everything, which is perhaps why my eye makeup sometimes looks so boring. I was a little bit concerned that I’d quickly lose track of the purpose for each brush. Fortunately, each brush has its name on it so that I don’t have to remember! These tools do a nice job of gripping the makeup and releasing it evenly on the lids. Perhaps my favorite tool in the bunch is the smudge brush, which has enabled me to create a smoky look that I haven’t achieved before. I will say that using these brushes means spending more time on your makeup, but in my experience, the extra time pays off in the form of eye makeup that looks great!

ecotools bamboo brush set EcoTools offers some terrific instructional videos to help folks like me update their looks using these brushes. I learned several cool tricks when I watched them!

EcoTools has also joined with 1% For the Planet, which means that they donate 1% of their annual sales to environmental organizations that create a healthier place to live. I love it when a business puts its money where its mouth is as it relates to environmental stewardship. Way to go, EcoTools!

Buy It!: EcoTools are available nationwide at retailers such as Target, Walgreens and Amazon!

If you have tried EcoTools brushes, what did you think about them? Have you tried any other products from this line?

Disclosure: I was provided with product samples for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own. This post may contain affiliate links

Handmade Baby Shoes for Pre-Walkers or New Walkers

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Recently I wrote about discovering a very cool mom named Brandi who operates a delicious little etsy store called Pannaz. I reviewed her washable nursing pads and found them to be effective, beautiful, eco-friendly and VERY kind to your wallet ($2/pair!).

baby wearing handmade baby shoes from Pannaz Today I am bringing you another review from her shop. Brandi sent me a pair of handmade baby shoes for Darah to wear. We have been loving them. Darah is exceptionally skilled at getting anything that is on her feet OFF! She hasn’t taken these shoes off once, which absolutely blows my mind. I think there are a few reasons for this: 1. They are constructed very well so that they are easy to get on and off, but only if you have better hand coordination than an infant, and 2. They are comfortable, so Darah doesn’t seem to mind that they are on her feet. We have the size 6-12 month shoes, and while there is room to grow, they aren’t slipping off Darah because they are more secure around the ankles. I think this is an excellent design feature. I also love that they can just get tossed in the wash when they get dirty (and since Darah likes to chew on her toes, you can imagine how these have been soiled quite a few times!).

I also want to point out that these handmade baby shoes, which Brandi will custom-make for you, are extremely reasonably priced at $7.00 for 0-6 month shoes and $8.00 for larger sizes (which have non-skid bottoms). Brandi will work with you to get the type of fabric that you like (what she has on her site are just a few examples) and the right size. While most of her shoes on Etsy are shown in 0-6 months, she also makes 6-12, 12-18 and 18-24 months!

If you need some cute handmade soft-soled shoes for your baby or for a gift, you could buy a pair of Robeez….or you could buy an entire collection of handmade Pannaz shoes!!! Convo Brandi to get started creating the perfect shoes for the little one in your life.

Edit: This giveaway is now closed.

Win it!: Right now is your chance to snag a custom pair of Pannaz shoes! The winner will be able to work with Brandi to select the fabric and size.The contest will run until Thursday, April 22nd 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.

How To Enter:

Mandatory Entry: Tell me your favorite item in the Pannaz shop.

Additional Entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (only 1 extra entry total, even if you subscribe both ways)

2. Follow me through Google connect

3. Put my button on your blog and leave a url where I can find it

4. Become a fan of Pannaz on Facebook

5. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)

6. Add Pannaz to your favorites list on Etsy

7. Give Brandi a suggestion for an item you would like to see her sell.

8. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

The 3’s of Me Meme

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A Modern Day Ricky and Lucy posted this meme, and I really liked it, so I thought I’d fill it out so you can learn a bit more about me!

The 3’s of Me:

Three Names I Go By:
1. Tiffany
2. Love
3. Mama (but only in my dreams, b/c Darah hasn’t said it yet, hmph!)

Three Jobs I Have Had in My Life:
1. Drive-through Diva at Captain D’s
2. Resident Assistant at my alma mater
3. Development Intern at The Radcliffe Foundation (aka professional paper shredder)

Three Places I Have Lived:
1. Enterprise, AL
2. Indio, CA
3. Cambridge, MA

Favorite Drinks:
1. Iced coffee!
2. Coke Zero
3. Rootbeer float (I’m gonna count that as a drink, folks!)

Three TV Shows I Watch:
1. Biggest Loser (best when viewed while eating ice cream!)
2. The Office
3. Vampire Diaries (go ahead and judge…I judge myself for this one)

Three Places I’ve been:
1. Peru
2. Tulsa, OK (shout out to Natalie!)
3. Portland, OR

Three of My Favorite Foods:
1. Rootbeer float (and now it’s “food” instead of “drink”)
2. Spaghetti Carbonara, but only the way Tim makes it
3. cereal. The more sugar the better

Three Cars I Have Owned:
1. 1992 Dodge Dynasty. Good lord I hated that car.
2. 1997 Kia Sportage (toot toot Kia! I miss you!)
3. 2005 Honda Civic, which I lurve

Things I Hate Doing:
1. Grading papers. UGH!
2. dishes
3. running. Can’t freakin’ stand it.

Three Places to Find Me on the Weekend:
1. buzzing around the house doing damage control (housework)
2. out for a walk on the greenline near our home
3. in front of my computer, working on my blog

Three Movies I Have Seen in the Theater Recently
1. Recently? As in, the past year? Uh…..
2. Oh! I think I saw Julie and Julia back in the fall
3. That’s all, folks. Welcome to parenthood.

Three Places I Would Like to Visit:
1. Israel
2. Greece
3. Hawaii

Please feel free to fill this out on your blog or in the comments. I’d love to get to know you better, too!

BeautiControl Instant Manicure for Rough, Cracked Hands

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BeautiControl Instant Manicure to the Rescue

Now that weather is warming up it is time to ditch the winter gloves and show off your beautiful hands. What’s that?! Your hands are dry, cracked and rough after Old Man Winter’s visit to your town? If you are now glove-free but wishing you could hide your hands, you should check out a really nice product from BeautiControl that can help those hands look their best!

beauticontrol instant manicure for rough hands I recently had the opportunity to try out the Beauticontrol Instant Manicure, which is an exfoliator designed specifically to moisturize hands and cuticles. I just keep this in my shower now and put it on once a week. It’s doing a really good job of keeping my hands looking really nice. I’d say it is on par with other higher-end exfoliants I have tried. I was a little taken aback by the price tag for this ($27 for 10 ounces) but I’ve realized that it really only take a little bit to really scrub your hands. I’d say this container will easily last me 1 1/2 years using it once/week. You can also find it cheaper on Amazon!

I think BeautiControl sounds like a great company to work for out of your home. I love their vision: “To empower millions of women to live the life they love.” So I’d love to hear if anyone out there has ever or is currently working for BeautiControl? If you love working with this company, tell us why!

This is the first product I have ever tried from BeautiControl. Has anyone ever tried a different product they make? Do you love it? Dish!

beauticontrol instant manicure Disclosure: I received product samples in order to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own. This post may contain affiliate links. 

My Favorite Diaper Rash Solution (Balmex GIVEAWAY!!!)

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EDIT: Giveaway closed

On the whole we have been very fortunate with Darah and diaper rash. For the first 4 months of her life she had ZERO diaper rash. When she was a newborn, we were careful parents and we slathered her with diaper rash cream after every change just to be safe. As time went by, we realized that she wasn’t having any problems, and we started to get a little bit lax. We’d just put cream on her once a day, and we used cornstarch powder the rest of the time. And then we pretty much just stopped using diaper rash cream altogether. This worked out great until around Christmas, and then we were hit hard with a case of diaper rash! We weren’t afraid, though, because we had lots of cream and we started applying it again. We were applying it constantly for about 2 weeks and saw absolutely no change in her condition. That’s when the dim lightbulbs in our head came on and we realized that the stuff we had, at least for our baby, was completely worthless.

I had a coupon in my stash for Balmex, so I decided to give it a try. Cue the spotlight and the choir of angels, folks! Balmex was and continues to be the definitive answer to diaper rash in our house. Once we started using it, her diaper rash cleared up in just a few days and IT HASN’T BEEN BACK SINCE! And once again, we don’t apply diaper rash cream after every change, but we do make an effort to put some on once a day (usually at night since she’ll be in that diaper for a while).

diaper rash solution I wrote to Balmex to thank them for making such a great and effective product, and they sent me some samples of their products to test out. There are two products of theirs that I had not tried before but that I absolutely LOVE. First, did you know that Balmex puts out a powder? This powder is especially effective because it contains zinc oxide. It also contains an exclusive blend of botanicals that it calls ActivGuard. It is talc-free, and in my experience, totally awesome. This is what we use after most every diaper change, and it is doing a terrific job of keeping diaper rash at bay. We always call Darah our little beignet during diaper changes since she gets sprinkled with powder! Second, I’ve already talked about how sold I am on their diaper rash cream, but I’m even more sold now that I’ve seen the variety of packaging options that you have when you buy it. I first purchased the 2 ounce tube, which is absolutely perfect for the diaper bag or for travel (especially airplane travel, when your “liquids” are restricted in size). diaper rash solution They also have a big 16 oz jar, which is perfect for the changing table at home or to send to daycare. But the ultimate option is to buy their diaper rash in the form of a cream stick. It basically looks like a stick of deodorant and is dispensed the same way that you would put on deodorant. The top of the stick is a bit more narrow, which I realized when using it, makes it perfect to get into all the little folds around your baby’s bits! GENIUS! Also, since you apply it directly, there’s no mess left on your hands. This is totally the way to go, folks!

I also learned a lot from the diaper rash advisor section of the Balmex web site. When you are new to diapering, as Tim and I were just a handful of months ago, you don’t know what exactly to look for, and anything and everything freaks you out and causes you to worry. The advisor section of this site gives you some great tips for detection, correction and protection!

All you other parents out there may be looking for a more effective diaper rash cream than what you are currently using. Balmex has been the very best and most effective choice for our baby. Give it a try. If you need further incentive, right now you can print a coupon for $1.00 off any Balmex product!

Win It!: Balmex has generously offered two winners a Balmex kit, each containing a few of the great products I mentioned here! The contest will run until Monday, April 19th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim the prize. Open to residents of the United States.

How to Enter:

Mandatory Entry: Follow my blog using Google Friend Connect! You must follow publicly, not privately. It’s just that simple! Your first entry should be a post stating that you follow.

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. Tell me something you learned when checking out the Diaper Rash Advisor section of Balmex’s site
6. Tell me the Balmex product you’d most like the try
7. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

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