Stuff Parents Need - Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Normal is SO Overrated! Helping Children Learn to Appreciate Difference

March 5, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Friends please enjoy this guest post from children’s book author and blogger Tara Lazar. Her new book, which you’ll hear about below, scored BIG with my two girls!

Your lovely hostess Tiffany asked me to guest blog today for the release of my newest picture book, NORMAL NORMAN. So as I’m preparing to write, I’m scrolling through her blog posts. I’m a parent of two daughters and I thought, OMG, I NEED THAT! The Beach Aquarium Catch-and-Release bucket! The puff pastry recipe! The Pink Pineapple dress! Does it come in MY size???

I know parents don’t necessarily NEED a book. What parents do need, though, is a chance to share a special moment with their children, laughing like silly gooses. (Ooh, that’s a great title for my next project, SILLY GOOSES!) Anyway, you can see I get easily distracted…SQUIRREL!

I love bedtime storytime. Times two. We relax all cozy under a fluffy down blanket to read and laugh together. It’s an opportunity to begin a family tradition and to foster a love of books that will last a lifetime.

To that end, I write funny books, stories that kids will want to read again and again without annoying the parents because there are jokes for grown-ups, too. I don’t sit down to write thinking I want to impart a message or a moral in my books.

However, when a life lesson emerges from comedy just by the wacky actions of a character I cannot control, I think it’s the best kind of story you can create. NORMAL NORMAN is such a story.

A junior scientist, a young girl with a lab coat and clipboard, attempts to define the word “normal” with her not-so-cooperative subject, a purple orangutan named Norman. With his bright, colorful fur and nerdy glasses, we can already guess that something’s amiss. Much to the narrator’s chagrin, Norman does NOTHING according to plan. He eats pepperoni pizza instead of bananas, sleeps in a bunk bed and zooms around in a dual-rocket jetpack. Oh, what’s a normal scientist to do?

NORMAL NORMAN lets us all know that being normal is totally overrated. Norman would much rather be himself than conform to some pre-determined primate perfection. And that’s the way it should be for all of us, right? To be ourselves and to let others be themselves, too. I hope after reading this hilarious book kids learn that everyone is different and that differences make life interesting, that differences aren’t so scary. I hope they find it easier to make a friend with someone who is a little different than they are. That’s something that children need, reassurance that there really is no such thing as “normal”.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I really NEED to buy that Pineapple dress—three of them for matching mommy-and-me outfits. Can’t you see my eldest daughter rolling her eyes? I don’t care; I’ve never been the NORMAL mom and that’s the way I like it.

The Best Carry-On Luggage for Kids (Cheap!)

March 3, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. This post about carry on luggage for kids has not been sponsored by any brand, and is the result of my own search for affordable kids luggage.

Once your child turns 2 and you have to pay full price for a seat on a plane, it’s time to up your game and take FULL advantage of the fact that each ticketed passenger on most planes is entitled to a carry on bag AND a personal item.

We’re 2 1/2 months out from our summer vacation, which does include a plane trip, and I’m going to try my very hardest to not check any luggage other than our car seats. I’d much rather have the money I would have to spend on checked bags for a nice meal out during the week. But the only way I’m going to accomplish this is if my kids pull their weight for the family, and I mean that in a literal sense.

Time to find these kiddos some carry-on luggage and some backpacks for travel!

I can’t tell you how often I see families traveling and their children don’t have carry-on bags with them. That’s a wasted opportunity, friends! And it’s actually pretty rare for me to see a kid with both a carry-on AND a backpack as their personal item. If you aren’t currently taking advantage of the carry-on capabilities of your kids, let me help you change that right now. Here are some great options I have found for the 10 and under set, all priced at $40 or less.

Backpacks

These are a MUST! Even my 3-year-old can carry a backpack with ease. Fill them with the snacks and entertainment items your child needs for the trip (which will free up the adult carry-on bags for other things).

Trailmaker backpacks are certainly the way to go for the person on a budget. I saw styles for (cute!) cotton backpacks as low as $6.09, which many options hovering right around $7. I think if you plan on keeping your child’s personal item not completely loaded down this is a really great option. Plus, I think the softness of the cotton is just really nice. Overall the reviews were positive, but I noticed people advising against trying to load these down too heavy. I think if you want something to perform like a true workhorse, you are probably going to get what you pay for.
Want a unique design? Something shaped like an animal or a moster, for example? Love all the looks from this brand, and they are all priced in the neighborhood of $23, including shipping. How about a bunny (under $12!)?

Rolling Luggage

If you want your young child to carry a piece of luggage through an airport, it’s pretty much gonna need to have some wheels. After all, isn’t that the way you like to cart your stuff around, too? Here are some fun options that little ones can handle

How about a matching set of rolling luggage, backpack ad toiletry bag? Here’s a 3-piece-set for $36. Note that the rolling luggage is 16 inches, so it is on the small side. I don’t much care for the “blue for boys, pink for girls” element, but whatever.
American Tourister offers 9 different licensed character designs (Mickey, Minnie, Disney Pricesses, Star Wars, Cars) in the 18 inch size for $29.99 and free 2 day shipping. Not too shabby!
If you want to keep it character-free, here’s a 16 inch option that is colorful but not character-ful for $25.

Duffles

I think duffles should be reserved for older children, as they require being toted around, which is cumbersome. It’s not something I’ll be choosing for my 6-year-old, but I wanted to include them in the list in case you feel that they are right for your kid.

A rolling duffle might be a good hybrid luggage piece for an older child. This one comes in 10 different colors for right around $35. I noticed in the reviews that people advise not to pack it completely full if you want to carry it on, and that it won’t stand once packed, so that’s something to keep in mind (you have to lay it down like a duffle). I like the flexibility of the packing space and the convenience of a rolling bag mixed together, though. Here’s one more option at a similar price point.
For a traditional duffle that’s small enough to carry on, my top pick is from NGIL. There are 29 different pattern choices which makes it easier to pick something out that your child will love. Beware that the prices can fluctuate quite a bit from pattern to pattern (does that annoy anyone else? just me?). The general price range seems to be $25-$39.99. This is a 19-inch duffle.

One Final Option

I couldn’t end this post without at least metioning the Trunki. It’s beyond the budget I set for this post (it’s $50) but we own one for our 3-year-old, and I have to say…it rocks. What’s so great about the Trunki is that your child can sit on top of it and scoot on it like a ride-on toy. I don’t recommend scooting on it while you are changing gates, but when the kids are waiting around at the gate, it’s super fun for them. I do think it’s probably best for kids under 5, but I just had to put it out there because we’ve liked ours so much.

I hope this helps other parents out there like me who are looking for some affordable carry-on luggage for kids so they can ditch the checked bag fees!

Beach Easter Basket: A Fun, Unique (and Practical!) Easter Basket Idea!

March 3, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · 13 Comments

Special thanks to Kohl’s for being awesome, and also for providing a gift card to faciliate the purchase of the beach Easter basket products. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Easter is one month from today, so let me get a quick pulse read on you: Are you feeling excited about the prospect of spending a bunch of money on tons of (quickly devoured) candy, plastic eggs that will break, fake grass that will be strewn all over your house for you to clean up over the next several weeks and a plush bunny or duck that will be played with for 20 minutes before interest expires?

I know…I paint a sad picture about putting together Easter baskets, don’t I? And maybe I’m being just a touch harsh, but don’t tell me there’s not some truth in what I said. I know it because I’ve lived it for years, nows!

But this year, inspiration struck, courtesy of the fact that all I can think about is our upcoming summer vacation. I know…I’m a little ahead of schedule on my daydreaming. But it’s where I’m at, friends. And thanks to the fact that I have vacation on the brain, I realized that I could use the gift-giving occasion of Easter to purchase some of the items my kids would need for summer vacation. These are things I was already planning on buying, but now they become special gifts and help build the anticipation.

And so, I present to you, beach Easter basket ideas!

Now I know that not everyone who reads this already has their summer plans booked, but if you think a beach trip might be on the horizon for you, here are some fun components to put together to make a great beach Easter basket.

1. The “basket” is critical

The Easter basket, itself, doesn’t have to be an afterthought. In this case, it can be a critical part of the gift, itself. I found these AMAZING beach totes that are kid-size and have bright, appealing sea creatures on them.

The girls can easily do their Easter egg hunting while carrying these bags (yes, I’ll even add in some of that dreaded plastic grass…). It will be fun to switch things up a bit and have an extra fun basket. And of course, these totes will be just perfect at the beach, and my girls will each enjoy having their own bags for their towels, shoes, snacks, etc. Also, don’t you LOVE the idea of an Easter basket being useful for more than 1 day each year? 🙂

2. Go for color with a bright beach towel

Kohl’s has a super impressive selection of beach towels, ranging from licensed characters to fun beachy scenes.

I opted for the reversible towels because they have such fun, bright colors that will look great on Easter morning and that the girls will love using at the beach, and later on at the pool here in town. And I happen to remember thinking anything that was reversible was AWESOME when I was a kid, too. That was back in the day when reversible shirts were a thing. So was Hypercolor. But I digress…

3. Encourage exploration

This might just be my favorite find of all (yes, this is at Kohl’s!).

What child doesn’t want to get up close and personal with some sea life? Sanibel Island, where we are going to vacation this year, is absolutely BURSTING with creatures that will fit in this bucket (crabs, sand dollars, clams, sea slugs, etc.). I predict this toy will be in near costant use every single day.

4. Get some GOOD sand toys

Now’s your chance to get something a little more interesting than the cheap sand pail and shovel sets you can find at most big box stores.

I was particularly drawn to this set from B. Toys (one of my very favorite toy brands) because it truly seemed created with the imagination of children in mind. I love that there’s a tea pot, for example. This allows a child to be able to pour water with more precision, and it also allows for some impromptu beach restaurant or tea party time. I also love the sand smoother. the bucket also feels much more sturdy than what you might expect from a sand pail.

5. Missing any necessities? Grab them now!

In addition to all these fun funds, I spent a bit of time thinking about if there were any true needs, and I realized that the girls’ sandals from last year weren’t going to fit this year, and also that one child lacked a pair of goggles.

It was no surprise to me that Kohl’s had super cute flip flops at affordable prices. I opted for 2 different patterns so that the girls could quickly identify their shoes without any confusion or fuss.

I was, admittedly, surprised to find goggles at Kohl’s, but they had them, and from a brand I trust, as well! I was so pleased to be able to add that in to my cart before using my 30% off coupon I was offered for using my Kohl’s charge. I also used a $20 Kohl’s cash coupon I had on hand, which made the entire haul cost around $84! Can you believe that?! This, my friends, is one of the reasons I ADORE Kohl’s and love to shop with them as often as possible.

Kohl’s may not be the first place you think of when it comes to beach-related items, or even when it comes to filling an Easter basket, but have a look around in the stores and on the website. I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised with what you can find!

How I Keep the Preschooler Occupied During Homework: ABC Mouse (Play Free!)

March 2, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Thanks to ABCMouse.com for sending along a subsription for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you.

When did homework start being part of your child’s daily life? For us, it was this year, first grade. Darah’s homework takes about 30 minutes each afternoon. This isn’t too terrible, unless, of course, you are Darah’s 3-year-old little sister, Layah, in which case it is the WORST THING EVER.

Like most younger siblings, Layah is very eager to do everything she sees her big sister doing. So when Darah is practicing spelling or math or even reading a book, Layah begs to get to do homework, which has typically been enrichment workbooks we have purchased. I never want to discourage a motivated child, so I give her the opportunity to do some of her own work.

But the problem is that in both cases and at exactly the same time, my undivided attention is needed. Oh trust me, I’ve tried to figure out how to swing that, but I have not succeeded. So when ABCMouse.com reached out about their online learning academy, I thought it was worth checking out, though I wasn’t overly optimistic, as I assumed that it would require just as much oversight from the parent as the workbooks in the best case scenario, and in the worst case scenario, that it would be overly simple and wouldn’t hold Layah’s attention at all.

The reason I wanted to share about ABCMouse.com with all of you is because it has not simply been a fun little computer program, but rather, because it has vastly exceeded my expectations and really and truly made a big difference in how smoothly homework time goes around here. I’d definitely call it a game changer.

When you first set up the program, you do need to spend a little bit of time familiarizing yourself with it, and showing your child around. But once Layah learned where to go to access her lessons, and especially once she learned that by completing her lessons she earned tickets that she could redeem for fun virtual prizes, she was off and running!

In the photo above, she just redeemed some tickets for a beautiful shell which will go in the fish tank in her virtual classroom that she can help care for, in addition to her curriculum.

ABCMouse.com is designed with preschoolers through first graders in mind. It is subscription based, and there are no in-app purchases. The tickets are the currency, and the only way to earn is to learn!

Layah is very quick to request ABC Mouse time during big sister’s homework time. Prior to having this program available, I was at the point where I would ask Layah to watch videos on Netflix while I got through homework time. You can imagine how awful it made me feel to ask a child who WANTED to do enrichment lessons to just watch television instead, but I simply couldn’t give Darah the attention she needed otherwise. Now I have Layah nearby, completing her own lessons without assistance from me and she absolutely loves it.

Big sister plays, too, and I find her curriculum level to be appropriately challenging for her. Truly, I’m so impressed with this program!

ABC Mouse Price

The subscription for the program is $7.95/month and you pay month to month, so you can easily cancel at any time should you feel that your kids aren’t getting the value from the service. But before you even spend your first $8, take advantage of th 30 day FREE trial ABCMouse.com offers. Simply mark your calendars for maybe 28 days from now as the point when you need to evaluate how much the program has been used. This makes it risk-free! Additionally, right now ABCMouse is offering 38% off if you opt to pay for an annual membership over a monthly membership (which would be $59.95 for the year).

I think you will be very surprised by just how many amazing things there are to do on the site, (7,000+ activities!). It is my understanding that many school systems actually use ABCMouse as part of their curriculum, and after seeing just how much is available, I understand why.

I’m SO glad to have this at my disposal for the school year, and we will be continuing on our learning paths with ABCMouse.com over the summer to help keep that dreaded “brain drain” at bay. I very highly recommend that you do the free 30 day trial. I believe you’ll find the subscription price to be worth every penny and then some (especially if you have the same homework troubles we do!) but if not, you won’t have to spend a dime!

Puff Pastry Recipes to Love: Savory Bacon Avocado Appetizer

March 1, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Do you ever try to pull together a dish from random items in your fridge and freezer that are languishing and that REALLY need to get used up?

This is exactly what I was doing earlier this morning. I spied a Pepperidge Farm puff pastry wasting away in my freezer, frankly taking up valuable real estate with absolutely no plans for being used. I wanted to change that, and fast.

At the same time, I had an avocado that was threatening to spoil (you know how they are…they are ripe for approximately 6 minutes). Then I started digging around in the fridge and I found a few pieces of bacon wrapped up from breakfast 2 days ago that we’d forgotten about, an opened jar of salsa and some cream cheese. Look how beautifully these misfits played together!

So here’s how you can create this savory puff pastry recipe in your own kitchen.

Let’s start with the ingredients you’ll need:

1 sheet puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm)
2 oz. cream cheese, cut into 9 sections
1/2 avocado, diced or mashed (your choice)
1/4 to 1/3 cup salsa
2-3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 egg, beaten in a bowl

The first step is to let your puff pastry thaw for about 20 minutes. Set the timer so you don’t let it go too long! While it is thawing, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line one baking sheet with parchment paper. Then unwrap your puff pastry and place it on a flat, floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough a bit to make it bigger and thinner. My puff pastry didn’t get all that much bigger. Not sure if I just had a really tired old set or if there isn’t a ton of give. But if you are expecting it to move like pie dough, re-think that! 🙂

Now cut the pastry dough into 9 squares (I had 3 rows of 3). Then cut each square on the diagonal to make triangles.

Now it’s time to add the good stuff! On one triangle, add the cream cheese, a few bits of avocado, a small spoonful of salsa and the bacon on top. Like this:

Use the other triangle next to the piece you loaded to serve as the top, and using your finger, smoosh the edges together to the best of your ability. You want as much of it closed as possible. Some will likely stick out. It’s not a big deal, so don’t stress over it! I will say that trial and error taught me that it’s better to smush your cream cheese and avocado a bit on the puff pastry to make it not so tall. It’s not as pretty, but I think it’s less stressful to build that way.

Once you have your 9 little pies made, dip them, one at a time, in the beaten egg, which is your egg wash, and then place them on the parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden brown. They are ready to serve immediately, though I’m pleased to report that they still taste delicious several hours later. I was afraid they’d be a mushy mess in no time, but that wasn’t the case. 🙂

I hope this gives you some inspiration for a simple puff pastry recipe you can pull together. You’ll look like a professional chef making something so fancy, and nobody has to know that you were just trying to use up some leftovers!

(Giveaway!) Awesome Option for the Child Who Eats the Same Thing Daily

February 28, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · 8 Comments

The coupons for product redemption, information, and gift card have been provided by Arnold® Bread so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Arnold®. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Arnold® Bread.

What do you do when you have a child who wants to eat the same thing over, and over and OVER again? In my case, this presents itself as “give me a PB&J in my lunchbox or give me death!” from my first grader.

That child is hopelessly devoted to her sandwich.

I tried to fight this battle, and realized in time that the approach I was taking (offering a sandwich alternative) was the wrong angle. Instead, I could tackle this issue in another way, by keeping the variety plentiful and very healthy for her sides every day.

I could also make sure that her sandwich was loaded with high quality ingredients, not just on the inside, but also on the outside. That means choosing a peanut butter (or sometimes almond butter) with no added sugar, a fruit only spread for the jelly, and a bread with 100% whole grains.

When I’m at the store, I ALWAYS read the label for bread, because it’s downright shocking how many breads contain only enriched wheat, or that even boast to contain whole grains, ony to find that the very first ingredient is still enriched flour and not whole wheat flour. It’s a bummer.

One brand I know to be a good choice for my family is . I like the 100% Whole Wheat bread because it offers 100% whole grains, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors or flavoring, and it has a really nice taste.

So if you are having a battle with your kid about wanting to eat the same exact sandwich every single day, consider losing the battle but winning the war by making sure that sandwich is made with bread that has 100% whole grains, like ARnold Whole Grains bread. It has 23 grams of whole grains per slice! You can find this product across the Easter U.S. and if you are in the Midwest, you can find it as Brownberry bread. And if you aren’t in a rut with the same sandwich and can switch things up a bit, get some recipe ideas on the Arnold Bread Facebook page.

Win it!:

One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win 3 coupons, each good for a free loaf of Arnold Bread (value up to $5 each!).
Arnold Bread Free Product Coupons

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

Spring Scarf Clearance (Like WOAH!)

February 26, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Affiliate links included at no cost to you. I only promote what I love, and these scarves are AWESOME!!!

Alert!!! If you’d like some spring scarves for your wardrobe as the weather starts to warm a bit, then you do NOT want to miss this amazing sale at Cents of Style!

Use code SCARVES2 at checkout to snag 2 spring scarves for just $8.99. Look at the pretty options (they have lots more than what I’m showing you, too!).

As if $8.99 isn’t awesome enough, at checkout, you’ll also get the option to add a floral scarf for 99 cents!

So that’s 3 scarves for $9.99. And did I mention that shipping is free?! Woo hoo! Jump on this one, friends. If you don’t need all 3 for yourselves, snag one for a girlfriend. What a great gift this would be, and it’s even cheaper than a latte at Starbucks!

Honest Beauty Products: True Velvet Eyeliner Review

February 24, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Referral links included at no cost to you. I purchase Honest Beauty products on my own and share my honest opinions.

I’ve been looking for an eyeliner that goes on super smooth, that uses planet-friendly and skin-friendly ingredients, and that has a reasonable price point. Honest Beauty hit 2 out of 3 of my criteria for the perfect eyeliner.

So let’s start with where they missed the mark, shall we? Well, even though it’s called True Velvet eyeliner, I have to disagree. I don’t think it goes on as smooth as it should. Is it awful? No. But as far as how smoothly it is applied, I’d put it on par with eyeliners in my collection that cost 1/3 of the price of this one.

The price point for this product is $16, which isn’t awful for eyeliner, but again, at that price I’d expect it to apply flawlessly, and for me, it just doesn’t.

But if ingredients are the end all, be all for you, then this really is an outstanding choice. Here is the ingredient list from the Honest Beauty website:

Ingredients: Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera Cera, Cire de Candelilla), Silica, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax (Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Cire de Carnauba), Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate. May Contain +/-: Mica (CI 77019), Iron Oxides (CI 77491/77492/77499)

Made without: parabens, paraffins, silicones, sodium lauryl sulfates, petrolatum, mineral oil, or synthetic fragrances

Another feature I should point out is that one end of the product is a smudger.

I happen to already have a makeup brush that I’m in the habit of reaching for when I want to smudge my eyeliner, but if you don’t, then I could see how this does add value to the product.

Ultimately, you’ll just have to decide if you’d like to pay more for a product that has awesome ingredients and performs just ok, or if you would rather go for the flawless look but perhaps have more questionable ingredients. As for me, I probably won’t order this particular product again, though you will find that there are many other Honest Beauty product reviews I have given where I have been super pleased.

How to Buy It

Because this item is priced at $16 retail, it doesn’t make sense to include it as one of your 3 items in your Beauty Bundle (in the bundle you get 3 items for $50, which makes each item cost $16.67. Instead, if you want to try this item, take advantage of the fact that you can add up to 5 additional items to your bundle at 25% off. So if you add on the eyeliner, your eyeliner will cost just $12. 🙂

I’d love to hear if you try this product out, or if there are other products from Honest Beauty you are loving (or want to see reviewed!).

The Online Girl’s Boutique You Don’t Know About (But Should!)

February 23, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

I absolutely LOVE when I get to browse in a kid’s boutique because they have the CUTEST clothes! Everything tends to be more unique than what you usually find in the mall. But I also find that the pricetags are not as fabulous as the styles they carry, and so I’m relegated to the clearance section in the hopes of finding something that is cute for under $50.

Thank goodness for the internet, though! I just learned about an online girl’s boutique called ChiChiMary.com, and they have a really nice selection of adorable boutique-type offerings, with a few key differences. First, the fact that it is online means that you can shop any time of day and from anywhere. Second, and perhaps even more exciting, is that the price points are kept quite reasonable.

ChiChiMary wanted me to get a really good look atht quality of the products so that I could recommend them with confidence. They sent this Pink Pineapple dress by Stella Cove and Darah absolutely LOVES it!

We experienced a bit of a warm front earlier this week. It was just perfect for some barefoot time outside, and this dress was certainly ready to help Darah feel playful. Friends, we had so much fun basking in the knowledge that SPRING IS COMING!!! 🙂

She ran around easily in it and said she felt super comfy and that she couldn’t wait for our beach vacation because she definitely wanted to pack her pineapple dress. I can’t blame her; it’s so cute!

I paid close attention to the qulity of the dress and how it fit and I was very pleased. I also liked that you could get detailed information about the length of the dress in each size right on the website. This is especially helpful to those of us with especially tall (or in my case) especially petite children.

Take a moment to look around at ChiChiMary.com and see if you don’t fall in love with their boutique girl’s clothing. They offer free shipping and currently have pieces from 17 different unique and fun designers.

And don’t miss the sale section! I see a TON of stuff on markdown that will make you squeal! Don’t forget to follow ChiChiMary.com on Instagram, too. 🙂