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

Simple Father’s Day Game For the Non-Crafty Mamas

June 14, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

#spon: I am in a partnership with Intel. Through this partnership I gain access to content, product, or other forms of value.

Whenever a holiday is approaching, I always feel a special tug in my heart for the non-crafty mamas like me. Spend 30 seconds or so online and you’ll see at least one handmade idea that you feel pressure to create for the event. Let me be your measure of sanity amidst all of those DIY ideas.

No, you do not have to make a cake shaped like a tie and frosted with an intricate argyle pattern.

No, you do not have to create a 100 page scrapbook of every moment your husband has ever had with his children.

No, you don’t have to create one of those cute little coupon booklets for chores and such that everyone will do for dad. Ok, that’s not necessarily too hard on the crafty front, but think it through, sisters! Do you need MORE chores added to your To Do list?

So in this age where everything worth doing must be Instagram and Pinterest-worthy, what does the non-crafty mama do for her husband on Father’s Day?

I found something! It’s a very simple Father’s Day game modeled after The Newlywed Game. It comes with cute printables and the recommendation that you have everything laminated.

No, you don’t have to laminate it. I promise. 🙂

All I did was pull up the printable information on my Intel AIO computer and print it. Nope, not even in color! 🙂 My Intel AIO had the cute stuff on the screen printed out with just a few taps from my finger. Simple!

I also used my Intel AIO to play game show music for us while we answered the questions about Tim and while he wrote his answers down. The device is so easy to move all over the house and plopping it down on the floor next to us was easy. There are no cords to move, and you don’t even need a mouse. 🙂 We went with Jeopardy music while we contemplated deep questions, like what animal dad would be if he could be anything.

It was a fun game and gave s all plenty of laughs. And best of all, it didn’t stress me out one little bit. I let technology do the work for me, using my Intel AIO to find something EASY, make it even easier, and set it to music. 🙂

I hope this helps you let go of those pins you saved earlier with a bunch of stuff you don’t actually want to do. You’re welcome! 🙂

Thrive Market Review: Finding Cheap Healthy Food Online

June 11, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 23 Comments

This review is in no way sponsored by Thrive Market. I tried out the service on my own. Referral links included.

A few weeks ago I decided to try out the online grocery store I’d been hearing about called Thrive Market. If you haven’t yet heard of it, think of it as an interesting mix between Whole Foods and Costco. It’s like Whole Foods in that you are going to find the same type of products that you would find at Whole Foods. So think healthier, natural ingredients, special-diet friendly (Paleo, gluten-free, for example) and non-GMO products. And its like Costco in that you pay a membership fee every year, and that fee helps reduce the prices of the products.

So while you don’t have to buy large quantities like you do at Costco, you still get to enjoy a nice price break, typically anywhere from 15-50% off what you might find at a place like Whole Foods or even on Amazon.

I found a coupon to take 15% off my very first order, PLUS a 30 day free trial so that I could test it out before paying the membership fee (it’s $59.95 for the year). Since I had some items like coconut aminos and almond flour that I wanted to buy and that my nearest traditional grocery store doesn’t carry, I decided to go for it.

Here’s a video where I unpack everything I got for just under $80. Shipping is free on all orders over $49, FYI. Give it a click if you want to see what I got!

Ok, so let’s break down some of what I bought and compare it to Amazon, which is honestly the place where I would probably buy it, as our local Whole Foods just isn’t a place I frequent (on account of spending $50 MINIMUM anytime I go in there for “1 or 2 things”).

There were a few things on my list that Amazon just doesn’t have, or that you have to buy very large quantities of (8, 12) so I didn’t include those. But most items were found on both sites, and here’s the cost comparison for you (spoiler alert: Thrive Market had the best price EVERY SINGLE TIME). Amazon prices do fluctuate throughout the day, so the price of each item the moment you read this may vary slightly.

Item

Purity Farms Ghee : Amazon price $10.99 (plus $5 shipping), TM price $10.95

Bobs Red Mill Almond Flour: Amazon price $13.88, TM price $8.45

Bobs Red MIll Coconut Unsweetened: Amazon price $7.95, TM price $3.25

Great Lakes Gelatin Beef: Amazon price $18.99, TM price $13.45

Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk: Amazon price $2.38 TM price $2.15

Nutiva Shortening: Amazon price $6.15, TM price $5.45

Coconut Secret Coconut Nectar: Amazon price $27.89 (must buy 3), TM price $5.95

Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos: Amazon price $13.99, TM price $4.45

Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips: Amazon price $13.99 (must buy 2), TM price $4.45

Big Tree Farms Coconut Palm Sugar: Amazon price $16.23, TM price $4.65

So, um, WOW. Two lessons here: 9 times out of 10, Amazon is TAKING YOUR MONEY BIG TIME on these types of products. As an avid Amazon Prime customer, this was a bit of a blow to me, honestly. I just didn’t realize that their prices were so high. The other lesson? If you can wait a few days for your products to arrive, Thrive Market is going to do right by you and give you a very good price.

And if you are still wondering how this compares to Whole Foods (or similar) I can tell you that I have read another review online where someone did cost compare everything to her local Whole Foods. The cost differences weren’t quite as drastic and some of the stuff above, but they were still significant. That’s the reason I decided to try it!

I think I am going to spring for the membership because I prefer shopping online to going to a store, and this is a way that I can start to incorporate more non-gmo foods into my family’s diet and feel confident that I’m getting the best price around. And I LOVE that I don’t have to search around for coupons to because in this particular season of my life, I don’t have time to do that, anyway.

Save 25% Now!

If you want to give Thrive Market a try, you can do even better than I did and get 25% off your first purchase, plus 30 days to decide if it is right for you. There’s nothing to lose and some pretty significant savings to be hand when you take 25% off the already best prices you are going to find! 🙂

(Giveaway!) How To Store Big Collections of Smaller Toys

June 11, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Product sample provided for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

Isn’t it funny how the smallest toys can create the biggest messes, sometimes? In our home, LEGOS are a primary culprit, as are smaller stuffed animals (each one is tiny, but I bet we have 60 of them between the two girls!).

If your child has a larger collection of a particular line of smaller toys (DUPLO, Barbies, Ninja Turtles, etc.) then you have likely been investigating toy storage options. We’ve been trying out the toy storage bag from Bow Tiger and I think it has some good advantages!

We have been using the 60 inch storage bag, as I think that is a great size for siblings to use (it also comes in 40 inch or 20 inch, and in red or blue, as pictured below). Check out how big the play area is!

When I first unfolded the Bow Tiger toy storage holder, I was a little surprised by how lightweight and thin the material was. For this reason, I wouldn’t use it on a rough surface like concrete, but would instead limit it to indoor play. On the plus side, the light material makes it much easier for young kids to move around on their own, and that has been a good thing, as I have seen the kids drag out their bag of DUPLO blocks all on their own (and put them away, too!).

My feet have been grateful that during a DUPLO session the kids seem to keep almost all of the blocks within the circle. I think even they realize that this makes for super easy cleanup. Speaking of which, here’s what the bag looks like when you pull on its strings:

We have a taller box-like storage bin that has been housing the blocks. The box takes up less space in the house, plain and simple, and so at first I thought I was going to prefer the box. But after having this toy storage bag for a week, I have noticed something very important: my girls seem to want to play with their blocks much more often now that they are in this bag. I’m not sure if it’s because they don’t have to dump everything out of the box first (and therefore, have to put all the blocks back into the box later) or what, but the difference is significant. Aesthetically and space-wise, it’s not my favorite, but it is very effective at ensuring that my girls actually play with the toys that they have, and that’s worth something!

How do you currently store these types of toys that tend to scatter during play? Are you looking for a new storaage idea?

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a Bow Tiger Toy Storage Bag (ARV $70!).

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

Bow Tiger Toy Storage Giveaway

M is For Monster Subscription Box for Pre-Readers

June 10, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Sample box provided for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Affiliate links may be included.

Today I want to show you a subscription box service that is absolutely perfect for you pre-reader. By pre-reader, I mean kids who are starting to work on identifying letters and/or letter sounds, but who aren’t yet writing or putting letters together to read words.

This makes the M is for Monster subscription box not quite the right fit for my oldest, who just finished kindergarten, but spot on perfect for my youngest, who just turned 3.

The box comes with a list of activities included (as well as supplementary resources if you want to dig a little deeper. I really love that extra thrown in there!). And the activities are grouped together by the suggested week. Each week is like it’s own little present to unwrap. This might be one of my very favorite things about the box…you get to experience the joy of seeing something new every single week instead of all at once! That’s just perfect for a preschooler!

I have kept our goodies under wraps so that Layah can have the full box experience each week, but here’s a peek from M is For Monster at the entire contents of the May box, which should give you an idea of the types of things you might find in any monthly box.

We started with week 2 (I know…OUT OF ORDER!) because I really wanted to read that book and because it included scratch ‘n sniff stickers, which is something I loved as a kid but that I’ve completely forgotten about and have never purchased for my girls. They were loved very much! 🙂 I also noticed that they happened to be from Peaceable Kingdom, which is a brand I recognize as having very high quality products.

We also had a lot of fun with the strawberry beach ball, though we quickly realized that it should be played with OUTSIDE. 😉

M is For Monster boxes deliver very high quality, and very thoughtfully curated activities for pre-readers.

The downside? M is For Monster is on the pricey end for kids’ subscription boxes. A single box is $42.95. You can save a bit by doing a month-to-month subscription for $38.95 (which you can cancel at any time). And I did notice a coupon on their website for getting 50% off your first box (I think you have to sign up for their newsletter).

This is the type of subscription that you would probably only want for 6 months, or so, and that may be why they don’t offer a set number of months for an additional discount.

Bottom line: I think it is very much worth a try, especially with that 50% off coupon!

I’d love to hear if you’ve tried this box, or if you have tried any other subscription boxes that you particularly love!

Ordering On Demand Lawn Care Online (Yes, This is a Thing!)

June 9, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Thanks to my partners, TaskEasy.com, for today’s guest post (and for their BRILLIANCE!!! Best gift idea EVER!).

What are you giving Dad for Father’s Day this year? A tie? Dress socks? Or maybe a gift card?

We all know how hard Dad works. It’s time to give him something that will really make him smile . . . and lighten his load.

This Father’s Day, give your Dad his Saturdays back with TaskEasy, the on-demand lawn care service. Order a month or two of mowing for Dad at TaskEasy.com for the perfect Father’s Day gift.

TaskEasy’s mission is to make lawn care as easy for customers as buying products online while helping licensed, insured, and reliable contractors generate more business. Just click, book, and relax. TaskEasy will handle things from there. Satisfaction guaranteed. After all, a well-kept yard shouldn’t cost Dad his weekend.

The TaskEasy concept emerged from the frustration that founder and CEO Ken Davis experienced while he was managing services like lawn care and snow clearing for his rental properties. Customers like him were spending countless hours searching for and vetting contractors and then auditing the work to verify performance. Ken and TaskEasy co-founder Joe Turner discovered a solution to the problem that would make buying services for customers, and fulfilling services for contractors, as easy as buying products online. Customers can buy services online instantly, and have quality, insurance, and full auditability of the service guaranteed.

“Ask, and you come. Delightful! We are so glad we found TaskEasy, and look forward to doing more business with the company and their contractors!” – Alex, TaskEasy customer

TaskEasy has performed more than 100,000 of tasks in more than 2,900 cities in all 50 states and has certified thousands of contractors.

Whether you use TaskEasy to find landscaping services for your yard, rental property, or business or to find snow clearing services for your aging parents, vacation home, or business parking lot, you can save time and money by taking the stress out of services management.

So give Dad the gift he really wants for Father’s Day this year—his weekends back—with lawn mowing from TaskEasy. Visit TaskEasy.com today to get 30% off on lawn mowing for Dad!

5 Simple Ways to Upgrade the Refrigerator You Already Have

June 8, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

This post brought to you by DairyPure Milk. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Stuff Parents Need.

Do you long for a fancier fridge? Me, too. But we can make a few simple upgrades and rock what we’ve got!

1. Cue the Lights

Is your bulb simply pitiful? You can switch it out for some bright LED lights! You will have an easier time finding what you are looking for on the lower shelves. 2. Right Product Placement

The door of your fridge fluctuates in temperature, which could cause early spoilage. We use DairyPure milk in our home (Learn more about DairyPure ), so we want to treat it as well as it treats us. We also want it to not go bad early. So DairyPure milk gets top billing. 3. Add Practical Design Elements

I added this shelf liner to the door area to make clean up easy and to help keep everything from sliding around. It’s functional AND cute! photo refrigerator upgrade 6_zps9kdwxgvj.jpg 4. Keep the Meat Neat

I LOVE using a small cookie sheet (with raised edges) to hold meat. This catches those juices and contains what needs disinfecting.
5. Keep It Cool

Refrigerators use coils for cooling. They get dirty and need to be cleaned roughly twice a year (dirty coils = less efficient refrigerator, and eventually, a dead refrigerator). The cleaning process is quick and didn’t require me to look like this guy, so that’s a win. This is the coil brush for the job.

Now that you have new ideas for making your refrigerator look good, you might need some inspiration for what to put in it! You can get DairyPure Recipe inspiration on Pinterest and you can follow DairyPure on Facebook.

New Costumes for Animal Lovers: Cheetah!

June 4, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Product provided for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Does your child have a favorite animal? One that s/he likes to pretend to be all the time? My oldest is all about the cheetah, so when I surprised her with a cheetah costume on her first day of summer break, she was positively giddy.

This little surprise has turned out to be an AWESOME item to have on hand during the, “Mommy, I’m BORED!” season of the year. As soon as I suggest that she turn into a cheetah, she lights up and runs to grab her ensemble.

Overall we really like our piece from Anytime Costumes (and they have other fun animals, so definitely take a look if you could use a fun little surprise for your kids this summer!). The headpiece is a little big on her, but she doesn’t seem to mind. And while she has room to grow elsewhere, it’s not too terribly big on her (I cuffed the legs a bit up under so that you can’t see the cuff…works great!). I’m glad for the room to grow because this means that she’ll get at least a year of wear out of the costume before having to relinquish it to her little sister.

The costume is soft, has very vibrant colors, and is comfortable for lots and lots of rolling around, jumping and pouncing.

Our only complaint is that there is no tail included, which was disappointing for Darah. I found a tail on Amazon to help complete the look for her, though.

Not really in need of an animal costume for the kids? You can still get a jump start on your Halloween costume ideas by following ATC on Facebook. They post a fun new costume idea most every day!

How I Get Kids Clothes Cheap (Free, Actually)

June 1, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

I have been getting kids clothes cheap (and by cheap I really mean FREE) for a few months now thanks to an amazing referral program that I’d like to share with you so that you can get some kids clothes cheap, too!

Ok, so I’ve been using Schoola.com to find my major bargains. Schoola is a website I reviewed a while back (you can see my first haul video as part of the post). They sell gently used clothing that people donate, and 40% of every sale goes back to the school that the donor indicates. So while it’s not a great site for sellers who would benefit more from cash or from a tax deduction, it’s a GREAT place for shoppers, and of course, a great place for schools, too!

The other thing I love about Schoola, and the reason for this blog post, is that, at least for now, they have a very generous referral policy. If you refer someone to Schoola, when they make their first purchase, YOU as the person who referred them get $15 in credit. The new person benefits by getting $15 in credit and free shipping for their first purchase.

So you see, this is a MAJOR win/win. You introduce someone to a great used clothing site and they get $15 and free shipping (so they could definitely get kids clothes cheap!) and you get credit for your next purchase.

Schoola also often runs great specials (free shipping no minimum seems to be fairly frequent, and they recently did a HUGE 50% off sale!). So I spend my credits any time they are running a special so that I can maximize those credits. I have placed at least 4 orders now, all with anywhere from 1-13 items in them, and I have spent $0 of my own money…it was all credit from referrals!

So now that I have introduced you to this gem of a find and helped you out, please help me keep my growing kids attired by going through my referral link. Once you are signed up and have spent your free $15 (woo hoo!) grab your own referral link and spread the word far and wide. Your friends will thank you, and you’ll earn more credit for more free or at least cheap clothes! 🙂

And just to show that I’m fully transparent, here’s my latest haul video, which includes a few of my complaints about the Schoola experience, and some tips for how to maximize your chances for success when shopping on the site. They have some improving to do, but as long as they are giving away credit to newbies and running great sales, I’ll continue to try them and just offer my feedback!

Homespun Fun, Delivered Monthly: Blossom Box Review

May 30, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Boxes provided for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

The subscription box market seems to be getting just a little crowded, especially when it comes to kid-friendly offerings. That means that buyers, like me, can be a bit ore choosy about what they select when looking for something fun for the kiddos.

I want to give a very strong recommendation for Blossom Box! While I don’t think it is the right subscription box for every single kid out there (and frankly, what subscription box would be?), I DO think it is a really great fit for kids ages 6-10 who love to use their imaginations, and who are intrigued by nature.

Blossom Box has a vibe to it that is different from any other subscription box I have yet encountered. It feels very homespun, and I mean that in a good way! Let’s take a closer look.

Here’s a look at the contents of April’s box, which was all about birds. Notice the natural materials included, such as bird feathers and bird seed. Even the individual projects come in these brown paper bags that give the entire box a natural feel.

May’s box is all about storytelling, with wooden figures and blocks as part of the offerings. Side note: I also noticed that the color pencils included were Crayola, which I definitely appreciated, because that’s one area where you get what you pay for with art supplies, so go for Crayola! 🙂

I found the May box to be too difficult for my youngest to get to play with as it involved some intricate cutting and sewing (to be fair, she just turned 3 a few weeks ago) and I even found it to be a bit of a stretch for my 5-year-old. So I’m tucking these activities away and will pull them out again next year when I think she’ll be more ready for them.

But the birds box was a huge hit with both of my kids! They loved making edible art for the birds with the birdseed.

We even took a few of the crafts with us on vacation, and made our own bird sculpture while we were there. It may not be the more realistic looking bird I’ve ever seen, but Layah sure was proud of her creation! She molded the clay just the way she wanted, and applied each and every feather herself.

And we also enjoyed trying out painting with feathers as our paintbrushes. The girls used both sides of the feathers and made some really cool paintings. We even had plenty of the tempera paint powder left over to save for future art projects, which was awesome!

I was very impressed with the art projects offered in the Blossom boxes. I can tell that a great deal of thought has gone into them, and the projects tend to use materials that are a bit different from what I’ve seen in other craft boxes. I do think they are a bit too advanced for your average preschooler, but that’s just my own opinion. I think this is a GREAT choice for an elementary school kid who loves art and nature. They come together beautifully in this monthly box.

Blossom Box is available for $19.95/month plus shipping (which is $4.95 per box). You can sign up month by month and cancel at any time, or you can purchase 3 month, 6 month and 12 month subscriptions for a discount, though with every plan, the shipping charge is added (my opinion? just wrap the shipping charge into the price of the kit and be done with it!).

Best believe this will be on our Christmas wish list this year! We loved it! 🙂

Coupon!

I’ve got a coupon code for anyone who wants to sign up for an ongoing subscription with Blossom Box. Use BLOOM at checkout and you’ll save 50% on your first box. Yay!