Stuff Parents Need

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

The Subscription Service for Budding Bookworms: Little Fun Club

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

You guys, I LOVE to find beautiful, unique and well-written children’s books. I think any parent can tell you from experience that despite the thousands and thousands of children’s books on the market, most of them aren’t all that great, especially if you have to read them 100 times.

Little Fun Club takes the guesswork out of finding high quality, sure-to-be-loved books for your kids. For $25/month, you will get a curated collection tailored to your child based on age, of delightful books that are a bit off the beaten path, but that are true treasures. Some boxes also include other great learning tools like puzzles. You should expect your box to have 3-4 items.

Here’s what came in our box for a 5-year-old.

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We got 3 great titles; all hardback books, too! They were all quite good, but I think two of the three are going to be kept indefinitely.

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This read, A Blue So Blue, was one that really tugs at the heartstrings. It’s about a little boy who is an artist, and who finds himself traveling all over the world in search of the perfect shade of blue. Spoiler alert: he finally finds it, in his mother’s eyes. I totally cried when I read it! The pace and rhthym of the book are just wonderful. Such a great read!

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And The Beastie Book, while perhaps just a touch scary, is nothing short of breathtaking. I’ve never seen such rich illustrations! Every letter of the alphabet has a corresponding beastie to go with it. They are funny little (and BIG!) characters and I noticed that Darah likes to spend a lot of time looking at the pictures.

I really love the concept of this subscription service. I also like that you don’t have to sign up for a set number of months; you can feel free to cancel at any time! Could you purchase these books on your own online for less than the subscription price? Most likely, but in my case, I’d never even heard of these books, so I didn’t know to look for them in the first place. That’s part of what you are paying for here: the curated selection!

I can tell that a great deal of thought was put into the selection of the books, and I was impressed with our first box, so much so that I plan on ordering another one early next year!

Our Elf on the Shelf Has Arrived, and He Brought Provisions!

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#LoveV8Protein #CollectiveBias

Well, well, well. Look who just rolled up on our doorstep!

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Our Elf on the Shelf, Owen, is back for his second round with our family, and we are just tickled to see him. Looks like he got a sweet ride while he was away, and he even brought a few provisions.

I see that he brought some peppermint chunks for himself, which is fitting since candy is one of the four food groups (you may recall that the other three are candy canes, candy corn and syrup).

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But what’s this I see? Has Owen brought a gift just for me???

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Owen knows that while his boss is St. Nick, his business partner for the next month is yours truly, and try as I may this time of year, I can’t survive on candy alone. I need good-for-you choices, and in particular, some protein in my belly to boost my energy and to give me the strength of Beyonce, which is what anyone with an Elf on the Shelf needs to get through an entire month of pint-sized mischief.

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The V8 Protein Bar is loaded with healthy components, and I’m pleased to report it has a great flavor, as well (chocolate peanut butter? Yes, please!). One bar will net me 10g of protein and 5g of fiber.

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While my Elf on the Shelf brought me my V8 Protein Bars, if yours was not quite as generous and you need to go pick these up yourself, let me show you where you can find them at Walmart.

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There they are, in the health and beauty section of the store! And if you want to learn more about V8 Protein Bars (and the new V8 Protein Shakes!) be sure to follow V8 on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll be among the first to hear about any new promotions that way!

Our Favorite New Family Game: Moustache Smash

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Products received for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. Affiliate links may be included. 

A few weeks ago I told you about 5 different family games my family would be testing out, and that I’d report back with our top pick. Well, we have a very clear winner, friends!

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The game is called Moustache Smash, and while it is designed for ages 7 and up, we have been able to play with our two girls (ages 4 and 2 1/2) by making some adjustments to the rules.

The basic concept is that everyone get a moustache that they must hold up under their noses. There are 6 different moustaches from which to choose, so there can be up to 6 players. There is a deck of cards that get flipped over, one at a time. If the moustache on the card is the same color OR the same style as your moustache, you smack it (there’s a little suction cup on the end of your moustache wand) to collect the card for your pile. Sometimes, this happens:

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There are also wild cards in the pile that simply say, “Moustache Smash!” and anyone can collect those. Additionally there are “Moustache Pass!” cards, and if you smack one of those, you lose 2 cards from your pile.

To make the game easier for younger children we have tried simply going for the same color and not for the same color OR the same style. We’ve also removed the “Moustache Pass!” cards from the pile. Additionally, we take turns letting each person have first dibs on smacking the card that gets turned up. That gives the little ones a little extra time to think about if the card would fit in their pile. If it is their turn for first dibs, then they can take a second to think, and then smack it when they realize they can. If they aren’t able to smack it (perhaps they have a brown moustache and a black moustache is shown) then the other players will have had time to figure out if they can smack it after the person with dibs lets it go.

We all laugh a lot when we play this game, and the girls both want to play it at least twice a day. You can purchase Moustache Smash on Amazon right now, but just yesterday I spied it in the game section at Walmart for just shy of $10, which I thought was a terrific buy!

Holiday Entertaining Hack: The Appetizers-as-Dinner Trick

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

This is one of my very favorite things to do when entertaining guests during the holidays, OR when I want to treat my family to something special and fun but not spend too much time in the kitchen: I make an entire meal out of appetizers, and by using a few simple tricks, I pull this bite-sized feast off without too much effort on my part.

I recently headed to Walmart, armed with a get $1.50 off 2 Farm Rich snacks coupon and after viewing all the great options, I basically just went nuts and brought this awesome assortment home to my deep freezer.  photo farmrich1_zps59d61914.jpg

I decided to have a special weekend meal for my crew today, even though my “to do” list was a mile long. Still, I wanted to make a bit of time for getting into the spirit of the season, and that means having festive and fun food for some of our meals. I knew that I could put together an entire meal with appetizer options from Farm Rich Snacks , and I’d have enough of each item left over to repeat this meal again later on in the season since the boxes and bags can all be closed. 

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I started things off by preheating my oven to 425 degrees and getting out my toaster oven, which I needed for the pizzeria bites, as they need to cook at 375 degrees. While my oven was preheating, I got out two baking trays and covered them with aluminum foil, and sprayed them lightly with olive oil. I put Farm Rich meatballs on half of one of the trays. The meatballs went in first because they take the longest to cook (around 35 minutes). While they were cooking, I made a super easy sauce for them out of a bottle of barbecue sauce and a can of whole cranberry sauce, just letting it warm on the stove top. DELISH! photo farmrich7_zpsa1642fb4.jpg

After the meatballs have been cooking for 15 minutes, it’s time to add the breaded mushrooms. Set the timer for just 3 1/2 minutes, because more food will need to go in the oven at that point. The breaded mushrooms taste fantastic with a ranch dip. I made mine by combining 2/3 cup of greek yogurt, 1/3 cup mayonnaise and 1/2 of a packet of ranch dip mix. photo farmrich9_zpsc80f6247.jpg

After the breaded mushrooms go in the oven, you’ll also want to put your pizzeria bites in the toaster oven, set at 375. They need about 13 minutes. photo farmrich11_zps683cba50.jpg

When your meatballs and breaded mushrooms have about 10 minutes left to cook, it’s time to add a second tray of food to the oven, and it should have toasted ravioli and cheese sticks on it. They are both HUGE hits with my kids, and I loved arranging the raviolis in the shape of a circle and putting a bow at the bottom to make it look like a wreath. This couldn’t have been easier, friends!

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And the cheesesticks really can shine on their own, but they are out of this world with a little homemade marinara. photo farmrich10_zps41bb26f3.jpg

I found it easy to make the sauce in between the time I was putting everything else together. You’ll need one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1 Tbsp of minced garlic (I buy the stuff in the jar; I can’t really tell the difference between it and garlic I peel myself and it saves a TON of time). You’ll also need some olive oil, a pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp black pepper and a bit of fresh basil. photo farmrich3_zps029cd6cf.jpg

Cook the garlic in the olive oil over medium-high heat for about a minute, and then add the tomatoes and give it a stir. Then add the salt, oregano, black pepper and a sprig of basil (spring for the fresh stuff…it honestly makes a difference). Give it another good stir and bring it to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to just above low (so that’s setting 2 on my stove) and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the basil before serving. Easy!

The only other thing that I added to our appetizer feast was some yummy rasperry and honey crackers with goat cheese. You just need some water crackers with a smear of goat cheese on them. Place a fresh raspberry on top and drizzle with honey. These are nearly effortless and they were inhaled VERY quickly. I made them as everyone was getting out plates, cups and utensils. photo farmrich5_zps920a7157.jpg

I so love that this entire meal came together with me just putting stuff in the oven at the right time and making three SIMPLE sauces! And yet, it felt like quite the feast. Having some Farm Rich products tucked away in your freezer this holiday season for a quick appetizer, or for an entire meal of appetizers, is a great idea. I’ve found the food to taste fantastic and to be really enjoyed by those it is served to (which makes them great for bringing to gatherings, too!). And of course, I have personally loved how much time they save me in the kitchen. My family enjoyed every product on our table today. On my list next to try are the Loaded Potato Skins, which sound absolutely perfect for a cold night!

Have you ever done an entire meal of just appetizers? I think it is so much fun! If you’d like to try it for your family, be sure to look for Farm Rich Snacks to help you out so that the fun dinner idea doesn’t become overwhelming for the chef! Use the Farm Rich Product Finder to make your search a snap.

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Veggie Snack Break: Check Out Harvest Snaps

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This post was created in partnership with Harvest Snaps. Product has been provided for review purposes. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always love hearing about new snacks. And I REALLY love hearing about new snacks that my daughters’ school will accept in lunch boxes (they are pretty darn hardcore about not allowing sugar).

This week I’ve been sampling 6 different flavors of Harvest Snaps. These are baked, gluten-free, high in fiber and protein, and low in sodium and fat. They are also all very flavorful. I was actually expecting them to be loaded with sodium based on how yummy they tasted. I was so glad to be wrong!

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The big surprise for me was the flavor that I assumed I would absolutely hate: wasabi ranch. Doesn’t that just sound like an assault to your taste buds? But I did try them since I needed to report back to you all on them, and guess what? They are one of my favorite flavors. They definitely clear out your sinuses, but then you find yourself reaching for another, and then another. I actually liked all the flavors offered except the onion thyme variety. It tasted like exactly that, and those are flavors that need to be combined with something else, and not enjoyed on their own (at least in my opinion!).

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If you are looking for some Lunchspiration for your kids’ lunches or even for some new snack ideas for yourself, I would definitely suggest Harvest Snaps. They’ve got a satisfying crunch, they are absolutely packed with flavor, and they are relatively guilt-free.

Weep Not for the Memories: My #WishforOthers is an End to Dementia

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

Have you been racking your brain for the past few weeks to try to think of gift ideas for yourself? My friends and family have been asking for some help. I’m having a hard time carving out the time to just sit and think about what I want for me, which is a bummer because to be honest, it’s kind of fun to window shop and daydream about getting cool new gadgets and gizmos.

But what if you were asked to come up with a Wish For Others? Capital One is posing this question to you, from now through December 23rd. Why are they doing this? Because they believe that by granting wishes made for others, the impact will be absolutely huge. I believe they are really on to something, here. 

I wanted to share my #WishForOthers with you (and with Capital One!) because oh my gosh would I love to see this happen! 

We all have causes that are near and dear to our hearts based on our personal experiences and our personal relationships. Of course I’d be beyond thrilled if you decided to make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association, but beyond that, I’d love foryou to think about a cause that touches your life in some way. Then enter the #WishForOthers  via Twitter, Instagram, or the Capital One Facebook page. You can also check out  #WishForOthers to see what other amazing ways people are hoping to spread holiday cheer this year. You can get inspired and even get some great ideas about ways you can share your light with the world by brightening someone else’s day. It doesn’t have to be big to be great, friends. 

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Six Flags Over Georgia Holiday in the Park

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Last weekend my family headed down to Six Flags Over Georgia to attend the media preview of a brand new event being offered select days and nights through January 4, 2015. Check out what we saw at the Holiday in the Park celebration.

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The park has been transformed into 10 different areas with different holiday themes, and 1 million twinkling lights to really get your family in the holiday spirit.

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Individuals and families can take a special train ride to the North Pole to meet Santa and snap a photo. You’ll see the ground covered in “snow” while you are there. And yes, you can even ride several different coasters, as well as some kid-friendly offerings.

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My children really enjoyed the Looney Tunes holiday show, though if I had to do it over again, I would choose the bigger show that happened at the Crystal Pistol Music Hall. I thought we’d easily be able to fit all the offerings in during our evening trip, but it turns out that there is so much to see and do that you may have to make some choices about what to see and what to skip.

But even with all the entertainment being offered, I’d encourage you to take some time to simply enjoy the beautiful light displays.

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I also think purchasing one of the s’mores kits available and heading out to the fire pits nearby is a great idea and a fun way to make some memories.

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And don’t forget to take some time to play in the snow on Main Street!

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This event is free to current season pass holders. Ticket information and dates can be found on the Six Flags Over Georgia website. I think this is a delightful way to celebrate the season; Six Flags Over Georgia did an excellent job for their inaugural year!

When Pink Eye Visits on Thanksgiving Week: Still Celebrating the Season with Nestle

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This #Feast4All shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

So last week Tim had an eye infection that we self-diagnosed as a stye. Since he’s a big boy, so he can deal with a little discomfort; no big deal. Only we realized it WAS a big deal when our 2-year-old woke up Saturday morning with what was so very obviously pink eye. Then we realized that Tim was dealing with a mild case of pink eye all along, and he inadvertently gave it to the little one, who got a rather nasty case of it in both eyes. All this on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Good times.

My girls were already only going to be in school on Monday and Tuesday of this week, and I had a to-do list that was beyond what would be possible without bending the space-time continuum. Whatever your profession might be, most women seem to have such a list during Thanksgiving week, so I’m guessing you can relate. I am fortunate to not be hosting Thanksgiving at my house, but we will be doing some traveling, and I am preparing 3 dishes for the event. Let me tell you this right now: those 3 dishes will be pretty much all I will be making this week in the kitchen from scratch. For our family dinners, I’m going to be getting some help from Nestle.

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I had already planned for one dinner this week to consist of a yummy DIGIORNO® RISING CRUST® Pizza, and now that I need to scrap my old set of plans for how this week would go and operate in triage mode, I’m headed back to the store today to buy another one. Thank goodness that desperate times don’t have to call for desperate measures when it comes to feeding my family something delicious. All I need is a hot oven and 25 minutes, and dinner is served.

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Gotta love that original sauce made with California tomatoes, and that topping of Wisconsin cheese. It was scrumptious!

As I strip down my list of items that need to get done and remove everything that isn’t absolutely critical (hello gift wrapping…you are going to have to wait another week), one thing I am mindful of is that this is a holiday week, and that means that my kids should have some fun opportunities to celebrate the season. I do truly believe that this is the most wonderful time of the year, and if I am too busy to take a moment for fun, then I’m setting a poor example. So along with our delicious DIGIORNO® RISING CRUST® Pizza that we’ll be having today, we are also going to have a very kid-friendly dessert: ice cream sandwiches.

Is the ice cream homemade? Definitely not. How about the cookies? Nope! Do I feel even slightly guilty about cutting corners? Not a chance. I simply don’t have time to take on either endeavor, so the only way to have a fun special treat this week, outside of the pie I’m going to make for Thanksgiving Day, is to get a little help from my friends at Nestle.

Look at what I found while shopping at Walmart last week! First, I found the pizza I knew my family would love.

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Then I  headed over to the refrigerated dough section where I saw many wonderful things from Nestle, but one item, in particular, really caught my eye.

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I could hardly wait to tear into NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Pumpkin Spice Refrigerated Cookie Dough; good thing we were about to eat DIGIORNO, or else I might have broken the house rule not to have sweet treats soon before dinner.

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I so appreciate that these cookies come ready to be placed on a baking sheet. For cookies that cook the most evenly, I highly recommend using parchment paper. I will never forget a cooking experiment I did at the Reynolds test kitchen where we made cookies on all different types of surfaces (ungreased baking sheet, greased baking sheet, all different types of aluminum foil and parchment paper). The cookies baked on the parchment paper looked the very best! 🙂

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Sandwiches

  • 1 package NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Pumpkin Spice Refrigerated Cookie Dough
  • 1 carton of ice cream (I recommend butter pecan or vanilla)

Directions

Follow the instructions on the back of the cookie dough package. When the cookies are done, give them a few minutes to cool down. If serving immediately, add a small scoop of ice cream in between 2 still warm cookies and enjoy! If saving for later, allow the cookies to cool completely before adding ice cream on top of one, and then add the second cookie on top, give it a little squish, and wrap in plastic and place in a freezer bag.

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Since the cookies had a pumpkin spice flavor, I thought a great ice cream pairing was butter pecan. It was an outstanding choice, if I do say so myself! I think you also can’t go wrong with good old-fashioned vanilla.

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The very best tasting ice cream sandwiches do require a still-warm cookie, so if it is at all possible to make and eat these soon after they come out of the oven, that’s the path I recommend. Your cookies can be baking while your family is eating their pizza!

Having a sick one on Thanksgiving week has caused me to take a good, hard look at my task list to determine what really matters and what is just going to have to wait. I have to say, I think I prioritized correctly. Layah had one of these right after lunch, and as soon as she went down for a nap, I got a treat, too (though my ice cream wasn’t as firm as hers…mamas always get the leftovers!).

Yummy to my tummy and easy as can be! Nestlé Toll House pumpkin spice ice cream cookie sandwiches. #Feast4All #ad

A video posted by Tiffany (@stuffparentsneed) on

If you’d like more ideas about great ways to use Nestle products so you can get through the holidays with less stress, there are some great ideas on the Flavorful Moments website, as well as on the Nestle Pinterest boards.

 

Hands-Free Help in the Kitchen with My Intel All-in-One

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

Today I’ll be headed to the grocery store to purchase my list of ingredients needed for Thanksgiving. In anticipation of this large shopping event, I have been steadily working on cleaning out my pantry, my fridge and my freezer so that I have plenty of room for the dishes, as well as for the leftovers!

My Intel All-in-One has actually been perched on my kitchen counter for the entire weekend (and I have a small kitchen, so that’s really saying something that I let it stay there!). It’s SO portable, and with this particular device I’ve got a huge screen, which is like a desktop, but there’s no tower to tote around, which makes it like a laptop. I’ve been using it for pretty much every meal, looking up ideas (I LOVE searching by image!). Yesterday I was able to quickly find a way to put chicken thighs and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to use: chicken carnitas!

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But wouldn’t you know it? During the process of making this recipe, I learned that I was all out of chili powder. I had Google at the ready just in case I needed to look something up while I was cooking. So without having to even touch my computer, I said, “Ok Google…chili powder substitute.”

intel thanksgiving 2 My computer registered my voice and accurately recorded it as a query for Google. In just a few seconds I had my answer and was back on track with my recipe. That was awesome, friends! Now if only I could figure out how to get my All-in-One to chop vegetables…

If you are also trying to make some space in your kitchen for all those yummy dishes you’ll be making later this week, use your computer as a resource to help you figure out what you can make with what you already have. And if you are REALLY wishing for a new computer, like the fabulous Intel All in Ones, there’s no better time than the holidays to snag one for one heck of a bargain. You can always use the argument that you need a sous chef!