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

4 Easy Holiday Traditions My Kids Love

November 1, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 36 Comments

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

Friends, I know your Halloween decorations are still up, and likely will be for a few more days (ok, until next weekend). But there’s no denying that we are all starting to turn our attention toward the Christmas season. November feels like a brisk walk toward the most wonderful time of year, and December is a full-on sprint. Personally, I’m dousing myself in all things peppermint and primed to get this party started!

If you have little ones at home, you have likely wondered what holiday traditions will become important to your family, and in particular, if you’d like to start any new traditions. But it can be overwhelming to try to figure all of that out! I’d like to share with you 4 traditions my family has adapted over the past few years. Two of them are brand new to us this year! These are all traditions that are friendly to the family with a lack of crafting skills. Just gonna put that out there, because there are lots of other great ideas that just aren’t ever going to happen in my home (Gingerbread house, anyone? The mere thought of it makes me sweat!). I hope you find some fun ideas for your crew!

Tradition #1: Christmas Countdown Chain

Yes, this is is a craft, but it simply involves cutting strips of paper and applying a dot of glue. That’s within the boundaries of what I can

reasonably handle. 🙂 We create this chain, little by little, throughout the month of November, with the goal of having it ready to go by the day after Thanksgiving, as that’s when the countdown begin. Each loop on the chain has a special message on the inside with some sort of holiday fun item that we will accomplish that day. There’s no need to over-think this, friends, and no need to do something spectacular or time consuming every day. You’ll want to sprinkle some of those fun events like making cookies in there, but you can also simply have a carol singing session one day, or color a picture for Santa Claus. This takes a bit of thought on the front end, but I have found that it helps us stay in the holiday spirit throughout the season, and it really helps my kids have a better understanding of just how close Christmas is getting!

Tradition #2: Northpole Communicator

This is a new one for us, and we are PUMPED about it! Released just today, you can now find Northpole, brought to you by Hallmark. This Northpole Communicator is such a clever and fun line of products designed to help your family start fun new holiday traditions. The Hallmark Northpole Communicator, which is found exclusively at Walmart, is a very cool device that gives your children the opportunity to talk with the elves at the North Pole throughout the month of December. The device is set to start working on Decmeber 1st, so we haven’t been able to dial in just yet, but the impression I get is that there’s a fun new message every single day, and the chance to leave one of your own! I’ve told Darah that she can start leaving messages on it now, and she’s picked up the communicator at least 3 times today to share some thoughts about her own behavior throughout the year, and to tell on her little sister. I really hope I can catch one of these sessions on camera in the near future, because they are a RIOT!

Tradition #3: Elf on the Shelf

You guys, I know that Pinterest can make the Elf on the Shelf seem really intimidating, as some folks go ALL OUT with the mischief their little elves get into. But let me just tell you: getting our elf (his name is Owen) was one of the smartest moves we’ve made. Last year our oldest was 4, and she was in the full throes of believing in all things magical. She still does believe in magical things this year, but I can already see the sparkle in her eye beginning to fade a touch. She’s starting to ask more questions about how magical things are possible, and you can see the logical part of her mind raising red flags. Owen is going to have another great year with us, though, and if you haven’t taken the leap, just DO IT! This season of life is such a short one, and you will always cherish the memories of your ziplining elf. 🙂

Tradition #4: The Beacon

Here’s another new tradition for us this year. Walmart is the place where you can find the Hallmark Book and Beacon. The book, titled Once Upon a Northpole Christmas, shares a tale about how the Northpole and all of its magic is actually powered by people on Earth spreading laughter, love and holiday cheer. It’s a great reminder to spend time with your family and to do happy and fun things throughout the season. The book comes with a keepsake snowflake ornament that lights up, with the idea being that Santa can easily spot those lighted snowflakes as he makes his rounds. We put both girls’ names on the snowflake since the book only came with one. You could also just put your family name on the snowflake, too, if there are too many kids in your family to fit on the name space area!

My girls were particularly drawn to the idea of having a special snowflake that served as a signaling device for Santa. They both have played with it a great deal and have been giving me ideas about where it should reside during the holiday season. Darah votes for “taping it to the roof.” Ha!

I hope I have given you some simple and fun ideas about holiday traditions. Will you take a moment to share some of your holiday traditions with me? I’d love for the comments section to be a place where we can all get cool ideas from each other!

Giveaway!

Here’s your opportunity to win these fun Hallmark Northpole prize pack!

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The Ultimate TV Experience: The LG OLED TV at Best Buy

November 1, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

I start Christmas shopping for Tim before I start shopping for anyone else, simply because he is the hardest person to buy for out of my group of 21 people. Yes, my own husband stumps me more than anyone else!

One of the places where I shop for Tim is Best Buy because I have noticed over the past 12 years of our marriage that gifts I get him from this particular store are significantly less likely to be returned by him for a refund. Simply put, Best Buy has a lot of stuff that he actually likes and wants.

LG OLED TV

If you have ventured into Best Buy recently, you may have experienced the LG OLED TV. And really and truly, it is an experience. Televisions have certainly come a long way in the last 15 years, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this!

Something I’ve always loved about Best Buy is how you can shop with confidence, knowing that their prices are the best. Their everyday price for this unbelievable TV is $500 less than the competition, at $3499.99. Is it a luxury purchase? Certainly. But I can’t even imagine what Tim would do if he found this under the tree for him on Christmas morning. He would be speechless! And I would be so thrilled to be able to give him something so incredible and so right up his alley, as tech gifts are the ones he tends to hold on to (just ask the pile of computer hard drives we have in our room…I’m staring at them as I type this!).

Tim comes from a family of MAJOR movie lovers, so we take our home theater experience quite seriously. Wouldn’t the LG OLED TV just take us to a whole new level?? It’s only .21″ thick at its thinnest point. It has Infinite Contrast so that every color all along the spectrum is bright and vibrant. It also has LG’s exclusive 4 Color Pixel technology. You can learn all about it on the Best Buy website.

If you are planning on spoiling somebody rotten this year with a gift like the LG OLED TV, or if you just need some cool ideas at most every price point for the technology lover, Best Buy has got you covered this holiday season!

Tips for Family Tailgaiting…Even When You Aren’t a Football Family (Giveaway!)

October 31, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 38 Comments

Thanks to Bojangles’ for providing gift cards for review and for giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always!

I was born and raised in Alabama, taught to be a fan of the Crimson Tide before I even knew what football was, and have participated in many a tailgate in my day.

And between us, the only part of it that I ever really cared for was the food.

We are deep into the tailgaiting season, but my family doesn’t have to miss out on the fun of it all just because we aren’t watching a game. We decided this past weekend to take advantage of the absolutely GLORIOUS weather in Chattanooga, and also take advantage of the Bojangles’ Tailgate Special. We loaded up our car with our family and our picnic basket, and let Bojangles’ take care of everything else.

Bojangles’ is a regional quick service chain, so you may not have one in your area (check the locations to see if there’s one near you!). They are currently offering a great delicious way to get your family to the next tailgate, family reunion or picnic. We tried out the 12 piece meal that came with fried chicken, awesome biscuits, iced tea, and 3 sides. It also comes with plates, cups, napkins and sporks so that all you have to do is pick it up and you are ready! Word of advice, though: double check your order before you head out…we were missing cups and sporks which meant we had to swing back by our house because we didn’t notice before we left!.

So…how was the food? It was SO good! Everyone in my family was quiet for the first 10 minutes of our picnic. No words were exchanged other than, “more biscuits, please!”

Everything from full of flavor, and Tim and I both really appreciated the break from the kitchen. It made it really easy for us to have an afternoon of fun together with our girls.

In fact, since we didn’t have to prepare or do dishes after our meal that afternoon, and since we were able to head to the park for a picnic, we were also able to do a quick change while we were there and get into our costumes, as a trick-or-treat event was taking place that evening at the park. We got great spots in the line because we were already there having fun! It was truly a fantastic day, and it was a good reminder to me to really take advantage of those days when the weather is just perfect, and that might mean that you need to leave the meal prep up to someone else. Bojangles’ is a great option, in my opinion!

Giveaway!

One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $30 gift card to Bojangles’!
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An Easy Way to Make Trick-or-Treating More Fun at Your House

October 30, 2014 · 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.

If you are reading this blog post, then you have some sort of a computer. Even those of you on mobile devices probably have something with a larger screen at your home. And if you do, then I’ve got a super simple idea to help you make all those little Elsas and other characters who show up at your house tomorrow night smile when you open the door.

Not talking about having candy, because I’m assuming that you’ve got that. Otherwise, you will have some seriously upset munchkins on your hands!

I’m talking about creating a fun ambiance without having to go spend $100 on decorations or even a costume for yourself (though bonus points to you if you have a costume! Kids love it when the grown ups dress up!).

I’m bringing my Intel All-in-One (AIO) computer over to our front entrance area tomorrow night. It has a beautiful, large screen which makes it perfect for showing eerie photos. I actually downloaded this set of 15 spooky images and set my computer to show a different one every 10 seconds. My girls already love it and I know the trick-or-treaters will like seeing it in the background, too.

I’m also going to have a playlist of kid-friendly Halloween music playing. You can find great sets of music on Youtube and just minimize the page so that your eerie photos are being displayed instead of the Youtube page.

And finally, I’ll dress up the screen just a bit by adding some spiderwebs for an extra spooky effect. Our computers are such an integral part of our lives; why not get them more involved in our festivities? 🙂

My Intel AIO is the perfect device to move all over the house to wherever it can be put to best use because it is so easy to tote around. There’s no tower to connect it to, and no cumbersome cords. All you need is right there on the screen. I just love it! For more details about my experience with this Intel device, check out my Intel AIO review.

And if you’d like more information on Intel AIO products, definitely check out Intel All in Ones as they come in a wide range of options!

Turning the Tables on Hunger Starts with Something Simple: Share a Meal

October 30, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Friends, could I ask for 4 minutes of your time to watch a powerful documentary short? Unilever Project Sunlight has just released it, and it showed me something I REALLY needed to see:

The face of hunger doesn’t always look like what we think, does it? A hungry child might be sitting right next to your own child at school, or might live in the house next door to yours. Hunger is penetrating every city and even every neighborhood. You can never be too sure about what other people might be going through, even if everything seems on the surface to be just fine.

When my family and I make donations to our local food bank, I try to involve my children as much as possible. When my oldest asks why we are giving food away, I explain it like this: everyone on this planet needs some kind of help from other people at some point or another. Maybe the help needed is money or food. Maybe it’s love. Maybe it’s a certain set of skills. Whatever it is, we all have to rely on others somewhere along the way. Right now, it’s our turn to give because we are able to do so. Tomorrow, it might be our turn to ask for help. I want her to understand why giving is so important, and I also want her to understand that the truth is, none of us are very many tragedies away from being in dire need.

I want to encourage you to take a moment to share a meal, in whatever form that might take for you. It might mean calling up your local food pantry and asking what they need donated. It might mean volunteering in a community garden, or even committing to teaching yourself a bit about gardening so that you can grow some of your own food, and also share your harvest with neighbors. It might mean getting involved in a great organization that works to end food deserts in communities, like the Junior League of Chattanooga (I’m so proud to be part of this amazing group of women!). We are partnering with other great organizations to ensure that people all over the city can have fresh produce. You’d be shocked to realize just how many people in most communities cannot get access to fresh fruits and veggies on a regular basis.

Or perhaps you can just commit to getting to know your neighbors a little better in the coming weeks. You may learn about some struggles that you didn’t know were going on, and then you may be better poised to help out in some way.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Unilever. The opinions and text are all mine.

Fun, Quick Treat Seek & Stash Game (Great Purina Prizes Up for Grabs!)

October 29, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

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

Need a little afternoon pick-me-up? Switch gears by heading over to the #SeekandStash game and try your hand at slashing some ghosts while getting lots of Purina® treats in your bag. This cute game only takes a minute to play, but it’s a fun little distraction, and unlike Candy Crush and other online games, you might actually win something when you play this game!

I didn’t seem to have the magic touch when I played, but I’ll try again tomorrow. It only takes a minutes, it’s totally fun to swipe at those ghosts, and after all, doesn’t Miss Hattie deserve a special treat from Purina®? And wouldn’t mama love to win it for her?

I’m actually headed to Walmart tomorrow, and since I know that Purina® treats are plentiful there and also quite affordable, I’ll just add them to my list. Everyone else in the house is getting plenty of treats this week with Halloween headed our way. I shouldn’t leave the cats out of all the fun! But maybe you’ll have better luck than me and get a FREE treat for your pets!

New Books for the Charlie Brown Fans, Featuring Heroes, Explorers and Adventurers

October 28, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

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

Attention all fans of the Peanuts gang. Charles M. Schulz has just released a trio of books that help children learn about important figures in American history.

charlie brown books

The books each have a story involving the characters we all know and love, and a little bit of information about different figures in American history are woven into the stories (sometimes in a very seamless way, and sometimes it’s a bit clunky, though to be fair, it’s hard to work all that info into a short story!).

At the back of the book, more detailed information on the 5 figures is highlighted so that kids can get a clearer picture of that individual’s importance in history.

charlie brown 3

Of the 3 sets of books, the one I personally like the best is the Great Heroes book, because of the diversity of individuals highlighted. As a mom of girls, and as a woman, myself, I’m sensitive to opportunities to include women and their accomplishments, and I was pleased to see 3 of the 5 people profiled in this edition to be women who achieved great things (Rosa Parks, Clara Barton and Susan B. Anthony). In contrast, I was a bit put off by the Great Inventors book, as only 1 woman was profiled, and that woman invented the chocolate chip cookie. Now, let me be VERY clear…this invention was a gift to the entire world, to be sure. But the inventor of the cookie was a woman, and the inventions produced by men included the airplane, the telephone, the automobile and the light bulb. Seemed a little lopsided, in my opinion, and like an all-around poor choice for the one female inventor’s work to stem from the kitchen.

Still, it’s a nice set of books for any child who is starting to get into history, as the Peanuts gang helps introduce some pretty cool new characters in a way that is easy to understand.

My Hairstyle Rut-Buster and Other Great Tips and Tricks at the Walmart Suave Hub

October 28, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Thanks to Global Influence for partnering with me to make this post possible. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always!

So my best friend and I have this running joke where we ask each other over the phone, in a voice of desperation, if we are remembering to roll our hair. The joke stems from the fact that during my first two weeks of college, my mom would call my dorm room (land lines…remember those???) and ask my roommate if I was rolling my hair. She just wanted me to make a great first impression with everyone I met, and she firmly believed that having hair that looked good was an important component of a great first impression. We actually took a picture of me sitting on my bed and reading with rollers in my hair just to put her mind at ease.

It was one of only a handful of times that I rolled my hair during college. I had other stuff to do, y’all.

Even now, an alarming 15 years after those phone calls were made, I still have a lot going on and my hair usually comes dead last on the list of things to give time and attention to. But this year I bought a set of steam rollers (after giving my hot roller set away a few years ago because they were COATED in dust from lack of use. And you know what? I hate to admit this, but my mama was right (at least somewhat!). Now that I have found a set of rollers that I actually like, I can get my hair in them in about 6 minutes flat and let them set while I put on makeup, or write content for the blog, or any number of other things. And then I just pull them out and run my fingers through my hair. The amount of hairspray I apply depends on how tight I want the curls to stay. But for at least 4 hours after doing this, I have hair that actually looks like a I cared about it, and it makes a significant difference in my overall appearance. So for me, rolling my hair is a 10 minute trick that can help me look totally pulled together. Do I roll my hair every day? Of course not. But today, for example, I’m meeting with someone at my daughter’s school to discuss a fundraising project. I hope they recognize my lack of ponytail when I show up!

Walmart Suave Hub

You can find lots of great beauty and hair tips just like mine above at the . You’ll also find product promotions (sweepstakes, coupons, samples, etc.!). When you combine these offerings with the awesome Suave Family Perks program I blogged about a few weeks ago, it’s easy to see how Suave is making life a little less hectic and a lot more fun for you and your family. And that’s a great thing, indeed!

What’s In Your Medicine Cabinet? Homeopathic Options from Maty’s

October 28, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

My medicine cabinet looks significantly different than it did this time last year. While we have been using homeopathic medications for our family for a few years, now, we also have heavily relied on more “traditional” over-the-counter options. My love affair with essential oils shifted that mindset a bit, and now essential oils are the first thing I reach for when someone in my family is battling some sort of germ or virus.

The second thing I reach for, though, is homeopathic medications. I was recently sent some products from Maty’s to check out. While we haven’t yet had cause to use any of the products, yet, I am really glad to have them in my medicine cabinet, and wanted to show them to you in case you are also looking for some homeopathic options for your crew.

Maty’s products contain food-based ingredients if the intention is for it to be ingested. Doesn’t that just make sense? Take a look at the ingredient list for the cough syrup:

I can pronounce and even understand every single ingredient. This is something I can use with confidence! I also noticed when reading the ingredients the bottom part of the package, which has the Vitamin Angels logo. I’m very pleased to see that this company helps support such a great nonprofit, and works to provide nutritional supplements to children all over the world. Your purchase is helping your own family, and it’s helping others, as well!

Maty’s products are widely available at places you most certainly shop, like Walgreens and CVS and tons of different grocery store chains. Here’s a complete list of where you can find them. My family will certainly be using these this year if and when we come down with the ick.

Have you tried this brand, yet? I’d love to hear what you think about it if you have!