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

Honest Company Wipes Review: An Honest Assessment

October 27, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Affiliate links included. I only promote what I use and love!

I previously reviewed the diaper bundle that is offered through The Honest Company, and that bundle includes 4 packages of wipes. But in that post I didn’t say too much about the wipes, so I wanted to take the opportunity to share more of my thoughts about them, and to share tips on how to bring the cost down a bit on them.

I really like these wipes. They are probably my second favorite wipes on the market (Huggies Naturally Refreshing being my very favorite). They are thick and a decent size and I don’t usually have to use more than one to get the job done.

The price point is a bit high, at $4.95 for a package of wipes. That comes to 7 cents a wipe. My strategy is to add extra wipes as add-on products to my bundle (you can add them on to your essentials bundle or to your diaper and wipes bundle). Anything you add on to a bundle you get at 25% off, and you can add up to 3 products for a discount. The wipes you add on to a bundle will be just $3.71, or 5 cents per wipe. That’s better!

Bundles? What?

The Honest Company allows you to shop with them two ways. You can simply order whatever you like from the website a la carte. Or, you can become an Honest Company Bundles subscriber. By subscribing, you get a discount: 5 items in the essentials bundle for $35.95, or 4 packages of diapers and 4 packages of wipes in the diaper bundle, or 2 items from a selection in the health & wellness bundle. Using the subscription service can save you a lot of money…IF you know what you are doing! The per item cost for the essentials bundle, for example, is $7.20. They actually offer some items in the bundle service that retail for less than $7.20. So don’t make the mistake of ordering those items! Once you get the hang of what you should and shouldn’t order, and what you should and shouldn’t add on to your order to take advantage of the 25% savings, you’ll really like the service. You can change the date any time you like. I once put my diaper bundle on hold for 2 full months…it was no problem at all!

New to The Honest Company? Start Here!

The Honest Company offers some great freebies to folks who are thinking of joining, including free diapers, so definitely check out my post on Honest Company free samples. After that, you’ll want to see my running list of Honest Company product reviews so that you can learn which products to buy and which ones to pass on, as well as how to bundle them for maximum savings.

Just Dance 2015 and How My Family Learned to Shake it Off!

October 27, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Let me be honest about something: I don’t really enjoy working out. And I actually thought that everybody felt this way because exercise is AWFUL. Right?

Only, I’ve actually learned over the past few years that I’m defining “working out” the wrong way. Specifically, I tend to think of “working out” as running and using gym equipment that I don’t understand. But yoga? Zumba? Dance? Those are just fun, in my opinion.

Here’s the thing about getting your body moving: you need to find something that you love, or at least that you like and that you can grow to love. A while back I actually started walking and doing some light jogging on the treadmill, and I went from absolutely hating that form of exercise to almost liking it a little bit….a serious improvement! But it was all to easy to stop doing it when my schedule got a little wonky.

So my strategy now for fitness is to focus on the types of exercise that I already like so much that I don’t even think of them as such. Dance is most definitely one of those things for me. I took dance lessons for 13 years growing up and I really enjoyed it. It’s hard for me not to smile when I’m dancing; I truly don’t care if I look like an idiot (a gift of confidence that comes with being in your ’30s, I guess).

Over the weekend my family got a copy of the brand new Just Dance 2015 for our Wii (also available for several other gaming consoles). It has songs on it that are being played frequently on the radio right now (like Black Widow!). This very much excited my children, and I was very pleasantly surprised to realize that of the 40 songs available, I knew at least 30 of them. That’s pretty good for a gal whose musical tastes are pretty well entrenched in the ’90s.

Both of my girls really got into dancing along with the characters in the videos, though I will tell you that the dance moves were a bit complicated for them. But that provided a great teaching opportunity, as I told the kids that getting the moves right wasn’t even the goal: the goal was to dance just the way you want and to have fun.

I think taking that approach to the songs and the dance moves was the way to go, because I noticed after that point that my oldest started moving and smiling a heck of a lot more, and before long, she was totally in the zone, dancing and grooving her little heart out. Sometimes she followed along, and sometimes she just did some freestyle. It was awesome to watch her just get to be herself and have a good time.

Tim also made a point of participating in our Just Dance party. We want the girls to understand that dancing isn’t a girl thing; it’s a human thing! It’s such an important way that we get to express ourselves, and even if we don’t all take formal lessons, we can still seize the opportunity to move our bodies to the beat and have a lot of fun. No need to suppress yourself and resist the urge to shake your tail feather!

Perhaps the highlight of our time was finding none other than Elsa and Anna dancing together to Let it Go. We all had a lot of fun (especially me! I was feeling those lyrics, y’all!). This is one that the girls now ask for every time we turn the Wii on. I loved the fact that for this one, two players can dance at the same time, and they actually have different choreography. In fact, I noticed that several of the dances had options for other people to join in and either do the same thing, or do something different, but complimentary. I could totally see older kids and young teens spending A LOT of time working on their skills as dancers with this game.

Just Dance 2015 is available on Amazon, and while the exact price fluctuates depending on your console, it seems to be hovering right around $40. If you have people in your house who love to play games, or who love to dance, or if you are looking for a way to get some exercise that feels more like fun to you, give Just Dance 2015 a try. I am really enjoying it, myself, and I’m so happy to have a way to get moving that I really want to engage in, rather than that I can easily convince myself to put off for another day.

Stomp Out Bullying

Ubisoft, the makers of Just Dance 2015, are working with Stomp Our Bullying to bring awareness to National Bullying Prevention Month, happening throughout the month of October. New songs and some very fun and also very wacky choreography found on the game can help encourage kids, tweens and teens to just be themselves, even their crazy selves. A perfect example of this is do is the choreography set to the old school Tetris soundtrack. It requires 4 players and it is absolutely hilarious. I could totally see my 13-year-old self going nuts over something like this with my friends. I love to give my kids opportunities to let their lights shine in their own unique way, and I think Just Dance 2015 encourages exactly that!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Love Luvs? Check Out the Luvs Loyalty Program!

October 23, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

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

As a parent with a child still in diapers several months after I assumed we would be all done with them, I can tell you that it is always nice to find ways to save a bit of money on diapers, as long as they are a brand that actually works for your child. We’ve always had positive experiences with Luvs® diapers, so I’m excited o see that he brand has just launched a loyalty program called the #LuvsClub. It is completely free to join, and it offers the following benefits:

The latest Luvs® offers and savings
Baby-related news, tips and articles
News and video releases from Luvs®
And much more!

In addition, the first 2,000 people who get registered will win a Walmart $5 e-gift card, so get yourself entered ASAP! Additionally, a drawing will be held in April 2015 from all the registrants, and one lucky winner will win a year’s supply of Luvs diapers (a $1,000 value!). Talk about a useful prize!!!

One Simple Trick to Save Extra Money Shopping Online (That You Don’t Already Know)

October 23, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

I’m an affiliate of Ebates and have been a member there since 2007. I only promote what I use and love!

I think most folks know that finding coupons for online purchases isn’t super hard to do. You simply do a quick Google search (for example: Toys R Us coupon code) and if such a coupon exists, you’ll find it in just a few seconds.

But did you know that there’s a site that simply offers a percentage back on your purchases to hundreds and hundreds of very popular stores ON TOP OF any coupons you might be using?

photo credit: leanforward_photos via photopin cc
It’s called Ebates, and I joined in 2007. Since that time, Ebates has sent me checks totaling $803.11. That averages out to saving $114.73 each year! If you are shopping online, you should absolutely be looking for coupon codes. But you should most definitely be going through Ebates in addition. Ebates often has the most up-to-date coupon codes right there on site, so you can take advantage of percentage off sales or free shipping offers AND earn cash back at the same time! I love Ebates because it puts a little cash back in my pocket for purchases I was already planning on making. My latest purchase from Kohls.com saved me $1 just for going through Ebates for an order that was just over $16. Is $1 life-changing? No, but look at my grand total to see how it really and truly adds up to make a big difference! I saved $1.35 on Layah’s Jasmine costume from the Disney store, and that $1.35 really mattered to me, because that darn costume was not on sale and there was no free shipping offer. Bu her heart was set on that costume. This mama was desperate to save at least a little bit, and Ebates made that happen for me. 🙂

And it is seriously effortless. You click on the link to the store where you want to shop (and you see the percentage cash back you will be offered so there are no surprises, and it does vary by store) and then you buy what you were already going to buy. Some stores have a low percentage (Walmart is 1%, though occasionally it goes up…especially around this time of year!) but other stores might get you 8-12% back, or even higher. Promotions are running all the time with increased percentages back, which is great!

I personally shop online a great deal (much more frequently than going to a brick-and-mortar store), and I use Ebates to help me cut the bill total as much as possible. It may only save me a few dollars each time, but the savings add up, and that makes it totally worth the 6 seconds it takes me to go to Ebates, click on the store name where I want to shop, and be on my merry way.

So many people I talk with about online shopping don’t know about Ebates. Let’s fix that for once and for all! You are already shopping online. You are probably already looking for coupons. Take the next leap and add additional savings on top of it all with Ebates. Maybe your checks back will be even bigger than mine!

Teaching Young Children How to Clean Their Bikes

October 22, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 57 Comments

Thanks to Dawn and Double Duty Divas for partnering with me to make this post possible. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always!

Our oldest is working hard on learning how to ride a bicycle. Her confidence is growing with every ride around the block! It wasn’t long ago that she couldn’t really figure out how the pedals worked, and now she can’t be stopped!

But the more she uses her bicycle, the more it gets, well, USED. And every once in a while, it needs some maintenance and care provided to it so that it can stay in good working order. Teaching children how to care for their possessions is an important aspect of helping them understand how to get maximum value from them. The idea of bicycle maintenance isn’t new to Darah, since she’s seen her dad work on his bicycle many times. But this weekend, she got the chance to give her own bike a little TLC!

how-to-take-care-of-your-bike

All you need to get started with basic bicycle care is a bottle of Dawn and some water. We all know that Dawn cuts grease in the sink, but it can do the exact same thing with bicycle wheels and chains! Wherever grease and dirt can be found, let Dawn get to work for you. All you need is a few drops!

Let your child take the lead, but provide some guidance. They will be shocked by just how much grime-fighting power they can get out of just a tiny dab of Dawn. Have them help you fill the bowl with warm water and teach them how to ring out a sponge if they don’t already know. Then, set them free on their bicycle to get to scrubbing!

While Darah was cleaning her bike, her father was talking with her about the various parts of the bicycle, teaching her the names of the parts, and talking with her a bit about their jobs, and how they all work together to make a bicycle. By seeing and touching the parts as she cleaned and as she learned about them, I think she really absorbed what she was hearing. It was a sensory experience!

Darah felt proud of the work she did on her bicycle, and Dawn did a great job of making it easy to wipe away the grime that had accumulated on her bike during her practice sessions. I’m guessing that she’s going to ask to clean her bike again before it really and truly NEEDS to be cleaned. But that’s perfectly fine with me…this activity helps her better understand bicycle mechanics, and instills in her the importance of taking care of what is yours. And maybe we can work her up to cleaning our car for us, too! 🙂

If you’d like more ideas on great ways to put Dawn to use once your dishes are clean, check out Dawn’s page for a big list of alternative uses!

How We’re Keeping Artistic Creativity Flowing, but Away from the Furniture

October 21, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Both of my girls really enjoy painting, but my 2-year-old seems to just LOVE it. She paints with so much energy and passion, with her paint strokes reminding me of a concert pianist in the midst of the most challenging part of a piece. I’m not saying that what Layah produces is always a masterpiece, though of course, as her mom, I think her work is pretty darn cool. I love to set out invitations to create for her and watch her get lost in her colors.

But I DON’T love the clean up that happens afterwards. She paints so intensely that she regularly breaks through her paper and gets paint all over our dining room table. We actually have a very cheap table, and it’s also painted black, and those two characteristics are real blessings in disguise during this season of life, let me tell you. But I still get nervous that I’ll miss a spot and that someone will get paint on their clothes by touching it later. And I always limit Layah to the table for her art time, too, because I don’t want our floors or our other pieces of furniture to get ruined.

Satsuma Designs is a brand that reached out to me recently and I immediately noticed their art mats. This company specializes in eco-friendly and affordable gifts for little ones. They have a great variety of products, but for now, I want to draw your attention to their products for young artists. We received the Kids Art Mat in the ladybug pattern (one of 4 different adorable patterns) ($25). It can be monogrammed for an additional fee, but I left that feature off since I wanted my girls to share it.

And share it, they most definitely can! I was really pleasantly surprised by the large size of the mat. I wish it was a pinch wider, but it is quite long, and as you can see, two kids can actually work on art projects side-by-side, if needed.

The art mat has pockets for tucking away any supplies you might be using, like paint brushes, scissors or crayons. That’s a nice feature, though I do wish the mat had a way to hang up so that you could more easily keep those supplies in the pockets when not in use. I suppose if you roll up the mat from top to bottom you might be able to keep them in tact.

But if your mat gets dirty with paint, you simply toss it in the wash or wipe it down. Easy!

I think the art mat is a great choice for anyone out there with little artists who can’t always keep their creativity on the paper. And Satsuma Designs is a really fun online shop you should definitely check out. This month they are giving 20% of every purchase back to the Young Survivor Coalition, to help support mommies out there who are fighting breast cancer. Take a moment to check them out! As for me, I’m looking forward to Layah coming from from school in a few hours because today, she gets to paint on the floor! 🙂

Set it and Forget It: 16 Yummy Chicken Soups for the Slow Cooker

October 20, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Thanks to Foodie.com for partnering with me to develop this yummy collection of chicken recipes. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Earlier today I threw together an insanely good chicken soup all thanks to some leftovers I had on hand. I had some shredded chicken and black beans in the fridge, and some homemade veggie stock in the freezer that needed to get used up soon or else get tossed. I put those items together, along with a little salsa, a little frozen corn, a handful of rice and a pinch of cumin. I let is simmer for about 45 minutes; it was just perfect for this beautiful fall weather we are enjoying here in Chattanooga.

Soups really are an incredible meal option because they can come together so easily. I especially love making soups in the slow cooker, and I find it to be a really great way to cook chicken, which can dry out pretty easily (but not in a slow cooker!). So today I put together a great list of 16 slow cooker soups that all make use of chicken in some form. I hope it provides some inspiration for your lunch or dinner table in the coming weeks. It doesn’t have to be hard to be tasty! 🙂 Check it out and save anything that looks delicious to you!

Get Your Kids to Eat Veggies: My 2 No-Fail Tricks

October 20, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Last night at the dinner table, these exact words came out of my 5-year-old’s mouth: “Mom, can I PLEASE have more pretzel sprouts? My plate is empty of them!” She is actually referring to brussels sprouts. She ate two full helpings. So did my 2-year-old. And no, my kids are not superstar adventurous eaters, though we strive for that in our home. They are pretty much just as picky as the next kid, and we struggle just like most other families do to get those veggies in their tummies.

So what’s my secret? I have 2 tips that have a 100% success rate in my home, even with brussels sprouts!

The two tricks I have involve a prep trick and a cooking trick. The prep trick is really simple but does require a bit of patience from the parents: you need to have your kids play an active role in getting the food ready. I PROMISE you, the time you put in to this part of the dinner making process will pay huge dividends when it’s time to eat.

I very highly recommend that you have some sort of cutter that your kids can use. We really love this one. I still supervise my kids when they use this, so please use your own discretion! Cutting the veggies is a really fun way for your kids to be involved, to feel like they are doing a very important job (even if you don’t actually NEED the veggies to be chopped), and on a practical level, I find that having veggies chopped up a bit makes them less overwhelming to the kids when it’s time to eat.

I went with the Bird’s Eye brussels sprouts because I like their size better than fresh Brussels Sprouts, which tend to be a little larger. I also know that Bird’s Eye veggies are flash frozen within 4 hours of harvest, so they are actually at peak freshness with those great vitamins and minerals all locked in.

I let them thaw for maybe 10-15 minutes before we started chopping them, so they were still pretty frozen, but they had just a bit of give to them. I also chose this particular vegetable because it has a really bad rep, often thought of as a pretty gross vegetable. I don’t doubt that it can be prepared in a way that doesn’t taste good, but it can also be CRAZY yummy, trust me! I picked this under-loved veggie just to prove my point that these strategies can work for any vegetable, even brussels sprouts. 🙂

If you are going to season your vegetables, also have your kids be involved in this part of it. If they are old enough to measure themselves, just tell them what to add. Otherwise, measure it for them, and hand the spoon over for them to do the dumping. In this case, I had them pour out 3 Tbsp of olive oil, and 1 Tsp salt. After eating it, I would suggest cutting it down to 1/2 tsp salt...it was a little too salty, although my kids certainly didn’t seem to mind! We also added 1/4 tsp pepper. You can add any seasoning that you like to your veggies. I like Italian seasoning on a lot of things, personally!

Have the kids throw the veggies in with your oil and seasoning mix. Then have them give it a good stir, while you prep a baking tray with some parchment paper. I actually pre-measured a sheet and we used it for prep AND for baking. Yay for multi-purpose stuff!

Spread out your brussels sprouts and pop them into a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. Roasting your veggies is my second trick…for some reason, it makes all vegetables taste A-MAZING. At the 20 minute mark you’ll want to take them out and flip them over, and then start watching the around minute 35. Ovens vary in how they bake, so you don’t want to burn them. However, brown edges are totally fine (in fact, they’re delicious!).

My kids were absolutely clamoring to get to try the veggies they helped to make (and again, I want to emphasize that my kids are very typical…they are inclined to leave green things on their plates if they get a choice in the matter).

By involving my kids in the food prep, and by using my no-fail cooking technique, which is to roast the veggies, I had 2 little girls each 2 big helpings of brussels sprouts. Guess what I’ll be picking up next week when I head to the grocery store? More Bird’s Eye products, and most definitely more of their brussels sprouts, as they are now a household favorite! I hope my tricks can help you get more veggies in those little tummies, an even in your own! 🙂

If you want more ideas on ways to get kids to eat their veggies, check out this great and helpful video from Melissa d’Arabian, host of the FoodNetwork.com’s web series The Picky Eater’s Project, who has partnered with Bird’s Eye! I’m loving this trick about working veggies into breakfast!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Remembering When My Brother Served: #ComfortsFromHome

October 16, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by Marie Callender’s. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ll never forget the day my older brother called me to tell me that he had to go overseas and that he couldn’t really tell me any details. It was 2003, and I was in my teeny tiny bedroom in Somerville, Massachusettes, getting ready to walk out the door to head to class (for graduate school). The world was still raw from 9/11. The war was new. But already, our troops were over there. And some of them were dying.

I knew the news was coming. I knew it from the moment I saw that second tower fall on live television. You see, my brother was in basic training during 9/11. The attacks happened on a Tuesday, and he was scheduled to graduate that Friday. I knew he would have to go fight before I knew anything else, at all. And yet, it was still such a blow to hear it.

I was absolutely terrified and grief-stricken for my brother. I feared the worst, and failed to understand just why it all was happening. I think many of us felt, and still do feel that way. War is such a horribly complicated beast.

I think one of the worst feelings for people with loved ones overseas is the feeling of helplessness. What can we really do, besides Skype, email and pray? Not too much, honestly, though perhaps we can help in a few small ways that can actually have quite an impact when we all chip in just a little bit.

I’m pleased to see Marie Callender’s taking some initiative to support our members of the military through the #ComfortsFromHome program.

Simply look for specially marked packages of Marie Callender’s frozen entrees in your grocer’s freezer section. After you get your food home, log on to the Comforts From Home website and enter the 8-digit code you’ll see on the back of the product. It takes all of 10 seconds to do it, which is awesome!

For every code from participating products (U.S. only) submitted between now and 01/31/2015, Marie Callender’s will donate .50 to the USO2GO program. They have guaranteed a minimum donation of $100,000, but they are ready and willing to donate up to $250,000, with just a little bit of help from us! There is a limit of 5 code entries per person/computer each day. But that’s a lot of Marie Callender’s! 🙂

I like to support companies who support our troops. I am thankful for programs that help veterans, like my brother, and like hundreds of thousands of others who have served and are currently serving. And I’m glad to have the opportunity to partner with a company my family already likes to give back. These .50 donations will add up quickly if we all make at least 1! And bonus? Dinner looks like this:

For more information on the #ComfortsFromHome program, or on Marie Callender’s, but sure to check out the Marie Callender’s Facebook page.