Stuff Parents Need

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

My Experience Owning a Bounce House: Are They Worth It?

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#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between my blog and MGAE. This could include MGAE providing me with content, product, access or other forms of payment.

October seems to be the month of never ending festivals on the weekends, which I have to tell you, I absolutely LOVE! And at pretty much every festival, there’s at least one bounce house. I spend quite a bit of time on the outside of bounce houses watching my little girls jump and squeal with delight; it’s a joy to see!

I’ve actually contemplated the idea of purchasing a bounce house of some sort for our own backyard, but I was quickly deterred by the expense and the sheer enormity of some of them; they simply looked like more trouble than they could possibly be worth.

But let me tell you, I absolutely LOVE the Triangle Bouncer from Little Tikes. I have a 2-year-old and 5-year-old and it seems perfect for both of them. It is currently on sale for $209, which is not an insignificant amount of money for most people, myself included. Yet I find the price point very in line with many other toys that parents purchase with the expectation of frequent play (tablets, gaming consoles, etc.). And this is one item that will, indeed, get VERY frequent play, I promise you that! 

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Let me walk you through the set up process, from delivery to take down!

The Triangle Bouncer will arrive in a box this size, weighing right at 30 pounds. Adorable child not included.

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Everything you need except for an extension cord comes in the package. Once you unroll the bouncer in the part of the yard where you want to do set up, it’s time to blow it up!

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Actually, it’s time to take advantage of your instruction manual so you can make sure you are following the steps correctly!

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Ok, so NOW it’s time to blow it up. You have a machine that will make this easy right in the package. Yay!

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There are two places where you actually tie pieces together. Obviously it is not truly air tight, and that is why your blower is continuously adding air while the kids play. Want to see exactly how long it takes to be inflated? (Spoiler alert: it’s a short video!)

Once the bouncer was inflated Tim used the spikes to secure it more to the ground. This is an important safety feature, so please don’t overlook it! It keeps the bouncer from falling victim to gusts of wind, and also keeps it from moving around on the ground while in use.

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Have your kids make use of the shoe holder on the side of the bouncers, and set them loose! Our girls played for 40 minutes, only stopping because it was time for dinner. It was a MONSTER hit!

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3 Reasons Why I Think This Bouncer Makes Sense

Now that I own a bouncer, I have some perspective on the pros and cons of having one, and I want to share with you why I would wholeheartedly recommend one to other parents with younger kids.

1. Energy release! We have noticed that our little ones have no trouble falling asleep on the nights when they have had bounce sessions. They get a lot of energy out in the afternoons this way, which is good for everyone in the family.

2. It’s bigger than you think, yet not TOO big. Tim and I both commented that the triangle bouncer was a surprisingly large size, and yet it is still not anything like the bouncers you see at festivals, in terms of its size. It’s pretty much perfect for 2 kids, maybe 3.

3. Set up and take down is easy. This was my biggest worry, hands-down. If it takes 20 minutes to set up and 20 minutes to break down, we’d just never use it. Thankfully, it is super quick, so it doesn’t feel like too much of a hassle. I will say that I don’t think it is a good idea to leave your bouncer out overnight, even deflated. I think the material isn’t meant for wet weather and you could encounter some problems if you leave it out. Just my two cents!

If you are on the lookout for your Christmas “showpiece” gift for the kids; that one that will really wow them, I think this bouncer or similar ones from Little Tikes are a GREAT choice. We are thrilled with ours, and now that we own one, we’d recommend them to anybody with a kid who loves to bounce! Check out the Little Tikes Website for a full listing of their bouncers (you’ll find a dozen varieties!).

And if you are a big Little Tikes fan, too, check out Team Little Tikes for more information on how you can become an advocate for the brand!

My Favorite Dry Shampoo, How to Earn Free Gift Cards, and $50 Giveaway! Woo!

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

I’ve been a fan of Suave products for quite some time, but in particular, I’m a HUGE fan of one item in their line. I think it works better than similar products that cost 4 times as much. It’s a steal, and you should buy 3 cans of it the next time you are in the store, no joke:

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This is Suave Dry Shampoo. I bought it for less than $3, and I seriously like it better than a different brand I so foolishly bought at a salon for top dollar. So learn from my mistake!

Suave Family Perks

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As if Suave’s incredible prices were reward enough, Suave has now partnered with Walmart to offer the program. Here’s how it works:

1. Purchase your favorite (or perhaps some new-to-you) Suave products at Walmart.

2. Upload a picture of your Walmart receipt on the and start earning great perks for your family.

3. Once you have earned 150 Suave Family Perks points, you can convert those points to a $5 Walmart e-gift certificate. That will almost get you 2 cans of my favorite dry shampoo! 🙂 I checked out their listing of what products are worth, and the point value is based on the price, but as an example, the dry shampoo would get you 30 points! You can see how it won’t take long at all to get to your free gift card!

This program is exclusive to Walmart, and is yet another great way to enjoy savings while also enjoying products that, at least in my experience, are on par with or even out perform similar products with MUCH higher price tags. Talk about a win/win situation!

Giveaway!

Suave and Walmart are SO excited about the savings they are offering to their customers that they want to throw a little giveaway! Who could use a $50 Walmart gift card? Um, everybody! Here’s your chance to win one! Good luck!

Suave Family Perks – Resourceful Mommy

What I’m Reading: Makers (The New Industrial Revolution)

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I received a complimentary copy of this book  from Blogging for Books for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. Affiliate links may be included. 

My bachelor’s degree is in Urban Studies, which is an exciting combination of sociology, political science and history, all with an urban focus. The Industrial Revolution is pretty much the most exciting period there ever was to an Urban Studies nerd. I actually have a picture of myself at the factories in England where smelting first occurred. Smelting is the process of pulling metal from its ore. When folks figured out how to do this, the Industrial Revolution was birthed!

I was ecstatic to get to see it, y’all. NERD ALERT.

Chris Anderson, the former editor-in-Chief of Wired magazine, and the CEO of 3D Robotics, has a released a book called Makers, and it’s all about the next wave of the Industrial Revolution.

I believe my comments on Instagram sum up how I felt while reading this book:

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The future is awesome. #makers

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You have probably already heard about the concept of 3D printers, and how it won’t be long before we can basically start making things that we want or need in our own homes, and customize those things to our liking. This book is all about that revolution, and how it is likely going to impact commerce, competition, consumerism, and the whole freakin’ world. It’s 1 part scary and 2 parts absolutely AMAZING.

This is a dense read, simply because some level of detail is shared about how 3D printers work, but it is a very worthwhile read. Truly, it gives you a glimpse into where we are headed, and how the niche market is on the rise, and why that’s an excellent thing.

Get the book! I saw a used copy for under $4!

How to Make a Reading Nook for Kids (Giveaway!)

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Thanks to Magic Cabin for supplying the fairy wings pillow. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links may be included. 

Our oldest is starting to read now, which is equal parts thrilling and excruciating to witness (as those of you who have been through this season of life already know!). I have been wanting to create a special place in her room that will draw her in, and serve as an invitation to read, and perhaps to even get lost in the world of great stories as her reading skills continue to grow. I’d love to show you what we put together!

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We already had these really awesome rain gutter bookshelves in place in her room. Tim was able to make them a few years ago when we first moved into the house. They aren’t meant to hold piles and piles of books, but they do make a nice display. There are lots of examples of rain gutter bookshelves online, but here’s a tutorial to help you get started.

reading nook 4 We then headed to Amazon to pick out some sort of fun netting option. We landed on this canopy that is really intended to be a canopy over a bed, but we made it work in this space. We wanted something large enough to cover the entire area, but if you want something smaller, I totally love this daisy canopy, exclusive to Magic Cabin.

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We also bought lights on Amazon, and while you will likely be able to find Christmas lights in the stores at this time of year, we wanted to get white wire lights so that they would blend in better. Those are a bit harder to find!

There are two rugs on the floor for softness and a pop of color. The shag rug is actually a washable rug, and the blue rug was an Ikea find.  Also on the floor we have the sparkle fairy wings lounge pillow. This is exclusive to Magic Cabin, so you won’t find it anywhere else, and it actually was the reason I put together the reading nook in the first place. I saw this item in the catalog a few months ago and it just got the wheels spinning in my head about how great it would be to create a space for Darah where she could let her imagination soar while reading.

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We put some beautiful butterflies that I actually found a while back at a thrift store on the walls for some added decoration and whimsy. Magic Cabin has some other great products that would look great in an area like this. I particularly like the felt butterfly wreath and the decorative butterflies.

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At the far end of the nook we have a bin with additional books in it, as well as a place where Darah hangs her necklaces. Admittedly, the necklaces don’t really have anything to do with the reading nook, but the truth is, we live in a small house. We’ve got to make use of our vertical space!

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Darah named the area butterfly cove, and she is really enjoying sitting in there and reading. I enjoy getting to hang out in there with her, too!

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I’m so glad we put this together. I think it is a great use of a space in her room that was somewhat awkward. Now it has a clear function!

Have you put together any sort of special reading area for your little ones? Do you like “butterfly cove”? 

Win it!: Magic Cabin has generously offered a sparkle fairy wings lounge pillow for one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader!

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Awesome Toy for Outdoor Enthusiasts (and Dinosaur Fans!)

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Product provided for consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. Affiliate links may be included. 

Here’s a great new toy for any child who loves to play outside, and who also loves dinosaurs.

Check out the Dino Construction Company dinosaurs, available at Educational Insights and on Amazon. There are actually four different awesome dinos to choose from (Wrecker the T-Rex Skid Loader, T-Top the Triceratops Bulldozer, Spike the Ankylosaurus Steam Roller, and the one shown here, Boom the Brachiosaurus Backhoe).

I immediately noticed how well put together the toy seemed to be, and how strong the plastic was. This is definitely a toy that is built with children in mind, and with their rough play habits in mind, too. Dino Construction Company vehicles are ready to get dirty and to get some serious play time. The toys don’t require any batteries, but rather, just a bit of imagination.

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It’s hard not to jump right in to an imaginary world of play with a toy that is this creative! These retail for $39.99, but watch Amazon, because at the time of this writing, they were marked down a bit from that price (the steam roller is only $27 right now!).

This toy will be proudly under our tree this Christmas, and I’m already looking forward to the fun we will all have with it! We might even need to make a special construction “pit” in our backyard!

 

Free Underwear Alert! And a Peek at My Work-at-Home Mom Uniform

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Special thanks to TrueandCo.com for providing a Uniform bra for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

This post was originally published on July 11, 2014. I am re-publishing it now because True & Co. just released a $25 off coupon (with no minimum purchase!) for first time shoppers. Hop on that deal right this second, ladies (free underwear link!)!!! Free underwear, or super rockin’ bras at a super sweet price! 🙂 

True & Co. (read my first True & Co. review here) may just have done one of the best crowd-sourcing initiatives in recent history. They took information from over 500,000 women in an effort to create a line of bras that would become a welcome addition to the uniforms that we all put on every day, wildly varied though they may be based on the woman, or even just based on the day of the week or the time of day.

I really loved reading their blog post showing the self-selected uniforms of some of the employees at the company, as well as of some of their customers. You can see individual personalities coming out, as well as degrees of formality. Some of you who read this are in pantyhose and high heels every day at the office. Many of you are rocking yoga pants (shout out!). And there are thousand of points along the spectrum in between where your look might fall. But whatever you wear, you want to be comfortable and feel like yourself. And you certainly don’t want your bra to be something that you dread putting on!

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I thought it would be fun to show you a recent example of my daily uniform, which my daughter actually helped me pick out for the day (more on that later). I love wearing my Uniform collection bra, which in my case is the Contour. It is absolutely the first one I reach for when I have a pile of clean laundry. I won’t go as far as to say that I forget that I’m wearing a bra when I have it on, but I will say that it feels about as comfortable as it possibly could while still providing the support I need. I REALLY like it! I particularly like the feel of the material (microfiber) and the extra lining around the wire. It makes a big difference in the comfort level, for sure.

Want to know what else I like? The price. The contour bra is $48, which does not make it the world’s cheapest bra, but it also doesn’t make it the most expensive, either. That’s right around the price I usually pay for bras at VS, only I like this bra a lot more. You can tell when you wear it that the design is really thoughtful.

So about my uniform: I am a work-at-home mama, and I spend my day going back and forth between sessions and the computer and play sessions with my girls. So I keep it pretty casual. I’m totally living in this pair of jeans from Stitch Fix this summer, rolled up a bit to make them not quite so warm (I love this trend!). And my blue and silver sparkly shirt (found on ThredUP!) is one of my daughter’s favorites, because she thinks it makes me look like  a water fairy (we play fairies ALL THE TIME around here). You’ll also find me sporting curlier hair these days, or perhaps with the rollers still in my hair, as I tend to let them sit there for an hour or so while I do other stuff. I’m also wearing my “freedom” necklace (it’s a bird with that word printed on it). It is my daily reminder that while having the freedom to be my own boss, and while the freedom to be home with my kids isn’t easy, it is SUCH a blessing. And to help me get through my days balancing fairy games and blog posts I have my bottle of En-R-G essential oils; it keeps me rolling without those slumps in the day. You can read all about my journey with essential oils (as a total skeptic) if you like. Finally, I don’t put on much makeup if I don’t have several errands to run, but I always grab my Honest Company lip shimmer. It was a limited run product, and I don’t like to think about how I’m going to feel when it’s all used up!

Two Ways to Shop at True & Co.

Ok, so there are two ways to shop with True & Co. The first is a very traditional route: find items you like, put them in your cart, purchase them, and wait for them to arrive. You can send back what you don’t like, but you’ll pay for shipping to return the items. I have actually ordered this way, but only for underwear because I knew for sure that I was going to keep it.

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The second way to shop is by going through the Home Try-On program. You will be sent 4-5 bras, and if you so desire, a selection of underwear as well. You will have 5 days to try on the bras in the comfort of your own home and decide what you want to keep. Postage both ways is complimentary. AND…you take a 5 minute fit quiz before you get your box and you receive a personalized shop based on suggestions from the experts. They may suggest that you tweak your size based on your responses (that’s what happened with me) and I think that is so cool, because you have absolutely nothing to lose by at least trying their suggestions. Since you get a personalized shop filled with items that will fit you, you also aren’t going all over the site looking at every single bra, and then feeling disappointed when one you like is out of your size. They make it as easy for you as possible. And best of all, no having to go to the store to try on bras. HECK YES!!! Seriously, this is the best bra shopping experience I have ever had. Pretty close to effortless; love it!

Want $25?

I’ve got a $25 coupon just for you if you are new to True & Co. With most bras in the $50 range, this will save you quite a bit! If you redeem the coupon yours truly also gets a $25 credit, so you’ll be helping yourself out, as well as a fellow mom who could use some pretty new dainties! I can already tell you that I’ll be putting that credit toward another Contour bra in the Uniform collection. I want to own at least one more!

 Which of their uniform pieces do you think would work best for you? Don’t forget to take their fit quiz to get personalized recommendations! You’re gonna love it, friends! 

3 Holiday Books to Buy Before the Holidays

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Thanks to Myrick Marketing for sending review copies my way. I opted to share about the books that were hits with my kids! All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links may be included. 

Today I’ve got 3 books to share with you that my girls have been really enjoying. If you are looking for some holiday-related material to get in anticipation of the season, check these out!

1. Katy’s Christmas Gift holiday books 3

Katy’s Christmas Gift tells the story of the Christ child being born in a manger, but the focus of it is on a little girl named Katy who lives in the nearby village. It’s a really beautiful story about bringing a gift and receiving an even better one in return. It’s now one of my very favorite Christmas books!

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2. The Three Wise Men

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The Three Wise Men tells another important aspect of the Christmas story. My kids really loved the beautiful illustrations in this work!

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3. Goody Gumdrops

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Goody Gumdrops has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas or the holiday season, but it is a REALLY good idea to have it on hand for once your kids are out of school. Using gumdrops as the starting point, kids (and adults!) are walked through the process, step-by-step, of how to create very cute creatures. My oldest (who is 5) still struggled a bit to follow the directions, but she enjoyed it enough that she wanted to keep practicing. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book!

holiday books 2 holiday books 4 holiday books 4 Do you have any favorite holiday books? What about beginning drawing books like Goody Gumdrops?  holiday books 2

Finding the Best Toys to Encourage Creating and Building (at Target!)

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

Friends have you started your holiday shopping lists? I am knee-deep in shopping for the 10 children on my list because, quite frankly, they are the REALLY fun ones to shop for. And this year, I’m looking for the best toys I can find that will encourage creating and building. I want toys that children simply can’t resist, and not because they are electronic!

Do you wish you could more easily identify toys like this, too? I find them to be among the very best resources for setting up invitations to play. When I take a few minutes to set up these kinds of activities, my kids make their way over to them with little to no prompting, and they figure out exactly what they want to create or build without my help.

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For the nieces, nephews, cousins and school friends you might be buying for this year, consider a LEGO set. They come in a wide variety of price points (the one featured above was just $9.99) and they have really great, really clear instructions for kids to follow, or they are free to build whatever the heck they want!

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Darah got right to work doing a little building. She followed the directions for a spell (she’s a HARDCORE direction-follower…gets it from her mama) but even she couldn’t resist that dolphin in the corner, and found herself making up a story about an adventure with it after just a few minutes left to figure out how she most wanted to play. It was a delight to witness!

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Kiwi Crates are also available at Target (look for them near the games!). My oldest absolutely adores Kiwi Crates. When I set out a set for her consideration, she was thrilled.

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Every child is going to have a different reaction to an invitation to build. Darah is highly verbal, so her first reaction was the pick up the book that comes with the Kiwi Crate and to start checking out the comic strip that was inside. The book was a great way to get her warmed up to the idea of building wind cars. After flipping through it, she was ready to go!

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Target is also a great destination for items that help encourage a child to create. I was particularly impressed with the Kid Made Modern line that I found in my local store. It’s actually in the stationery section, so don’t forget to look beyond the toy section for great, creative finds!

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Here are just a few items I picked up from Kid Made Modern. Everything was very reasonably priced: perfect for stocking stuffers, filling up the gift closet with inexpensive-yet-awesome finds, and great gifts to put under the tree this year. I’ll definitely be getting more from this line for my girls this Christmas.

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My 2-year-old absolutely LOVES coloring and painting, so I set up invitations to create for her quite often. Just by providing fun and engaging materials, I am continually surprised by how long she can stay engaged and focused on a creative play activity.

The next time you head to Target, be sure to take a good look around for items that encourage creating and building, and help kids put their imaginations and their talents to work. Don’t forget to look near the games and to head over to the stationery section, too!

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Additionally, Target has an amazing Toy Emporium (found only online) and there are some truly fantastic brands that you may not have even heard of, but that will blow you away. You MUST check it out as you put together your ideas for people on your gift list. These toys will be particularly good for kids who like to get their hands on creative toys that everyone in their class doesn’t already have! You’ll find great options to help kids explore, discover, imagine, create, build and to promote being active. Something for everyone, for sure.

Want more inspiration to help you provide invitations to create and build? Check out this Pinterest board for some more great ideas!