christmas - Stuff Parents Need

Super Easy Gift Ideas for Teachers: Starbucks for the Win!

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

Thanks to Starbucks for sending along some seasonal flavors and products. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Today I’m working on the holiday gifts for my children’s teachers and I thought I’d show them to you in case you are still trying to figure out what to put together (and in case your Pinterest searches on “teacher gifts” stressed you out because it definitely stressed me out!).

Friends, it doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as this!

Give you children’s teachers a simple holiday treat that is sure to be appreciated. They have worked so hard with your kids over the last few months, and they are about to get a well-deserved break. They will even have time to curl up on their sofas with a delicious peppermint mocha (or 5!). 🙂

Each of my girls has 2 teachers in the classroom, so I’ll be multiplying the above gift times 4. If your budget allows for a bit more, or if your child only has 1 teacher so your funds can go further, here’s another idea for you.

Consider getting one of the absolutely gorgeous tumblers that Starbucks has available (this one is called Watercolor Hearts) and pair it with some hot cocoa (you can get K Cups or a mix).

Starbucks is something that puts a glimmer of joy in most everyone’s eyes, so it’s a safe bet as a gift. You can also feel good knowing that you picked out something beautiful and delicious that will be enjoyed and not relegated to a storage closet with all the “world’s best teacher” stuff. 😉

Do you have other teacher gift ideas to share? Let us know what you are doing for your kids’ teachers in the comments!

Bring on the Holiday Cheer (and Hold the Booze!): Great Non-Alcoholic Holiday Drinks

December 9, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

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

One of my favorite items to indulge in at holiday parties are festive drinks! Yes, I enjoy adult beverages, though I have to admit that having more than 1 leaves me feeling a bit…less-than-stellar, shall we say, the next day.

So in the spirit of wanting to get my drink on, minus the spirits, I thought I’d put together a list of completely fabulous holiday drink ideas. These are safe for the entire family and for all of your guest (obviously I don’t know about their allergies, but I do know these are alcohol-free!). No need to worry about anyone driving home from a party at your place.

Over 100 Adorable Items $4.95 with Free Shipping!!!

December 17, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Time to turn our attention to stocking stuffers, and boy do I have a great sale for you today from one of my favorite affiliates! If you order by 5pm MST today, your order will be shipped today or tomorrow from My Cents of Style and will reach you before Christmas. They have over 100 items on mega markdown today only. They are listed at $5.50 each, but if you use code STOCKING the price goes down to $4.95 each. Shipping is totally free!!! You’ll find shoes, scarves, jewelry and much more!

Fashion Tuesday- Stocking Stuffers- $4.95 & FREE SHIPPING with Code STOCKING.

LEGO Takes “Family Building” Activity to a New Level!

December 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by LEGO. All opinions are 100% mine.

Anyone else out there have some LEGO products all set to go under the tree this year? We've got one en route to use from an online order at the moment, and I can't wait to give it to our youngest to play with, and yeah, let's be real, I want to play with it, too!

Right now you actually CAN do really fun family building exercise with LEGO products, and I mean that quite literally! Check out the LEGO Minifigure Family experience, wher eyou can custom create a minifigure family to represent your own. You can customize the skin color, facial expressions, the clothing options, and even the scene. I just made one to celebrate the holidays and to send out to loved ones. Check out my crew, LEGO-style!

It only takes a minute or two to make your minifigure family, but if you are like me, you'll want to take your time so you can pick out the perfect outfit. I men, c'mon, I am rocking a cat sweater over here, and Tim's in a Santa top, Darah's got some sort of crazy bejeweled outfit going on, and Layah is dressed like a gingerbread man.

And I barely scratched the surface of the wardrobe options, people. So much fun!

Pop on over and put together a LEGO version of your own family. It's free, easy, fun, and makes for a clever alternative to holiday cards if you are running short on time to get yours out!

Gift Ideas for Those Working on Their Fitness!

December 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Truthfully, there aren’t very many things that I miss about Memphis, which was my home city off and on for 10 years. But one thing I do miss VERY much, is their awesome water. Memphis sits atop a fantastic aquifer, and as a result, has some of the best tap water in the entire country. It tastes awesome! I never understood how bottled water makers ever sold anything in that city.

Chattanooga’s water, in comparison, tastes a little gross. Maybe not to everyone, but I was so spoiled by the water in Memphis that I feel like I’m taking a big swig of chemicals whenever I drink water from the tap here. Yuck.

That’s why I’m loving the Fit Top bottle. It is a water bottle that comes with its own filtration system. Not only that, but it also has a separate hole in the top, totally separate from the filter, where you can add anything you might like to add to the water (Crystal Light, energy shots, lemon, whatever).

My tap water tastes infinitely better after I run it through the Fit Top filter. But I still like to add a little lemon to my water to give it some zing. It’s a great product, and it is getting me to start drinking water again. Yay!

If you’ve got a health nut, a gym rat, or someone looking to make 2014 their year to get more serious about their health, then the Fit Top bottle is a great choice. No matter where you go, you’ve always got a way to have fresh, clean, delicious water! The 14 ounce bottles are $19.99 and the 24 ounce bottles are $24.99. They come in 3 different colors (red, blue and green).

How’s the water taste in your town? I’m curious to hear!

Fabulous Last-Minute Christmas Gift for Her (Under $10!)

December 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

My Cents of Style has got a great offer today for Fashion Friday! Use code CHEVRON8 to get these infinity scarves for $7.95. Shipping is FREE!!!! Scarves will be mailed out this weekend and early next week to ensure that they arrive in plenty of time to get wrapped. Get on it, shoppers! 17 colors available!

Fashion Friday- 12/13/13- Chevron Infinity Scarf- $7.95 & FREE SHIPPING with Code CHEVRON8

Best Tech Gifts for the “Hard to Shop For” People On Your List! #OneBuyForAll

December 11, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop for cool gifts at Best Buy has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

A few days ago I headed over to Best Buy on a very specific mission: I wanted to find the hottest tech gifts for people on my list who are really hard to shop for (that would be my husband, Tim). Best Buy was my tech gift center choice because I really like how their stores are organized, which makes it easy for folks like me who aren’t super tech-savvy to navigate the floor and find what they need. Additionally, there are employees in every section who have specialized knowledge of the products in those sections, and they do a great job of answering questions and showing you what you think you might be looking for, as well as a few alternatives that might also fit the bill.

Before I headed to the store, I checked out what cool gifts are currently trending as the most popular. While the top 10 list did have some fluctuation depending on when I checked it, I definitely noticed that a few different things stood out from the crowd. Let me show you the highlights!

Samsung Galaxy

So this seems to be a VERY hot ticket product line this holiday season! My Best Buy was offering a KILLER deal on a Samsung Galaxy S4 plus a Samsung Galaxy Tab plus your choice of another accessory. Just $309.98!!! I mean, seriously. I stood there for several minutes trying to figure out if I should go drop my iPhone in the toilet “accidentally.” I didn’t do it, but I’ve never considered it more seriously than I did in that moment, people! The Samsung Galaxy seems to be the smartest of the smartphones, and one that everyone is loving. So if you’ve got a little more to spend on your “hard to shop for” person and they are due for a phone upgrade, it doesn’t get any sweeter than this. And for the James Bond types out there, definitely check out that sweet Samsung Galaxy Tab watch. It is nuts!

Apple Products

Even though I debated ending the life of my iPhone, I can’t really hate on Apple, because their products are just so unbelievably amazing. For example, I have the first generation of the iPad, and I think it is fabulous (except for its inability to take photos). One of the helpful Best Buy employees snapped a shot of my shock as I picked up the newest iPad. It is so light! Priced at $499, it would make one showstopper of a Christmas gift under anyone’s tree! I know I’m supposed to be shopping for Tim here, but I can’t help but feel as though I need to start singing, “Santa baby, just slip an iPad Air under the tree, for me!”

Getting back on track and thinking about what my husband would like, I spotted (heck, how could I miss it?) the largest monitor in the store. Tim is a planner by profession, and he is often looking at and making maps. He needs a big screen to get his work done. This would be an absolutely mind-blowing gift for him, and if money were no object, it would have gone home with me on the spot. At $1,799, I had to take a pass on it, so if that’s within your budget, well then, there’s one available at the Best Buy in Chattanooga! Ha!

Ok, so for those of us with more “modest” budgets, you simply can’t go wrong with an iTunes gift card. They fit any budget and allow the recipient to have a HUGE range of options to use it on, from apps to movies and music, or if you are like me, moving up to the next level in Candy Crush. I’m so embarrassed that I just admitted that, so let’s move on!

Best “Bang for your Buck”

Y’all, forgive the crazy faces I make. What can I say? I get overly excited when I see a great deal! I was super impressed with the Windows Tablet that Best Buy currently has for $299. It detaches from the keyboard, so you can use it like a traditional laptop or like a tablet, and it comes with Windows Office. Let me tell you, this is not something I need, but it is most definitely something I want! And if we didn’t already have a Chromebook (purchased earlier this year at…wait for it…Best Buy!) I would have come home with this and put it under the tree for ~~myself~~ Tim.

Small Appliances

If your loved one likes coffee, even just a little, then you can’t go wrong with a Keurig! My machine is one of my BFFs throughout the day, as it makes me cup after cup of perfectly perfect coffee. Best Buy even has a holiday K-cup package you can purchase to go along with it. I’ve already got the coffee maker, but I don’t have all those yummy holiday flavors! Jeez…I CAN’T stop shopping for myself!!!!

Stocking Stuffers

I thought these gloves were the perfect thing to go in Tim’s stocking this year. They’re actually perfect for anyone who has to live through a few cold months each year, and who is glued to their smartphone, as you can operate your devices without taking these gloves off!

I also picked up a pair of ear buds for Tim. He seems to lose track of his from time to time, and Best Buy had a fantastic selection at a variety of price points. These were under $15!

And you can never go wrong with a Best Buy gift card! I found a really nice selection right by the front register. In fact, there’s never been a better time to purchase one, thanks to the Give It To Win It gift card promotion. Best Buy is rewarding the gift-giver every day starting today through December 24th. If you purchase a $25 or higher gift card, in-store or online, you can scan/enter your gift card number through the Best Buy app or by going to www.bestbuy.com/givetowin /ref=70&loc=12. Entering your number gets you a chance to win a sweet daily prize! They are giving away (5) $500 Best Buy gift cards, (10) $100 Best Buy gift cards, (40) $50 Best Buy gift cards, and best of all, (1) $10,000 Best Buy gift card (!!!!!!!).

Best Buy is my go-to gift center because has so many great ways to help you shop for something awesome this holiday season. From the trending products site to the great in-store customer service, you are sure to find something that will fit the bill for the person who is so hard to buy for. Best Buy is even partnering with Google on December 17th for a Google+ “shoppable hangout” that you can view through YouTube or Google+. It’s going to be all about last minute shopping, and is sure to be helpful!

Christmas Present Ideas that Offer #ScentSavings

December 10, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Before I had children, I had a rather expensive hobby: I was a fragrance collector. I would spend hours reading perfume reviews, drawing up wish lists, and searching the internet for great buys on perfume.

Remember, this was BEFORE the kids came. It was during that blissful season of life when I had time and disposable income. Oh, the good old days! 🙂

At the height of my collecting, I owned 57 bottles of perfume. I would rotate them out weekly, and of course, could never even put a dent in them, year after year. I eventually got a better sense for my own personal scent preferences, and the best cologne for my body, and then began to part ways with much of my collection, which now stands at a super-slim 14 bottles. I have it down to the best of the best, and I simply can’t part with what remains.

When I tell people about my formerly fierce collection and the subsequent culling process I went through to get it down to 14, people assume that everything that remains must be the most expensive bottles. And sure, there are some pricey ones in the lot. There are also some big winners that can easily be found on the shelves of major retailers, like Walmart.

It has been at least 4 years since I have purchased any fragrance for myself or for Tim, and this year I wanted to get him something that smells great but is practical for our current “not-so-disposable” income situation. And while I’m happy to report that I still remember much of what I learned about fragrances and how to select truly magnificent scents, I’ve also learned through experience that a hefty price tag doesn’t make something smell great, and something value priced really can be exceptional.

I chose Curve for Men because it is a scent he hasn’t worn before, but it is one I think he is really going to enjoy wearing. It comes across as fresh and outdoorsy, but not overpowering, which makes it perfect for an office setting. I wouldn’t say that it smells “sexy,” and that makes it a safe choice for men on your shopping list like your younger brother or even your dad.

#shop #scentsavings curve for men collage

Curve for Men combines the scents of Douglas Fir, bergamot (similar to an orange), lavender and green leaf. It is crisp and fresh, but not overly bright. I am a big fan of it, and I think that this complex fragrance is bargain priced at Walmart right now. I picked up the gift set, which included a 2.5 oz cologne bottle, some hair/body wash, and a scented deodorant for just under $20. I have easily spent 3 times as much on cologne that didn’t smell half as good as Curve for Men.

Walmart and Walmart.com both have some shockingly awesome selections of celebrity department store quality gift sets available this holiday season. I found myself lingering over the Taylor Swift options. The bottles are so swoon-worthy, and the smells inside them are just fantastic! And if you happen to be shopping for a millineal, please note the free celebrity ringtone offer that is included on the package! I saw them on lots of different sets; they are perfect for the generation that changes their ringtones as often as they change shoes.

Curve for Men is just one of many great Christmas present ideas in the fragrance department at Walmart. You can see some of the other great #scentsavings options in this fabulous digital magazine (and it has a ton of other great ideas for the holidays…definitely worth a scan!).

You can also check out what some other bloggers have found while browsing the fragrance section at Walmart. They have discovered GREAT gifts and really creative ways to give them, too! Poke around at http://scentsavings.com and see what ideas it might help you come up with!

Is perfume or cologne on your shopping or wish list this year? Did you know that Walmart offered such quality fragrances at such reasonable prices?

Weekend Pick: Merry Christmas, Splat!

December 7, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

If you are looking for some quality Christmas shows for the kids, I have a recommendation for you! Scolastic Storybook Treasures has just released Merry Christmas Splat…And More Winter Stories. We were sent a copy for review, and we loved it!

This is a fun 37 minute DVD that brings 3 different delightful books to life on video.

Merry Christmas, Splat is first up, and it is about an adorable cat named Splat who is trying sooo hard to be good before Santa comes. He’s got his hopes up for some special presents. Darah can definitely relate to this story line, and has already watched it 4 times!

Next is Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas. Fletcher is very concerned that Santa might have trouble finding his home with all the snow that has fallen! This story has prompted a good conversation between Darah and me about how Santa handles different situations (for example, how does he come to our house since we don’t have a fireplace?).

Snowflake Bentley tells the true story of a boy in Vermont who loved snowflakes so much that he studied them very carefully. This was a favorite of mine, as it reminded me of just what a marvel snowflakes really are!

Finally, Owl Moon, which is narrated by the author, Jane Yolen (a favorite of ours! She wrote How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight!). This story is about a special search by a father and daughter through the woods at night for the Great Horned Owl.

The video is suitable for ages 3 and up and is the perfect DVD to purchase in anticipation of the upcoming winter school break! Amazon’s currently got it at a discounted price of $13.46.