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Pump It Up: Save Childhood, Support Imagination (Giveaway!)

September 5, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 39 Comments

Pump It Up

Are you familiar with this place? This is a company that provides the kind of play space I would have dreamed of as a kid! It is basically an indoor bounce house, with wall-to-wall inflatable fun for kids to enjoy. Pump It Up has locations all across the country, so do a quick check to see if there is one in your neck of the woods.

Since my whole family got to be together for Labor Day, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to go check out Pump It Up, as we were given pop in play passes for such a purposes. Pop-in-play is something that every Pump It Up location offers during much of the week. It is basically a time to drop by, pay a very reasonable fee ($6 per child, parents FREE!) and start bouncing! On the way over, I wondered if we were making a terrible mistake by brining such young children (4 and 15 months) to a giant bounce house. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!

We had A BLAST! Not just the kids; Tim and I were bouncing and laughing, too! I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as fun if it had been crowded, but it really wasn’t, and there were quite a few other toddlers and preschoolers there playing, as well, so that made for great company!

If you haven’t been to Pump It Up yet because you assumed your kids were too small, I want to encourage you to give it a try (assuming that your little ones are walking/running, of course!). We were surprised by just how much we enjoyed it, and we’ll be visiting again sometime this fall, for sure.

Save Childhood, Support Imagination

In addition to offering an absolutely fabulous space for kids to play, Pump It Up is also running a great campaign called Save Childhood, Support Imagination. The goal is for parents to strive to dedicate 1 hour each day to engage in imaginative play with their kids. Check out the website, and please consider signing the Imagination Declaration. You’ll also find some really cool resources for encouraging imaginative play with your children!

Win it!: TWO lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will each win a 4-pack of Pop-In Playtime passes to visit any Pump It Up and bring your imaginations to play!

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Cooking With Kids: The Perfect First Cookbook (Giveaway!)

August 31, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 88 Comments

Cooking with kids can be a lot of work, at least at first. But the payoff for having a child, and eventually a teenager, who is comfortable in the kitchen can be SO worth it! Has your child started to develop an interest in cooking? And are you ready to start encouraging that budding interest? Then I’ve got the perfect cookbook!

I was recently sent a copy of ChopChop: The Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your Family. It is a beautifully photographed book filled with over 100 recipes that new little chefs will enjoy. It also has great tips and tricks and teachable moments , such as how to operate a salad spinner, or answers to questions that kids might be asking while cooking that will help them better understand why the recipe needs to be followed as written (such as why tomatoes get added so late in the process of cooking lentil soup).

Perhaps my very favorite thing about the book, though, is the fact that the photos inside show kids doing the cooking. How empowering it must be to a child to see example after example of someone their age creating something in the kitchen!

Here’s an example recipe from the book. Check it out and give it a try with your child in the near future!

Little Lasagnas

from ChopChop: The Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your Family.

It’s fun to get your own cute little lasagna! And this is an easier, quicker recipe than the big-pan lasagna. Plus, this recipe will give you some good math practice, too.

Adult Needed: Yes

Hands-On Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Makes: 12 little lasagnas

Kitchen gear: 12-cup muffin tin, measuring cup, measuring spoons, box grater (adult needed), pot holders, butter knife

Ingredients:

1⁄2 cup hot tap water
2 1⁄2 cups tomato sauce
1⁄2 pound (1⁄2 box) spaghetti (any kind is fine)
3⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1⁄2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions
1. Turn the oven on and set it to 350 degrees.
2. Put 2 teaspoons hot tap water in each of 12 muffin cups inside the tin.
3. Add 1 tablespoon tomato sauce to each muffin cup.
4. Count out 48 spaghetti strands. Break up 4 spaghetti strands and add them to the first
muffin cup, then continue, adding 4 broken spaghetti strands to each muffin cup.
5. Top each with 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese.
6 Top each with 2 teaspoons shredded mozzarella cheese.
7. Top each with 2 teaspoons tomato sauce.
8. Repeat, starting with step 4 (the spaghetti strands).
9. Repeat again.
10. Carefully put the muffin tin in the oven and bake until the top is golden and the
tomato sauce is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Set aside for 10 minutes. Slide the butter
knife into the inner edge of each muffin cup and gently go around it, loosening up the
sides. Carefully remove the lasagnas from the tin and serve right away.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of ChopChop: The Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food With Your Family!

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Room on the Broom: Great DVD and Book for Fall!

August 30, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 61 Comments

Affiliate links may be included.

So my birthday was earlier this week, and for me, it is always the official end of summer. As soon as we pack away the “Happy Birthday” banner, all things fall are officially allowed to come out of storage and preparation begins for the last 4 months of the year, which are without question, my very favorite ones!

Even the books we are reading to the kids and the DVDs we watch start to get peppered with fall themes, and one new addition that I am absolutely adoring is Room on the Broom.

This is from the same folks behind The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child (two of our VERY favorite books and DVDs, by the way). We received the book and the DVD to review, and they are both instant hits with the whole family!

Room on the Broom is all about friendship and adventure. A friendly witch and her cat meet great new friends under unusual circumstances, and by offering kindness and a spirit of sharing, they build loyalty that becomes very important when a fearsome dragon comes onto the scene.

I also love that you can find educational activities for Room on the Broom based on the story (and there are TONS of other great resources…this is something not to miss!).

The Room on the Broom DVD retails for $9.99 (but is currently on sale on Amazon!) and the book retails for $6.99 (also on sale on Amazon!). I love them both, and they are bargain buys for anyone ready to get in the fall spirit!

Win it! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the DVD AND the book version of Room on the Broom!
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Magic School Bus Presents: Revving Up and In a Pickle

August 29, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 128 Comments

This post on The Magic School bus may contain affiliate links. Thanks to Scholastic for providing DVD copies for review purposes.

Beep Beep! The Magic School Bus is ready to leave on some more great adventures. So hop on the bus and I’ll tell you all about them!

As I have mentioned before in previous Magic School Bus reviews, I was just a little too old to personally enjoy this show as a child, but I loved watching it later on while babysitting, and now I’m thoroughly enjoying it with Darah. I’m (re)learning a lot of great information (especially on STEM-related subjects) and Darah and I are having very animated conversations about what we learn in each episode. You cannot go wrong to get a little Magic School Bus action in your home, for sure!

Scholastic just released two new DVDs. First up is The Magic School Bus: Revving Up. This is a 3 disc set that includes “Under Construction,” “Getting Energized” and “Cracks a Yolk.” Each DVD has 3 episodes, and each also includes a bonus episode, which means the set has over 4 1/2 hours of great educational entertainment! It retails for $24.95 (and is even on sale right now!). To get so many episodes for the price is a great bargain!

You can also now pick up The Magic School Bus: In a Pickle. You’ll find 4 episodes about microbes, smell and decomposition. Stinky, but fascinating stuff to young minds, I promise! This DVD retails for $12.95 (and is currently 45% off on Amazon!).

The Magic School Bus has made my list of fantastic gift ideas for kids, and I recommend these and their other already released DVDs for personal and school libraries. They are fantastic!

Win it!: TWO lucky Stuff Parents Need readers will be winners! The first winner drawn will win Revving Up, and the second winner drawn will win In a Pickle!

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Sesame Street’s Bob McGrath and His Favorite Sing Along Songs

August 28, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 98 Comments

One of the people that comes to mind when I think of Sesame Street (from the super early days, from my own childhood, and from Darah’s childhood) is Bob McGrath. This man has played a significant role in raising MILLIONS of children. What a legacy!

So when I heard that he was releasing a CD, and one that he has called “a sample of what I think of as ‘The Great American Songbook for children.'” I knew I had to feature him here. We were sent the CD to check out, and it has been in our car ever since, providing some fun entertainment on the way to and from school each day!

Bob’s Favorite Sing Along Songs is his ninth CD, but the first one I have had the pleasure to hear. I found the album to have a very classic feel, and one that makes it easy for young children to get involved and start singing along to. There are no wild and crazy beats to contend with…just fun music and lyrics, plain and simple! It feels very down-to-earth and approachable. I really liked it, and I think young children would connect with it very easily.

Buy it!: Bob’s Favorite Sing Along Songs retails for $12.99 and can be purchased on Amazon or on BobMcGrath.com!

Win it!: TWO lucky Stuff Parents Need readers will win a copy of Bob’s Favorite Sing Along Songs!

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This post may contain affiliate links.

Grandparents Day: You Forgot, and I Can Help!

August 24, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Grandparents Day is on Sunday, September 8th. That is 15 days away. And you forgot, didn’t you?

It’s ok. I forgot, too, until approximately 3 minutes ago. And then I panicked for a moment about what in the world I could send to the grandparents that would actually be special. They ALWAYS ask for photo gifts. I’m not a crafty girl, not by a long shot, so having a handmade scrapbook with photos of the grandchildren isn’t going to happen in this lifetime!

So you may be surprised to hear that I’ll be putting together a printed and bound photo book filled with pictures of the grandbabies for the occasion.

– And that I can put it together in about 5 minutes.

– And that I can have it mailed straight to them (hooray for not having to go to the post office!)

– And that you can do the exact same thing for free.

Did you not catch that? Let me say it again: FOR FREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Free Photo Gifts

If you have a smartphone, just download the FREE Groovebook app, and then you easily click through and choose up to 100 photos that you have taken with you phone and that you want them to print and bind in a beautiful photo book for you. Then you tell them where to ship it.

HERE’S THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP

To get your Groovebook 100% free, enter coupon code GROOVEPARENTSNEED at checkout. While you will be asked for your credit card, YOU WON’T BE CHARGED (I promise, I’ve been through the whole process myself just to make sure!). If you want to order more than one book, that’s absolutely no problem, and any extra book is just $2.99. That’s it! AND…if you want to continue receiving one Groovebook each month, just continue your new subscription and you’ll be ready to go. I’m a bargain shopper and I’ve never been able to get photos printed for 3 cents each, and even when I have found great deals close in price to that, I’ve had to drive to the store to pick up my photos. And they’ve never been bound in a pretty book (each picture has perforated edges, just in case anyone wants to hang one of the photos on the fridge or in a frame, by the way).

If you want a little more info on exactly how the process works, check out my first post on how to print pictures from your phone.

Groovebook is fast, but you’d better go ahead and jump on this if you want the book to arrive by Grandparents Day. I can pretty much guarantee you that this gift is going to be a major hit with the grandparents!

I am a Groovebook affiliate, as well as a super satisfied customer.

Mirari myPad and Zig-Zag Xylo Train for Toddlers (Giveaway!)

August 23, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 169 Comments

Got a toddler who is always after your smartphone or your iPad?

Yeah, me too. It is really cute, but only for about 10 seconds, and then it starts to freak me out. Layah is quick to run off with my electronic gadgets, and I’m always afraid she is running straight to the toilet to see if it will sink or float. And I don’t know about you, but replacing my iPad is totally NOT in my budget for this month, or any month in the forseeable future!

iPad for Toddlers: myPad

So I was thrilled to see this great new product come to my doorstep from the company Mirari called the myPad. It has the look and feel of an iPad, or a larger version of a smart phone, with pictures, buttons and fun sounds. And all Layah really wants to do with my phone and tablet is push buttons and smack the screen. She can do that ALL DAY on the myPad; it is built to withstand plenty of “love” from little ones aged 12 months and up.

And just to show how much she loves it, note that I wasn’t even able to snap a stand alone photo of the product without Layah photobombing. She couldn’t keep her hands off it from the first second she saw it!

The myPad is a toy that I reach for when I need to keep Layah in one place for a handful of minutes (like when I need to take a shower). I try not to keep it out constantly so that she doesn’t get too used to it. This way, when I do reach for it, she is very excited and ready to engage with it every time!

The other product that was sent was so clever, as it combines two classic toys into one: check out the Mirari Zig-Zag Xylo Train! This xylophone unfolds easily to become a train that can be pulled all over the house. On the box, the recommended age is 18 months plus, but I can tell you that my 15 month old absolutely loves this toy and plays with it most every day. Currently, she seems more interested in the pull toy aspect of the train than the musical capabilities, but she’s starting to bang on it a bit more in the last week, so it won’t be long before I’ll be hearing xylophone concerts on the regular! 😉

I loved the toys from Mirari that we were sent for review, and I also loved learning about the company. Mirari comes from the Latin word which translates to mean, “wonder.” They are all about creating products that promote classic play in innovative ways, without overwhelming children with unnecessary features. I definitely like and appreciate that approach, and I think that these toys are right in line with that idea!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your choice: either the myPad or the Zig-Zay Xylo Train!

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I Let My Husband Pick Out the First Day Of School Outfits! (Giveaway!)

August 20, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 181 Comments

This post on back-to-school fashion for girls may contain affiliate links.

Yesterday was Darah’s first day of school. She’s in year 2 of the 3 year cycle at Montessori school, but if she were in a more traditional classroom, this would have been her first day of preschool. I was aware of this fact, and as a result, I teared up more than once while taking pictures of her in the morning.

I thought I was going to hold it together, but I just couldn’t get over how grown my sweet baby looked. Her outfit was beyond adorable, and her socks…well…those sent me over the edge. Yes, I cried at the sight of her adorable socks!!

My friends over a Gymboree were kind enough to send me a gift certificate to get our back-to-school shopping started off right. I was so happy to work with them, as I order things from Gymboree fairly often (who can resist with all those Gymbucks offers, am I right?). But I decided to do something a little different this year: I gave Tim FULL REIGN over picking out something for both Darah and Layah to wear on the first day of school.

Did I lose my mind? Oh no, friends, this was a very strategic move on my part. You see, Gymboree makes is SO easy to find coordinating pieces, since they create entire collections around one theme. I knew that Tim would have to really make an effort in order to get something that wasn’t absolutely adorable. Gymboree makes that really hard!

The socks shown above were just part of the “so cute I cried” outfit he chose for Darah. Wanna see it???

I think she caught on to how cute I thought she was in this colorblock dress, because the model attitude started coming out early on in the photo shoot! She’s 4 going on 14….heaven help us!

And while Layah wasn’t starting a new year in school today, she did go to her Parent’s Day Out program, and I wanted her to take part in the back-to-school festivities, so she also got an outfit (the flower dot sweater dress). And Oh. My. Word!

I just love how the dresses are completely different, and yet those stripes pull them all together for a coordinated look. The dress is a soft sweater material, which I know will be comfy for a on-the-go toddler like Layah. And those sleeves! The little poof in them! Makes me swoon…

Tim reported back to me that he really had a lot of fun picking out clothes for the girls. He said he loved the selection at Gymboree, the ease of finding outfits that coordinated without being too “matchy-matchy” and he also loved that there were so many options that weren’t pink! 🙂

I think he rocked it out. Do you agree?

Win it!: Gymboree wants to celebrate the start of a new school year by offering one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a $75 gift certificate to Gymboree!!!!!

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OMGuac Your Lunch and Win Big!!!

August 16, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Thanks to Wholly Guacamole for partnering with Stuff Parents Need to get the word out about this contest!

Wholly Guacamole….you’ve tried it, right? I buy it regularly at the store. It is such a smooth, creamy, delicious treat, and it tastes SO fresh!

If you are already a fan, or even if you need a little nudge to give Wholly Guacamole a try, I’ve got good news for you. The brand has recently launched the OMGuac One Lunch, Two Ways promotion and photo contest, and you are definitely going to want to enter, because the prizes are SWEET!!!

Check out the Wholly Guacamole site for some great ideas to help make your kids lunches (and your work lunches!) OMGuac-tastic! Once you are inspired and have a fun lunch idea ready, register for a chance to win a $100 gift card with FREE Wholly Guacamole products! There are 3 winners every week through September 27!!! And don’t miss the $1.00 off coupon for any Wholly product while you are on the site. For complete contest details and rules, visit Eatwholly.com/omg.