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Floating BathBlocks: SO Awesome!!! Review and GIVEAWAY!!

December 14, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 75 Comments

Isn’t bath time with kids so much fun?

Apart from getting soaking wet as they splash around, of course.

Darah’s at an age where she will take 2 or 3 baths a day if we will let her. All so she can play with her mermaids and other tub toys. It is a great source of entertainment for her. And while it gives us the opportunity to get a bit of work done while she entertains herself int he tub, the truth is that I have so much fun playing with her that I often just sit beside the tub and play right along!

But a few days ago I got to play with her newest tub toys BEFORE she did. And yeah, I totally loved it.

There’s a product on the market called BathBlocks, and I can’t think of a single kid, boy or girl, who wouldn’t absolutely love these. These are a “must have” for your gift closet, for sure!

I put together the 13 pc Ball Run set. and snapped some shots. Check them out!

With these blocks you can make a fun obstacle course for a ball to run through. I’m not going to tell you how many times I let the ball go through the course before I remembered that I needed to take some photos. It was SEVERAL. 🙂

The blocks come with a floating platform, but they also float on their own. But it gets so much better! If you put some soapy water on them, they do this:

Oh yes, they stick to the walls! Ha ha!!! I would have LOVED these when I was a kid. Good thing I have a child of my own now who will let me take a turn with them!

What I love about these blocks is that they are perfectly designed for tub time, and that they also encourage creative play. The obstacle course can be set up many different ways, or your child might just use the blocks as floating islands for a different game.

And you never know what toys will especially appeal to kids. Darah is completely smitten by the ball that comes in the set. I have no idea why, but she has slept with it for the past 3 nights. Kids are so weird…

You may be wondering if these are floating pieces of mildew just waiting to happen. They are actually made from bacteria and midew resistant EVA, and they are also free of phthalates and PVC. This company put a lot of thought into what would be the most fun and the most safe for kids. Gotta love that!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the same set of BathBlocks as the one I reviewed. Lucky you!

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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

This Year Santa is Real and Candy is UNREAL (Candy Review and GIVEAWAY!!!)

December 13, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 95 Comments

I am knee-deep in making the memories that people dream about for years before they start their families. Darah is really into Santa Claus, Rudolph, the Elves and all things Christmas.

And she believes SO fully you guys. It is nothing short of AWESOME. I love Christmas with all my heart, but I can’t remember a time that this season was even close to as fun as it has been this year. I’m guessing the last time would be maybe 1986, which was probably my last Christmas to believe in Santa.

Santa is REAL REAL REAL at our house! But let me tell you what isn’t real this year: all the candy that Santa will be leaving us in our stockings (why yes, as mom of the house I do happen to have this insider info!).

Santa is going to be filling our stockings to the brim with UNREAL candy. Have you heard of it? It’s a newish brand on the market and it DOESN’T contain much of what fills other candies.

No high fructose corn syrup
No artificial ingredients
No partially hydrogenated oils
Less sugar!

UNREAL left behind all the stuff that isn’t actually food, and produced DELICIOUS (I may or may not have had a sample or two…) chocolate candy that will have you singing!

We’re believers in this house. We believe in the magic of Santa, in the joy of giving, and in the reality that our junk food can be unjunked. Our candy this year is UNREAL.

What’s filling your stockings? Want to do what we’re doing? You can find UNREAL at a merchant near you.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win 5 bags of UNREAL candy!

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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Candle Bark: Enjoy the Scents of a Candle Without the Flames! GIVEAWAY!!!

December 12, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 125 Comments

I have a distinct memory of my best friend Leslie when she was a teenager, carrying around a Christmas scented candle for weeks just so she could enjoy the smell coming from the jar. She didn’t have it lit, but just toted it around with her all over the house.

That girl loved that candle. Or I guess to be more accurate, she loved the smell of that candle.

I have FINALLY tried out a product concept that has really caught fire (I guess I should say NOT caught fire) over the past few years. It’s those scented melting wax cubes that you melt in special warmers to scent your home.

Oh my gosh. No wonder they are popular! They are amazing!

Specifically, I’ve been using Candle Bark. This is an organic soy wax bark that has FANTASTIC scents. I’ve been plugging a warmer (which you can purchase at stores like Walmart) into my kitchen and it has been filling my entire downstairs with the smell of pumpkin cheesecake (which is my very favorite scent I have sampled). Oh, I’m in heaven. And it’s calorie-free!

Darah is also enjoying the wax warmer. It glows so beautifully and looks like a snowman, which makes it perfect for the holidays.

Candle Bark can be purchased for just $8 for a 3 ounce supply in the scent of your choice. Here’s a list of the available options:

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Vanilla Mint
New Car
Lavender
Italian Buttercream
Water Blossom
Sweet Tobacco
Orange Woodland
Coconut Lime
Dogwood

In addition to the Pumpkin Cheesecake, which I can’t emphasize strongly enough how amazing it is, I have also tried and really enjoyed the Vanilla Mint and Lavender. The products are high quality and the scents are fresh and delightful. I also really appreciate that Candle Bark is made in the USA,

My only suggestion for improvement to the company is to ditch the Styrofoam containers that hold the product and opt for something more eco-friendly. Other than that, keep doing what you are doing because it is working!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need winner is going to get the top 3 scents at Candle Bark and a holiday warmer! How awesome is that?!

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I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Real World Folding Geometric Shapes from Learning Resources

December 10, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 48 Comments

Here’s what I remember about my 8th grade geometry class: I hated it.

Here’s what I don’t remember: pretty much everything I was taught.

I had such an aversion to math growing up, and it is something I want to work very hard not to pass on to my daughters. I want math concepts to be part of their learning process early on. I’ve also learned from Montessori education that the more hands-on opportunities we can give our children to interact with math, the better suited they will be to tackle the harder concepts down the line. This is particularly true for geometry and understanding shapes in a 3 dimensional way, instead of simply in the abstract or on paper.

That’s why I was really excited to see Learning Resources offer the Real World Folding Geometric Shapes.

The set includes 3 dimensional versions of 8 common shapes:

cube
cylinder
hexagonal prism
rectangular prism
triangular prism
square pyramid
triangular pyramid

It also comes with 24 cut out designs that can fit inside the shapes to help children identify where these shapes can be found in everyday life. You can also cut out your own designs to put inside the shapes. Being able to see and touch a shape in this way is extremely important to muscle memory, and when that is instilled in your child at a young age, it will help tremendously by the time geometry class comes up in middle school. To be able to break a 3 dimensional shape down into something flat also helps a lot with understanding symmetry.

The kit also comes with great activity suggestions (far more than I would have come up with on my own!). I think this is a marvelous learning aid and I highly recommend it, especially if you think you might have some trouble bringing the world of math to life on your own like I do. The kit is available for $36.99.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Real World Folding Geometric Shapes set from Learning Resources.

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

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I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas!

December 6, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 72 Comments

This year for the holidays we are doing something VERY fun. I’ve created a Christmas Countdown paper chain, with one link for every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every link has a special holiday activity for us to do. It has been a terrific way for us to get a daily dose of Christmas without getting completely overwhelmed.

A few of the days on the chain are listed as “holiday movie” time. The one Darah asks for every time is The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas!. This 60 minute DVD is really quite cute (and I say that as someone who isn’t especially fond of The Cat in the Hat!). The Cat, Nick and Sally have a very fun Christmas party, and take the Thinga-ma-jigger on a trip around the world to help a lost reindeer get home in time for the big event. Along the way they make all sorts of new friends and, of course, have a lot of fun.

If your are looking for something new to watch this holiday season, or for something that might have more appeal to younger kids, this is a great choice. You can find this DVD at Target, Walmart, Kmart and Toys R Us for just $9.99.

Or…

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas!

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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I received a complimentary DVD for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Master Lock Vault: Safe, Secure Online Storage (dialSpeed GIVEAWAY!!!)

December 4, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 55 Comments

Are you finished with your holiday shopping yet? I think I might be, actually!

Which probably means that I’ll realize something important is missing about an hour before the Christmas Eve service and find myself at Walmart panicking with throngs of other people. Ha!

I actually just crossed an important hurdle related to the holiday season for me, and that is paying a credit card bill. My bills for November and December are usually pretty rough since Christmas purchases are all over them. They are painful to pay, and I’m happy to report that November’s has been paid. While I was online paying it, Darah asked me what I was doing. My response, “Mommy’s slaying a dragon, sweetie.” It sort of felt that way!

As I was going over my statement, though, it occurred to me that I’m definitely not very organized. I don’t have all of my receipts in one place where I could go back and double check purchase amounts. I was going off memory alone.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Master Lock has a virtual “safe deposit box” called the Master Lock Vault. It is a safe place online where you can store important documents, digital receipts, and passwords for various online accounts.

Oh don’t get me started about losing online passwords. You would simply not believe how many times I have had to change my iTunes password. I finally have changed it to something so bizarre and different from everything else I use. But now I have a place where I can keep it and other passwords and know that they are completely safe. The vault has 256-bit encryption, 24/7 monitoring and authentication controls. They also have an app to pair with it so that you can access the information you need safely from your smartphone.

Did I mention that the basic plan for Master Lock Vault is FREE??!! Yes, indeed!

In addition to having all the great features listed above AND being free, the Vault also can be used in conjunction with Master Lock’s sleek dialSpeed (which I reviewed back in August). If you don’t remember, the dialSpeed is the first electronic combination lock to have connectivity online.

I’ve been so impressed with the dialSpeed that I’m actually giving one to my brother-in-law this Christmas. It makes an awesome gift for anyone who values safety and security, and who also loves the cutting edge of technology.

Whether you own a dialSpeed or not, the Master Lock Vault is something I strongly want to encourage you to check out. If you need a safe place online to store some documents and passwords, look no further!

Win it!: One Lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a dialSpeed lock! Woo hoo!

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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my site.

I am a member of the Master Lock Live Secure Safety Squad, and as such, I receive complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own, however.

Special Lovey Contender: Goblin Kids Bunny Review and Gift Certificate GIVEAWAY!!!

December 2, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 71 Comments

Did you grow up with a most special lovey? Perhaps it was a blanket that you carried around with you everywhere? Or maybe it was a favorite stuffed toy? For my husband it was a stuffed Wicket plush (yes, from Star Wars). Even at 32 years old, you can still see a little pain in his eyes when he recalls losing it at the airport one year while traveling.

For me, it was my doll Lisa. She was the last Christmas gift from my maternal grandmother to me before she died. I was only 3. Lisa was my constant companion for many years. She was lost in a flood in the ’90s. No, she wasn’t literally swept away, but the damage done to her was irreparable, so she had to go. I wish I had thought to take photos of her before letting go.

While I don’t need the comfort that Lisa provided me as a child any longer, now that I see how special Darah’s lovey is to her, I can recall its deep importance, and I want to make sure I do everything I can to keep him safe and sound, even if there is a lengthy season of her life where he will simply sit on a shelf, or even in a box.

And I am honestly gripped with excitement as I wait for Layah’s lovey to be discovered. For Darah, the attachment came rather early, around 9 months of age. Will it happen that soon for Layah? I don’t know! But every time I introduce her to a new friend, I really enjoy seeing how she responds to it. You never know which one will steal her heart.

Darah suggested that we get Layah her own special big bunny since a bunny is Darah’s lovey of choice. She suggested a look-a-like, but I could see that causing more problems than not, so I thought having something a little different would be ideal. But one thing was certain: it needed to have long, soft ears. Those are best for rubbing gently over baby’s eyes as they drift to sleep!

Meet pink bunny.

She’s from one of my favorite online toy shops called Goblin Kids. This store sells the kinds of toys you dream about getting for your little one. Unique, high quality, and classic. They are built to last and are constructed very carefully. These are the toys that you will hold on to long after the days of playing are over. They are meant for several generations of play, not just for several months.

Pink Bunny, who actually comes with a much more creative name, Cordy Roy, is from the London-based company Jellycat. She is 15 inches high, which is a really nice size! She is super snuggly soft and I have no worries about Layah chewing on her, as the standards used by Jellycat meet and exceed both American and European safety standards.

Would you believe that Layah was already in the midst of THE FLU when this picture was taken? That should give you an idea of how she lights up when she sees pink bunny. While it is too early to make the call, I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes her most special lovey.

Goblin Kids may have helped us find a real treasure, indeed. And I know they can help you do the same, whether you are hunting for a lovey for just for a special toy. They are a particularly great resource for Haba toys, wooden toys and educational toys. Definitely give them a look!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $25 gift certificate to Goblin Kids! What a great credit to have on hand for an upcoming baby shower or kid’s birthday party!

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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Ditch the Plastic Wrap: Corn-n-Tater for Healthier Microwave Cooking (GIVEAWAY!!!)

November 30, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 83 Comments

I learned from my mother-in-law last year that I really should stop using plastic containers and plastic wrap in the microwave. Just as we have learned that BPA is found in many plastics and is harmful for people, there are also many questions being raised about plastic wrap. Better to avoid using them altogether and find alternatives. I’ve got a fair amount of glass containers now, but the plastic wrap has been a really tough thing for me to avoid using, as I don’t know what the alternatives are. For example, if I want to steam broccoli in the microwave (you retain more nutrients by steaming than by boiling), I can put it in a glass bowl, but then I still have to use plastic wrap to cover it.

But today I’m really excited to show you a product I’ve been using with success. It’s called the Corn-n-Tater bag, and it is a specially made bag for cooking various foods. It needs to hold solids, so it can’t heat up soup for you, but if you are cooking vegetables like corn, sweet potatoes, broccoli, etc. then this is most definitely the way to go.

The bag comes with a recipe book and with a chart to tell you how long to cook various items. I have put that chart on my fridge, and I just check it before using the bag. The Corn-n-Tater is SO easy to use, you guys! You simply place the food you want to cook inside a moist paper towel, and then put that in the bag. If your microwave doesn’t rotate on its own, you need to rotate the bag every 2 minutes. You also need to flip the bag over every 2 minutes.

I used the bag with some sweet potatoes we got from our CSA recently. When I pulled them out, they were just slightly underdone, but the fault was mine because I forgot to flip the bag. I just put them back in for another 2 minutes and they were perfectly done!

We even used the Corn-n-Tater bag to make some baked potatoes for our Thanksgiving meal. They came out perfectly in 7 minutes. And my goodness that’s a whole lot faster than using the oven!

The bag is machine washable and mine has held up great in the wash so far. I absolutely love this bag and plan to use it every chance I get. While it won’t eliminate plastic wrap from my kitchen, it is going to significantly cut down on how much I use it, and that makes me SOOOO happy!

Buy it!: The Corn-n-Tater bag is available for $12.99 in a nice variety of prints. What a great gift this would make!

Win it!: FIVE Stuff Parents Need readers will each win a Corn-n-Tater bag! Woo hoo!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

HUGE Tech GIVEAWAY!!!

November 30, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

And a Special Thanks to our Co-Host:

First Place Winner

Xbox Bundle:

Xbox 360 4GB Console

Xbox 360 has blockbuster games, HD movies and controller-free fun for everyone
Built-in Wi-Fi for easy connection to Xbox LIVE
Super quiet with sleek new design plus matching controller
Ready for the controller-free fun of Kinect

Microsoft Xbox Live Gold Subscription Card

Boaderlands Game: In a distant future, the planets at the outer edges of the galaxy have become a beacon to fortune seekers and those yearning for a better life off world.

2nd Place Winner

Google Nexus 7 Black Wi-Fi 16GB Tablet – ASUS-1B16

The Google Nexus 7 tablet computer is the world’s first Android tablet that combines the latest Android 4.1 mobile operating system with a powerful quad-core processor for high-performance computing on the go. An eye-catching 1280 x 800 high-definition display is your touchscreen interface for this Google tablet. The Google Nexus 7 tablet computer’s LED-backlit IPS panel is made from scratch-resistant glass to offer crisp images, wide viewing angles and 10-finger multi-touch support.

3rd Place Winner:

Blue Hue” Laptop Bundle with optional matching accessories:

Blue Laptop
Case/Bag
Mouse
USB Flash Drive
Headphones

The event dates: 11/30 – 12/10 Open World Wide. If the winner is outside the use they will receive and online gift card in the prize amount in place of the physical prize. NO EXCEPTIONS.

For a chance to win one of these three amazing prizes enter the Rafflecopter below

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