Stuff Parents Need

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

Give Your Deck a Makeover for Labor Day with Thompson’s (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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You may recall that a little while back I showed you how Thompson’s helped us get layers of dirt off our deck and take it from grimy to gleaming. If you missed it, definitely check it out. You’ll be amazed at the before and after pics!

We just recently took the next step important step after cleaning the deck, and that is to seal it. Our deck is 5 years old and as far as we can tell, has never been treated. That means that we aren’t too far away from starting to see some rotting wood if we don’t take action! Thompson’s has a product that I LOVE LOVE LOVE because it seals and stains your wood all at once. It’s called Thompson’s Waterseal Waterproofer Plus Tinted Wood Protector. I’m all about products that do more than one thing for you, because the time we can devote to outdoor projects is a bit limited.

So, here’s our deck clean but untreated:

And here’s how it looks now:

I think the color is really beautiful! And I love how the wood grain isn’t at all covered up by the tint. Rather, it really pops! So our deck looks nice and new with its new tint, and it is also protected from damage by absorbing water every time it rains. Application was also surprisingly quick.

This project was absolutely worth the relatively short amount of time we put into it. We are now ready to snap up some end-of-summer patio furniture bargains and continue the transformation of our back deck from the junk yard to something that brings us a lot of pride!

Is your deck begging for mercy? Spend part of your Labor Day weekend giving it new life with Thompson’s products! And don’t forget to enter the Deck of Your Dreams sweepstakes. Someone is going to win big, and it might as well be you!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a cleaning and sealing kit from Thompson’s with the same products I reviewed (Oxy Foaming Action cleaner and Waterproofer plus Tinted Wood Protector).
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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

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

Shopping For a New Stroller? Baby Cargo 300 Series Stroller GIVEAWAY!!!

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Ladies, I’m personally in the market for a new stroller, so I thought some of you might be, too! I’m bringing you the chance to  win a lightweight, full feature stroller? I’ve teamed up with several bloggers to bring you this great giveaway from Baby Cargo, an up and coming baby gear brand.
The Baby Cargo 300 offers many features of a full size stroller in a compact package. A stylish ride that is comfortable for baby is just the icing on the cake. The wipe-clean fabric is easy to care for, it is suitable for babies from birth, and it will fit kids up to 50 pounds. With great maneuverability for all your travels, whether you’re shopping, taking a stroll in the park, or jetting through the airport – the Baby Cargo 300 has all bases covered. Thoughtful details like the zippered back pocket and self-locking fold make travel a breeze! You can read the full review of the Baby Cargo 300 Stroller over at Eco-Babyz and see more photos.
Our Favorite Features: 
  • Comes with cup holder and rain cover
  • Luxurious, soft, easy-clean fabric
  • Adjustable footrest
  • Reclining seat, suitable from birth
  • Self-locks when folding
  • Weighs only 14.9 pounds
  • Holds kids up to 50 pounds
Purchase: You can buy the Baby Cargo 300 Stroller for $179.99. The Baby Cargo 200 is available for $149.99 and the 100 Series for $109.99.
Win One! Baby Cargo is blessing one of you with the Baby Cargo 300 Series stroller in your choice of Simply Taupe, Eclipse, or Blacktop.
Special thanks to Eco-Babyz, Dear Crissy, and Our Kids Mom for hosting this giveaway. Giveaway ends September 15th at 12:01 am, open to US residents, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Thank you!
Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this publication. Eco-Babyz, Dear Crissy, Our Kids Mom, and Baby Cargo 300 Stroller Giveaway Event bloggers are not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. 

Shoo Away Mosquitos Without DEET: BugBand Portable Diffuser GIVEAWAY!!!

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I’m sure you’ve seen the news reports about the large number of deaths in the United States this year from West Nile virus, which is transmitted through mosquitos. I believe the report I read said that the number was over 60 as of a few days ago.

That is scary stuff! While I don’t live in one of the areas that is most affected, I do live in an area where the mosquitos are rampant. On top of that, I seem to be extremely tasty to them. Our neighbors have some standing water in their yard, and as a result, our back yard is swarming (that’s only a slight exaggeration!) with mosquitos. I routinely get bit 2-5 times whenever I’m out there, and I’m only in the back yard when I’m headed to the car.

Mosquitos also get in our car while we are putting the girls in their seats. And so I get bit there, too.

Additionally, we enter the house through the back door, so mosquitos get in our house that way.

Basically, we have a pretty serious mosquito problem, which is annoying in and of itself, but with news of West Nile being a serious threat, our annoying problem has become something quite frightening to me.

While I’ll use something poisonous if I absolutely have to, I REALLY don’t want to. Applying DEET to my 3 month old child, and even to my 3 year old child, doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. I want the bugs to go away, but I don’t want to poison ourselves or our environment in the process.

mosquito repellent without deet BugBand is a company that offers a great line of natural insect repellents, and I am really loving their Portable Table Top Diffuser
. Lately I have been toting that thing around with me and I can tell you that it really works! I take it with me in the car, set it out in the back yard whenever Tim is out there cutting grass or working on the deck, and I use it in our home to keep the mosquitos who have made it inside at bay.

It runs on 3 AA batteries and comes with a refillable cartridge that lasts about 120 hours. It sends out Geraniol vapors that smell great to us, and terrible to mosquitos. They don’t want to be near it! The diffuser will keep mosquitos away in an area up to 300 square feet. So while it won’t necessarily keep them out of your entire yard, it will keep them away from the area where you are!

The diffuser is very light weight and easy to tote around with you. You can also take comfort in knowing that the vapor being released is totally safe for you to inhale, and it is safe around food and pets, too.

The BugBand portable diffuser is available for $19.95 and comes with one cartridge. You can purchase 6 refill cartridges for just $16.95. I highly recommend this product if you are concerned about West Nile virus or if you just don’t mosquito bites (who does?!).

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a BugBand Portable Diffuser!

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

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

Celebrate My Birthday With a Shabby Apple Dress! GIVEAWAY!!!

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Last year when I turned 31 I celebrated by giving away a fabulous Shabby Apple dress.

This year I’m turning 31 again, and I want to give away another dress in honor of the occasion! 🙂 And I have selected a dress that has soft, beautiful colors and a tasteful silhouette. It’s the Side Saddle dress, and it has a sophisticated look to it, without feeling “old” (because I am NOT old!!!).

Shabby Apple sent the same dress to me, and I’m not going to be wearing it on my birthday, but instead I am saving it for a VERY special birthday that is coming up in a few weeks. My memaw is celebrating her 90th birthday in September, and the extended family is having a HUGE party to celebrate. I selected this dress to wear because it reminds me of my grandmother’s beautiful blue eyes. The shape of the dress is also a bit of a throw back to her younger days, and I think she’s going to really like it. I’m even planning on doing my hair and makeup in a bit more vintage style…something she might have worn when she was 32, er…I mean 31!

Shabby Apple has one of the most beautiful and unique lines of women’s dresses that I’ve ever seen. If you are looking for something that you won’t easily find at the mall and that will make you feel like the beautiful woman you are, I highly recommend that you check out Shabby Apple.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win the Side Saddle dress from Shabby Apple.
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Be sure to enter my other current giveaway, found on the sidebar of my page.

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

The Gruffalo’s Child Book and DVD Review

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The Gruffalo’s Childis the sequel to one of our very favorite stories, The Gruffalo. If you aren’t familiar with it, The Gruffalo is the story of a very clever mouse who outwits his would-be predators by telling a story of his friend, The Gruffalo (a terrible beast). In the original story, he comes face-to-face with a real Gruffalo, and manages to outwit him, too!

The Gruffalo’s Child is about the daughter of the Gruffalo. She hears all about “The Big Bad Mouse” in the woods, and decides that she wants to see him for herself. She finds all the woodland creatures who appear in the first book, and does, in fact, find the Big Bad Mouse eventually. It is such a delightful book. And the DVD version is sensational. We absolutely LOVE it! It is narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, which automatically makes it fabulous to listen to.

I will say that if you have a sensitive young child, to watch it yourself before showing it to them. My four year old niece did get scared when the snake made his appearance in the film.

The DVD runs 40 minutes and also has bonus features that provide a behind-the-scenes look at the movie. It retails for $9.99 and is currently on sale for $8.99. I think that’s an awesome deal for such a great story.  The book is available through Amazon for just $6.99.

Edit: This giveaway is now closed. 

Win it! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of The Gruffalo’s Child book AND DVD!

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

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

The Importance of Essential Fatty Acids for Babies: Nordic Naturals Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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When Layah had her 2 month check-up, the doctor asked me what I was doing to make sure she had enough vitamin D. I gave her a blank stare, because I had no idea that my breast milk wasn’t producing everything that she needed. That was not something I had been told with Darah, and it wasn’t something I had read online. I probably would have been very dismissive of her question to me except that I had found her to be very pro-breastfeeding in every conversation we had. Since I knew she fully supported and recommended breastfeeding, I decided to take her question seriously and do a little bit of research on the topic.

And what I found is that research does show that breastmilk doesn’t have the levels of vitamin D that a baby needs for healthy growth. Many women make sure that their babies get a little bit of sunlight each day to up the vitamin D levels. But it has been really hot all summer and spending time outside sweating and swatting mosquitos isn’t exactly high on my to-do list. So I knew I needed another option.

A product was recommended to me that is sold by a major formula company and is readily available in major retail stores. I bought it, but I didn’t feel excited about it. I wanted to find something from a smaller business that was more eco-friendly and more natural.

What I found was something better than I even imagined! I discovered the company Nordic Naturals, and began using the Baby’s DHA product, which does contain vitamin D3, but also contains fish oil, which has been shown to improve cognitive development in children. Unlike vitamin D, which the body is able to produce, essential fatty acids must be obtained from diet or supplementation. EPA and DHA are the two most important essential fatty acids, and they play a role in immune and nervous system support, as well as normal brain and eye function.

Baby’s DHA is a liquid product made by Nordic Naturals for babies 5-35 pounds, and it retails for $15.95. It can easily be added to formula or food, or simply be administered alone. It is made from arctic cod liver oil. And it has added vitamin D3, which is what I was originally seeking. The company has a variety of products in liquid, soft gel, gummy form and even powder, so that you can help your child get DHA and EPA.

In addition to having an extensive line of EFA products, Nordic Naturals also carries some great multi-vitamins for children. Darah has been enjoying the Nordic Berries, which retail for $22.95 for 120 gummies. To be perfectly honest with you, Tim and I have also been enjoying the Nordic Berries. They are SO yummy! In addition to being tasty little sweet and sour treats, I appreciate that these gummies have no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, as well. Children from age 2 through 102 can enjoy these. They contain 100% of the daily value for most essential nutrients.

Overall, I’m really impressed with the quality of products provided by this company, and I would highly recommend them. We’ll be back for more Nordic Berries and Baby’s DHA as soon as we run out!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the same two products I reviewed, Baby’s DHA and Nordic Berries!

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

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

Coming Soon: $150 Paypal Cash Giveaway!!

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Am I the only one feeling a sting in my checking account after the back-to-school frenzy? Didn’t think so! And that’s why I’m taking part in this group giveaway. I want one of my readers to win big! Stay tuned…it’s coming soon!

Here is another FREE event for bloggers worldwide!

Participate in I Heart Giveaways and The Coffee Chic‘s upcoming $150 Paypal Cash Giveaway.

One winner will get a chance to win $150 Cash sponsored by Giveaway Scoop!

All you need to do is to make an announcement about the FREE sign-up on your blog. This is a good way to gain more followers on your Facebook page. Co-hosting spots are also available! Click here or on the banner above to sign-up.

Barker Creek Magnetic Kidphonics Activity Set Review and GIVEAWAY!!

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Darah is showing some clears signs of readiness for learning to read. One of the clearest signs is that she is growing increasingly frustrated when she sits down to read that she can’t actually read the words. Tim and I read to her every day, but I can tell that she wishes she could read to herself. She often points to letters she recognizes on the page, or points to certain words and asks what they say.

Darah’s teachers have also reported back to us that she seems particularly interested in the language lessons in the classroom, and spends a great deal of time working on her letter sounds. We’ve been working on having similar lessons in our house so that she can continue working on something that interests her so much, and so that she can make strides on the path to reading.

Barker Creek is a website that has many award-winning educational products that are ideal for the classroom and for home. I took a bit of time recently to flip through their catalog. I was extremely impressed by the comprehensive selection of products that teachers and homeschooling parents would love to see in their classrooms. Even if you don’t fit into either category, they still have TONS of stuff that can provide educational enrichment to your child!

Want to see what we’ve been enjoying from Barker Creek?

Check out the Magnetic Kidphonics Activity Set, currently available for $49.99. It comes with the following elements:

  • magnetic a-z pictures (one picture for each letter in the alphabet)
  • magnetic uppercase letters
  • magnetic lowercase letters
  • magnetic Kidboard
We have both really enjoyed sitting down together to work on matching pictures with letter sounds. What we do is pick out a picture, then identify the letter sound it begins with and search for that sound. We don’t put the focus on the name of the letter, but instead, on the sound it makes, as I have learned that reading readiness skills are enhanced by looking at letters and thinking of their sounds even before thinking of their official names.
Darah really loves the Kidboard, and being able to make her own charts of pictures and corresponding letter sounds. Here you will see her latest completed board!
In addition to the letters and pictures, we also received the Learning Magnets Numbers and Math Signs set. This is going to be useful for several years, and we’ll be able to practice number identification, and later on addition, subtraction, division and multiplication! This set is available for $9.99.
We also received the Magnetic Kidmath Critter Counter Set, available for $9.99. I LOVE these magnets, as they make the abstract concept of math very tangible, using bugs as examples of quantities. Montessori education states that students are going to really learn a concept once it becomes tangible, and can be understood using all the senses. I believe these magnets are a step in that direction!

I highly recommend these tools for helping with reading and math readiness. My child is enjoying them and really seems to focus when she has her magnets and her Kidboard out for a lesson. I will also say that the quality of the magnets is quite good! I’d love to hear what you all are doing (or did in the past) to help your children learn to read and learn about math. 

Don’t miss out on the weekly web-only specials at Barker Creek. They offer a variety of products at 50% off every week. Woo hoo!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Magnetic Kidphonics Activity Set!
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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

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

Wiggles Big Birthday! DVD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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This was the first year that Darah understood the concept of a birthday, and oh my goodness was she excited for hers. She started talking about it in January, and would ask at least 3 times a week how much longer until her special day arrived. Yup, we talked about her birthday for 7 months!!!

For the last month leading up to her big day, we had a fun DVD that we watched from time to time. It is the Wiggles: Big Birthday! and it is filled with songs and dances that certainly delighted my little one as she prepared for her third birthday. It was also nice for me, as I had something to turn to when she wanted to talk birthday and I was not interested in talking about it for the third time that day!

One thing that I also like about the DVD is that it gives you an idea of what a live Wiggles concert would be like. I would really like to take Darah to one…they were actually in Nashville on her birthday, but since that was a school day, it just wasn’t in the cards for us.

This DVD also has a special treat included that I think parents will particularly enjoy. It has the one hour documentary of “Everybody Clap! Everybody Sing!” which is all about the Wiggles first 20 years. I really enjoyed learning about how the group got started, and which songs have been around from the beginning, as well as changes that have been made over the years.

The Wiggles Big Birthday! DVD runs 140 minutes and retails for $12.99. You can find it at retailers such as Toys “R” Us, Walmart and Amazon.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of the Wiggles Big Birthday! DVD.

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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