Stuff Parents Need

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

Cowboy Playground CD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Do you have a little cowboy or cowgirl in your home? Or do you have a trip planned to the Wild West this summer? There’s a really fun CD that Putumayo Kids has jut put out that will create the perfect setting for an outdoor adventure!

The CD is called Cowboy Playground and it is full of really fun songs that you may recognize, such as Pecos Bill, Home on the Range, Happy Trails and Whoopie Ti Yi Yo.

These are all songs that I know, but that I never thought to teach to Darah. Now that we have this CD, she is learning them and loving them (especially Whoopie Ti Yi Yo, which really makes her laugh). I think this is the perfect music for summer days, and it also brings up a lot of great imaginary play ideas!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Cowboy Playground!

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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.

Ahmelie Swaddling Blanket Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if you are going to swaddle your baby, don’t even attempt to use a receiving blanket or the vast majority of swaddling blankets on the market. They are TOO SMALL!

I think many parents give up on swaddling their infants because they don’t realize that they have equipment that does not prepare them for success! When Darah was born, we were gifted with 3 blankets that seemed ridiculously huge. The woman who made them for us said, “You need a bigger blanket for swaddling than you realize.” She was SOOO right. Darah was a small baby, and even she had outgrown her other swaddling blankets within a month or so. We used those “huge” blankets on her for the better part of the next 2 years. She actually still has one in her big girl bed with her!

There’s a company that realizes how big swaddling blankets actually need to be in order to be effective. Ahmelie has been featured on this site several times, not only for her swaddling blankets, but also for her hooded towels and her beautiful burp cloths. The fabrics Ahmelie uses are absolutely stunning. I have truly never seen prettier baby accessories.

And I really appreciate the size of her swaddling blankets. I’ve actually purchased swaddling blankets from Ahmelie several times for friends who have had babies. While I typically don’t like to veer from the gift registry for people, I am eternally grateful that someone knew to get me a huge blanket for swaddling, so I try to pay that forward by gifting them to others. Plus, these blankets are so gorgeous that I know the recipients will be pleased!

Here’s a picture of our Ahmelie swaddling blanket at its full size. Pretty big, right?

Now, here’s a picture of Layah all bundled up in her beloved blanket:

If you are currently expecting and want to try swaddling (which I HIGHLY recommend as a way to comfort and calm your baby), please do yourself the biggest favor and get a huge swaddling blanket, like the ones found at Ahmelie’s shop. Her blankets are $16.00 each are are worth so much more than that! AND…you can use code STUFF10 to save 10% off your purchase at Ahmelie.com! Woo hoo!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a swaddling blanket from Ahmelie!

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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. 

Sid’s Backyard Camp Out DVD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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We don’t have television in our home. Now, before you think I’m trying to sound all high and mighty about this, I will disclose that we have Netflix instant service AND I watch my share of programs online. But I still miss out on a lot of television programming and am pretty behind the times when it comes to the latest kid tv shows.

Sid the Science Kid is one example of an entire program that I had never heard of until I got a new DVD in the mail. It’s called Sid’s Backyard Camp Out, and it is really cute! It stars Sid, of course, and if you are also unfamiliar with him, he’s a very curious little boy who likes to get to the bottom of why things are the way they are. This leads to lots of science talk, which I think is pretty cool!

In this DVD, Sid, Gerald and Dad are making plans for a big backyard camp out. It’s rather humorous seeing Gerald prepare for the event. He pretty much packs everything but the kitchen sink. But through their adventures, they learn about just how little you really need to have a great time, and how few things are true necessities. There are definitely some great lessons in there!

Sid’s Backyard Campout runs for 45 minutes and also includes 12 Teacher Susie songs. It retails for just $6.99, making it a very affordable summer treat!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Sid’s Backyard Campout!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

 

Fluffy Fourth of July! Cloth Diaper Giveaway Worth Over $415!!!

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Welcome to the Fluffy Fourth of July sponsored by Gnome’s Naturals and hosted by Life With Levi!

Whether you’re just starting out using cloth diapers or already a fluffy pro, this giveaway prize offers something for everyone.

Fluffy Fourth Ultimate Starter Pack

One lucky winner will receive the ULTIMATE cloth diaper stash starter pack, valued at over $415!!!

This amazing prize prize pack includes:

  • THREE ones & twos All In One Diapers
  • ONE AppleCheeks Bamboo Little Bundle
  • ONE AppleCheeks Microterry Little Bundle
  • TWO Tots Bots Easy Fit or Tini Fit Diapers
  • TWO Rumparooz G2 Pocket Diapers or Little Joey Newborn All In Ones
  • ONE Bummis Beautiful BASIC Kit
  • SIX Organic Cotton Prefold Diapers
  • ONE Bummis Super Snap Wrap
  • ONE Bummis Super Lite Wrap
  • TWO Snappis
  • ONE AppleCheeks Storage Sac Pail Liner
  • ONE M Monkey Foot Designs Wet Bag for when you’re on the go.
  • ONE KalmSkin Travel Size Cloth Diaper Safe Rash Stick
  • ONE Bag of Rockin’ Green Laundry Detergent
  • ONE Clean Cheeks Wipes Concentrate
  • ONE 6 Pack of AppleCheeks Cloth Wipes
  • ONE Mini Shower Diaper Sprayer
  • ONE Pack of AppleCheeks Flushable Diaper Liners

That’s all the diapers AND accessories you need for 18 diaper changes!!

Gnome’s Naturals is a cloth diaper and natural parenting store owned & operated by Lori Whitlock. As a mom of a toddler, Lori is always searching for great natural products for herself and her family. When she finds products that she loves, she sticks with them. Lori created Gnome’s Naturals to share those products with you. As a cloth diaper blogger, Lori has tried almost every cloth diaper on the market and strives to carry only the best of the best.

In addition to some well known brands that Lori loves, Gnome’s Naturals also carries work at home mom (WAHM) made items in the store. Make sure you check out the WAHM Spotlight section for products that are handmade by moms in North America. Lori is a huge proponent of moms supporting moms and she hopes that by retailing some mom-made items, she can help support them financially as well.

If you’re new to cloth diapering, Gnome’s Naturals offers several different cloth diaper trial packages. Beyond cloth diapers, Gnome’s Naturals also carries a great selection of baby carriers, baltic amber teething necklaces, breastfeeding products, and more.

Ready To Win?

Just enter using the easy Rafflecopter form below.
All entries are optional – be sure to come back often to complete the daily entries, since the more entries you have, the more chances you have to win!

Giveaway open to residents of the US & Canada. Contest ends Friday, July 6th.

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Preparing Space for Guests When You Don’t Have a Closet: Spectrum Products GIVEAWAY!!!

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The house we moved into has 4 bedrooms.

Sort of.

You see, in my opinion, a room cannot be classified as a bedroom unless it has a closet. Chattanooga realtors appear to think otherwise.

Honestly, I’m not really sure what the builders of this house were thinking when they made this home (in 2007! It’s not even old!). You see, the largest “bedroom” in the house has its own bathroom but completely lacks a closet. It is supposedly the master bedroom, and I definitely would have been tempted to move into it, but what in the world would we do with all our clothes? It doesn’t make any sense to go upstairs to get dressed!

So this nice big room has become our guest room. Which means that now our guests have to figure out where in the world to put their clothes when they visit. We do have a hall closet downstairs that can hold a few things, but you have to walk through the living room to get to it. That could be sort of embarrassing for company if other folks in the house are awake and hanging out in the living room (a very likely incident with two small children who are early risers).

But I found a solution at Spectrum Diversified that will make a big difference, and it takes up precious little space. Check out this over the door wardrobe rack. We put this on the door in the guest room and it is the perfect place for our company to hang up their clothes. We could have purchased a large wardrobe, I suppose, but those are expensive and they take up a ton of space. I much prefer this option, and at $11.99, my wallet is absolutely ecstatic about the choice!

Spectrum also has some fantastic wall hooks that can help you create more space in cramped quarters. We installed this metal wardrobe rack in our bathroom so that we could get the girls’ towels off the floor. Since all 4 of us use one bathroom, our towel rack was not sufficient, and there were constantly towels on the floor or hanging on door knobs. Now the girls’ towels have their very own dedicated space! This hook is just $8.49 and looks really sharp.

Finally, we installed the CUTEST bird wall hook in Layah’s closet. This created a space for her diaper bag to hang. Before installing it, the diaper bag’s “home” was wherever it landed, which meant that it was frequently lost. Now it has a place to return to after every outing, and space in the closet that wasn’t being used now has a purpose. Gotta love that! And at $3.49, how can you say no to something this adorable?

I have been extremely impressed with the creative storage and organizing solutions offered by Spectrum Diversified, as well as the price points. All three of the products I now have in my home were less than $25, and look at how many problems they solved!

I have a feeling that some of you could use a bit of help getting organized in your home, so…

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $25 gift certificate to put towards anything you’d like from Spectrum!

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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. 

Brighten Up Your Kitchen with Dexas Products: Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Since we have joined a community supported agriculture (CSA) program and are now getting loaded down with fresh veggies every week, I’m spending a lot of time with my new cutting boards from Dexas. I have three new boards that are just perfect for what I need, and having more than one gives me the opportunity to have a little helper in my kitchen. Darah ALWAYS chooses the apple cutting board, and asks me to choose the tomato cutting board. I’m happy to oblige, because I think the tomato is so cute! Both of these designs are absolutely perfect for the petite chefs you may have in your house. Even though Darah isn’t getting to cut the veggies at this point, I always put some on her board to inspect and to scrub for me. We talk about what each veggie is, the color it is, and I show her what it looks like on the inside. We also talk about which parts we can eat, and which parts we need to compost. She’s getting a great education while I get lunch or dinner ready!

If we are making something that needs to go in the oven, I reach for my amazing silicone grippers (called nib mini-mitts). I love how little space these take up in my kitchen. In fact, they just sit on top of my range for easy access, and that way they don’t take up any drawer space at all! They do a great job of keeping the heat off my fingers as I take stuff out of the oven.

But perhaps one of my very favorite products in their new line are these fabulous ice cube trays. Now, I know what you are thinking, “Why get excited over ice cube trays?” Well, let me tell you! First of all, our freezer doesn’t have an ice maker, so ice cube trays are the only way this girl gets any ice at home. But those traditional long trays just take up too much real estate inside the freezer (we have the smallest standard size fridge. Boo.). These ice cube trays are in the shape of a square! Brilliant. But here’s what is even better: the cube trays are deep, so you get big, fat ice cubes instead of those wimpy ones that usually come from the longer trays. Less space, more ice! ROCK!! They will be for sale at Target in just a few weeks!

If your kitchen could use a pop of color and a bit more fun, especially as a way to get your kids to step up and be your sous chefs, then Dexas products definitely have something to offer you! You can find their great line of products at Amazon and Bed, Bath and Beyond. For a complete listing of retailers, click here.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win those amazing ice cube trays and TWO cute cutting boards (one tomato and one watermelon!). ARV $40!
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Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Natural Sunscreen: Beyond Coastal Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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About a month ago I was at the zoo with a friend. We had a “sighting” while we were there. As we were checking out the macaw exhibit, something through the bushes caught our eye. It was something unusual and unexpected just beyond the greenery.

Was it some sort of animal, escaped from its cage? No, silly. It was WAY cooler than that!

It was….

wait for it….

A WATER PARK!

(Image from rain-drop.com)

Yes, true story, there’s a water park in my city and my friend and I had no clue it existed. It’s part of our public pool system. It costs just $3 to go. What an amazing find! We literally spied it while we were strolling around at the zoo, and we vowed to figure out what it was and get ourselves over there.

I should also mention that this place is a 6 minute drive from my house. Life is good, people!

On Mondays between 5-7 pm they offer family night. Everyone in your family can get in for just $5 total! I also like the timeframe for two reasons. First, it’s just after work for Tim, so the whole family can go. There’s no way I could handle both littles by myself!

The second reason I like the timeframe is because this is after the peak sun hours. Since melanoma runs in Tim’s family, it is especially important that we limit our exposure to the sun during those hours.

But even though the rays are not at their most powerful from 5-7, you can definitely still get sunburned. So we lather on the sunscreen before we head over there, and usually reapply once after we’ve been there an hour.

Lately we’ve been using these great products from Beyond Coastal. These products are natural, so icky and questionable chemicals are nowhere to be found in the entire line. Love that! I have never enjoyed having one set of sunscreens for Darah and a different set for us. We should all be using the same stuff! I’m guessing if ingredients aren’t good for Darah, they probably aren’t good for the grownups, either. The Beyond Coastal line is great for everyone.

I have enjoyed trying all the products in the line, but I think my very favorite is the face stick, which is SO easy to apply on squirmy and impatient toddlers. I like the thick, quick application!

As you head into the summer months, be sure that you are well-stocked with sunscreen, and skip the stuff with nasty additives and go straight for the good stuff, like Beyond Coastal!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will will a Beyond Coastal prize pack (pictured below)! ARV $36!

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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. 

 

Decorating a Baby’s Nursery: Getting Past The Usual Suspects

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I spent HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS trying to figure out what I wanted Darah’s nursery to look like. Oh for the days when I had that kind of free time! Anyway, I was ADAMENT that her room would not look like every other little girl nursery out there, all pink and princessy and filled with stuff you’d expect to see, like Winnie the Pooh and other Disney characters. Not that there’s anything wrong with Disney characters. Some of my best friends are Disney characters!

Anyway, the irony wasn’t lost on me when after spending the better part of 3 months searching, I landed on a bedding scheme that was…wait for it….PINK. Yup, pink. The most stereotypical girl nursery color in the world.

But at least the design was unique. It was cherry blossoms and birds, and I did have a lot of fun incorporating those design elements into other facets of the room.

With Layah, I just didn’t have time do all that exhaustive research. And since she was baby number 2, I also didn’t really have the resources to start completely from scratch. She inherited many things from Darah’s room, which left me, once again, with a pink nursery.

But this time, I knew where to go to get her something really striking and different for her walls. Flowers, hearts, balloons, sparkles and any of the other usual suspects weren’t invited. I decided to go upscale and get my baby a gorgeous piece of framed art for her room.

Since the color scheme was already decided for me, I simply did a search for art by color at Gallery Direct. After sorting through many different options, I landed on this beautiful piece:

This is Spring Orchard II by Kim Coulter. Doesn’t it look amazing as a framed canvas? I enjoy looking at it while I nurse Layah in the rocking chair. It’s so peaceful and pretty, yet still unexpected in a nursery. I love it.

If you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary for your baby’s room, why not bring in some beautiful art work? Gallery Direct has thousands of striking options, and their prices are really reasonable for the high quality product you receive.

Disclosure: I serve as a blog ambassador for Gallery Direct. Product samples are provided as part of the program. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Yo Gabba Gabba DVD and Book GIVEAWAY!!!

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Let me just say, for the record, that Yo Gabba Gabba confuses me a little bit. I’ve watched a few episodes with Darah, who was completely hooked on the characters from the moment she first saw them on television. I find them to be bright, cheerful, energetic, and, to be perfectly honest, kind of weird.

But here’s the thing when it comes to children’s entertainment: within reason, it doesn’t matter if I think something is sort of strange. If Darah is enjoying it, that’s the main point. Now, of course, I will always monitor what she watches to make sure it isn’t violent, offensive or something that will completely turn her brain into mush. Yo Gabba Gabba passes my tests in all those departments.

In fact, we’ve been reading the book, “It’s Ok Try Again” that features the Yo Gabba Gabba characters, and Darah has been applying the lesson! When she is struggling with something, I have heard her say out loud to herself, “Try again!” And she’s said it to her dad when she saw him having trouble with something. Pretty cool, huh?

She’s also requested the new DVD, “Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There’s a Party in My City!” She is allowed a bit of video time every afternoon when her nap time is over, and this DVD has helped her get moving once again. It’s got a lot of songs that encourage your little one to get on their feet and sing and dance. It’s a full-length concert that was filled live, which I think is pretty fun. It definitely gives me a good idea of what it would be like to take Darah to see the group perform. The DVD runs 110 minutes and is available for just $12.99. You can find it at major retailers such as Walmart, Kmart, Target and Toys R Us. It can also be found online!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of the DVD There’s a Party in my City AND a copy of the book, “It’s Ok Try Again.”
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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 thoughs and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.