Stuff Parents Need

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

Zac Omega Bars Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 190 Comments

I never skip breakfast.

NEVER.

In fact, when I was younger, if I didn’t eat breakfast in the first 15 minutes after waking up, I would actually be physically sick. Thankfully I outgrew that quirk, but I can’t really go more than an hour without needing to fuel up.

And I’m a busy lady in the morning. It’s when I get the majority of my blog post writing done, and it’s also when I grade papers for the college class I teach. There’s not much time for putting together anything fancy (and by fancy, all I really mean is hot, or not from a box).

Isn’t in unfortunate, therefore, that I don’t like breakfast bars? You guys, I have tried them so many times. If it is on the shelf at the supermarket, the odds are good that I have purchased it at least once in the hopes that I might like that particular brand or flavor.

I never have. Mostly because I find them to be much too dry.

But today I’m featuring Zac Omega bars. I’m not going to tell you that they are the best food on earth and that I’m trading in my beloved cereal for them. But I am here to tell you that of all the breakfast bars I’ve ever tried, they are my favorites. That’s the truth!

Zac Omega bars have all natural ingredients, and cut out the high-fructose corn syrup and preservatives (but that means you should refrigerate them and not hold on to them forever!). What you’ll find in their ingredient lists are things you recognize…you might even have them in your own kitchen!

These bars make the very top of the list for me because they taste fresh and moist. I’d still prefer something even more moist, but I’m starting to realize that if it is much more moist than these, then it should probably be called cake, and that’s not exactly breakfast.

Zac Omega bars also have something unique that makes them ideal for children who are exercising their minds at school: each bar has 1400 mg of ALA Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which are essential for brain development!

Zac Omega bars come in a great variety of flavors (Marionberry Cobbler being my personal favorite). Each bar is 2.5 oz. They also carry Zac Attack bars, which are 1.5 oz, making them a perfect snack for kids! They can be purchased online in various quantities for right around $1.75 each.  Larger boxes do offer significant price breaks, so consider going in with a friend and getting excellent breakfast or school lunch snacks for a great price!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a case of 30 Zac Omega bars. Yum! The contest will run until August 12th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry:

Tell me which flavorZac Omega bar would be eaten first in your house!

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like Zac Bars on Facebook

2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

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

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

Back to School: Back to Germs! Let Zarbee’s Help Naturally (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 68 Comments

If you’ve left the house at all in the last few weeks, then you’ve seen the signs everywhere: it’s “Back to School” time. Depending on where you live in the country, school might be starting as early as next week, or you might still have a month to go before it’s time to head back.

For Darah, “school” is her part-time day care program, and it doesn’t start back until mid-September. That feels like a million years from now, but I know it will be here before I know it!

I’m going to be shopping at some consignment sales in the next few weeks to get her some “new” clothes, and her Grammie-O is also coming in September with tons of those awesome hand-me-downs that my sister-in-law so generously shares with us. So we’ll be all set with clothes. I’m also taking advantage of the various school supply sales happening in the drug stores every week so that I can help stock the room with crayons and such.

But there’s another thing that I’ve stocked up on, as well, and it may be something that you aren’t thinking of: remedies for when the wave of germs hit. That’s right, back-t0-school means back-to-germs! If your child has ever been in a classroom full of other kids, toddlers or babies before, then you know that getting a cold (or worse) in August or September has just as much of a chance of happening as getting one in November.

You need to do an inventory of the medicine that you have on hand that is safe for children, and then add what you need to your list.

I happen to have a recommendation for you: Zarbee’s. This is a brand of cough syrups that are designed for children. They have a really cute bee on the packaging, but that’s not why I’m suggesting that you get them. From their site: “Zarbee’s Cough Syrup contains a blend of special dark honeys, vitamins and immune-boosting ingredients. The ingredients in Zarbee’s are all-natural, side-effect-free and proven in clinical trials to be effective at calming coughs and sore throats in children and young adults.”

You see, most cough syrups on the market have not been proven to be effective at all (a nurse taught me this last year and I will never forget it). In fact, in studies, honey has been shown to have more of an impact than the majority of cough medicines available over the counter. That’s why I love that Zarbee’s makes use of the ingredient that actually works, and adds to it immunity boosters.

And you can imagine that if the key ingredient is honey, that this is actually something your kids will be willing to take without a fight! Hooray!

Buy it!: Zarbee’s is available at retailers nationwide, including Walgreens. For a complete list, click here.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a variety of Zarbee’s products to get you ready for all those germs headed your way once school is back in session (ARV $24). The contest will run until August 12th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Check out the resource page at Zarbee’s and tell me something you learned!

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like Zarbee’s on Facebook

2. Blogger love:  Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter 

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

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

 

Welcome To Stuffparentsneed.com! Let’s Give Away $1,000! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 24 Comments

If you are reading this in your email or your RSS feed, do me a quick favor and click on over to check out my new digs.

Welcome to http://stuffparentsneed.com! We aren’t through unpacking all the boxes, so it is still messy around here. But we are officially moved in! And I have a very exciting way for us all to celebrate together!

I’m a part of the Boost Your Buzz $1,000 Giveaway! One lucky person is going to $1000 USD paid via Paypal.

You can gain entries in this giveaway by following Stuff Parents Need any of the following ways:

The giveaway starts August 1st 12 am EST  and will run until August 15th 11:59 pm EST and is open worldwide. 

$1,000 CASH prize will be delivered via Paypal after the winner has confirmed. The winner has 48 hours to confirm their winning notification.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours of receipt of the winning email a new winner will them be drawn and so on and so forth.

Boost Your Buzz $1,000 Summer Giveaway can be entered on Survey Junkie,  Simply Stacie or Little Yaya’s (you only have to enter on one of the sites as the forms will be the same on each). Be sure to fill out the form over there! It’s the only way to have your entries counted! 

 

Good luck! 🙂


 

Extend the Shade from Your Umbrella or Canopy: ezShade

· by · 76 Comments

I have a story for you today. It’s about the almost best vacation I ever had. I’ve traveled to many different places in the world and had many unbelievably awesome experience, so it may surprise you to hear that my (almost) best vacation ever happened in my old stomping grounds of Destin, FL (the beach I grew up going to as a child and teenager).

It was the summer of 2008. Tim and I were in DESPERATE need of some R&R, so we planned 5 full days at the beach. We had a stack of books, plenty of sunscreen and a brand new beach umbrella and chair set. We were good to go.

That first day on the beach was unforgettable. The water was crystal clear and the most beautiful shade of aqua. There were even a few fish swimming around. The waves were completely docile. There was a slight breeze in the air. We read books, ate yummy snacks and even did a bit of dozing on the beach. We stayed under our umbrella, and had to move it around a few times (and move our chairs) so that we could stay under the umbrella’s shade. There were even times when we weren’t even under the umbrella because the shadow was so far to the side of it. But we stayed in that shadow for sure!

It was only when we left and got into the car to get a good look at ourselves did we realize that we were TOTALLY BURNED. The type of burned that nobody wants to get. It was BAD. So bad. It honestly physically hurts just to remember it. That bad. That’s what made this ALMOST the best vacation we ever had. I am fully confident that it would have been had we not ruined it on the very first day.

This memory of how we were completely not protected from the sun even though we thought we were is a major reason why I am so excited to introduce you to an excellent new product on the market. It’s called the ezShade, and it can help make sure that your umbrella or tent really and truly protects you from harmful UV rays. It also keeps you from constantly scooting around to try to find the shade.

There are two different ezShade products available; one for umbrellas and one for tents. We tried out the one for umbrellas. We spent the morning at our local park pretending to be at the beach by setting up our umbrella on the volleyball court (if your little one loves sand, this is a great place to take him/her, by the way!). The ezShade comes with a set of stick-on attachments so that you can easily attach the ezShade to your umbrella (it comes with 2 sets so that you can have 2 different umbrellas prepped for use, or just have an extra set in case you need them.

Installation was very easy, and just took a few minutes. The ezShade, once added to your umbrella, can be secured by putting anything with some weight on the bottom of it. We just added sand and that worked perfectly. It also has two open flaps in it so that when the wind blows, your ezShade won’t try to blow away.

I was very impressed with how much additional shade was provided once we got it installed. We, admittedly, have a rather wimpy umbrella that usually provides shade for one person, at best. We can all be protected from the sun now with the help of ezShade.

Speaking of protection, here’s something else that is totally awesome about this product. It provides a UPF of 50 and blocks over 99% of UVA and UVB rays. This product is so fantastic in its ability to protect you from exposure that it is approved by the Melanoma International Foundation. Take that, sunburn! As Darah gets older and becomes involved in other outdoor activities, this will be an excellent thing to take with us to the ball fields or the track meets or whatever the heck she ends us doing. And toting it around is no problem, whatsoever, because it weighs just 9 ounces!

Buy it!: The ezShade is an outstanding product for families who want to enjoy time together outside, but not have their skin pay the price for it. It is available in blue, red, yellow and green and costs $24.95. You can find it many places online (including Amazon!). You can get 20% off your Amazon order, also, by using the coupon 1ezstuff at checkout! Woo hoo!

 

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

Rescue Irritated Skin with Pure Fiji: Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 2 Comments

There are certain people in this world that mosquitoes absolutely love and adore. I am one of those very lucky people. Evidently, I am the tastiest of all treats to any and all mosquitoes in the area, and every time I step outside, it’s like putting blood in a shark tank. They come from miles around, I swear, just to make a little snack out of me.

All this is to say that I’m covered in mosquito bites for several months out of the year. Fun times.

I have some anti-itch cream in my medicine cabinet, and I am not afraid to use it. But it smells so….medicinal. I was really excited to hear about a natural alternative from the company Pure Fiji. They have a Dilo Rescue Body Spray and it is pure indulgence! From the website: “Refresh, Revive and Replenish skin instantly with this soothing natural spray. Made with dilo, aloe and ngi grass extracts to soothe and hydrate skin for 24 hours, discover a gentle yet highly effective way to soothe, moisturize and nourish irritated skin affected by sunburn, dehydration, insect bites, rashes or shaving.”

I really love just how useful this product is. I have used it on razor burns and insect bites so far, and have been really pleased with the results. I am also glad to have it on hand should we experience any sunburns this season (hopefully not!). I love having something that is based on ingredients found in nature. After reviewing the Pure Fiji website, I also have to say that I’m excited to have a product from a company like this. They are doing great things in Fiji and have an excellent commitment to treading lightly on Mother Earth. Their packaging is eco-friendly and they use sustainable raw materials in their production. Good stuff!

Pure Fiji has a drool-worthy line of products for face, skin and hair that will leave you rejuvenated and hydrated, almost as if you are just returning from a fantastic vacation in Fiji! Many of their products make use of coconut oil, which I have learned is one of the very best ingredients for hydrating your skin and your hair. And the smell of their products is unbeatable. It takes me back to the few times when I have had the luxury of going to a spa for massages. I feel instantly relaxed when I smell my Pure Fiji product. That in and of itself is worth a lot to me!

Buy it!: Pure Fiji products are available online and free shipping is offered to orders over $79. The Dilo Rescue Body Spray I reviewed retails for $39.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Dilo Rescue Body Spray! The contest will run until August 4th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me one other product that Pure Fiji makes that you’d love to have!

My answer: Would love to get the men’s travel kit for my husband!

Additional entries
1. Sponsor love: Like Pure Fiji on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by email or RSS

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

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

Scholastic’s Goodnight Gorilla and I Stink Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 12 Comments

Scholastic Storybook Treasures has put out two new DVDs in the last month, and we are loving them!!!!

First up, Goodnight Gorilla. This book is so loved by so many children, including my own. In fact, the more I read it, the more I love it, too! It’s not very big on words, but the pictures tell such a vivid and delightful story. Scholastic NAILED THIS BOOK by bringing it to life. Most all of the little fun tidbits you pick up in the story are also found in the video. It even drew my attention to a few details I had not previously noticed!

And let me just tell you about Darah’s reaction. The first time we played Goodnight Gorilla for her on the TV, she talked and squealed the ENTIRE TIME. She alsready knew the story and it tickled her to see that mischievous gorilla moving about. To say this DVD is a hit would be a massive understatement.

Goodnight Gorilla could stand on its own and be completely worthy of purchase, but Scholastic has bundled it with 15 other delightful stories about animals, all in a 3 disc set that retails for $24.95.

The second DVD set is I’m Dirty and I Stink. This is a set of two DVDs, and the title videos are based on books I wasn’t familiar with until getting this set. They are about garbage trucks and are a lot of fun! Darah now runs around the house saying, “I stink!” which totally makes me laugh. The whole set has a lot of transportation-related stories. It’s just perfect for any child with a fascination for things with wheels. This set retails for $19.95. Also, get 20% off your purchase from now until August 31st by entering code NKFB20 at checkout (this is celebrating the launch of the Facebook page!).
Link
Win it!: Two lucky Stuff Parents Need readers will each get one of these DVD sets. The contest will run until August 2nd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected by Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me which of the reviewed titles needs to come to your house and why!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like New Kideo on Facebook! They are brand new and need some FB love!!!
2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

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.

HALO SleepSack Swaddle Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 3 Comments

Do you think that Snuggies are the original wearable blanket?

Nope! That honor goes to the HALO SleepSack Wearable Blanket! 🙂 SleepSacks are these really awesome wearable blankets for babies. One of my nieces wore SleepSacks religiously as a baby, as they kept her nice and warm. And most importantly, they kept her very safe as they eliminate loose blankets in the crib to help prevent SIDS!

We had some SleepSacks for Darah, but they were honestly never a hit. She was such a fan of the swaddle that the SleepSack was just too loose around her legs for her comfort. She was very used to be snug as a bug in a rug!

So I was intrigued when I learned that HALO had created the SleepSack Swaddle. I had the opportunity to check it out, and while I don’t have a baby to put in it, I still had a few initial observations.

1. It looks very easy to use. Swaddling does have a bit of a learning curve when you do it the old fashioned way, but this swaddler looks extremely intuitive. That’s a great thing for a nervous new parent!

2. I’m not convinced that a newborn would love it, as it leaves the legs covered but not cocooned, which is what I found to be the real reason that babies love to be swaddled. In some ways it mimics being inside the womb – all warm and cozy! But the HALO SleepSack Swaddle does keep the arms close to the baby’s body which is very comforting.

I did spend some time on the HALO website learning about why they designed their swaddler this way, and I came away with some surprising information that really has me thinking. They state that many parents wrap their babies too tightly and this can actually cause hip dysplasia after birth. Their hips need to have freedom of movement and their knees need to be able to extend. There’s no doubt in my mind that we wrapped Darah up very tightly, and for many, MANY months. This gives me pause to wonder if there really is such a thing as swaddling too tight!

How we swaddled Darah is water under the bridge, and I’m not going to waste time worrying about what I cannot change. With that said, when we are ready to have another baby, I’ll be doing more research on this issue and also looking to the HALO SleepSack Swaddle blanket as a viable swaddling option.

Buy it!: The HALO SleepSack Swaddle is available at many fine retailers, including Target, Amazon and Babies R Us. The SleepSack Swaddle retails for $26.95.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a HALO SleepSack Swaddle in your choice of size! The contest will run until July 31st at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: This contest is open to all the Facebook fans! Like Stuff Parents Need AND HALO SleepSack on Facebook and come back here to tell me you did for your mandatory entry.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow HALO SleepSack on Twitter
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (found on the sidebar)

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

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

Team Umizoomi Teaches Basic Math Concepts (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 147 Comments

Isn’t teaching a toddler so much fun? I think so! Just the other day, I taught Darah about her pinky (pinkie?) finger. She thought the name was hilarious, and brought it up at least a dozen times throughout the day.

I find these teachable moments are everywhere, and I am having a great time helping little D understand concepts that are more and more complex. But one area where I fear I am not doing the best job of teaching is with math. I’m not as quick to pick up on those moments to teach basic math concepts (and those moments really are plentiful once you stop to think about it). So I’ve been on the lookout for some material that can help me out.

Nickelodeon, believe it or not, has actually just launched a preschool math kit. It’s based on their very popular series, Team Umizoomi. Since we don’t have cable, I’d never heard of this show prior to doing this review. Evidently the series shows small children how to solve real-life problems using math skills (perhaps helping to address the question, “When will I ever use this?” at an early age!).

The Team Umizoomi Math Kit includes all of the following:

  • 48-page workbook that amplifies the curriculum covered in each episode, setting up problems and providing opportunities for practice and repetition
  • 24-page storybook that invites kids to join Team Umizoomi on a math adventure
  • 24 Mighty Math Mission Cards – portable cards that provide math-based challenges for kids
  • 48-page activity book that reinforces math skills through simple games and activities
  • Team Umizoomi episode on DVD

We have not watched the DVD yet, as I get the sense that it is a bit more fast-paced than what I allow Darah to watch. As she pushes past the 2 year mark, I’ll test the waters with it a bit to see if it holds her interest. I have found the workbooks to be really cool. Some of the concepts are beyond Darah’s level at this point, but some of the activities we are able to do right now! And they are giving me great ideas about things I can point out to Darah in our day-to-day life, as well.

If you have a little one who is gearing up for pre-school, I think this is a good enrichment option. They are available exclusively at Toys “R” Us (or can be purchased online) and retail for $19.99 each (there are 3 different kits).

By the way, can you believe that Nickelodeon is 32 years old? That is nuts!

Win it!: One Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Team Umizoomi Preschool Math Kit! The contest will run until July 30th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Share a tip for helping a toddler learn about math!

My answer: Don’t forget to count backwards as well as forwards! Darah isn’t yet able to count backwards, but she pays very close attention whenever I do it!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Nick Jr. on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

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

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

Happy Feet Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 165 Comments

Lately my feet have been oh so happy with me. I’ve been treating them right! No, I haven’t been staying off of them or getting weekly pedicures. In fact, I’ve been doing just exactly what I’ve always done: making my feet work really hard for me!
But I’ve been using Happy Feet Therapeutic Massaging Insoles in my shoes, and that is making all the difference in the world. I don’t have any specific foot problems like heel spurs, corns or plantar fasciitis, although if I did, these insoles are meant to help with those conditions. Nope, I just have plain old sore feet, and I have noticed that the soreness has increased with age.
But it turns out that your feet don’t have to hurt! I honestly never considered getting insoles for my shoes until I heard other bloggers talking about what a difference it was making for them. I thought that I should give it a try, but I wasn’t expecting to notice any difference.
I’d say that I started noticing a difference in about 3 days. My feet weren’t nearly as achy as they normally were at the end of the day. After about 5 days, I started noticing something else: my back wasn’t as sore, either! There’s a connection between sore feet and a sore back, folks! I didn’t realize that!

Unless you are already battling major problems related to your feet, insoles are probably not on your radar as something that can help you feel a lot better every day. But I’m here to tell you that these are really nice, and now that I have a pair, I don’t think I’ll look back and will be getting some for myself every year or so. I love them so much that when I change shoes, the insoles come along with me. They even make versions designed to work with thong sandals! Pretty cool, huh?

Happy Feet Insolescost $44.90 (that includes shipping). That’s about what you would pay for a pair of shoes, right? What you are actually buying, however, is the ticket to turning every pair of shoes you own into shoes that are comfortable and help you thrive, instead of the shoes they likely are, which is uncomfortable at worst, and at best, comfy but unsupportive. Also, they can be put in the washing machine should they ever get a little stinky (but only air dry, please!). LOVE that!

Happy Feet are proudly manufactured in the USA and each pair comes with a one year warranty!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your own pair of Happy Feet Therapeutic Massaging Insoles! The contest will run until July 29th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Your choice: either follow Happy Feet on Facebook or Twitter!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Whatever you chose for the mandatory entry, choose the other and you will earn an additional entry (be sure to leave an extra comment that you did so!)
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS or email.

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

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