Stuff Parents Need

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

Cars 2 Toy: Die-Cast Cars Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that Cars 2 just came out on the big screen. If you didn’t catch it during its first two weeks out, here’s a preview that you can check out to determine if you want to put it on your calendar this week:

In celebration of the new movie and the beloved characters, Disney has released some great new toys and games that you’ll want to check out. We were sent 3 of their die-cast cars, which are my personal favorite in their line of Cars 2 merchandise. They are very high quality, and they each came with an unexpected surprise: they light up and talk!

Each of these cars has several quotes from the movie that can be heard with the push of a button. If you hold their buttons down for 2 seconds, their headlights come on! I wish there was a way to disable the sound but keep the headlight feature working. We couldn’t discover such an option, and so, we simply removed the batteries altogether. We immediately picked up on the fact that Darah played with the cars until she figured out that they talked, and then she just sat and kept pushing their buttons. She’s not old enough to really get the jokes or to incorporate their sayings into her play, so the talking feature was really a minus for us, as it was keeping Darah from using her imagination. This might not be the case for older kids, though.
But now our cars are noise-free and ready to roll. We all play with them in our long hallway. Poor Mater, he never does win a race! Holley Shiftwell is the reigning champ in our home, always beating out Lightning McQueen!
Buy it!: Cars 2 merchandise, including these great die-cast cars, is available at the Mattel Shop online. AND, you can get 20% off any Cars 2 item until August 1st using the code CARS2BL (limit 5 units per order). So exciting!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a set of 3 die-cast cars (sponsor’s choice) from the movie Cars 2! The contest will run until July 15th 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 your favorite die-cast carfrom the series!
Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Cars 2 on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (found on my sidebar)
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of the page.
Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Yo’ Drops: Available at Ecomom ($15 Gift Card GIVEAWAY!!!)

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I love Ecomom as a shopping destination for Darah. Even though she’s not a baby, anymore, Ecomom still has tons (and I do mean TONS) of great things that are perfect for her. I recently did some shopping with them and picked up so many great items for her upcoming birthday (shhh…don’t tell her, but this easel will be all set up for her when she wakes up on August 7th!). I even found some things for me, including this cup that is absolutely perfect for my iced coffee addiction. I highly recommend it!

Ecomom was sweet enough to throw in some Yo’ Drops with my order and asked me to tell you about them. Yo’ Drops are a new snack option and they are perfect for school lunch boxes. Basically, they are yummy like yogurt, but in a freeze-dried and teeny tiny form that you can just pop in your mouth (think a yogurt version of pop rocks, minus the fizz).

Darah, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to care for them. But that doesn’t have anything to do with the taste. The taste is very similar to other yogurt melt products we have tried. For her, the size is just too cumbersome. She’s not old enough to dump the whole package in her mouth. But a school-aged kid would be, and would have a lot of fun doing so. Even though they aren’t the right fit for my kid, I would still recommend them. They retail for $3.99.

Whether you are looking for yummy organic snacks for kids, or something that will evoke imaginative play, or even a little treat for yourself, Ecomom is a place to look! Right now you can score 15% off your order using the code SBBL234.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $15 gift certificate to Ecomom! That will buy a lot of Yo’ Drops! The contest will run until July 13th 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 my Facebook fans. Be sure to “like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook, then come back and tell me you did so here.

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

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

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

Tropical Traditions Raw Honey Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Today I’m bringing you my fifth product review from the truly fantastic company Tropical Traditions (if you need to get caught up on what I’ve tried so far and why they all rock, check out my reviews on organic coconut oil, eco-friendly dishwashing detergent, organic thick rolled oats and organic hair oils).

Today we’re going to talk about raw honey. Now, I’ll be honest with you. I had a vague notion that raw honey was good for you and that I should try it, but that’s about as far as my knowledge spanned. When it arrived, I noticed that Tropical Traditions Raw Honey doesn’t have that clear and shiny look that I’m used to seeing. It’s much lighter in color (really a pale yellow) and looks very creamy. The taste….DELICIOUS! So I knew right away that raw honey looks and tastes different.

But I still wanted to learn about why raw honey was better for me and my family than the stuff I’ve always bought at the grocery store (I usually just get whatever is cheapest). Fortunately, the Tropical Traditions site is always brimming with helpful information. I learned on the site that raw honey has not been subject to high heat and pasteurization, unlike the vast majority of honey products on the market. When you heat the honey up to such high temperatures, you remove many of the natural enzymes and nutrients found in honey. I also learned that truly raw honeys don’t deteriorate with age. This is definitely NOT something you can say about other honeys (we are constantly battling hardening honey. In fact, we previously bought a glass jar for our honey so that we could keep it in there and microwave it before every use because it was always hard). It has been really nice to realize that the Tropical Traditions raw honey isn’t going to have that problem.

tropical traditions raw honey So now we all know why raw honey is a better choice, in general. Now it’s time to learn about what makes Tropical Traditions Raw Honey a most excellent choice. From their site, “Tropical Traditions Organic Raw Honey comes from the frontier areas of Canada, and is only harvested during a 6-week period in the summer. Tropical Traditions is the exclusive source of this premium organic honey in the U.S. Most commercial honeys available on the market today come from bee farms, where the bees are controlled within a certain area and get their pollen from usually only one kind of flower. Many of the plants that produce these flowers (clover, orange blossom, etc.) are grown with pesticides and fertilizers as well.” So this honey is not only raw, but also organic. It is also exclusive, meaning that you can’t find this exact same product anywhere else. The taste of the honey is more complex and satisfying, as well, since the bees are able to gather pollen from a variety of flowers and since the honey is only harvested at a period of time that naturally makes sense for the bees.

Buy it!: Tropical Traditions Honey retails for $19.50 for a 17.6 oz glass jar, but through 07/03 it is on sale for $9.99! If your pantry needs some more honey, you will most definitely not be disappointed with this purchase!

Win it!: Hooray! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a 17.6 oz jar of Tropical Traditions Raw Honey! The contest will run until 07/12/2011 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: Poke around the Tropical Traditions website and tell me another product that you’d like to try (good luck choosing just one!).

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Tropical Traditions on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (found on my sidebar)

Rare bonus entry: Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions newsletter (and hear about their sales!).

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.

Peaceable Kingdom Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Sometimes a company will just nail my hopes and dreams for the kind of play environment I want to create for Darah. Check out this introduction to Peaceable Kingdom: “Welcome to the kingdom—Peaceable Kingdom! Where dinosaurs roam and a mermaid princess swims, where a child can host a fairy tea party or sail the open seas on a pirate ship. A place of imagination and exploration and fun! Since 1983, Peaceable Kingdom has created fresh, fun products for kids that educate, inspire and tickle funny bones. Connect with the kids in your life with Peaceable Kingdom.

YES! When I’m looking for products for Darah, I’m looking for opportunities to create those worlds of pure imagination. I want the mermaids and the pirates to be welcomed guests at Darah’s tea parties. I hope to create a space for her in our home where she can dream up anything she wants!

Peaceable Kingdom totally gets that desire, and they have created toys and games that help a child create delightful worlds in which to play. Today I’m highlighting a game that they have, and that is absolutely perfect for Darah to get started with right away. It’s the Animal Alphabet Match Up Game, and it is adorable! The cards are all a very sturdy cardboard, which makes it ideal for little ones who tend to bend cards easily. Right now we are playing by turning all the cards face-up and then going on a hunt to find pairs of animals. We can do the same thing with letters. When Darah gets a bit older, we can play the more traditional “memory” game by turning them face-down and then hunting for pairs. I LOVE that version of the game, so I’m really looking forward to teaching it to her! Currently, this game will hold D’s attention for about 10 minutes, which is a long time! She gets SO excited when she finds a match!

Peaceable Kingdom offers an excellent assortment of match-up games, card games for children, board games and even cooperative games. Poke around their shop, and I think you’ll be really impressed with the quality products that are offered for reasonable prices. The game we reviewed retails for $9.99, which I think is more than fair, especially for the quality.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Animal Alphabet Match Up Game! The contest will run until July 11th 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. No P.O. boxes, please. Limit one entrant per household.

Mandatory entry: Tell me one other product offered by Peaceable Kingdom that your kid(s) would love!

My answer: I would love to get Go Fish for Darah, although I think she’s still a little bit too young to play.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Peaceable Kingdom on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need via Google Friend Connect (found on my sidebar).

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.

King Arthur Flour Products Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Today I have the pleasure of highlighting a company that we have been loyal customers of for several years now: King Arthur Flour. When we started making the switch over to unbleached and whole wheat flours, King Arthur is the brand we started to buy. We have been very pleased with the freshness of their products and now it is the brand I always grab (and there are VERY few food companies that I have such brand loyalty for, so this is kind of a big deal!). They are clearly doing something right, because they have been in business since 1790. Nope, not a typo. Crazy, right???

What I didn’t realize until recently, though, is that King Arthur Flour has SO MUCH MORE than just flour! They have a catalog of products for the discriminating baker that will absolutely blow you away. Once I started poking around their website, I saw at least 20 things that I needed. That was my cue to step away from the computer and gather my composure before overspending!

I have the opportunity today to highlight a few products that are just the right fit for my family, balancing convenience in the kitchen, which we need, with maximum value, which we are always trying to find.

First, I want to highlight their fabulous pizza products. As you know, we make our own pizza at home (I seriously can’t tell you the last time we ordered delivery). Did you know that King Arthur offers a Perfect Pizza Blend? They do! This is a very convenient way to get everything you need for making a good pizza (except the water) all in one place. So easy!

Now, if you want to make an AWESOME pizza crust, then there’s one more thing you might want, which is the Pizza Dough Flavor. This adds a little something extra that makes your crust taste like something from a local pizza parlor (the ones with the REALLY good pizzas).

Why stop with the crust, though? King Arthur Flour also offers a Pizza Seasoning packet, and this is like the best version of Italian Seasoning ever! When you combine all three elements into one pizza, you’ve got something worth bragging about, for sure.

The other item I want to highlight is one of the very top sellers at King Arthur Flour. It’s an item I would have completely overlooked and considered to be frivolous had I not been encouraged to try it. It’s called a dough whisk, and if you make breads of any type at home, you are going to want one of these. Promise. Watch this video to see how it works!

The dough whisk is $14.99 and is SOOO worth it!

If you have never tried King Arthur Flour, you should definitely check out their resources that share with you their commitment to quality and why you get so much more when you choose King Arthur Flour.

Additionally, there’s an AWESOME resource of 2,000 free recipes that King Arthur flour has available. That’s a must-see!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win all the items I reviewed! That’s a $36 value! The contest will run until July 10th 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 and Canada. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry:
King Arthur Flour wants to connect with you, so you have a choice of signing up for their newsletter (bottom right of linked page) or liking them on Facebook. Choose one and then come back here to tell me you did so.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow King Arthur Flour on Twitter
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 homepage.

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

 

Fabulous Casual Fashion: Stellarocco (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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When I go shopping for clothes, I’m usually at my favorite thrift store. But whether I’m shopping second hand or shopping online, I’m very consistent about one thing: I always shop for Darah first.

Do you do this, too?! I think there are a few reasons.
1. The odds are better that whatever I pick out will fit Darah, and with me, you just never know!
2. Little girl’s clothes are CUTE!
3. I seem to get more joy out of spending on her than myself. I’m not really sure what that’s about, but it is true.

As a result, I often find myself with a closet stuffed with NOTHINGTOWEAR. I seriously wear the same 5 shirts over and over and over again. I keep going back to the tops that are as cute as possible while also being as comfortable as possible. Now you see why most of my wardrobe goes untouched.

I just added a 6th shirt to the constant rotation (I’m sure Tim and Darah are grateful for the change of scenery!). It’s from a very cute online retailer called Stellarocco. It’s the Palm Berries Cap Sleeve Top. Let me tell you why I love it so much.
1. It is really cute and on-trend! I can’t say that for too many things in my wardrobe, so it is really refreshing to have something updated like this.

2. The color is very pretty! Greens and purples are some of my favorite colors to wear, so this top just feels like me.

3. The cap sleeves are a little bit unique, and I love that. It gives a very flattering neckline.

4. The material is SO SOFT. Like, you’ll want to wear it to sleep after wearing it all day because it is so comfy. I may or may not have actually done this once or twice…

5. The price is fair. This runs for $26, and do keep in mind that the designs are unique to this company and rendered by an artist. Each shirt also gets silk-screened by hand. I’d say it is a tremendous value!

Buy it!: Stellarocco has a fantastic line of tees and tops featuring modern, botanical prints. There are looks to suit everyone there!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the short-sleeve shirt of your choice from Stellarocco! Woo hoow! The contest will run until July 9th 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: Pick out your shirt at Stellarocco and then come back here and tell me the style name, color and size (choose wisely, as the winner will get what they choose for this entry).

My answer: If I could pick out another shirt, I would get the songbirds shirt in creme, size large!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Stellarocco on Facebook
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. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

ErgoSleek Pen from Baumgartens (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Do you ever struggle with gifts for men? You are not alone! They are notoriously difficult to shop for. I don’t think it is because they are inherently “anti-stuff,” but rather, that the entire consumer market is geared toward women…even when the person being shopped for is a man! It’s a frustrating situation, and the result is a vicious cycle where women are labeled as hardcore shoppers and men tend to get a free pass from running errands. It’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophesy that if you tell a group of people that shopping isn’t of interest to them, they will start to believe it and accept it as fact. And the reverse is true for a group that is told they were born to shop.

I’ll stop with my rant about consumer behavior, and get back to the topic at hand, which is a really neat gift idea I have for any man in your life. While I think it would be great for a woman, too, I think many men would be excited about it because it is very functional (something men tend to appreciate in a gift) but not at all boring. It’s a very clever writing instrument called the PenAgain ErgoSleek. It serves a very clear purpose (it’s a pen, after all), but it is also very interesting because of its unique design.

From their website, “Until now, pens have typically been designed with only two things in mind: money and manufacturability. But the PenAgain’s primary focus is comfort.

The human hand dictates the design. Even though it may feel strange, try to resist the urge to grip the pen with your fingers. Just let your hand relax, and let the weight of your hand hold the pen in place. You’ll feel tension of writing melt away.”

We received the pen in black to try, and I immediately handed it over to Tim. He’s the type of person who would be really drawn to something created for optimal comfort and performance. It is, indeed, a VERY cool pen. Once you get used to how it feels, getting hand cramps while writing will be a thing of the past! If you know someone who appreciates having the best of something or who does a lot of writing, then this is a terrific gift option. It is also reasonably priced at $17.99!

The ErgoSleek pen is available from Baumgartens, which is a company that has been around for over 60 years and that focuses on products for the home and office that are eco-friendly. It is a terrific place to shop around and find a great selection of gift ideas where function beautifully merges with unique design. Definitely pop over and take a look.

Win it!: TWO lucky Stuff Parents Need winners will each win an ErgoSleek! The contest will run until July 8th 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: Like Baumgartens on Facebook. Then, return to this post and leave a comment that you did so!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow PenAgainUSA on Twitter
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

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.

Buy Vitamins for Your Family: Give Vitamins to Others (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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I’m SO excited about the company I am featuring today. It is going to blow you away!

It’s called Vitamma, and it is an online shop that offers affordable multi-vitamins for men, women and children. Vitamma also offers prenatal vitamins. A 90-day supply of vitamins runs a very affordable $14.99.

“Very nice, Tiffany…but I can’t say that blows me away.”

Fair enough. But I’m not finished yet!

For every bottle that is purchased, Vitamma will provide 3 children with 2 years of vitamin A in countries where deficiencies run high.

Did you read that? Three children each get a 2 year supply of Vitamin A when you buy just one bottle of vitamins.

That is soooooooo awesome!

Vitamma is working very hard to help children around the world while also helping you look after your own family’s health. I’m truly blown away that they are able to offer so much for such an affordable price. These vitamins are excellent to buy for your own family, and they also make wonderful gifts since each purchase has such a profound impact on 3 children.

Buy it!: Vitamma vitamins can be purchased for $14.99. If your personal vitamin supply is running low, or if you are in need of a very cool gift, please consider making a purchase. Think of the difference you will be making!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a bottle of vitamins from Vitamma! The contest will run until July 7th 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 Vitamma’s “Our Cause” page and tell me something you learned there.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Vitamma on Facebook
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 bottle of vitamins for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.