Stuff Parents Need

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

Explore Asian Heritage Through Classic Stories with Scholastic (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Do you remember the hilarious story Tikki Tikki Tembo? I read it over and over again as a child. It is a classic Chinese tale that shows why giving really long names to children is no longer the standard practice.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, it basically involves two brothers, one named Chang and the other named Tikki Tikki Tembo (that’s actually only about 1/4 of his name). When Chang falls into a well, Tikki Tikki Tembo is able to get him help very quickly. But when he falls into the well and Chang needs to get help, it takes a really long time because of how much time he has to spend telling people the name of his brother who is stuck! I remember how much fun it was to chant his name over and over again throughout the story; it really does take forever to say!

This latest dvd out from Scholastic brings this great tale to life. I don’t have a copy of the book, so I’m happy to have this dvd so that I can now share one of my favorite stories with Darah. It also contains 5 other stories that all celebrate Asian heritage and illustrate problem solving and friendship. They are also terrific for early readers, as there is an option to view the stories with highlighted captions as the words are read.

Buy it!: Tikki Tikki Tembo is available for just $13.49 on Amazon!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your own copy of Tikki Tikki Tembo! The contest will run until May 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. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me the name of a book you’d like to see brought to dvd!

My answer: I’d love to see Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins on dvd!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like New Video Digital 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 homepage.

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

Do You Know What Is in Your Lip Gloss??? (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Have you ever given thought to how lipstick and lip gloss is made? I know I haven’t. Did you know that the vast majority of these products contain beeswax and carmine? And do you know how these products are collected? Beeswax, obviously, is harvested from bees. And anytime you are using an animal by-product in large quantities, the likelihood that the creatures who are providing these products are being treated kindly lessens.

And as for carmine…do you know what it is? It’s crushed beetle scales. Totally serious. And it is in LOTS of makeup. Woah.

Today I’m highlighting a company called Monave. their products are micro-formulated in Baltimore, and the company is woman-owned and operated. You won’t find any carmine in these products, but you will find a large selection of vegan makeup as well as gluten-free makeup (you’d be surprised by all the places you’ll find wheat products when you start looking!).

I had the opportunity to try out the Lip Glaze and found it to be quite beautiful. It was smooth, and not sticky. While it didn’t last very long, I’ve never encountered a lip glaze that does, and it certainly didn’t wear off any faster than other products I have used in the past. The color was sheer, but still noticeable. I quite liked it!

If you are becoming more and more concerned about the chemicals that you are putting on your face or the welfare of the creatures whose by-products might be used for your makeup, then Monave is a company worth checking out. Most of their products are vegan, most of them can be gluten-free upon request, and all of their products are free of irritants, dyes and preservatives.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win 2 lip glazes from Monave! Woo hoo! The contest will run until May 9th 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: Tell me your two favorite lip glaze colors, and choose wisely, as the winner will get what she puts down for this entry!

My answer: Divine and Ruby Slippers!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Monave Minerals 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 homepage. Link

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Good Enough is the New Perfect (GIVEAWAY!!)

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Once in a blue moon, a book comes out that grabs me and pulls me in completely. I am totally immersed in the material, page after page. That’s because it feels as though the book was written just for me. Like the authors tapped into my deepest joys and fears and put them in a book, in a more cohesive manner than I am able to express. Good Enough is the New Perfect, by Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple, is one of those books for me.

And here’s what makes the book even more amazing…one of its foundational messages to me, the reader, is that the book WASN’T written just for me. There are thousands upon thousands of women out there who are grappling with these same issues. The issues I’m talking about and that are addressed in this book are ones that became new to me once I had Darah. They are as follows:

  • whether quitting your job is the right choice for you
  • changing your approach and attitude abut what success means
  • navigating the demands of work and home with realistic expectations
  • whether working at home or becoming an entrepreneur is right for you
  • accepting that motherhood is rarely a perfect science
  • being a good (enough) wife
  • riding out the storm when the best-laid plans go awry

You see, my old life just didn’t fit anymore once a child hit the scene. I’ve written about that topic before, here. And I think about it all the time. How do I retain a professional identity while I’ve hit the pause button on my career? Am I starting a new career by blogging? What really makes me happiest? Why can’t I have it all, just like I was promised? And why can’t I do it all brilliantly? Becky and Hollee actually tackle that very issue. Here’s what they have to say about it:

We grew up being told, “You can do anything.” And many of us took that to mean, “You must do everything.” Many of the entry barriers faced by previous generations of women were gone when we entered the workforce, and we felt obligated to make the most of that. But even as we excelled in our careers, the barrage of messages about what was expected of us at home continued. The standards for maternal excellence were rising, and to lofty heights.

Our generation of moms was the first to professionalize motherhood. There would be no mistaking the contributions of at-home moms who approached their leadership in the home the same way they have handled their Ivy League educations and Wall Street power jobs. Moms who returned to work saw the standards set by their at-home peers, and a new power struggle emerged as we tried to make the “perfect” choices. It wasn’t the Mommy War we’d expected.

In Good Enough is the New Perfect, you’ll meet several different women who re-defined what “having it all” looked like for them, and who worked to leave behind the old definitions that seem to plague us. I can’t emphasize enough how inspired I was by this book, and how much more confident I feel about the fact that I’m not currently drawing a salary, but also continuing to pursue unique opportunities that challenge me and keep my mind sharp in different ways through blogging, learning more about marketing, and of course, teaching that course on world religions online!

The point of the book is not to tell you which path you should take, as what I am choosing to do wouldn’t necessarily be best for someone else. Instead, it pushes you to think really critically about what matters to you, and then to embrace putting your time, effort and energy into those things, and leaving behind all that stuff that wears you out but gives you no satisfaction (I’m talking to you, unnecessary housework).

This book is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it for anyone, whether you work full-time, part-time, seasonally, or just work your tail off keeping your kids healthy and happy (because that’s the toughest job there is, so I have learned!). There are great ideas and things to contemplate for each and every one of us. You can purchase Good Enough is the New Perfect on Amazon for $9.41…an awesome price!

 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. 

A Little Bit About My Faith: Ask, Seek, Knock (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Here’s a little-known fact about me (at least on the internet): I have a master’s degree in theological studies.

Why?

Well, that’s a good question. The uncomplicated answer is that I used to want to be a lobbyist for faith-based social justice groups (Bread for the World is a good example of one). After trying my hand at the endeavor during graduate school, I learned that lobbying would suck the joy right out of my soul, and leave me a bitter shell of a person. Sounds harsh, but it was true.

But there was another reason I wanted to go to graduate school: I wanted to do a bit of wrestling.

With God.

Huh?!?!

Let me explain. Actually, I think I’m going to let the Tiffany from November 2002 explain (courtesy of an old Livejournal post!)

“This is my time to wrestle with God. And yes, this is a good thing! Did you know that Israel means “to wrestle with God”? I’m so digging on Judaism! Even though it is a fair criticism that I have placed myself in a super-liberal environment, and am therefore risking the level of challenge my beliefs may face, I have found that God, my colleagues, and my professors have been able to take some pretty good swings at my theological presumptions. Just when I think I’ve got it all figured out, someone knocks me over and I discover, once again, that the “sound foundation” I created was only straw.

Furthermore, I wanted to come here so that I would be around people of faith traditions other than Christianity. And man oh man, have my true colors been shown to me. I always liked to consider myself a pluralist, one who had an equal respect for all faith traditions. But seriously, people, who was I kidding? I am so not a pluralist. I am an inclusivist. I like to believe that deep down everyone is a Christian. And I am so wrong. But I love that I know that now. I acknowledge where I am right now, and am really focused on having some dialogue with people who meet God in fundamentally different ways. It’s so amazing!”

8 1/2 years after writing that, I still am striving to be a radical Christian, full of agape love for others. And I fail every. single. day. To be Christ-like is no walk in the park, and the way I approach my faith is even contrary to how many Christians approach it. But I have to go with the glimpses I have seen of the Divine and know them as my truth. I do firmly believe that God speaks to us in more ways than we might ever even realize. And we must take great care and show some humility should we ever find ourselves thinking we have it all figured out…

There are so many different doors that lead to one, but in the end, I think we each have to pick one to go through. For me, that doorway is Christianity. There are two key things I’d love to share with you about what I believe God’s relationship with people is like, based on my own understanding of the Divine. First, I believe that God is intimately connected with humans, and plays an active role in our lives. God wants us to reach out, to ask questions and yes, even to wrestle with God. Second, I believe that God doesn’t want to be thought of as a magic Genie. We are given free will and the ability to make our own choices and to do the hard work we need to do in order to get through life successfully.

This is why Matthew 7:7 is so appealing to me. Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” This captures the essence of how I believe God wants to be in relationship with us. Never hesitate to reach out to God, for it is God’s deepest hope that we will engage in a relationship with Him (it pains me to use gender-exclusive language for God, but alas, I caved in here). And God’s gifts to us are infinite, though perhaps not always what we expect. But on the flip-side, get yourself out there and Ask, Seek and Knock for yourself. Do not leave it all up to God to do for you. You play a role in your destiny, as well.

At least that’s how I interpret this passage. I’m curious to hear what you, my readers, think of it. What does it make you think when you hear it?

Today as part of this post I’m featuring a beautiful canvas print from Red Letter Words. I met Dee, the owner of the business, at Blissdom. After returning home, I found myself visiting her site again and again. I thought her prints were lovely and very inspiring. She has many quotes from the Bible put to canvas, but her selection goes beyond biblical references. I especially love that she can put together custom canvas art, using whatever words or quotes inspire you!

Prices at Red Letter Words vary based upon the size of the print you selected. My print is 12×12, which is an excellent size because it is a bit larger than an 8×10, so it stands out a bit more. Right now mine isn’t even on the wall, but is on the buffet in my dining room. I look at it every single day, and it reminds me to turn to God, and to also take action, myself, if I am in need of something. It has been a blessing.

Win it!: Red Letter Words is excited to offer one Stuff Parents Need reader a 12×12 cafe mount print of your choice (excluding custom orders) (a $55 value!). The contest will run until May 5th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
EDIT: Please note that I originally posted the value incorrectly…$55 is correct. I apologize for the confusion).

Mandatory entry: Tell me anything that you feel like sharing about your faith, or about your thoughts on religion or a relationship to the Divine. Anything related to the topic works for me!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Tell me the print that you would pick out if you won.
2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Rare bonus entry: Like Red Letter Words on Facebook

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.

Celebrating Children of All Abilities: Love Me for Who I Am (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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I think one of the very best ways to teach children about differences that people may have is to celebrate them. There’s a new cd out called Love Me for Who I Am by Brady Rymer, and it is all about celebrating children of all abilities. From the website, “the songs will invite deeper understanding and appreciation of children with Autism and other disorders by shedding light on just how much we all have in common.”

As Darah gets a bit older, and makes more friends, I have no doubt that we will come to know a family affected by Autism, learning differences, or being differently-abled. Children are naturally curious, and I expect that Darah will ask questions. When she does, I hope that I’m able to frame differences such as these in ways that are more positive and uplifiting, and breaking out some of these songs will be a helpful resources as she learns that people are different in so many ways, yet also so very similar.

Buy it!: Love Me for Who I Am is an excellent choice to add to any child’s collection. It is currently available on Amazon for $14.73. Five percent of the proceeds from this album will benefit Autism Speaks.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win your own copy of Brady Rymer’s Love Me for Who I Am! The contest will run until May 3rd at 11:49pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to 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 song on the cd appeals the most to you (samples can be listened tohere).

My answer: Keep Your Wiggle Alive is a really fun one that we are currently enjoying.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Brady Rymer 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 my homepage.

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

Shaklee Basic H2 and Shaklee Scour Off Review

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In my time as a blogger, there has been a company that my readers have mentioned to me several times, and that I have occasionally read reviews from other bloggers about: Shaklee. This is a direct sales company to you, and I didn’t have a rep. To be honest with you, I’m always wary of finding a rep when I’m not really sure if I’ll like the product. I just hate feeling that pressure to buy, you know?!

There was one rep online (Kiki) who had a blog that I found to be interesting, so I starting following her blog. What I liked so much about it was that in addition to blogging about her life, in general, she would also blog about different Shaklee products, and how she was using them and the results that she was seeing. It always helps to see a product in action in someone’s home!

Recently, she posted an invitation for bloggers to participate in an Earth Day blog hop, and to get to try a Shaklee product. I simply couldn’t resist! So here we are, and I am BURSTING to tell you about how great Shakleee is!

All the bloggers in this particular hop were sent a sample of Basic H2. The sample provided enough powder to make one 16 oz bottle of all-purpose cleaner and one 16 oz bottle of window cleaner. I really wish I had taken a picture of the sample…it was HALF the size of my thumb. Seriously. Shaklee takes the term ULTRA CONCENTRATED very seriously. I’ve never seen anything like it!

After consulting with Kiki about my particular house cleaner needs (I’ve been desperately searching for a carpet cleaner), I learned that Basic H2 (otherwise known as liquid gold) can also make carpet cleaner. I just needed to use more of the sample to make it. After doing a bit of mental math, I took a 5 oz spray bottle that I had and made carpet cleaner, and I took the remaining sample and make a solution for my Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop. Yeah, this stuff can make mopping solution, too!

I have several spots on the carpet in our bedroom that look just plain gross. Tim and I have been resigned to the fact that renting a carpet shampooer is a must before we move out, or else we might risk losing some of our deposit.

Here’s one carpet stain before:


And after:

And here’s one more before:


And after:

This stuff ROCKS! And here’s what makes Shaklee products even better: they aren’t harmful to the environment! Woo hoo! That’s become a must for me with my household cleaning products. These are totally free of harmful chemicals and work just as well as the them. Perfect!

I was so smitten by my Shaklee sample that I placed an order for a few products, myself, and took advantage of a terrific offer that Shaklee has right now: free membership with a $30 or more purchase! Membership typically costs $19.95 and entitles you to discounts on every single purchase you make, as well as special notification about promotions being offered. I ordered some Shaklee® Basic-H2 (one bottle lasts up to 2 years, according to many Shaklee users) and I also ordered some Scour Off for my glass stove top and some liquid dish concentrate (we were running out, so I might as well try the Shaklee stuff next!). I decided to become a customer because I saw firsthand how well one of their products worked. Also, by the time you account for just how long each product lasts, using Shaklee is VERY inexpensive….VERY!!! Kiki also has some other special deals going on that she’s not even allowed to advertise, so I can’t tell you what they are here, but contact her at healthy-solutions@hotmail.com and she’ll fill you in!

Now, pay close attention, because there are TWO giveaways going on right now. One is specific to this post, and one is for all 10 blogs participating in the hop.

How the Blog Hop Giveaway works:

There is going to be a prize of $30 paypal (!!!!) to one winner from all the blogs participating. Each blog will have a letter that you need to collect. When you have them all collected, email the letters that you have turned into a phrase back to healthy-solutions@hotmail.com with “Grand prize giveaway” in the subject line. One winner will be drawn from all correctly submitted entries! This giveaway ends on April 30th and the winner will be drawn by Kiki.

My letter: E

Blog to go to next: Virginia Sweet Pea!


How the Shaklee giveaway on Stuff Parents Need works:
FIVE of my readers are each going to receive the same sample I received of H2, which is enough to make 1 full size bottle of all-purpose cleaner and one 15 oz bottle of window cleaner! The contest will run until April 30th at 11:59pm EST when winners will be draw via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond 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:
The mandatory entry is to follow Kiki’s blog, A Home Made by Kiki through Google Friend Connect (you’ll find the button on her sidebar…very easy to do!). Come back here and leave a comment that you did!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like A Home Made by Kiki 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 homepage.

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

I LOVE My Woman’s Day Planner (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Let me be honest, I LOVE technology. I do 80% of all my reading online, through blogs, online magazines, online news sources, etc. I recently saw a Kindle for the first time, and very quickly changed my mind about them…the way the pages of the books are displayed is really incredible. It looks different from a computer screen…much more book-like! So a Kindle could be in my future as my main source for books. I also do all my banking online, and Tim and I do a lot of our household management stuff online, too.

And yet, when it comes to making a calendar or a to-do list, I just can’t be bothered with electronic versions. I have tried. SO many times I have tried. Tim has worked diligently to keep our family calendar updated in Google docs. I really wish that I was interested in helping him with it. But to me, if it isn’t on paper, it just isn’t real. This is where I draw the line for how technology can interface with me. I MUST have a paper to-do list, and a physical calendar.
I actually haven’t had a calendar in a little over a year, mostly because I keep trying to make the Google calendar work for me. And guess what? IT ISN’T WORKING! I do have to-do lists, but they are frequently lost, and I never have a bigger picture idea of how my week or my month is looking. My old system worked fine day-to-day, but didn’t work well at all when trying to plan for the ebbs and flows of the week.

Did you catch that? I said my OLD system. That’s because I have a new one. And I big puffy heart love it. It is called the Woman’s Planner, and it is the creation of a mompreneur named Corri. She spent several years seeking out the perfect planner to help her keep life with her family organized. And after a futile search, she decided to make her own! I get the sense that Corri is very keen to hear what users of her planner think, as she has made some tweaks to her original design so that the planner can best meet the needs of the women who use it.

So here are all the features you’ll find in this planner:

  • 8×10 coil book
  • 3″ fold over page marker – so you won’t lose your place
  • A newly designed monthly ‘budget page’ complete with fixed and variable expenses
  • the keep it all together ‘social planning’ page
  • the same amazing half page format to keep you sane
  • birthdays at a glance page
  • yearly finance/budget page
  • household appliance tracking
  • wish lists for everything your wishin’ on
  • xmas planning
  • a page to keep track of what your saving for
  • contacts
  • notes
  • the most incredible extra – pocket dividers in between each month to hold all those bills, cards, school notes etc.

What I’m absolutely gaga over is the fact that it has these half-pages at the top and the monthly view at the bottom. This is one of the key things that I was missing with my old system. I was sort of missing the forest for all the trees, because I had a very clear picture of each day, but no real sense for what was coming up in the following days or weeks.

I’m the type of person who writes down everything I need to do…I’ll even write it down just to cross it off if I did something not on my original list! So I was a bit intimidated by the lack of space for writing humongous lists each and every day. But I have quickly learned some shorthand, and I’ve also stepped away from writing down every little thing, and not suffered one bit from it! Still, you can see by the picture that I use pretty much every square inch of this planner!

I find myself not using the financial section of the planner, but that’s because I have found a software system that is working well for me and my family. If you aren’t writing anything down and are just sort of winging it, then this section gives you a great place to start to get a bit more organized.

There are some additional sections of the planner that I haven’t yet made use of, like the holiday planning sections and the list of contacts, and that’s because I do turn to online sources to help me keep track of those areas. But I don’t think I’ll ever turn over the daily planner, and this is a paper version that I really and truly love. I highly recommend it to anyone out there looking for the perfect planner!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to get your choice of a Woman’s Planner or a Girls Planner (Girls Planner available in June) from Chaos Simplified! The contest will run until May 2nd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to 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. You can get the 2011 planner on sale now for $28.95!
Mandatory entry: Tell me which planner you want, and why you think it is a good fit for you or someone you love.
Additional entries:
1. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS or email
2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook
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.

FRESCHETTA By the Slice (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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We’ve talked about the fact that Tim and I regularly make our own pizzas at home. It is cheap, it’s kind of fun, and after tweaking our recipes here and there, it is also quite tasty!

But it is certainly more work than picking up a frozen pizza while I’m doing some grocery shopping. So from time to time, we do get a frozen pizza. Several years ago, we experimented with lots of different types of frozen pizzas, trying to determine which one was the very best for the price. There was a CLEAR winner, people. Like, by a landslide. It was FRESCHETTA. Other than trying out some organic options and the Nutrisystem fare, we haven’t had any other brand of frozen pizza in YEARS. There’s no reason to…FRESCHETTA is just that good, in my opinion.

So today I’m excited to tell you about a very interesting new product the FRESCHETTA has on the market, called By the Slice. It is a single slice cut from a whole FRESCHETTA pizza. There’s nothing different about the ingredients in a By the Slice pizza. But what IS different is that it can be microwaved, so that you can get your yummy pizza even faster.

We tried By the Slice, and here are my thoughts:

  • In terms of overall quality, I am very pleasantly surprised. Yup, it tastes just like the FRESCHETTA that I know and love!
  • The portion is generous and the flavor choices are quite good (six cheese medley; bbq recipe chicken; chicken, spinach and mushroom; vegetable medley)
  • If Tim had to work through lunch at his job, this would be a great option for him to bring along. Pizza is one of his very favorite foods, and getting to have a slice of FRESCHETTA instead of a cup of soup or a peanut butter sandwich would really be a treat.

Since Tim almost always eats lunch at home, this particular product isn’t the right fit for my family. We eat 2/3 of a pizza in one sitting, so we’d be microwaving quite a few By the Slice pizzas slices for one meal. For us, it just makes more sense to cook an entire pizza. But I do see this as a great choice for people who find themselves flying solo for lunch or dinner, or who want to eat something tasty very quickly.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will get a 3 pieces FRESCHETTA storage set and a coupon fora complimentary FRESCHETTA by the slice pizza. Woo hoo! The contest will run until April 27th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to 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 giveaway is open to all my email and RSS subscribers. So all you have to do is subscribe to Stuff Parents Need (or already be subscribed!) and leave a comment telling me you have done so!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow FRESCHETTA Pizza 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 am a member of the FRESCHETTA Fresh Connections team, and received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own.

Zero Waste Lunch Kits: Fill Your Own (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Last week, my little bunny was sick with bronchitis. She got it from her father. She then gave it to me (we are a generous family, like that). Let me tell you, our little girl handled it better than either one of us. She was such a trooper and took her really icky medicine every time (I tasted it…it really was gross). Afterwards, she would say, “Good job!” and we would agree.

So in the midst of all this sickness, Darah missed an Easter egg hunt with a playgroup. I was bummed out about this, because this would be the first year that she’d be able to participate. So I decided to create a little hunt for her, because even in her sickness, you could still see her playful energy coming out. We had some gorgeous days, and I knew she longed to be outside.

So on a Wednesday, when Tim came home for lunch, I had a picnic ready for us to take to the park down the street (we are SO lucky to have a playground on the same block as our house!). We loaded up our wagon with blankets and yummy food, and headed over. I went ahead and laid out some eggs in the park.
Darah was such a doll. You could just see the wheels turning in her head as she realized that there were plastic colored eggs all over the ground (if you were learning about this tradition for the first time, wouldn’t it seem a bit odd?). And for her basket, she used the cutest little bag, which brings me to our review for today. Isn’t this set adorable?
It’s called a Zero Waste Lunch Kit, and it is made by the company Fill Your Own. There are several things I love about Fill Your Own products. First, I love that the products are stainless steel. Are you freaking out about all these reports coming out that supposedly BPA-free products actually aren’t BPA free??? ARGH! What I’m learning is that the best way to avoid dangerous chemicals in plastic is to AVOID PLASTIC. These stainless steel containers and stainless steel water bottle are so great to have on hand. While they can’t be microwaved, they make the perfect containers for picnics, munchies throughout the day, or to send with her to school.
The water bottle, I might add, is a HUGE hit with Darah. It has a button you push to remove the cover and expose the straw. The lid doesn’t completely come off, which I love, because most kids would lose the lid pretty much immediately. Great design, Fill Your Own!
Finally, the bag is also just precious. I used it as Darah’s Easter egg basket out of necessity this week (Easter decorations are still in the attic…I know…it’s time…). But you know what? I thought it was so cute that if I never make it up there to get those decorations, I don’t really care! Her bag is adorable, and very spring-like, and it holds quite a bit! I think she could get about 2 dozen eggs in there before she might need to stash her loot elsewhere.
I love having reusable products that are the perfect size and design for our daughter. We will be enjoying these for years to come, and I know this to be true because these products are meant to last. Hooray!
Buy it!: Fill Your Own products are available online. Be sure to check out the great variety of products that have the whole family in mind…not strictly the little ones! The kit we received is the medium lunch kit, and it retails for $49.99. Also, Fill Your Own would like to offer you 15% off ANY purchase on their site from now until April 30. Just use code STUFF15 at checkout!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a small or medium lunch kit in your choice of design! The contest will run until April 26th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be drawn 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: Other than the fairy lunch kit, name one other product that is catching your eye at Fill Your Own.
My answer: I’m totally swooning over the Lily Serenity shopping tote!
Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Subscribe to the Fill Your Own newsletter (top left part of the linked page). They tell you about an awesome deal that they offer each and every Tuesday (one product goes up to 60% off!).
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. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.