review - Stuff Parents Need

4 Tips to Make Healthier School Lunches Easy to Put Together

August 16, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

My family is on the road to eating clean. I always say that we are “in process” or “on the road to” rather than declaring that we 100% do something because as soon as I declare that we’ve arrived at that place we strive for, I can feel the itch to fall off the bandwagon. We try to keep things realistic around here, and don’t set the bar too high. I’m going to cave every once in a while and buy the Double Stuf Oreos. And then I’ll do my best to not eat half the bag in one night, and stick to healthier choices for the most part.

I see packing school lunches as a very easy way to fall off the clean eating bandwagon in a major way. Most pre-packaged foods are full of additives, preservatives, enriched grains and high fructose corn syrup. Making everything from scratch every day isn’t realistic for us, so relying on packaged products, at least to some extent, is going to need to happen. Fortunately, there are some TERRIFIC options out there that can help you put together kick-butt lunches for your kids without having to yield to the nutritionally devoid stuff that fills most of the middle aisles in grocery stores.

NatureBox

NatureBox is one such company that I recently discovered, and that I highly recommend. NatureBox is a curated collection of carefully sourced and nutritionist-approved foods that make for some seriously yummy snacking. Everything is free of artifical sweeteners, colors and flavors.

When you are a NatureBox member, you are sent 5 different snacks in a box each month. You can choose your own snacks from a list of over 100 options (check out the snack catalog!), or you can let NatureBox surprise you, which could be a really fun way to try something new. As much as I love surprises, I also appreciate that I can pick and choose, as Darah’s school requests nut-free lunch offerings for all the kids due to the severity of nut allergies in the classroom.

4 Tips for Easier, Healthier School Lunches

Here are some strategies I’m using to help me get the school lunches made faster and to increase the odds that my child will actually eat what I send!

1. Keep the lunch snack bin full. I’ve got box in my pantry that is exclusively for school lunch snacks. I try to add something to it every time I shop for groceries, but I also love knowing that NatureBox can deliver to my house every month to help me stay stocked up on quality options that are healthier choices, but still feel like special treats.

2. Sneak in some superfoods. I’m not really a big fan of “tricking” my kids into eating healthy foods. I want them to understand that giving your body good fuel is something that we need to do to be our best selves. But sometimes you just have to get your kids to try something that they think they won’t like by trying it in a different way (for example, adding pumpkin to a bagel spread, or having lentil chips). Look for opportunities to present great choices in unique ways so that your kids will realize that they really like the good stuff, after all!

3. Rethink the sweet treats. I have a HUGE sweet tooth. It turned out to be my Achilles heel as I tried the whole Paleo diet thing (which I loved in pretty much every other aspect!). So I’m not really one to give my kid a banana and call it dessert. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t offer them better choices that are free of HFCS and food dyes. NatureBox has some great offerings in this department, and they make it easy for me to have some good choices, even when my options still seem a bit limited at my local grocery store.

4. Give fruit a new look. For my child, at this point sending in an entire piece of fruit is overkill. She won’t eat the whole thing even if she likes it, and in many cases, she won’t even make the attempt (apple = entirely too much effort, in her opinion). So I make it a point to have fruit for her, but to have it presented in a more interesting (and more serving-size appropriate) way. Examples include fruit squeeze pouches (her very favorite!) and dried fruit so she can get a lot of nutrition packed into just a handful of bites. We’ve all been munching on the NatureBox dried pears. They are super yum!

Promo Code!

Ready to try NatureBox and make school lunch packing a bit easier? Click here to get 50% off your first month’s NatureBox delivery! ($10 value) using promo code: SNACKTOSCHOOL. The same code can also be used for $10 off your first box if you are signing up for a prepaid subscription (such as the 6 month plan or the 12 month plan). The price for the boxes, not including the promo code, is as follows:

1 month: $20/box
6 months: $17.95/box
12 months: $15.95/box

Each box contains 5 packages containing 15-20 servings and weighing 2-3 pounds! In addition, with every box sold, NatureBox donates 1 meal to FeedingAmerica to help with the very real problem of hunger that affects millions of people right here at home.

Do you have any tips for keeping lunches healthy AND easy? And have you tried NatureBox yet? As someone mulling over the 12 month subscription, I’d love to hear about your experience!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

CluckCluck: Why Arranging Babysitting Is About to Be Forever Changed (for the Better!)

August 13, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Special thanks to my friends at CluckCluck for partnering with me on this post. And an even more special thanks to them for making something so unbelievably awesome. I can’t wait to get started and I’m honored to help spread the word!

So this morning I watched a YouTube video and I cried. That’s probably not a very surprising thing to hear because our Facebook feeds are full to the brim with content that evokes strong emotions. But in this case, I was watching a 1 minute video about an app for simplifying babysitting. Important, but not exactly “get you in the feels” stuff. But I really did cry, and I think it’s because in that 1 minute I realized how much easier taking care of all the aspects of child care is about to get. Trust me, this is 1 minute of your time well-spent.

CluckCluck Demo – 1 minute from CluckCluck – Mobile App on Vimeo.

Why I Love CluckCluck

Scheduling

I have two babysitters that I have used regularly over the past year. They are both delightful people, and I’m equally comfortable hiring them. So I’m never sure who to reach out to first when I have an upcoming babysitting need. Is this scenario familiar to you: you reach out to one sitter (perhaps she is your #1 pick) in the hopes that she is available, and by the time you hear back from her (and she ISN’T available) your #2 pick is no longer available, either. With CluckCluck, you notify them at the same time of the babysitting opportunity and the first person to take the job gets it. Simple as that! Or if they both decline, you know sooner, rather than later.

Paying

I know that my sitters much prefer to receive cash. College students don’t find themselves at the bank a lot, and depositing a check is just one more thing for them to do, or one more thing for them to lose. But I rarely have cash, and when I do have cash, I rarely have the correct amount. So scrounging up the payment is always a pain in the rear. With Cluck, Cluck you just pay them via Paypal. This is GLORIOUS!!!!

Important Info

All the important info you want to make sure your sitter has is right there on the app. Emergency contact numbers, special instructions for the evening (such as homework or if there’s been a change in the bedtime routine). Everything is accessible via smartphone, and you are kidding yourself if you think your sitter isn’t going to be on her smartphone at any point in time while babysitting. This app is a great tool because it’s on a platform that the sitters already know, love and use.

The Cost

CluckCluck is just .99. It is worth so much more than that, but I’ll gladly pay it! My plan is to also give my sitters the dollar it will cost them to download the app so that they don’t incur an out of pocket expense (tiny though it may be!). Everybody is going to win with this app, friends.

So, are you ready to revolutionize how you book, direct and pay your sitters?

For the Bath and Shower Lovers: Sudsy Box

August 10, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

My husband is a man who doesn’t care too much about gifts, doesn’t have expensive taste, and just isn’t too concerned with stuff, in general.

But he has one item that he is so very dead serious about: his soap. I have asked him on several occasions to help me finish off some shower gel by using it in the shower so that I can get a new one out, and since he is such a nice guy, he usually does it. But he has finally told me, “I REALLY like soap. And I REALLY like nice soap. And I REALLY REALLY REALLY don’t want to use shower gel ever.” For a man who doesn’t put too much thought or concern into trivial matters, I took this to mean that I need to . GET THIS MAN SOME AMAZING SOAP, STAT.

Sudsy Box

So when I heard about Sudsy Box, a bi-monthly artisan soap subscription service, I knew we were on to something. Sudsy Box kindly sent me a box to review, and I decided to open everything on camera so you could share in the experience of what opening a box is like. Check it out!

I have used the soaps now, and the smell is just heavenly when you are in the shower! I think those essential oils come out and really start to shine once a little steam and a little water is in the mix!

I am personally going to take advantage of the 20% off coupon and get Tim a half-yearly subscription, as it brings the price for 3 boxes down to $45.60, which is just $15.20/box (hint: that makes those 3 boxes even cheaper than the per box price for the yearly subscription, as the 20% off coupon is only for monthly or half-yearly subscriptions). AUGUST20 is what you’ll use at check out to snag this great deal. These make truly great gifts or a really fun and affordable treat for yourself!

Let me know if you decide to go for it!!!

On Being Southern and The Need to Be Ready for Anything

August 8, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

This post brought to you by Walmart. All opinions are 100% mine.

Wherever you might live, I think all parents can agree that it is important to be ready for anything. That means always toting around thinks like snacks, crayons, a spare toy or two and facial tissue.

But friends, I feel especially strong about the facial tissue matter as a Southern woman, whether my kids need the tissues or not. It seems that every time I turn around I've got yet another reason to reach for a tissue for myself; can any of you identify with thsese particular examples?

1. Steel Magnolias

I swear, friends, every other week I see a Pinterest pin or a Youtube clip of something hilarious or absolutely heart-wrenching from Steel Magnolias, the cinematic masterpiece that portrays the Southern woman to a T. I'll try to just read the one quote, or watch the one clip, and before I know it, I'm knee deep in Shelby and have to go find my tissues because I look like this:

photo credit: No|More|Saviours via photopin cc

2. Sweaty Sweet Tea

My poor sweet tea. It just can't help but break out in a sweat in these sweltering Tennessee summer temps. I feel the need to help my beverage out every 20 minutes or so by wiping her off real quick. It's so embarrassing to sweat like that! I'm ever so glad that I don't (if you didn't know, Southern women DON'T sweat. We glisten, and only when absolutely necessary…).

photo credit: Godverbs via photopin cc

3. Azaleas

There's nothing quite like the sight of a front yard full of beautiful azaleas. But bless their little hearts, they are the death of me.

photo credit: Cost3l via photopin cc

A trail full of blooms may be picturesque, but it sends me into a sneezing fit of epic proportions. It is CRITICAL that I have some tissues on hand. And I can't very easily carry a whole box of tissues in my purse, even though I might require an entire box before the day's end. Better to have something compact that will still provide me with plenty of tissues to endure all that beauty.

Angel Soft® On-The-Go Facial Tissues

I recently headed to Walmart and found these great tissues from Angel Soft®. They have, get this, SEVEN TIMES more tissues than 10 sheet facial tissue pocket packs. That'll get me through an entire week of pollen, sipping tea and hitting Ouiser. See if you can find them the next time you are out. They are so very handy to have around any time you find yourself in need of some tissue, even if your needs look a little different than mine!

Rachael Ray Helps Me Feed My Family (Including My Cats!) (Giveaway!!)

August 7, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 124 Comments

I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Nutrish for Cats. I received a sample of Nutrish for Cats to facilitate this review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Who Doesn’t Love Rachael Ray?

I credit Rachael Ray with being one of the people who taught me how to cook when I was in my early 20s. And if you are wondering just how badly I needed the help, ask Tim, who still likes to remind me about the meal I made served one evening that, among other things, had ground beef, tater tots, and Cheetos in it. It seemed perfectly reasonable at the time, y’all.

Rachael Ray and her totally awesome 30 minute meals have been an inspiration for me. She has such great ideas for getting food on the table fast…and GOOD food, at that (sorry bout ya Cheetos).

Just last week I made a crazy good, crazy easy salmon recipe of hers. It was fresh, flavorful, and colorful to boot!

Nutrish for Cats

Now it’s time for the kitties of the house to feel the Rachael Ray love. She has created a line of healthy cat food products called Nutrish for Cats and we recently got to introduce our cats to some of the offerings.

Up first, the easy-to-please newest addition to our family, Rose.

Rose was adopted from McKamey Animal Center a little over a month ago. She came from a hoarding situation, and as a result, we immediately noticed her very strong preference for human food over pet food (she likely had to forage around the house for scraps of whatever she could find). It took about a week, but we got her to start eating pet food, and now she’s pretty happy with whatever we put in her bowl.

Rose got the dry Nutrish for Cats to sample, gave it a sniff, and then had a little snack, right on the spot. Two paws up!

And now for the resident ice queen, Hattie.

Hattie is 12 years old, and we’ve had her for 9 of those years. She is an absolutely beautiful cat, and she’s also quite large! We think she might be part Maine Coon, actually. One thing she isn’t, though, is friendly. She’s not aggressive, just wants everyone to leave her alone. And she wants to be the only cat in the house, on account of her HATING cats.

So when Rose came home, well, that went over like a turd in a punch bowl, lemme tell ya.

The cats still don’t eat in the same part of the house, which is the way Hattie wants it. The poor old girl has been having such a rough month, what with the presence of that disgustingly adorable furball, so I thought she might want to try the wet Nutrish for Cats as a special treat.

OMG, y’all. SHE PURRED WHILE SHE ATE! She doesn’t purr, as a general rule, and she dang sure isn’t going to purr while eating…how undignified would that be?! But alas, she did just that, and she didn’t even look up from the plate once until it was completely licked clean. So, um, yeah…gonna call that one a WIN!

How to Learn More (and Save $!)

If #NutrishforCats sounds like something you’d like to bring home to your cats, then you should start by snagging some Nutrish coupons. Then you’ll want to look up where to buy Nutrish locally so you can redeem the coupon and make your cats SO happy that they might even start to get along (ok, I’m still holding my breath on that one…). You can also follow Nutrish on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep up with the latest promotions.

Win it!: One lucky reader is going to win a variety of Nutrish for Cats products, including a 3 pound bag of Nutrish for Cats dry food and 3 containers of wet food.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

My Latest ThredUp Finds (And a $250 Giveaway!!!)

August 6, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 119 Comments

Referral links included. I only promote what I love!

Just 30 minutes ago my doorbell rang and my polka-dot box from ThredUp was waiting on my doorstep. I decided that it would be more fun to do a video unboxing so that we could get excited together about all the fun stuff (and the AWESOME prices) from ThredUp! I did it by myself, so unfortunately, I didn’t have anyone on hand to tell me that the picture was a bit fuzzy, so I apologize for that. Still worth a watch, though!

Ok, so if you are new to ThredUp, you can check out my ThredUp review (I give you 4 tips for making the most of your experience, so don’t miss it!), and I can also give you the Cliff’s Notes version right now: ThredUp sells gently used clothing (though I’ve also purchased items that still had the tags on them!). ThredUp also buys gently used clothing (or stuff sitting in your closet with the tags still on!) for women and children. The prices are higher than a thrift store, naturally, but the selection is outstanding. You’ll only find items in excellent condition and you can shop by size or by brand with a simple click of a button. Try doing that at a thrift store!

Don’t forget to spend a little time cleaning out your kids’ closets as the school year begins, too. Make room for those new (to you) duds, and for the coming fall season, and make a little $$$ in the process, too. 🙂 Get yourself signed up today and you’ll automatically get $10 to spend on the site, no strings attached (except for the cute ThredUp tags on the clothes, of course!).

Back to School Giveaway Time!

Just in time for back-to-school shopping, ThredUp wants to celebrate with Stuff Parents Need by sponsoring one seriously awesome giveaway!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader and ThredUp member is going to win a $250 gift certificate to ThredUP to go on one heck of a shopping spree!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Currently Reading: Thrive and Start

August 5, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I received a complimentary copy of Thrive from Blogging for Books for this review. My copy of Start came from the library. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

So I guess I’m going through a “books with one word for titles” phase, since the two books I’ve been oscillating between are Thrive and Start (and can we just acknowledge for a moment that I’m reading TWO books at once…I used to only read one book a year, people! ).

Thrive is a highly lauded work by Arianna Huffington, of Huffington Post fame. I am consistently drawn to books by women who have achieved some notable degree of professional success as I try to understand just how in the heck they did it. Most days just getting a shower seems to be a goal out of reach, so building and leading successful companies, or launching a start-up can seem rather bewildering to me, as much as I have a taste for working on my own and crave more of it for my future.

Let me just tell you this: I only made it through 3/4 of the book. I tried you guys, I REALLY tried. But at the end of the day, I found it just a bit too far away from my own reality. It felt very “heady” for lack of a better term, and there was a season of my life where I would have devoured the book due to it having interesting study after study referenced, and due to the near constant barrage of sage advice from the ancients and even from more modern wise men and women. When I was in graduate school, and when I didn’t have two small kids underfoot, I could read these thought-provoking sections and engage in a sort of dialogue with the author, scribbling down my own thoughts and questions that they brought to light. And if you have the time and space to do that, then I think Thrive is a worthy read, truly.

As for me, right now I need the little astute nuggets of truth to be already chewed (and hell, even partially digested) for me. And I need you to give me the point in simple terms. And then do it again, and then again. Because then it has a reasonable chance of sticking. As I glossed over gemstone after gemstone of intriguing thoughts, universal truths, and shrewd wisdom, all I kept thinking was, “What a shame. This is all lost on me because I’m reading this while my youngest is hitting me over the head with her (please God let it be clean) diaper.”

Thrive, for me, was just too much, plain and simple. And plain and simple is what I need right now. The irony also wasn’t lost of me that the chief message in the book, at least to the extent that I could glean it, was about slowing down, simplifying, and enjoying the simple things, because in the end, that’s really all there is. But that simple message was very convoluted, at least for me.

So the other book I’m reading is Start by Jon Acuff. This was recommended to me by several fellow business women and entrepreneurs, and while some may find it to be almost too basic of a read, I found myself DELIGHTED by its conversational tone and simple messaging.

Jon is a motivator and a fire starter, for sure. He leaves you wanting to turn the page and read more, but he also writes in such a way that when you need to put the book down to go scrape Play-Doh out of the carpet, you can do that, too. As someone who has a lot of half-baked ideas about things I want to do as my own boss, Start left me feeling encouraged to do something, ANYTHING, about them, and to stop using the excuse that since I can’t do it all (and I most definitely CAN’T do it all right now) then I shouldn’t try to do any of it. That’s just silliness, but I needed help to see that.

So in short, these are both great reads in their own right, but Start is speaking to me more right now. Oh friends, I’d love to write more about it, but my youngest is currently screaming like her leg is being amputated (in reality, her father is removing a Band-Aid). Season of life, indeed!

Have you read either of these books? Any thoughts? What are you reading right now?

Honest Company Canvas Tote Review: An Honest Assessment

August 2, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

Affiliate links included. I promote what I love and I love The Honest Company (though this product was a definite miss!).

Time for another Honest Company review, and hang on to your horses, friends, because this one is a doozy! I’m showing you the Honest Canvas Tote and telling you exactly why I DON’T recommend that you buy it!

The Price

The retail price for the Canvas Tote is $16.95. You can purchase it as an add-on to a bundle to get 25% off, so that would bring the price down to $12.71. But even at that price, I think the tote is a major disappointment. Truly, this is one of my least favorite items from The Honest Company so far. The price, which I fully expect to be higher than a similar-quality product at Walmart due to the fact that the Honest Company pays people a living wage, still seemed WAY too high for the quality of the bag.

The Quality

The quality was really what I took issue with the most. I purchased this bag at the $12.71 price point, and I was perfectly content to pay that amount. But I expected something thicker and sturdier for that price. A bag that could really hold its own at the grocery store and the pool. A bag that wouldn’t look rough after just one wash. But you know where this is going, right?

Here’s the fading that occurred on the printed logo after just 1 wash in an HE washer on gentle:

I’ve washed it one time since taking this photo, and the quality of the logo continues to degrade, unfortunately. I think the “N” at the bottom is not long for this world, and then I’ll be advertising “HO EST.com.” So that’s something to look forward to…

The handles have also struggled to hold reasonable amounts of weight (groceries…no not gallons of milk or anything ridiculous) and a few seams on them have ripped. So that tells me that I have to only put lightweight things in the bag. I need my reusable totes to be work horses!

The material also just reminds me of what you might expect from a $5 canvas tote, and not a $17 tote or even a $13 tote. So my friends, my honest assessment is that you should skip this item altogether, and save space in your cart for something that will delight you. Honest Company has many terrific products, this just isn’t one of them.

Honest Company: What IS Good?

I have a growing list of Honest Company reviews and I give it to you straight, telling you what I liked and what I didn’t, and the strategy to use to get the best possible price. If you’ve never made a purchase with The Honest Company, start by getting lots of freebies from them! I give you the full run down on how to do that here. Happy shopping!

FabKids: Affordable, Trendy Fashion Delivered Straight to Your Front Door (I’m in Love…)

August 2, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Thanks to FabKids for sending along an outfit for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

Have you got the first day of school outfit selected, yet? Is that a big deal in your family? It was always a HUGE deal when I was young (I grew up in Alabama, y’all, and nailing that first day outfit was a total mark of pride for all the mamas out there). And I do find myself lingering over the question of what my kids will wear on that first day quite a bit, which, to be perfectly honest, almost forgetting entirely to make sure that they have what they need for all the other days!

The thing is, I don’t really go shopping much for clothes. I get hand-me-downs from my sister-in-law, and they are wonderful in every way. So I have about 75% of what I need right from the start with each clothing size. But there are some holes in the wardrobes, and more importantly, some spaces for my girls to let their own clothing preferences come to light. Certain items that have been passed down to us just hang in the closet, untouched (or perhaps worn only once) while others get worn every single week. That’s because my girls know what they like, same as me (and same as anyone!).

FabKids

fabkids review 3

Enter FabKids. This is a WONDERFUL way that I can help fill in those gaps in the wardrobe with pieces that suit their preferences, at a price point I can handle, and all without having to trek it over to the mall (Hallelujah!). FabKids is a the brainchild of a team of parents including mom and actress Christina Applegate. It is an outfit club, and it is SO easy and fun!

To get started, fill out a brief style quiz (you can let you child do it, or you can select for them based on what you know they do and don’t like). Based on your selections a customized selection of outfits is presented in your own shop (though you are also welcome to shop the entire collection if you like). Each outfit includes 2 pieces (for example, a dress and leggings), and is just $29.95. At the start of every month you will receive a new personalized selection. You have until the 5th of the month to decide if you want to skip that month (there’s no penalty or charge for skipping!). On the 6th you will be charged and will either receive the outfit you selected, or you will have an outfit credit added to your account to use whenever you like.

I think $30 for a new cute outfit is reasonable as is, but it gets better! I’ve been signed up with them for close to a month now, and they have GREAT sales happening all the time. I’ve gotten emails about Buy One Get One Free Offers, $10 dresses, and even free shoes with purchase offerings. And they seem to always have a sale section, too! It is such a great way to shop for clothes for kids. I’m pretty bonkers about it, myself. And I really appreciate that you aren’t committing yourself to spending $30 each month. In my case, my kids don’t need a new outfit every single month…I’ll probably get them something once a season or so.

Cute Packaging

Even the package that arrives on your doorstep is really cute. I’ve heard that the box is blue for boy outfits, and it’s pink for the girls. We actually turned ours into a play house for our My Little Pony friends!

Smokin’ Hot Deal

I love when businesses reward their happy customers by offering referrals. If you’d like to sign up for FabKids, you’ll get your first outfit for just $15 AND free shipping by going through my link. I’ll get credit in my account, too! Then you can go tell your friends, and when they sign up you can earn credit for more new outfits. Win/Win! I’m currently scoping out the B1G1 sale because it means I can buy matching dresses for the girls for a GREAT price (gotta jump on that while they can, as the oldest will start complaining about it in a few short years!).

Let me know what you get, friends (because it’s pretty much impossible to NOT get something!).