Stuff Parents Need

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

How to Make Iced Coffee at Home

· by · 214 Comments

I am absolutely bonkers about iced coffee. BONKERS, I tell you! I happily drink it all year, but in the summer months, there’s just nothing better.

I usually make my own iced coffee at home to save some money, but my final product is always a bit too watery. The reason is because I lack the patience to let my coffee cool down to room temperature before adding ice to it. When I smell that delicious coffee smell, I start salivating like Pavlov’s dog and want my coffee NOW.

Do you have the same problem?

Godiva has just added a line of coffees that are great for iced coffee, in particular. They provide instructions on how to make iced coffee, and let me tell you, they have perfected the art and now I know how to make delicious iced coffee FAST without having it get all watered down!

How to Make Iced Coffee at Home:

1. Measure out 1/2 cup of Godiva coffee (and yeah, you are going to want to make sure it is Godiva, because if you use their flavors, you are in for one heck of a treat!). Put it into your coffee maker.

2. Measure out 2 1/2 cups of water and add to coffee maker. Turn your coffee maker on.

When I was making my first batch of coffee, at this point I was like, “Woah! That’s some seriously concentrated coffee…hope this isn’t gross!” But I pressed on.

3. When you coffee is brewed, turn off your coffee maker. Add 2 1/2 cups of ice directly to your coffee pot. Stir with a spoon until all the ice melts. (I also added sugar to my coffee at this point so that it would dissolve easily).

See the genius of this? This not only cools down your coffee, but it also gets it to the proper concentration.

4. Pour your coffee over a glass filled with ice and enjoy.

how to make iced coffee

And enjoy I most certainly did. I brewed White Chocolate Coconut and it was out of this world! I’ve also been enjoying the Berry Creme Brulee. Words fail me when trying to describe its awesomeness. You just need to get some and experience it for yourself!

Both of these flavors are outstanding and I would highly recommend them for your iced coffee. But you can also use this same brewing method for any flavor of Godiva coffee. Chocolate Truffle will be the flavor I go for once I use all of my other flavors. And at the rate I’m going, it won’t be long!

Buy it!: You can purchase Godiva coffee at a store near you (here’s the store locator). It can also be purchased on Amazon.com! The retail price for a 12 ounce bag is $9.99.

Edit: this giveaway is now closed. 

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a gift bag (pictured above) filled with treats from Godiva!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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. This post contains an affiliate link. 

Oxylent Prenatal Vitamins: The Perfect Option for Nauseous/Pill-Averse Ladies!

· by · Leave a Comment

Raise your hand if you experienced/are experiencing some pretty serious morning sickness.

Oh yeah. I had it bad with both my girls. It let up around 14 weeks with Darah, and around 18 weeks with Layah. I had to be put on the prescription medicine so that I could get out of bed and face the day. And I had to be EXTREMELY strategic about when I would take my daily prenatal vitamin so that I wouldn’t throw it up. There were many days when I timed it wrong, and absorbed precious little of that vitamin before it was right back out of me.

This always bothered the heck out of me, but I didn’t know there was anything I could do about it. It turns out that there’s a really great prenatal vitamin that isn’t a pill at all! It’s called Oxylent Prenatal Vitamins and it is a powder that can be added to water or juice. It even gives your drink a sparkling, fizzy taste!

I have been taking these packets for a few weeks now (remember, if you are breastfeeding you should still be taking prenatals!). In my experience, the powder doesn’t taste the very best in water. I never could get it to fully dissolve in it. But it tastes REALLY good in apple juice and dissolved much easier (not sure if the citric acid in there had something to do with it?). I highly recommend it in apple juice, and have found it to be a tasty treat I look forward during the day. Here’s a snapshot of my daily vitamin!

While this product isn’t necessary for me at this point, I really wish I had known about it while I was battling nausea during my pregnancy. I remember sometimes gagging just over trying to swallow a pill. That wouldn’t be a problem with this product! Because you add it to a liquid, it can also help keep you hydrated, which is SO important during pregnancy.

Oxylent Prenatal Vitamins have been tested by a third party and have been found to contain NO environmental contaminants. They are also free of artificial flavors, colors, gluten, lactose and caffeine.

I also like the convenient individual packets, which make them easy to throw in your purse and take with you to the office or wherever you need to go during the day.

 

Buy it!: Oxylent Prenatal Vitamins are available for $36.95 for a 30 day supply. The promo code TOPOXYLENT will get you 20% of your purchase. Yay! If you purchase 2 boxes or more, shipping is also free. 

Oxylent is also pleased to announce that it is a sponsor for the Healthy Baby Belly Blog Party! This is a huge giveaway event that will feature informative topics on healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding. There will be new topics each week, and of course, giveaways!!!

Disclosure: I received this product free of charge. All opinions are my own. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure or treat diseases.

Magic Tap Review: Self-Service Straight From the Fridge

· by · 100 Comments

As a parent, do you sometimes feel like a short order cook? Tim and I certainly do! We limit the number of options Darah has at meal time, but we do give her a few options for her food, as well as her drink.

For a beverage, she has a choice between juice, milk and water. We try to make sure she has at least one of each throughout the day. Sometimes she’ll request two different beverages at the same time during a meal. Admittedly this is my fault because once, about 2 months ago, she saw me with a glass of tea and a glass of water. As soon as she realized that it was possible to have more than one drink at a time, she made a mental note and NEVER FORGOT.

Darah isn’t quite old enough to be able to get the gallon of milk out of the fridge to pour it herself. But with the Magic Tap, she can still get her own milk, which is cool because it helps her be more self-sufficient.

magic tap

The Magic Tap is a handy dandy little device that you add to a container of milk, water, juice or similar beverage and it creates a dispenser that is similar to what you’d see at a fast food soda stand. It is battery operated and very adaptable. It has a universal lid that fits most beverage containers. I also like that the drink comes out quickly. Before I received it, I feared that it would be really slow; this is not the case at all!

I will say that I found the cleaning steps to be a bit cumbersome. This is a device for people who want to shave a few seconds of work off their day, so we value anything that is quick, including clean up. But other than that, I really do like this product and will continue using it. My favorite thing about it is that it gives Darah a way to practice caring for herself, and it empowers her because if she is ever thirsty, she can solve that problem on her own without having to wait for an adult to help her.

It is important to note that this is not recommended for soda, just so all you fizzy drink lovers don’t see this as a way to actually have one of those soda stands in your house!

Buy it!: The Magic Tap is available online for $19.99 plus shipping and handling.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Magic Tap!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

 

Lamaze Infant Development Toys Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 147 Comments

Lamaze toys hold a very special place in my heart. We actually used a purple hippo Lamaze toy to help us announce our pregnancy with Darah.

We put the hippo, which we had picked up a a garage sale (it still looked in impeccable condition) and placed it out with our stockings on Christmas morning at my parents’ house. Our stockings are usually overflowing, so it isn’t usual for presents to be displayed all around them. I put the hippo in between my mom and dad’s stocking and put the ultrasound picture we had underneath it.

They actually didn’t figure out what was going on due to the baby toy, alone. My dad actually thought it was a toy for his dog! Ha! But the picture underneath helped them figure it out really quickly. That hippo is part of such a special memory.

It also became a toy for Darah, and is now a toy for Layah. And it is STILL in excellent shape. Lamaze toys, in my experience, really hold up well so they can be used by several different babies before they are ready to be retired.

Lamaze is a company that has partnered with child development experts to create toys that truly engage babies at developmentally appropriate levels. All of their packaging has color-coded age grades to make it easy for you to select the right products for your child’s changing needs.

Today I want to introduce a few of their products that were actually all featured on this What to Expect When You’re Expecting movie poster!

First up, meet Stretch the Giraffe. This fantastic toy has a lot of features that will engage your babies for months! The bright, colorful fabrics tend to attract attention, as do the ribbons, the clacking rings and the squeaks and crinkle sounds that are made when playing with the giraffe. Darah had a previous incarnation of this toy and she loved it. I know Layah will love her giraffe, too! Stretch retails for $14.99.

Next up, meet Hula Girl Travel Toy. She is meant to ride along on a stroller or carrier, and she moves right along with them! I love all the textures on this toy; it will be a big hit when Layah starts to grab things! It retails for $16.99.

Finally we have Octivity Time. This cute octopus is intended for babies 6 months and up, and has a mirror, a spinning starfish, clinky rings and other great features and textures for baby play. It retails for $19.99.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the 3 toys I reviewed in this post! Woo hoo!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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. 

On the Rocks: Sparq Stones Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 93 Comments

So here’s the thing: I LOVE LOVE LOVE iced coffee. I usually make it at home to save a bit of money, and I’m usually so impatient to try it that I try to add all my ice to the drink before it has sufficiently cooled down.

The result is watered down coffee. Which is something I DON’T love love love.

I’ve been trying something really fun and different to keep my cold drinks cold but not watery. I’m putting stones in my drinks. And especially in Darah’s drinks.

Yeah, stones. You know…rocks.

Confused by my randomness? Afraid I’ve gone off my rocker? That’s entirely possible, but it has nothing to do with cooling down beverages with stones.

Check out Sparq Stones. Now, these are actually designed to be used with whiskey. Which I’m fresh out of (no, not because I drank it all this morning, silly). But some of you out there might like to throw back an occasional whiskey Mad Man-style, and it is my understanding that whiskey is a drink best served cold (just like revenge!). But watered down whiskey is kind of gross.

Throw a few of these super cool stones in the drink, and problem solved!

I will say that these are not the solution for my iced coffee drinks, as I like to consume Big Gulp sizes in one sitting. The stones don’t get as cold as ice, and so they are ideal for smaller amounts of liquid.

That’s what makes them really fun for toddlers! Maybe it’s odd to serve a child water in a whiskey glass with whiskey stones, but I darn sure do it, and she loves it! 🙂

Also, if you like your coffee hot, these stones can be heated up to help keep your java nice and toasty! Pretty cool, huh?

Sparq Whiskey/Coffee Stones can be purchased here for $19.50

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a set of 9 Sparq Whiskey/Coffee Stones!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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. 

 

My First Collection Volume 3 Featuring Chicken Little: Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 82 Comments

I am LOVING the My First Collection series from Scholastic Video. If you aren’t familiar with it, these are stories designed for toddlers and preschoolers. The stories are short and sweet, and also age appropriate. They have a lot of great stories that were previously unfamiliar to me, so that’s made watching them with Darah all the more fun.

But in Volume 3 of their My First Collection series, Scholastic does have a very familiar charcter: Chicken Little. Darah thinks he is an absolute riot!

Volume 3 actually contains 3 dvds. One is all about zany animal stories. Another is all about funny animal stories (Scardy Squirrel being our personal favorite). The third DVD is all about dogs. Darah especially loves the Angus film, which is not a cartoon but a live action film with an adorable and mischievous Scottie dog.

The entire set contains 12 different stories, along with bonus interview footage and read-along subtitles to help promote word recognition and literacy skills. The set is $24.95 and is a great value, in my opinion! Scholastic has yet to disappoint us with a DVD, and once again, they have produced an excellent collection that is right on target for the suggested age range!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win My First Collection Volume 3 from Scholastic!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Natural Relief for Baby: Gentle Naturals Review

· by · 1 Comment

Our first child suffered from cradle cap until she was about 18 months old. I was so surprised that this condition could last as long as it did. We had a special brush that we would use on her head regularly to help get rid of the scales, but it never got rid of them all. I even tried olive oil once. Uh, yeah….she had a greasy head for the next 4 or 5 days as I tried every day to get it out of her baby fine hair.

Eventually I just gave up and let it run its course. And I vowed I’d find a solution to have on hand for baby #2 so that we wouldn’t have to go through the same scenario again.

Gentle Naturals is a homeopathic line of products that have found their way into our medicine cabinet, and their product called Cradle Cap Care is all ready to go! We’ve already seen a bit of cradle cap on Layah, but Tim was able to brush it all out. The second it comes back (and it WILL come back), we are armed and ready! This product retails for $7.99, and I’m very pleased to hear that it is a non-greasy formula. There will be no repeat of what we experienced with Darah!

We also have their Homeopathic Teething Drops. Layah is already drooling all the time, so the teething pain will be here before you know it. This product helps relieve sore gums and irritability and can safely be used as soon as she turns 4 months old. It retails for $5.49, which is SO worth is when you have a teething baby!

Finally, we have the Eczema Relief Baby Wash. I suffered from eczema when I was a child, so I’m really happy to have something on hand if I suspect Layah has it, as well. I remember taking oatmeal baths to try to help with it; they always felt so weird! While we haven’t yet had to use this product with Layah, I imagine the lavender and chamomile in the product smells and feels better than the oatmeal baths I used to take! This product retails for $5.49.

The Gentle Naturals line has treatments not only for the conditions mentioned above, but also for colic, stomach discomfort, and dry skin. The entire line is dermatologist tested and contains ingredients like chamomile, shea butter, coconut butter, aloe and ginger.

Gentle Naturals products can be found at many major retailers, including Walmart and Walgreens. You can also find the products online at places like Amazon, Diapers.com and Drugstore.com.

 Disclosure: I’m participating in a review campaign with Family Review Network, and I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Aurora Crinkle Friends Brights Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 112 Comments

When Darah was a baby, she LOVED to hear crinkly sounds (dry leaves being stepped on during a walk, for example). She would pay such close attention with both her eyes and her ears. It was so cute to watch.

Aurora World actually has a line of plush toys that make that same crinkly sound when you touch them. They’ve had a crinkly frog, pig and cow out for some time, but they recently added some really fun and different animals to the mix.

Introducing the Crinkle Friends Brights! They crinkle, but they also squeak and rattle. And boy are they cute!

Take a closer look at our new friend, Hedgehog:

The day Hedgehog arrived, I explained to Darah before I opened the package that it was a new special friend for Layah. When I pulled out the crinkle friend, Darah shrieked with delight, and exclaimed, “Layah will love it!” And then she proceeded to play with the hedgehog for pretty much the rest of the day.

Long story short, Hedgehog sleeps in Darah’s bed now. She will still tell you that it is Layah’s toy, but that Layah is sharing with her. Hopefully in the next few months I’ll be able to get Darah to start sharing back with Layah!

Crinkle Friends are suggested for children ages 6 months and up and are priced at $17. They can be purchase at retail outlets or online at the Aurora shop. They are bright and absolutely delightful to babies. And toddlers, evidently!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Crinkle Friends Brights of your choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Oh Katy One Size Pocket Diaper Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 186 Comments

Today I’m bringing you a video review of the Oh Katy One Size Pocket Diaper. You do not want to miss seeing what is so unique about their inserts, so check it out!

And aren’t all the colors this diaper comes in just fabulous? Silver is my favorite, but I’m also swooning over twilight and violet!

You can purchase these diapers for $17.95 each. Oh Katy offers $5 flat rate shipping, too! AND, for the entire month of July, if you purchase 4 diapers you get 1 free! That’s like getting 20% off! Woo hoo!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an Oh Katy One Size Pocket Diaper in your choice of colors!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.