Stuff I Love

Halloween Must Haves: Trick-or-Treat Safety Tips for Parents

How do you keep your kiddos visible and safe on Halloween? These trick-or-treat safety hacks will keep your little ones visible after dark!

So you’ve got the Halloween costumes ready to go. And you’ve bought out the candy section of your local store. But have you checked trick-or-treat safety off your list yet? Think about it: Little people are tiny. A lot of creepy Halloween costume ideas (vampire, witch, spider, etc.) are dark. And in many places, trick-or-treating …

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Are Weighted Blankets Worth It? (Comprehensive Review)

Are weighted blankets worth the hype, and worth the price? If you want to know whether weighted blankets are worth it, here's what we've learned.

Weighted Blanket Pros and Cons: One Neurodiverse Family’s Unbiased Weighted Blanket Review As long-time readers know, I am obsessed with getting a good night’s sleep. I am obsessed with my kids sleeping well. I am especially obsessed with overcoming all the hurdles mamas face to a good night’s sleep. So with all the hype in …

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How to Protect Your Kids From Tick Bites: What Works Best?

Summer is just around the corner. Are you ready to protect your kids from tick bites? Here's what I've learned about the best way to prevent tick bites.

How To Avoid Tick Bites This Summer: Your Best Bet for Preventing Tick Bites (Originally published May 20, 2017; last updated May 2020) Summer is just around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere. Are you ready to protect your kids from tick bites? Since at least 2017, it seems that each spring brings fresh warnings …

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Holiday Gift Ideas for Neurodiverse Children

Got kiddo(s) with a learning difference or two? These holiday gift ideas for neurodiverse children are kid- AND Mama-approved as worth reading.

Great Books for Kids with Learning Differences (and those without!) With the holiday gift-giving season approaching, many of us may be thinking about the perfect gift ideas for our kiddos. And now that we have two kiddos in our house whose brains are wired differently than the average child’s – one of whom is “2E” …

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Gift Ideas To Help Mom Be More Productive

What mama couldn't use a few extra hours in the day? These gift ideas are among my fave hacks to help mom be more productive every day.

My Fave Mom Hacks for Getting Stuff Done: If you’re a parent, I am betting there are never enough hours in the day. Ever wish you could clone yourself, or have that magic tool Hermione used in Harry Potter to get twice as much done at once? If so, Mamas, you should seriously consider putting …

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The Ultimate Bullet Journal Gift List

Need the perfect bullet journal gift ideas for that BuJo fan on your holiday list (or maybe for yourself?). This list has you covered!

Do you have someone who loves bullet journaling on your holiday gift list? Have you been thinking about starting your own Bullet Journal? Or are you a hardcore BuJo fan already? This bullet journal gift list covers all those bases and then some! I’m about to start my third year of Bullet Journaling. For all …

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Unique Gift Ideas For Your Favorite Foodie

Need some holiday gift ideas for the chef in your life? These gift ideas are sure to please your favorite foodie and home-kitchen chef alike.

Do you have a home-based chef in your life? This list of unique Christmas gift ideas for your favorite foodie has something sure to please all the food lovers in your life! So pull out your holiday gift list, and take notes on these kitchen-related gift options: This is a collaboration post. However, please know …

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What’s Going To Be Hot This Christmas?

Want to know what's going to be hot this Christmas? Here's a sneak peek at the top toys and games for the 2018 Christmas gift-giving season!

Counting the days to Christmas yet? With Christmas Eve three months from today, it’s never too early to start planning your Christmas shopping strategy. With that in mind, here are some clues on what gift ideas are going to be hot this Christmas. This forecast of 2018’s trendiest toys will give you a jump-start on …

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Sleep Better Tonight: Five Often-Overlooked Hacks

Want to sleep better tonight? I'm willing to bet you haven't even HEARD of #3-5, let alone tried them. They've helped me immensely; give them a go and you may sleep better, too!

How’d you sleep last night? Did you toss and turn? Did you wake up feeling lousy? Or did you fall asleep right away, and wake up feeling refreshed? If waking up well-rested sounds like a pipe dream, do something about it! Small, simple changes can help you sleep better tonight, as I know from firsthand …

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Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets for Busy Parents

At under $25 each, these must-have kitchen gadgets will save you time AND money, while helping you prep healthy home-cooked meals for your family.

Mamas (and daddies) who spend time in the kitchen, have you put together your holiday gift lists yet? These ten must-have kitchen gadgets should be on your list. They are game-changers, saving you time AND money while making food prep with little helpers more efficient. I’ve raved about several items on this list in other …

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Super Stocking Stuffers for Happy Travelers

Need some stocking-stuffer ideas for Christmas? Or a "little something" for friends' kids at the holidays? These super stocking stuffers are under $10 each!

Need some stocking-stuffer ideas for Christmas? Or a “little something” to give to friends’ kids at the holidays? These super stocking stuffers are under $10 each, and are favorites in our house for family travel. And one of the best parts? There are no batteries or sounds involved! No fighting over electronics, running out of …

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10 Genius Ebates Hacks to Save *Even More* This Holiday Season

Another holiday shopping season is upon us. Black Friday is only a few short weeks away, but the stores, catalogs, and advertising industry are already in full swing, doing their best to separate YOU from as much of your hard-earned money as possible. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get some of that money …

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10 Reasons Children’s Resale Events Rock

If you've never shopped (or sold) at children's resale events, let me share a secret with you: they're amazing! Here are 10 of my favorite reasons why.

I’m a hard-core fan of children’s resale events, or what we refer to as “Baby Consignment Sale” in our house. Since this week’s post coincides with my first fall event, I thought a little peek into why I (and so many other mamas) LOVE these events was appropriate. What are consignment sales, and how can …

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My Top 10 Family Camping Splurges, Part 2

When Kimmie checked into sleep-away camp yesterday, her gear included lots of my family camping splurges. Which is why her luggage took up a fraction as much space as the other kids'.

I have to admit, I was pretty proud when I dropped Kimmie off at her first sleep-away camp adventure yesterday. She’s there for all of two nights, and her luggage reflected this fact. Thanks to the family camping splurges we invested in last summer, she was one of the best-outfitted kids there. And also one …

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Family Camping Splurges: My Top Ten Picks, Part 1

If you and your family like to camp, these family camping splurges will make your adventures oh-so-much-nicer.

As longtime readers know, I’m not a fan of having stuff one doesn’t need. But if you camp often enough, these family camping splurges are worth considering. And many of them have uses beyond family camping trips. I added these things to our family camping checklist after three back-to-back camping trips last summer. While we …

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Smart Games For Your Holiday Gift List

Looking for some super gift ideas for your little ones this holiday season? Try some Smart Games. What are Smart Games? Smart Games is a company founded in Belgium that makes a super selection of games to grow your kid’s brain. The games are designed to help kids develop problem-solving skills and other basic brain functions that …

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From Leakproof Sippy Cup to Top Travel Mug: My Fave Beverage Containers

Ever since becoming a parent, I’ve been on a quest for beverage containers that won’t leak. First it was a leakproof sippy cup. Then it was leakproof not-quite-sippy cups for the preschool set. Next it was leakproof water bottles for school, hikes, and family outings. Why is the quest for a leakproof sippy cup or …

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From Best Highchair Ever to Only Booster You’ll Need: My Top Picks

From my budget pick (the Fisher-Price Booster Seat) to my splurge (the Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair), these highchair/booster seat combos are the only ones you'll ever need.

How do you know you need to find the best highchair ever? Maybe you’re a first-time parent. Maybe your second or third child is ready to try solids, but a slightly-older sibling is still hogging the highchair. Or maybe you’re realizing that your former mealtime solution no longer works. Whatever the case, you realize you …

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Babywearing Made Easier, From Dads to Hikes to Big(ger) Babies: My Votes for Favorite Baby Carrier

For many of us, summer is a time to travel, to take in some hiking, to do things together as a family. But for some of you, this may be your first summer doing these things with Baby, or with more than one child. Which raises the question, how are you going to schlep those …

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