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Baby Talk: What Should Parents Have Waiting for the New Baby?

 

Having a baby is such a joyous occasion, sometimes new parents (or parents of older kids) forget what they should have waiting for the new baby when they come home from the hospital.

There are many things that you are going to need to make a new baby feel comfortable when they get home from the hospital. I’ve compiled a list of some of the things that I have found essential when I’ve brought my babies home. You might not need or want all of these items, but I found each and every one useful.

 

 

 

The very first thing you are going to need is non-negotiable. If you live in America and you are going to be driving your new baby home you absolutely need an infant car seat. There are some car seats made for just infants, and there are “convertible” car seats that can go from infant to baby to big kid. It just depends what you prefer. Be sure that you are buying a NEW car seat, used car seats are just not safe, especially if they have ever been in any kind of car crash. Also, car seats have expiration dates on them that you really need to pay attention and heed the warning sticker. When you are picking out your car seat make sure that you also pay attention to the weight limits on the seat. Make sure that you get a seat that will keep a baby as small as 6 pounds safe, you never know what the weight of your baby will be!

 

I’m sure that if you are expecting a baby you are probably well stocked with baby clothes, baby blankets, diapers, wipes, and bottles, and a crib, but have you picked up a bassinet or play yard that has a bassinet attachment yet? These items are extremely handy when the baby is 0-3 months, especially if the new Mommy plans on breast feeding. My daughter slept next to me in the bassinet for the first 3 months of her life, and it made it so much easier to tend to her needs during the night rather than have to go into her room down the hall. It might sound lazy to you, but she was a very bad sleeper, waking up 9+ times every night. As with the weight of your baby, you never know if you will have a good or bad sleeper, and it’s better to be prepared. If you choose the play yard with bassinet attachment then when the baby has outgrown sleeping in the attachment then you can take it off and you have a great playpen to stick the baby in while you are showering or cooking.

 

 

Another item that I found very useful was a baby swing. My kids only liked it up until about 6 months or so, but it was really very handy for calming them down when they were upset, or entertaining them for a bit so I could eat or get housework done. There are a few different styles, but they all have the same basic functions of swinging as well as playing music. Some are battery powered and others use a wall cord. If possible I would go with the wall cord option, my old swing took 4 D batteries at a time, and they really didn’t last very long when powering the swing, especially as my kids gained weight.

 

 

After reading this article I hope that you have a better idea of what types of things that new parents should have waiting at home for their newborn. How about getting some of these essentials on DealDash? They have all types of items in many different categories there, check out the Toys, Kids, & Baby section to find some awesome products. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

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12 Weeks Until Thanksgiving, Time to Get Ready

It’s only 12 weeks until Thanksgiving! As a first-time Thanksgiving host for my family I have already started my prep, and I have learned a few tips along the way.

The first thing that I noticed when I began my Thanksgiving prep was that I just didn’t have the right tools to get the job done. I definitely needed to get a roasting pan for the turkey itself, but I was also in need of a selection of different sized casserole dishes to put all of my sides in to bake and serve. After all, what’s Thanksgiving without the green bean casserole and the sweet potatoes? Luckily for me, DealDash has a great selection of kitchen items.

 

Speaking of delicious casseroles, here are a few recipes that you might like to try if you are going to be hosting your family’s Thanksgiving this year.

 

Classic Green Bean Casserole – This is probably the exact recipe that your Mother or Grandmother got off of a soup can 40 years ago.

Ingredients:

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk 
1 teaspoon soy sauce 
1 dash black pepper 
4 cups cooked cut green beans 
1 1/3 cups French’s® French Fried Onions 

Directions:

1- Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

2- Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling.  Stir the bean mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining onions.

3- Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

You’re done! Even people who don’t normally like green beans usually enjoy this casserole.

Another favorite around the Thanksgiving table is another seasonal casserole, the Sweet Potato Casserole. If you aren’t familiar with Sweet Potato Casserole, it’s based on sweet potato pie, a favorite in the South. This famous Thanksgiving side dish has a delicious history. The marshmallows were added by Janet McKenzie Hill, the founder of the Boston Cooking-School Magazine, in 1917, when the marshmallow evolved from a specialty confection into an everyday treat. If you’ve never had it you should definitely give it a try this year. Here is a quick and easy recipe.

Ingredients:

4 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes 

2 tablespoons butter 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cooking spray 

3 cups miniature marshmallows 

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 425°.

2- Place sweet potatoes in a shallow baking pan lined with foil. Bake at 425° for 1 hour or until tender. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

3- Peel sweet potatoes; place in a large bowl. Add butter and next 3 ingredients (through cinnamon); mash with a potato masher until pureed. Spoon potato mixture into a 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

4- Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Top with marshmallows; bake an additional 10 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned.

That’s it! If you don’t tell the kids what it’s made of they will be sure to tear into the marshmellowy goodness.

If you are going to be hosting your family’s Thanksgiving this year be sure to check out DealDash. There are so many things there that you will be able to use for Thanksgiving dinner, but also be able to incorporate into your everyday use as well. Some examples of things you might want to look for in the kitchen section are: knife sets, pot & pan sets, cutlery, baking items, and much more. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

Fun in the Kitchen

Do you love to cook? Well, even if you don’t, here are some ways that you can have fun in the kitchen.

One of my favorite ways to have fun in the kitchen is to have unique kitchen gadgets and fun-colored small appliances. There are a few popular brands that make an awesome array of different colored small appliances to appease anyone looking for something a little “different.”

 

There are also a number of lesser-known brands from other countries such as France and Finland that make really adorable kitchen items that definitely ramp up the fun factor.

 

 

Another great way to have fun in the kitchen is to get your kids involved! Babies love to sit on the floor while you cook and play with pots and pans, while kids as young as 3 can learn to crack an egg or pour and mix for you. Elementary school-aged children can really be a lot of help to you, with very specific safety instructions and close supervision they can learn how to chop veggies and fruits, measure ingredients, and read to you from a cookbook so you don’t have to keep wiping your hands off before you touch the book. If you still don’t like cooking by the time these trained tiny chefs go to Middle school, well, maybe they can take over the cooking for you!

 

 

 

My last suggestion for you to help you have more fun in the kitchen is to get some gadgets that you don’t really need, but ones that make your life easier. Personally, my favorite kitchen gadget is my stand mixer, which I definitely don’t need, but it comes in handy now and again, and it always looks beautiful sitting on my kitchen counter. My sister is a little more practical, her favorite kitchen gadget is a margarita maker. It gets significantly more use than my stand mixer, and everyone gets excited when she brings it out of the pantry and yells “Margarita Time!!!” If we’re really being honest here, maybe my sister is the one you should be asking for advice on how to have fun in the kitchen!

 

I hope this article has encouraged you to try some of my strategies for having fun in the kitchen. If you’re interested in getting some items to help you with cooking at home head on over to DealDash. DealDash has food processors, stand mixers, cookware, and plenty of other items that you can use. Check out the Kitchen & Appliances category and I’m sure that you’ll find something that you can use to make your time in the kitchen a little more fun. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Living Healthy: Let’s Learn About Fitness Equipment

 

Welcome back to DealDash Blog’s Living Healthy series. Today’s blog is going to introduce you to some pieces of fitness equipment and tell you how to use them.

 

Let’s start out with everyone’s favorite, the treadmill. Treadmills are the indoor motorized equivalent of walking or running in place. You simply keep up with a belt that’s moving under your feet. Your treadmill workout will burn about the same number of calories as walking or running outdoors, yet in your lovely air conditioned and internet equipped house.

If you’re getting on a treadmill for the first time, or even more importantly if you’re someone who hasn’t had any strenuous physical activity for at least three months, it’s recommended that you begin with walking. By training consistently (initially twice a week and then three times a week), you can gradually increase the intensity of your exercise by increasing your speed and incline.

 

Next up is the exercise bike. The exercise bike is a piece of exercise equipment having handlebars, pedals, and seat like a bicycle, and you pedal and stay in a stationary place, which is why is is also sometimes called a stationery bike. The exercise bike comes in both computerized and non-computerized versions. Computerized exercise bikes typically have digital displays that let you know how many calories you’ve burned and how much distance you’ve cycled. Some even have the technology for evaluating your heart rate and speed. If you like to have a calorie count, a computerized model may be for you. However, a non-computerized model will help you to burn calories just as well (You just won’t know how much you’ve burned!)

As with the treadmill, if you haven’t been exercising regularly then start slowly.If you strain yourself, you will be in too much pain to want to work out the next day. Start with 15 minutes on the bike, but understand that it’s okay to stop earlier if it becomes too much for you. Eventually, your legs will get used to the workout, and it will be more comfortable to do the entire 15 minutes. Gradually work up to 30 minutes on the bike. Once you are comfortable at this level, work towards a goal of spending one hour on the exercise bike, five days per week.

 

The last piece of exercise equipment that we are going to talk about today is the rower, or rowing machine. An indoor rower is a machine used to simulate the action of watercraft rowing for the purpose of exercise or training for rowing. In addition to being a great strength training exercise, rowing is an intense calorie-burning exercise. Although new rowers with less ability and training will burn fewer calories, the rowing machine is an excellent piece of exercise equipment for use in a weight-loss program.

If you are a total beginner with the indoor rower, please watch some YouTube videos to learn the proper form, I have included a link to one at the end of this article. If you use the rower improperly you can give yourself a back injury. After you have learned the proper form for rowing, shoot for 15 minute sessions at a 1-3 level of resistance. After you have mastered this, try to work yourself up to 30 minutes at a 3-5 level of resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this article has encouraged you to think about your health and how different pieces of exercise equipment could benefit your fitness. If you’re interested in getting some items to get you started head on over to DealDash. DealDash has all of the pieces of equipment that we talked about, as well as water bottles, mats, and plenty of other items that you can use to get healthy. Check out the Hobbies, Outdoors, & Sports category and I’m sure that you’ll find something that you just love. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

 

 

Having Good Habits in the Office

Having good work habits in the office, or even the home office can benefit everyone.

Are you the type of person who can get to work and immediately get down to business? Or are you more like the rest of the population and need a little encouragement to get you going? Well, in this article I am going to try and share a little bit of what I have learned about having good work habits.

  • Keep your area neat and tidy – Keeping your desk space clean, neat, and orderly is very important for a few reasons. Namely, it’s much easier to have a clear and organized mind when your desk space is clean and ready for you to get to work. A great way to keep your desk neat and tidy is to get a desk organizer to hold all of your pens, post-it notes, and other small items.

 

  • Punctuality – Being on time for work (or even a little early) is a great trait for any employee to have. To be successful you should have already put your things away and gotten your coffee and be ready to sit down and work when you are due to start, not rushing in the door at the very last minute. This also applies to working at home, too. If you have the luxury of being able to work at home you should treat your home office with as much respect as you would treat a regular office, and keep regular hours.

 

  • Personality and Teamwork – Having a positive attitude and being willing to work as a team with your colleagues is a very important work habit to have. When you get to the office in the morning try and imagine yourself having a great day before it even starts. Try to greet your co-workers cheerfully and be willing to help out on projects. If you are able to achieve these feats then you are well on your way to having a great day at work.

 

I hope this article helps you on a journey to better work habits. If you’re interested in getting some new items for your office or home office, head on over to DealDash. If you browse the Home & Office  category I’m sure that you’ll find something that you just love. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!