Category: Books

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas during Social Distancing

We are all going though a difficult time, many of us under lock-down orders or even quarantined at some point during the last few months. Now more than ever, Moms, Dads and caregivers are doing so much to keep their families safe, fed and happy. With Mother’s Day coming up we thought one of the best gift ideas for our hardworking and loving mothers is a subscription box tailored to what they like the most! You don’t have to go anywhere to shop for this gift and they will be delivered directly to the recipients doorstep – perfect! Without further adieu here are 8 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas during Social Distancing.

Below we have listed some of our favorite subscription boxes, some we have tried and some we want to!

Note: Affiliate links below. If you click on and purchase any item from this list, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. We thank you for supporting us and keeping our website running!

Causebox

Nanette has tried Causebox and loves it. Every season, members receive a limited edition curation of products from the leading socially conscious brands. Items such as jewelry, bags, eco-friendly items such as reusable product bags or stainless steel mugs and more are included and themed to the season.

Read our review and un-boxing here: Summer Causebox Unboxing and Curated Mother’s Day Gift Box for Only $54.95

Angels’ Cup

If the Mother you’re buying for loves coffee, this subscription box would be a great idea. We also have subscribed to his one and love it! With “The Cupping Flight” subscription you receive 4 32g coffee samples per month. Each sample makes about 2 cups of coffee. The samples come in a blind bag with a number clearly written on the front.

Read our review here: Angels’ Cup Review Coffee Subscription Box. Also, You get 25% off with our code TODAYINEEDACUP!

Birchbox

Birchbox is a beauty, hair and skincare subscription box that sends the recipient 4-5 products a month in a beautifully decorated box. The items will sometimes be sample sized and sometimes full sized. Nanette has been subscribed to Birchbox for eight years! It is great for anyone looking to learn about different beauty brand and try new products.

Wickbox

For moms who love candles and decorating. Each Wickbox features a surprise candle expertly curated to match your scent preferences, delivered to your door monthly.

Plum Deluxe Tea

Mom’s who love tea with love this subscription box! Each month the recipient will get a one oz premium, seasonal tea made just for the club (approx 15-20 cups) and a sample of a tea from their shop.

Decocrate

Perfect for mom’s who love to decorate! Decocrate is a subscription box that makes your home a little more up-to-date with each box. Every three months, they send a handpicked selection of home décor that evokes the season, keeps your space feeling fresh, and works with the pieces you already own and love.

Flaviar

If your mom isn’t about the Rosé, how about the gift of hard to get whiskey? Flaviar is a Whiskey club for explorers at heart. Get them tasting, exploring and engaging with flavors in the world’s largest club of spirits enthusiasts! Give the gift of good taste. This one is highly recommend by our brother 😉

Stitch Fix

Does your mom never have enough time to shop for clothes? Try a gift card from Stitch Fix! Fill out your profile and Stitch Fix will send you pieces to try on at home before you buy. Keep your favorites, send back the rest.

Read our reviews here: I Bought Everything in My Fall Clothing Stitch Fix Box and November Stitch Fix Try-on

April 28, 2020
King Arthur Flour’s Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza Review!
For the past few weeks, I have been seeing photo after photo of mouthwatering pan pizzas all over my social media. This is because like years past, King Arthur Flour announced their recipe of the year. This year did not disappoint. The King Arthur Flour’s 2020 Recipe of the Year is Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza. Read on for our King Arthur Flour’s Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza Review!

I posted the link to King Arthur Flour’s recipe above (we are not affiliated with or sponsored by King Arthur Flour in any way, we’re just fans). Read on for the different choices I made and what I thought of the recipe.

My Notes and Review

This isn’t a recipe for a quick weeknight dinner, the dough needs to sit for at least 12 hours. Mine sat overnight. But, it is worth it! I would recommend making this on the weekend or when you are having guests, it really is a showstopper. Note: You will need a cast iron pan.

I chose to make a version of my Cast Iron Jalapeno Popper Pizza with the pan crust from the King Arthur Flour recipe. I followed all the instructions to a T, prepped the dough the day before, dimpled it with my fingers and let it sit out in my cast iron pan for 2 hours before baking. Let me tell you – it came out magnificent! The bottom of the crust was crisp, the inside springy, and the edges were a crunchy, cheesy deliciousness.

In the pan before baking. Notice the layers of cheese and toppings. Is your mouth watering yet?

Now, for what I did differently. I used a 12 inch cast iron pan, which is bigger than the recommended size in the recipe. Because of this, the first 1 cup cheese layer didn’t quite cover all of the crust. I just added an extra 1/4 cup of cheese at this step. Then I layered with my cream cheese/salsa verde “sauce”, some bbq chicken, crumbled bacon, more cheese, and sliced jalapeños.

Look at the gooey cheesiness!

Final Thoughts

This pizza turned out mouthwatering. So amazing that my husband couldn’t stop raving about it. Like him, I kept going back for a little bit more. Needless to say, I highly recommend this recipe and will be making many different versions of it in the months to come.

Other Recipes to Try
- Easy and Kid Friendly Mini Pizzas
- Quick & Easy Spicy Chicken and Bacon Pasta
March 4, 2020
Sparks! Kids Book Review – Great for reluctant readers!

Our newest book review comes as a request from my 8-year-old daughter. She picked up this book, Sparks!, at the library and has re-read it at least 6 times so far! Like lots of kids, she is drawn to graphic novels more than chapter books and this is one of her favorites. This book would make a great gift for kids who love cats and/or humor.

Sparks! Kids Book Review

Sparks! is a fun graphic novel about two cats who save the day while inside a mechanical dog costume. One cat is an indoor only cat who is scared to go outside and the other is an adventurous outdoor cat. You can check it out here at our affiliate link: https://amzn.to/32gjs1m.

The cats make a great team and, of course, are aided in their quest by a walking, talking litter box which provides some additional humor of the potty sort which delights elementary age children everywhere. Seriously, I overheard my daughter reading something to her younger sister about a porta-potty party, which she found especially hilarious.

While this book might be a bit different in concept, it has everything an 8 – 10 year old loves: animals, humor, aliens, great visuals and perilous situations where the cats are always saving the day. The humor is age appropriate, my daughter specifically loves the parts with the dance parties. She loved the small twist at the end and ran to show me. I won’t show you though, no spoilers! We will for sure be checking out the second book in the series as soon as it comes out!

After reading this book and getting my daughters’ input, I checked out out the reviews on Amazon. The reviewers said the same thing – this book is great for reluctant readers and kids who love cats and animals. By the way, this book is getting all 5 star reviews! Pick a copy up for the fun-loving child in your life today!

Find the first book here: https://amzn.to/32gjs1m
Find the second book here: https://amzn.to/39NOBLW

Check out our other book reviews!
The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel Review
Mighty Jack and Zita the Space Girl

February 19, 2020
Raddish Kids Subscription Box Review
Carefully cutting the Zucchini

My daughter received a Raddish kids subscription box for Christmas this year from her grandmother. It’s become a tradition for them to pick a different subscription box each year. It’s a fantastic gift idea, they look forward to getting a package in the mail every month. *My oldest daughter chose Little Passports – stay tuned for a review.

Heart Measuring Spoons

After receiving her first box my daughter was a little disappointed because she thought she would be receiving food along with her recipes, similar to HelloFresh. Each Raddish box includes three different recipes, a shopping list, a kitchen utensil, some activities and a patch for her apron.

Shopping List!

It is important to note that this box requires some heavy adult involvement compared to others we received like Tinker Crate and Kiwi Crate. Also, it will likely require a grocery shopping trip! After receiving her first box my daughter was upset that we couldn’t dive into the recipe right away. Involving her in the prep, like writing her own shopping list, had her excited again.

Raddish Recipe Card

So far, we have made the Harty Lasagna Soup and Raspberry Love Muffins. Both recipes were delicious and easy for my 6-year-old to follow with help. We will be making both recipe again for sure! The heart measuring spoons were also a HUGE hit. Once we were able to cook and get into the recipes my daughter was over the moon. She is now looking forward to her next box!

Raddish Recipe Card Inside – Easy Directions

Overall, I would recommend the Raddish kids subscription box for any child who really loves to cook! If you have a smaller child, know that they will need parent supervision. I plan to update this review as more boxes arrive. We also still have multiple recipes we haven’t been able to try yet.

Hearty Lasagna Soup

Other Subscription Box Reviews
February 7, 2020
Angels’ Cup Review ~ Coffee Subscription Box
It all began Christmas of 2018 when my husband stumbled upon Angels’ Cup. Luckily, he gifted me their “The Cupping Flight” subscription and my journey to learning more about coffee began. I enjoyed the subscription so much that I requested it from my Secret Santa this year, who happened to be Carolyn!

I love coffee but I’m not a coffee aficionado. Coffee is a much needed step in my daily routine, I love coffee for the caffeine! With Angels’ Cup blind pack I’ve been able to learn more about coffee and develop a better palate.

Before we get into specifics we have an exclusive offer for readers. Use code TodayINeedACup for 25% off your order. Visit Angels’ Cup through our affiliate link: HE R E

Nanette’s Angels’ Cup Subscription Review

With “The Cupping Flight” subscription you receive 4 32g samples per month, each sample makes about 2 cups of coffee. The samples come in a blind bag with a number clearly written on the front. You can enter this number into the Angels’ Cup app to start your tasting.

You have 3 tasting options, Quick, Beginner or Advanced. Since I’m fairly new at coffee tasting I like to use the Beginner. When starting the tasting you can choose brew method and note the color of the grounds. Next, you assess the taste using a chart that details complexity, body, bitterness, sweetness and aftertaste. (see below)
After that, you move on to Aroma & Flavor, this is my favorite part. The app provides a wheel with a large selection of flavor/aroma options such as fruits, flowers, herbs, grains, vegetables and more.

Compare to Roastmaster

Finally, you can rate how much you enjoyed the coffee from 0-10 and add any additional comments. The next step is my favorite, once you submit your review you can compare it to a Roastmaster! Are you on target or completely in left field? The more tastings I do the closer I get to tuning my tastebuds and matching the Roastmaster.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend Angels’ Cup, it makes a unique gift for any holiday – Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day or even National Gourmet Coffee Day (Jan. 18th)!

Eric’s Angels’ Cup Subscription

Eric’s Coffee Subscription Review

Carolyn didn’t only purchase a subscription for me, she also surprised her coffee loving husband. So don’t just take my word for it, read what he has to say.

Eric’s Review: Angel’s Cup was a pleasant surprise gift this year. I had no clue something like this existed but am glad it’s does. Each month I get several choice selections of coffees varying in origin and tasting notes. Even though I always look at what I’m drinking, the packaging provides an opportunity for mystery as each coffee bag is unlabeled (except a number correlated to its description card). I’m excited to try out next month’s coffee adventure. This was a great gift for a daily coffee drinker like me.

Other Subscription Box Reviews

Check out our Reviews for Causebox and Stitch Fix if you are you a subscription box lover.
January 22, 2020
The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel Review!

80’s & 90’s kids rejoice, The Baby-Sitters Club books are back as graphic novels. Our kids now get to experience the babysitting antics of the club in their own way and I, for one, am super excited about it. I loved The Baby-Sitters Club books as a girl, the entire series is in a box in my basement. I’m just waiting for my girls to be old enough to finally read them. I mean, look at this picture!

Just look at this collection! Memories, right?

But, before I could get them out, my daughter saw one of the new graphic novels at her school book fair and asked me to get it for her. Of course, I couldn’t say no! She started reading #6 in the series, Kristy’s Big Day, and didn’t want to put it down. Direct quote from my 8-year-old: “Mom, can you get me the rest of these books, I love them!” She also loves how the girls work together to problem-solve and the funny situations the girls get into while babysitting.

From what I could see, the characters are still there and the graphic novels retain their original friendships and humor. So, I am more than happy to get the rest of the set for my daughter.

Get The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels today, find them using our affiliate links below.

Kristy’s Big Day #6- https://amzn.to/30xpeuy
Kristy’s Great Idea #1 – https://amzn.to/369FPpD
Box Set Books 1-7 – https://amzn.to/30xpFVI

Also, check our these other graphic novels and books we reviewed.

Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl
Lumberjanes
Misfit City

January 18, 2020
HelloFresh Review ~ Family Meal Box
Yummy, this family loves HelloFresh! Read further for our full HelloFresh Review.

This is our second time trying HelloFresh, 2 years ago we decided to get their meal delivery boxes after we found Blue Apron to be lacking in family friendly meals. They did deliver to our small town in Maine but the ‘fresh’ in HelloFresh was lacking and we had to cancel.

Fast forward 2 years and we found the need to try meal delivery again so we decided to give HelloFresh another go. We chose them because of their family friendly meal options. Our two girls aren’t super picky but they can’t handle spice and prefer comfort food.

HelloFresh Review

I was very happy to see all of the changes they made. You can choose from MANY different meal options each week instead of just a handful. Their delivery is spot on and everything has been arriving very fresh. We have had a few leaky chicken and salmon packages but customer service is very slick and we have been issued credits quickly.

The most impressive thing are the meals themselves. They are super flavorful and easy to adapt for children who prefer less spice or no sauce… or their veggies untouched by seasoning. There are audible “This is sooo good”, “Mom, I LOVE this!” and “This is the best meal ever.”

Meal Cards vs. Actual Meals

Below I have taken some meal card vs. actual meal shots. My presentation isn’t great but you get the idea. My kids favorite is the Crispy Parmesan Chicken and my husband loves all the burgers and the Tunisian-Spiced Meatballs.

Tips on Picking a Recipe

Tip: On every recipe you can see the approximate time it takes to cook and prep! You can choose a quicker meal for the weekday and something that takes a little longer for the weekend. If you can cook uninterrupted and know how to prep foods quickly these times are fairly accurate. If not, they may take a little longer. Getting the timing right takes a little practice – once you get going on a recipe there isn’t much room to stop so plan accordingly. Distract your kids with an activity so you can cook!

Check out our other Subscription Box Reviews
December 3, 2019
Not So Scary Halloween Books for Kids
We love reading here at Today I Need A… and when I was younger I loved reading scary, spooky stories. I still remember going to the library with my mom and looking to check out one of the R.L. Stein or Goosebumps books that I hadn’t read yet. I was definitely a little older than my kids are now, and I currently have one little 5 year old who does NOT like to be scared like I did. So that is why I put together a list of the books we read with our little ones during this time of year. None of them are too scary, but they are still festive. Happy Reading! 🛍️ This post contains affiliate links– thank you for supporting us.

Room on the Broom – Love this book, Netflix has an animated short movie of this book with the same name. Find it here: https://amzn.to/2OXBDEs *Affiliate link

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything – We love this book too, we even made up hand movements to go with the repeated phrases! https://amzn.to/2MR4980 *Affiliate link

Goodnight Goon – A fun twist on the original! https://amzn.to/2W0J67a *Affiliate link

Creepy Pair of Underwear – Always good for a giggle! https://amzn.to/2OXWeZg *Affiliate link

It’s Raining Bats and Frogs – We have had this book for a few years and it is still one of my girls’ favorites! They love the spells and illustrations. https://amzn.to/31nQSsS *Affiliate link

Vampirina Ballerina – Who wouldn’t like to read about a vampire ballerina? https://amzn.to/2oT5brX *Affiliate link

Ghoulia – For the slightly older kid ~ we just read it this week and both of my girls loved it! This is part of a series so there is more to keep the creepy fun going. https://amzn.to/35FicGp *Affiliate link

Hit up your local library!

Below is a list of books that are currently out of print, but you may be able to find at your library. That’s what we did! Happy Reading!
- Here They Come – David Costello
- Harold & Chester in Scared Silly: A Halloween Treat – James Howe
- The House that Drac Built – Judy Sierra
- The Man Who Tricked A Ghost – Laurence Yep
- That Terrible Halloween Night – James Stevenson
October 23, 2019
Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl

Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl

(I know the title of this graphic novel lists Mighty Jack first, but given that the girls and I read Zita long before Jack came around, I prefer to think of this as Zita’s book. Just sayin’.)

We’ve been reading Zita the Spacegirl in our house for years at this point, and author and artist Ben Hatke’s work appealed to our girls from the moment I brought her first book home. As I hate giving away too much information about a story (I’m looking at you, lengthy movie trailers that spoil everything), I’ll simply say that our girls found Zita’s original trilogy of graphic novels to be just the right combination of adventure and suspense, with a little heart-tugging thrown in for good measure. Zita’s was the kind of kids’ story that, once you finished it, you wish you could forget the entire thing just so you could read it all over again with a fresh brain. Her original story wraps up really nicely, which is a tough thing to do in any genre, but regardless, we were sorry to see it end. Like most fans, we hoped for – someday – just a little bit more. Just one more tale, perhaps.

That’s what made it so great to have her pop up in Jack’s latest adventures. Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl is a great combination of storylines; Jack’s is a fantastical take on the beanstalk mythos, while Zita’s is one of intergalactic adventure, and the story of their meeting and consequent quest to save Earth is told as only Ben Hatke can tell it. This book has the same combination of emotions – the real heart of Hatke’s stuff – that made his work on both Zita and Jack so great. We enjoyed Jack’s first two graphic novels – Mighty Jack, and then Mighty Jack and the Goblin King – and while I might be a far cry from the intended demographic, I was honestly happy to bring home another tale starring Zita, even if she was sharing the spotlight.

I know this writeup is a little vague, but I really want to avoid giving anything away. Suffice it to say, fans of Zita will see a lot of familiar faces in this book, and fans of Jack will see the wrapping-up of his overall storyline. It felt good to see them both back in action. And it felt good to see our girls’ faces when they saw that Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl was going to be the Books at Bedtime selection for the next several nights.

Please, pick up some work by Ben Hatke. Start with Zita, read Jack, and then read this latest offering starring both titular characters. I really don’t think you will be disappointed.

Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl: https://amzn.to/2ncsg7Q
Zita the Spacegirl: https://amzn.to/2mkBwGR

*affiliate links

September 27, 2019
We Love Lumberjanes! Great Girl Power Graphic Novels.

Lumberjanes

The title says it all – we have loved reading Lumberjanes!

My daughters are enamored with this series, which focuses on a group of girls who attend a Girl Scout-like summer camp, only to find themselves immersed in supernatural adventures and mysteries. When we got our hands on the first volume, we were excited to read it, and it has yet to disappoint.

The main characters – April, Mal, Ripley, Jo, and Molly – each have a distinct personality, as well as their own strengths and struggles, and every adventure requires them to ultimately work as team in order to succeed. Naturally, they tend to discover things about themselves, develop new survival or mystical skills, and learn to support one another throughout the process, all things which add to the rich storytelling. In addition, each story tends to contain just a little danger, a touch of original or classic mythology, and new material that builds upon the series’ mythos. Even when stories wrap up neatly, you tend to be left wondering what new obstacles the girls from Roanoke Cabin will face in their next adventure. My youngest daughter likes the fact that the girls work as a team, while my oldest loves the humor of the series. As for me, I gravitate toward the supernatural and paranormal aspects of the series, and the variety of personalities the writers have cultivated in both the main and supporting characters (Bear Woman is cantankerous, but tends to be one of my favorites).

Over the course of a number of Books at Bedtime sessions, we read the first ten volumes, each of which collects several issues of the series. The creative team does change over the course of the series, which sometimes took adjusting on our parts (we would read one volume, becoming accustomed to one writing or artistic style, only to find this had changed in the next volume). However, while the series may have its ups and downs (depending on what you’re looking for, storywise), there were never any disappointments or stories that the girls felt were uninteresting. Each volume we finished left us wanting to pick up the next one (we already have the next volume on the way).

Highly recommended (for kids and adults, alike). Pick up some Lumberjanes the next chance you get!

*affiliate links

August 23, 2019