Holiday Trips with Children and DealDash

 Here it is, the end of October! Does your family travel in November and December to visit relatives? If you have small kids even a small weekend trip requires preparation.

November is just a day away, and with November we have Thanksgiving, then of course December is right behind it with all of the holidays that come with it. My family makes at least 3 or 4 small trips in the winter season to visit various relatives, and let me tell you, travelling with small kids can be awful if you aren’t prepared.

Coleman Cooler Combo, Red

First and foremost, you should acquire a cooler that fits comfortably in your car, and fill it with all sorts of snacks and drinks. Even if the trip you’re taking to Grandma’s or Auntie’s is only a couple of hours, the kids will be whining “I’m hunnnnggrrryyy!” at the first fast food place they see. Save your money and your time by preempting the hungries with kid friendly snacks such as grapes, goldfish crackers, pretzels, and juice boxes in your cooler. You can find some nice travel coolers on DealDash in the Hobbies, Toys, Outdoors, and Games section.

RCA 7-Inch Dual Screen DVD PlayerApple iPod Classic 160GB MP3 PlayerApple iPad mini with Retina display Wi-Fi 32GB, Space Gray

Next up in saving your sanity, entertainment! There there are some great products out there such as portable DVD players for the car, and of course MP3 players and tablets. Just make sure that you get some headphones for the kids from DealDash. That way the kids will be occupied with their devices and you can have some peace and quiet. Check the Electronics & Computer section for a variety of headphones and other electronic devices. A word of advice, though – if you have small kids under the age of 12 or so, please don’t let them use earbuds. Earbuds aren’t safe for younger kids who don’t realize that it will hurt their ears to turn up the volume too loud. Please choose over-the-ear styles for younger kids. A lot of the headphones meant for children have a built in volume regulator so the kids can’t turn them up too loudly and damage their hearing. Please check the headphones carefully before you let your kids use them to be sure they are at a safe volume.

Disney Frozen Cool Tunes HeadphonesAmazing Spider-Man Headphones

Hopefully you and your kids will have a great holiday season visiting your family this year. Check out  DealDash and I’m sure you’ll find something to entertain even the most difficult child. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

That’s My Pet: Saltwater Fish

 

We have already talked about freshwater fish here on DealDashBlog before, but I think it’s time we progressed on to the next challenge: saltwater fish!

In this DealDash Blog series we have been highlighting different pets, given some basic facts about pet ownership, and hopefully helped you make informed decisions about your new furry, feathered, or finned family member. Having a saltwater or marine aquarium is a significantly harder challenge than a freshwater tank, and some would argue much harder and more time-consuming than a cat or dog.

As a person who had worked at a pet store as well as having my own freshwater aquariums for years at some point I decided that I was ready for a saltwater tank. To be honest…I wasn’t! I jumped in feet-first and tried to make everything beautiful as fast as possible. It had always worked with freshwater aquariums before, and I was very surprised when all of my tank inhabitants died. I was very upset, and went back to freshwater for a while. I got the marine bug again about a year ago, and I am doing things correctly this time. Hopefully I can share some of my helpful tips so you don’t make the same mistakes that I made.

 

Hawkeye 2 Gallon 360 Starter Aquarium Kit with LED Lighting

There are a huge variety of different aquariums that you can get for your first set-up, most people find that the easiest thing to do is to get a kit that is already pre-assembled. DealDash has a few adorable nano tanks that some some equipment to get you started. Check them out in the Home, Garden, and Tools sections. However, if you would prefer to pick up the pieces yourself, here are the very basics that are recommended for a saltwater fish aquarium:

  • Fish tank or aquarium
  • Light source (LEDs or other strong lighting if you plan on doing corals)
  • External Filter, Protein skimmer
  • Water additives depending on if you keep corals or not
  • Power head for water movement
  • Thermometer
  • Fish food
  • Heater
  • Live rock
  • pre-made saltwater or RO water, bucket, and salt mix
  • Hydrometer (to measure how salty the water is)
  • Water testing kits (ph, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite at a bare minimum)
  • Sand (optional, some people prefer “bare bottom”)
  • UV light (optional, kills bacteria)
  • Magnet scraper (optional, to clean algae and salt deposits on glass without getting wet)

 

The size and type of aquarium that you purchase can determine the type and quantity of fish that you choose to put in your new aquarium. When doing saltwater fish, space is KEY. If you want a very small nano tank (10 gallons or less) then you probably just want to go with one small fish such as a clownfish (Nemo), or clown goby. Clown gobies aren’t quite as well known as clownfish, but they are amazingly cute and come in many different colors like yellow, blue, green, etc. Along with your one small fish and live rock you could also put in a small shrimp such as a peppermint shrimp. You can also add a few marine hermit crabs and snails. If you have good lighting you can also add some beginner corals such as kenya trees, pulsing xenia, mushrooms, or zoas.

If you are interested in having more than 1 or 2 small fish in your tank then you will need to go much bigger, I would say 40 gallons is the smallest tank that you should go with, but with saltwater, bigger is always better, because the water quality is more stable the bigger you go. I currently have a 90 gallon tank, and it’s definitely been the most successful (and biggest) tank that I have ever had.

Setting up your aquarium for saltwater is a simple process, but the key is patience. With freshwater you can basically go from no tank to a tank full of healthy happy fish in the span of a week. No so with saltwater.

  • Put your aquarium on whatever surface that you will be keeping it on long term, be it an actual aquarium stand, a dresser, table, desk, etc. If you’re looking for a nice sturdy piece of furniture to put a smaller tank on, check out DealDash.
  • Get your pre-made or mixed saltwater and add it to the aquarium, leaving a few inches unfilled at the top
  • Put in your sand if you will be using it
  • Install your heater, filter/protein skimmer, and thermometer
  • Add your live rock and arrange it how you would like
  • Finish filling the saltwater to the top
  • Plug in heater and filter/protein skimmer
  • Wait
  • And wait
  • And wait some more
  • Add fresh RO (reverse osmosis) water every day to make up for the evaporated water. Make sure you don’t add saltwater! As the saltwater evaporates every day the water leaves, but the salt stays in the tank. If you top off with saltwater every day then your water will be much too salty after a few days.
  • After a few weeks add a few snails and hermit crabs
  • If your snails and crabs seem to be doing well then use your water testing kit and test the water after your tank has been set up for 6 weeks or so
  • If your water tests well 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 or less nitrate then you just might be ready to add one fish. Please pick and small and inexpensive fish such as a damsel fish, don’t go for an expensive tang right away.
  • Try not to add more than one fish at a time, and wait a few in between adding fish. Before you add any more fish do a water test in between to make sure that your water parameters are safe.
  • Sit back, relax, and enjoy your new pets!

I hope that this article has helped you understand a little bit about setting up a saltwater fish aquarium. If you are in the market for an aquarium, pet store gift card, or any other pet-related items head on over to DealDash and see what they have up for bid today. I have gotten so many pet store gift cards from DealDash. And the best thing is, if I don’t win the auction then I can just buy the gift card for face value, they ship it to me for free, and give me all my bids back to try again. It’s really win-win! Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

1000 Free Bids go to…

The best photo of the week goes to Sabrina Dunbar‎. Congratulations! You just won 1000 free DealDash bids for posting this great photo of the Little Tikes Jump n Slide Bouncer valued at $247 that you won for only $41.04.

Since it was 50% off Auction day, Sabrina only paid $20.52!

12027221_10205565048222458_2541240501994598881_o
I won this Little Tikes Jump n Slide Bouncer worth 247 dollars with only 453 bids (which I had won earlier in the day)! The auction Endprice was 41.04 dollars, but since it was 50% off Auction day I only paid 20.02 Dollars.It arrived super fast and the shipping was free. I was so excited for this win – my daughter is enjoying it a lot! Thank you so much Dealdash!!

Have you collected your free bids for your posting your winning photos to Facebook? If not, you’re missing out on hundreds of free bids and a chance to win 1000 bids awarded weekly for the best photo.  Learn about how you can claim your free bids here.

Looking forward to seeing your photos!

Baby Talk: How to Encourage a Reluctant Older Sibling

 

Having a new baby is always so exciting, especially for the parents and grandparents. However, some kids are not quite as eager to meet their new tiny sibling.

I am currently pregnant with baby number 3, and I certainly remember how my oldest first reacted to the fact that we were going to have a new baby in the house – Let’s just say it didn’t go well. Since I have already lived through that experience, I am hoping that this one will be more smooth. Some new baby anger is inevitable, though the degree depends on the ages of the two (or three!) children, whether or not their personalities are similar, and quite a few other factors that may or may not apply in your own personal case.

Children over age three or four usually welcome a new baby into the home, and sometimes these children, at least on the surface, don’t seem to be jealous. For instance, my daughter just turned four, and she is very excited to meet the new baby, and she even said that she would change diapers! Being verbal helps them deal with the changes. However, it’s not unusual for kids younger than three to be upset for a while.

One of the best ways that I have found to “soften” the blow of having a new baby intruding into the household is to give both of my older kids more responsibilities and freedom. One of my daughter’s favorite things is jewelry, and I decided that it was about time she had a grown-up jewelry box. I was actually lucky enough to win a beautiful jewelry armoire  on DealDash. They have them up for auction every so often, and I was very happy to win the one in the white finish to match her bedroom furniture. If you’re interested in furniture of any type check out the Home, Garden, & Tools section on DealDash.

Acme Didi Jewelry Armoire, White FinishLinon Grace 4-Drawer Jewelry Armoire

 

My son will be 8 when my new baby is born, and I have already started giving him extra chores as an opportunity to prove how “grown up” he is, and he loves being able to earn extra ipad time in exchange for loading laundry or bringing in the garbage bins for me. If you’re looking for an ipad, try DealDash. They seem to have them up for auction almost daily.

Apple iPad mini 4 64GB Wi-Fi, Space Gray

Besides these small suggestions, the biggest one that I have is to try and spend the most time with your older kids as possible, before and after the baby arrives. Before the newbie is born tell your kids about when they were a baby. Even if they have heard the stories a million times before they still enjoy them. Look through old baby pictures, and if you have any of their old favorite outfits or toys bring them out and exclaim about how tiny and cute they were when they were babies…And how they are still cute, but so grown up now! When the baby is napping or with another family member try and take that time to spend some 1-on-1 time with your other children. Kids thrive on attention, so try to give them as much positive attention as you can on your limited time schedule.

 

After reading this article I hope that you have a better idea of how to deal with sibling rivalry with a new baby. If you’re looking for any baby or kid supplies check out the Toys, Kids, & Baby section to find some awesome products. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

DealDash

How I Decide What to Bid On

There are so many great items to bid on when you go to DealDash sometimes it’s hard to choose what you really want.

I really think that the most important thing to do before you make any kind of bidding commitment is to do your research! Once you have found something that you would really like to win and you feel like you can commit yourself to going all the way to the BIN price if you have to, then start checking out every auction for the item you want, as well as similar items.

For instance, if you are interested in a certain outdoor grill then make sure that you put every grill that’s even remotely similar with the similar BIN price on your watch list. You can put them on your watch list by clicking the little star in the upper right corner, and DealDash will save the auction for you so you can come back later and check it out. It’s one of my favorite DealDash features.

George Foreman Indoor/Outdoor Electric Barbeque Grill Backyard Grill 17.5-Inch Charcoal GrillChar-Broil Patio Bistro Electric Grill

The reason that you want to put the other similar grills onto your watch list is that some people aren’t too particular about name brand, color, etc. and they are just trying to win a grill, any grill. You will especially find this to be true when people are doing their Christmas shopping and they are bidding on DealDash to pick up gifts for people.

Once you have all of these grills (or whatever item you are interested in of course!) on your watch list you should try to watch each and every grill auction, and take note of what day and time they begin, and what the final auction price is. That way you can get a better idea of when might be your best time to take the plunge and start bidding. Just make sure that you get your first bid in before the auction hits $5 or you will be locked out.

So, DealDashers, that is how I decide what to bid on when I visit DealDash. Sometimes the plan works out beautifully and I won an awesome item, and other times I end up Buying It Now and using my bids a different day. That’s the fun of DealDash, you never know who will win! So go ahead and check out the auctions and see what you would really like to bid on and WIN! See you on DealDash everyone! Good luck and happy bidding.