Disney on Ice - Promo for Parent Club Readers

Disney On Ice Coupon Code Details

Promo code for the Toronto shows MCC - with this code you can purchase four tickets for $44 Monday-Friday (excluding Friday evening) and $4 off tickets for all weekend performances.

• The tickets can be purchased from http://www.ticketmaster.ca and by entering the MCC code in the “MC promotion” box when purchasing tickets.
  
• Minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each during the week and $4 off on weekends.
  
• Offer not valid on Rinkside or VIP seating.
  
• Cannot be combined with other offers. Service Charges, facility & handling fees will apply.

The Disney on Ice Princess Classics Giveaway!

Dec. 18 - Dec. 27 The Disney on Ice Princess Classics comes to Toronto.

Parent Club has 4 tickets for opening night on Dec. 18 to giveaway!

To Enter: Comment to this post about why you want to go(winner will be randomly drawn).

Rules (because life has rules)

• you can comment once per day
  
• Tweet the contest on Twitter - @ParentClub - (comment again that you did so) = an additional entry
  
• Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Parent Club
  
• Giveaway open to anyone who can get themselves to Toronto on Dec. 18 to see the show

Contest closes Dec. 1st

Also, there's a facebook page you can fan and share....they'll have extra giveaways and upcoming show info:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Disney-On-Ice-for-Toronto-Area-Families/50326833726?ref=ts

Parent Club Review: Barbie Fashionistas

The What: Barbie Fashionista Dolls

The How: With 100+ poses the Barbie Fashionista Dolls can stand alone. The Fashionista site has a fun video (you can print out a 'how to' poster for kids to follow the "do the barbie" dance moves).
The Review:Barbie is a classic toy. We often think of her as just a doll - but she is true open ended play where girls can role play without a necessary end (unlike a board game where you have to follow the rules and someone wins).

These Barbie Fashionista dolls are fab! They look cool (but not so cool like they look like they are selling something -- if you know what I mean...).

It is also so positive to see dolls of different colours ('cause the world isn't blond/blue eyed).

Every girl has a Barbie story...what is yours?

Car Seat Debate

Thank you to the Parent Club reader who sent this in...

"I have many car seats for my boys...8 in total - two in each of my cars and two for my parents car who watch the boys for us two days a week and two expired convertible booster seats, replaced just this week (and that is only counting the ones I currently have, not the two infant car seats I have already gotten rid of or or the three in one alpha omega I have long since passed on).

My issue is that these seats "expire", I believe they are only supposed to be used for 5 years...and then they should be disposed of...(another major issue I have...disposal of these items is disgusting...

option 1 - land fill

option 2 - ??? I don't actually know of any other option

My real problem here is that the seats are sold with the obvious intention of being used for two stages of a childs car seats needs, but you can't actually use them for the entire time they are needed if you don't want to use them past the expiration date. And also that there seems to be no real way to recycle the seats.

I found the following quote online "Dorel has been considering a car seat recycling program, Leckner says, but added that there has been no real demand from consumers for such a program.".

How can there not be a real demand from consumers for such a program?? I think we should demand it, in fact we insist on it!! I am so tired of all the work I do at home and work and in my community to make sure each piece of TRASH goes in the right bin, and then there just does not seem to be a right bin for these items...granted maybe I do have too many of them...but I would not need so many if they did not expire!!!

OK so that is the end of my rant...anything you think we can do about it? I found the statement from dorel to be both surprising and disappointing, in this age of green companies I am surprised any large organization would make such a statement and then to let it be posted on the Internet...how is it that this is not causing uproar among all of us green living parents!!!

The Transport Canada website presents their stand on car seat expiry dates HERE along with Canadian car seat manufacturers and 'useful life' expectancies.

Apparently, to dispose of a car seat one should "remove all harnessing, all padding, and place the shell and car seat parts in separate dark coloured garbage bags."

Parent Club - what do you think of car seats in Canada? - chime in through the comments...

Interview with Ann Douglas: Impact on life after Baby

According to a recent study conducted by Angus Reid, on behalf of Pampers,"69% of Canadian parents miss spontaneity - the ability to pick up and do whatever they want, whenever they want with their partner - after baby's arrival."

Parent Club interviewed Ann Douglas, author of The Mother of All Baby Books and parenting expert on the effects of a new baby on the family unit.

We discussed the life-changes with a new baby. The sleep deprivation. The exhaustion. The change of focus. How all this makes parents more emotional. It's a disruption in "normal" life (though, as we all know, "normal" goes out the window with every addition to the family).

Sleep deprivation can also contribute to a "what about me?" feeling. Parents can feel lonely. Resentful. Even depressed.

Ann recommends to recognize and welcome help from others. Look to your network of family and friends for support and a helping hand. It is hard to find time for yourself - but you need to make the time. For yourself. For re-connecting with the other parent.

It is ok to miss the spontaneity. It is also ok to miss the sleep. However, always remember that both eventually return to your life...in time.