Parent Club readers share holiday web finds

We've recieved a few Parent Club reader e-mails sharing some cool finds for the holiday season...

http://santa.sympatico.ca/home/ transform the traditional letter to Santa into a web 2.0 experience.


http://www.elfyourself.com/
is brought to you by Office Max (and powered by Jib Jab). You can add up to 5 jpeg pictures to create fun mini-videos of yourselves as elves. (If you are my friend on Facebook you can see the ones we created of Thing 1 and Thing 2 on my wall)

http://www.noradsanta.org/
is the "official" Santa tracker of NORAD. Log on Christmas Eve to track Santa's journey (very cool when you have family living in other countries...to see if Santa has visited them yet...)

All of the above sites are FREE.

Parent Club Interview: Best Tools for Schools

The What: Best Tools for Schools - a "Made in Canada" business created by two mompreneurs: Laurie & Candace.

The Concept: Order school supplies on-line. Fundraising component for schools. Making life easier for parents.

The Interview: (between Caroline - Parent Club and Candace - Best Tools for Schools):

Parent Club (PC): How does Best Tools for Schools work?

Best Tools for Schools (BTFS):Best Tools for Schools puts together customized school supply kits based on each schools supply lists. We assemble the kits and deliver them to the school the week before classes start. $4 from the sale of each kit goes to the school to help with their fundraising efforts.

Our program is so easy that we only need one contact at the school to help co-ordinate the lists on our websites. We are web based, which means no forms to go home or cheques to collect. Everyone wins. Parents are relieved of the hassle of shopping out the lists, teachers lists are put together according to their specifications and schools receive money towards their fundraising efforts.

We also have a Donate A Kit option. Upon checkout parents are asked if they would like to donate a kit to a child in need at their school. They can choose between a junior kit or a senior kit. These are kits we put together using the same brand name products we use for all our other kits. Principals will be able to discreetly identify which children need these items at their school.

(PC): What is the timeline?

(BTFS): Once a school has decided to run our program, we can get their lists on our website within 48 hours. Letters to parents and lists can be printed off of our website to be sent home to parents. The success of our program in a school is greatly enhanced if the school promotes it through their school newsletter, flyers home and on their school website.

(PC): What is the responsibility of the teacher/parent/student?

(BTFS): Once the Principal has approved our program for their school, we need only one contact person to help us get their lists on our website and to take delivery of the kits the week before school starts. Our goal is to make the process as simple for possible for the schools to run.

(PC): How does fundraising work?

(BTFS): $ 4 from the sale of each kit goes to the school as a fundraiser. In addition to raising funds for the school, Best Tools for Schools offers a valuable time-saving service to parents.

(PC): Can parents order Best Tools for Schools, independently, on-line or does it have to be a whole school order?

(BTFS): To ensure that our lists are accurate we require the principals approval to run the program for the whole school. Parents can then go on and order their individual kits.

(PC): Mom-made-business is a great thing to support. What made you become a momprenuer?
(BTFS): Laurie and I are both actively involved in fundraising efforts for our children's school. We know first hand the obstacles schools face because of budget shortfalls. We also are very familiar with the school supply lists that come home each year, a dreaded task for many. Finally, we were both actively looking for a business opportunity. Best Tools for Schools is the answer to these three things. We've received nothing but positive feedback since we began.

(PC): Where can we read you?

(BTFS): Laurie and I take turns blogging at www.toolsforschools.ca. This is where we let you know about schools we've signed on, events we'll be at and offer what we hope is useful information. Candace also blogs for yummymummyclub.ca - See Mummy Juggle.

Their "green pledge" is a testament to their commitment as parents and as business owners to environmentally responsible acts. As it notes on their website;"Wherever possible, Best Tools for Schools buys in bulk and asks our suppliers to eliminate unnecessary packaging.

Every bit of cardboard is recycled. Our kits are made from unbleached cardboard, which is a 100% recycled, non-toxic, environmentally friendly product.

We have created a paperless process, eliminating paper-based forms by establishing an online order system. Invoices are sent to your mailbox and it is up to you if you wish to print it for your files or file it away on your computer."

The Post-Mortem: I "met" Laurie and Candace on twitter a few months ago and then "met" them (in person) in May. From tweeting to actual face-to-face conversation; I find Laurie and Candace to be lovely, honest, helpful ladies who really know their stuff.

The concept of making life easier for parents - more organized for schools - all the while - minimizing the impact to the planet -- is simply smart. Best Tools for Schools is the complete turnkey solution.

Video from Santa

This - very cool item - was shared by a member of the Parent Club.
Sympatico MSN has a site where your kiddies can see a personalized video sent directly from Santa at the North Pole.

You type (well, it's mostly drop-down windows) in the child's first name, age, province, what they have done to be "good" this year (listen to mom, helped out around the house)...and it instantly generates a personalized - very good - video of Santa speaking directly to your child (using name, age, etc...) It's very cool.

http://portablenorthpole.sympatico.msn.ca/home/

(hey, you can choose to have it in English or French!)

Parent Club Updates

I am surrounded by loose strings...the blog needs to be updated, readers need to be updated, and I need to find lost mittens...so today is the day I start tying up all those loose strings.

1. Blog update. Notice something different? Over there. On the left. The portfolio list is gone. The label list is back. I think, with the upcoming gift season, it's timely to be able to find all those lovely little Parent Club posts on teacher presents and activities to do with kids ideas.
   
   Parent Club started off as a living portfolio of my work but, thankfully, the portfolio has grown to a size where it deserves its own room. As such, over there - on the right - you will see a link for those Interested in my writing portfolio? - click HERE .
   
   
2. Reader update. Several parents have asked me about how Strike Three - You're OUT turned out. Thing 2 attended the BFF birthday par-tay. As my prince charming put it...Thing 2 is NOT a bad child. Not a mean child. Thing 2 simply acts before thinking (as apparently prince charming did when he was a child). In the post, I called it "blackmailing" but looking back -it was parenting.
   
   
3. Lost mitten update. We have so far, lost two complete pairs of very warm mittens. I have used Stuck On You labels but they are still M.I.A. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are resistant to mitten clips (they are for babies apparently). Strings are a choking hazard. Obviously putting them in pockets don't work. Poor little kittens who have lost their mittens...Anyone? Anyone? How do you retain mittens?!

Letters to Santa

Write your letters to Santa
Santa
NORTH POLE
H0H 0H0

Remember to include your return address! For "green families" who wish to save paper and carbon footprints you may choose to e-mail Santa HERE.

Canada Post works to ensure every child gets an answer in the language in which the letter is written (fyi - it does work bc we have always written our letters in French and Papa Noël has always written back in French).

Letters to Santa are a great way to find out what exactly is on that list. Lots of kids want everything but play with nothing. Make sure you "listen" for what is really, especially, wanted. This is also a good time to nudge your kids in a specific toy direction -- if you've bought something on super-discount-sale, hid it in the closet and have plans on giving it at Christmas.

I'm not the only one who does that right?...

Parent Club Review - Stuck On You

Parent Club was recently approached to review Stuck on You labels. Seeing as we are heading into "lost mitten season" this review is quite timely.

Established in 1995, Stuck On You produces personalized labels and products for kids. Really good labels...but more on that in that later.

The especially-designed-for-children stick-on name labels and iron-on clothing labels are colouriful and practical. You have a great choice of colour, size, icon (over 80 different designs) and shape of labels. Great for pre-readers to identify their belongings. Also for ordinary readers (school-aged kids, teachers, busy parents) to easily and quickly identify belongings.

According to Stuck On You; "Stuck on You vinyl labels will stick to everything from books, sippy cups, and toys to lunchboxes, baby bottles, and even pacifiers! These durable vinyl labels have been tested to withstand the rough and tumble of the playground so your child’s belongings will stick around! These vinyl name labels are dishwasher and microwave safe and they’re UV resistant, so they won’t fade either!" Well, the Parent Club review panel put those labels to the test!

We reviewed the clothing labels, vinyl labels and shoe labels. Each set of labels were packaged with easy-to-follow instructions. The truth: It all stuck! The clothing labels survived the washing machine with ease. The vinyl labels were tested on plastic containers and stainless steel drink bottles. Where permanent marker faded over washings the Stuck On You labels stayed stuck. The shoe labels did not fade through wear nor did they come loose at the sides.

This is a great product which is practical for parents and fun for kids.

Outside of the review; we think that the personalized notepad and envelope set would make a great gift for a teacher, grandparent or tween. Light-weight and reasonably priced this gift can be easily mailed to family during the holidays.

Stuck on You recognizes that parenting is not a nine to five job. They make it easy to order via mail, telephone or at the click of a button via the website.

To check out the labels that combine practicality, quality and fun, go to www.stuckonyou.biz or call 1-866-904-9790 for a free brochure.

Motringate

I have been visiting my favourite blogs; and they all have a post this week on Motringate. For those of you who don't know...Motrin posted an ad (you can see it on Youtube - search - Motrin ad) which basically presented that Moms need Motrin because babywearing/baby slings are hard on the body.

They hit hard off the mark. Blogs everywhere are getting comments noting that the commercial was offensive and ignorant. Whatever your feelings about babywearing or pharmaseuticals for that matter...it proves that parents (who are very active consumers) are paying attention. They share their experience in a very viral manner. Check out this youtube video to see some parental response.



I don't have an opinon on the ad, neither good nor bad. I am not a Motrin consumer so it will not affect my purchase choices. However, I am keenly interested in how this ad has brought Mom bloggers together - creating a buzz. The world got a little smaller because of this big blunder.

Holiday Gifts - Photobooks

Someone asked me recently if I've started shopping for Christmas? WHAT? No, really - shopping already?! But then I had to drop by Costco over the weekend (remember those 72 mini quiche?)- and boy are people ever shopping!!

I am not one who enjoys shopping. I am also a compulsive planner (we all know this right?). So photo gifts are right up my alley. Now this is unsponsered. I actually do like photo gifts. Probably because I don't print any pictures out over the year -- and feel guilty -- so I pick 12 pictures for a calendar and give it to my husband to show him all - 12 - memories of last year.

Last year I did our photo calendar at Loblaws Photolab. I have no idea if there prices are competitive - I just knew I could pick up the calendar when I went for bread - and my life is all about convenience.

A few years ago, I published "a MOM book; Some suggestions for your first year of motherhood"
(picture is on top -that's Thing 2 on the cover) through www.blurb.com. It was really easy and the quality was good. It's a U.S. company so you pay duty on larger orders (darn it). But you can order as little as 1 book. Great if you want to make a family recipe book, travel book, kid's childhood book, grandparent memory book...

If you have any ideas on holiday shopping - where I don't actually have to enter a store with Thing 1 and Thing 2 - I'd love to hear them!

Parent Club - Muralunique.com

Parent Club first mentioned Muralunique at the Toronto Fall Home Show . Remember? This is a fantastic Canadian company. Canadian artists art work and/or photography material ordered by you at home and shipped directly to your door. A beautiful addition to any nursery, play room or bedroom.

The prepasted murals are easy to hang in less than 1 hour, dry removable in a few minutes and reusable. Wallpaper that has the look of textured, hand-painted murals...really? Yes, really.

The price per item is very family friendly. Muralunique (Mural unique - get it?!) is offering Parent Club readers a 15% discount - only - for November & December so that you can give the gift of art to someone over the holidays.

Look over to the right to see some of the murals for kids (then surf over to their site to check out some of the adult murals - great for living rooms, dens and offices).

Use the promotion code: parentclub

The Toronto Fall Home Show - Mommy's Day

The Toronto Home Fall Show had an great concept by having Mommy's Day presented by the good folks at sweetmama.ca. Throughout the run of the show; children 12 and under are free and admission is $12 per adult (but you can save $2.00 when your purchase tickets online at the Home Show site).

As promised, the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place offered a stroller friendly environment. It was disappointing however, that they did not provide a partitioned off, private, diaper change and baby feeding area.

The workshop schedule had a nice array of parent-buzz topics like; Mom and Baby Fitness, Home Organizing 101 and Cupcake Decorating. The "Sweetmama-fy Your Home" workshop presented by the sweetmama.ca editors informed all on the hottest kid gear which is hip, practical, and stylish. Two products which stood out;

Combi Transitions High Chair $159.99, www.sears.ca

Potty Bench $34.99 USD, Boon Inc, www.booninc.com

You can see all the sweetmama-fying products on their website at Sweetmama.ca.

Though the home show had mostly home renovation and decorating booths we did manage to find two which were very interesting to the members of the Parent Club.

muralunique.com stopped us in our tracks. Beautiful, Canadian made, murals (actually wallpaper - but have the look of texture and custom artwork). Very reasonably priced, you can buy the wall paper on-line and have it shipped right to your door.

Doudoubebe.com was also a stand out in the booths. Friendly staff were well informed about their organic products. Parents should definitely check out this Canadian mama and baby online shop!

The Fall Home Show runs until September 21st.

Tilley seconds sale

The made in Canada biz; Tilley Endurables is having their annual seconds sale. They do make great sun hats for kids!

Runs to Aug. 9 - Aug. 17th. Save up to 80%.
Sat. 9am-6pm, Sun. 11am-5pm, Mon-Fri 9am-8pm


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Parent Club Product Test: Oliebollen.com

The Parent Club test panel was quick to participate in a product test from Oliebollen.com. First off, this U.S. website is simple yet very parent friendly. Buttons are organized for quick clicking in mind; gift ideas, classic books, top brands and more. Perfect for shopping during nap time.

Parent Club reviewed two items from the Oliebollen.com website - from Green Toys; this toy manufacturer creates classic toys from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs. Green Toys products are non-toxic, save energy, reduce landfill waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Big plus, they are all BPA-FREE.

Green Toys - Recycled Plastic Sand Play Set contains a shovel, rake, sand castle mold and bucket. Parents liked that the play set was; "...sturdy and solid. It's a set that can be shared between my kids and then passed on to friends." Parents also agreed that the set had nice texture for sensory development.

Kids liked the fact "The bucket can hold lots of rocks from the beach". They also agreed with the child who said; "...we can do lots of fun things like build castles."

Green Toys - Recycled Plastic Tea Set contains 17 pieces. (Note; The image is of the deluxe dining set) Parents appreciated the assurance that there was no phthaltes, BPA or lead. "This inspires me to actually do real tea parties" said one parent.

Out of 9 kid testers (whose ages ranged from 3 to 9 years old); the tea set got 9 big thumbs up. "I like the colours" said many of the children. When the topic of the recycled plastic came up; many of the older kids agreed with the child who said..."...it's good for the environment to recycle. This is a good toy."

From the result of this test, Parent Club highly recommends the toys & gear at Oliebollen.com . This is a company that inspires creativity, development and play through dependable products.

Summer Skool

Now that school's out (or if you're getting ready to get a little somebody school ready) we've got a few websites worth getting into the favourites tabs...

French websites

www.tfou.fr
www.momes.net
www.scolartek.com

English websites

www.tvokids.com
www.webkinz.com (yes, you have to actually buy the stuffed animal - but this website is actually educational. Other than the hands-on learning of mouse clicking and finding tabs...kids learn about nutrition, saving $, and taking care of a pet. Oh, and there are some good kiddie video games too.

Arts & Crafts websites

www.hugolescargot.com
www.crayola.com
finger tips

Do you have a site to share with the Club?...

Parent Club Blog Roll

Scroll down the left side bar and you will find a new tile - for mom ads exchange. Everyday,at this spot on Parent Club, you will see a new tile for another mom blog. No, none of us make $$ off of it - it's a traffic exchange - swapping readers if you will.

Somewhere, out there, the Parent Club tile is popping up on someone's blog today and will be somewhere else tomorrow. (hmmm, much like the rash covering Thing 2s body - pops up somewhere new every few hours). Well, the blog tile exchange inspired me to share with the Club some of the blogs I read often.

On the top of my list is Gone West - For Love and Money. Not a parent blog; but the blog that inspired me to launch Parent Club. This guy left the centre of the universe (Toronto) for a girl and a job. Plus, he added the Google analytics code to the Parent Club html. He got the girl, the job, and my gratitude.

Bargainista is a good spot to get the latest on sales. Though I'm not much of a style maven, this blog is straight to the point and well written.

Don Mills Diva is by far my favourite mom blog (other than Parent Club of course). Her blogging is funny and thoughtful. She's just started Don Mills Diva Recipes and Reviews which looks very interesting.

I knew I found a good read when I stumbled on Get in The Car!. On the top of the sidebar is says; "please click on an ad...it pays for Jen's birth control". 'nuf said!

In Lieu of Flowers

The Hospital for Sick Kids Foundation has a feature on their website where you can make a donation to honour, in memory, or in celebration of someone. This is a great choice (and a great cause) in lieu of flowers to show your respect for friends, family and co-workers.

The on-line donation tool gives you the choice to send a card, personalize a message and provide your mailing information for the "family" to send a thank you card. All of this is optional.

Support Sick Kids Hospital in lieu of flowers!

http://sickkidsfoundation.com/?gclid=CMywm8vbyZICFReHQAodSFWtXg

Parent Web - Pregnancy

Here's a cool tool for pregnancy. Baby Gaga (http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/pregnancy.php) has FREE pregnancy tickers. You configure the ticker with your due date information and you can share the progress of your pregnancy in your e-mail signatures, websites and blogs.

Below is an example of the Baby Gaga ticker. (Parent Club acknowledges that this picture belongs to Baby Gaga - we paste it here to share their great info. with the Club.

Click on the picture - we've linked it to the Baby Gaga website.

Art tip...

If you are at a loss for something to do...surf over to HUGOESCARGOT. This francophone website has over 8,000 images available for you to print off and colour. From popular comics like Dora, SpongeBob, and Winx to seasonal and birthday images...it is a great resource.

(Birthday tip; print off a bunch of colouring pages and have a colouring table for the kids. Tons of fun and an easy activity for most age groups).

For the French Immersion, Francophone or Francophile families; this website has popular kids recipes, free games, crafts and song lyrics.

Special!

Just confirmed...Medieval Times Toronto is running a special where kids are FREE.

What: Medieval Times Toronto - Show and Dinner

When: Performances between now and February 29th

How: FREE kid ticket with purchase of an adult ticket

Order: On-line or by phone

Virtual Communicating

Anyone there?...Anyone at all?...

Being the parent of young children can be very isolating. Even though you are in constant company of another human, even though you are very active in your daily life...you can feel so alone. I remember going to play dates only to realize on the drive home that the parents chased children more than they chatted. I remember calling up my mother - with no news to tell - just hear the voice of another grown-up.

Are you in this Club?

There are many on-line destinations where you can get your fill of social networking and communication. Even for parents away from the workforce there are many sites that can keep you in the know.

• Facebook; social network where you can get in contact with co-workers, classmates, friends & family. On-the-job people beware -- facebook posts the dates/times you message people. Also beware of invitations for applications (not on your e-mail - just on the website).



• LinkedIn; career social network. Like six degrees of separation. I know someone who got their job at google - in part to knowing someone on LinkedIn - who knew someone at google.



• Chatelain.com forums. They have forums for food, family. book club and more. Post, read, communicate.



• Today's Parent. Sister site with Chatelaine. Has forums and expert columns. Also has a new Garage Sale area on the site where you can buy/sell you gently used kid stuff.



• MySpace. Much like facebook



• youtube. OK not social networking - but you can find very neat informative videos with the keyword search. That's where I found out how to make fortune tellers.

This article is part of a series on Parent Club making life a little easier this year

Getting Together...Virtually

Are you trying to get the playgroup/extended family/book club/PTA meeting together this month? Is the coordination getting in the way of...life? This article, part Parent Club's on-going series of "information to make life easier for you", is one for you to read!

www.campfirenow.com (Chicago based) is a great solution to the head co-ordinator of a group. This site offers an on-line chat room (dedicated solely to you --completely secure too) where you and your crew can chat about your get together. Chat rooms are especially useful, for parents, as your friends don't hear the calls from the bathroom to wipe someones bum or the drone of Scooby-doo playing in the background. Camfirenow has pricing plans for businesses that use this site...but there is a basic FREE level for people like you and me. With the FREE plan you can have 4 friends simultaneously chat, 10MB of space and transcripts... The transcripts of the chats are good for keeping potluck food lists.

www.evite.com is another good website for coordinating get togethers. From birthdays, game invites, brunches are more...there are tons of designs for you to choose from. Send an e-invitation, keep track of your guest list and see who's replied -- all on this one website.