Through the month of April I’ve been putting up a series of posts on why I am incredibly impressed with Indigo Kids. The first post talked about how pleasantly surprised I was to find Indigo Kids offers a selection of great pre-wrapped toys to make your birthday-gift-shopping experience as painless as possible. The second post talked about how Indigo Kids saved my butt with awesome loot bag content and free loot bags to boot.
One of the criteria Mom Central Canada set out for this blog tour was that you’d need an upcoming birthday occasion to buy for. With three boys and a steady stream of party invitations, I knew we’d have that part covered. What I didn’t expect was that it would be Lucas’s first party invitation ever (awwwww!) from one of his mates at day care that we would be using as our excuse for an amicable morning spent browsing at Indigo Kids. And better yet? We were buying for a GIRL! (I get seriously excited about buying girl stuff.)
We looked at puzzles and books, games and stuffies, crafts and playsets. The clerk who helped us was awesome, pointing out options and ideas I wouldn’t have otherwise considered, and offering the kind of personal assistance you just don’t see in many stores anymore. (Hell, good luck finding a warm body in most big-box stores lately!)
My heart melted into a puddle of goopy love when I noticed Lucas intently studying a display of Groovy Girl dolls. “I think she needs a dolly,” he said, his brow furrowed in concentration. We looked at a few, and he was particularly enamoured with a blond one. “Why do you like this one, Lucas?” “Because she’s pretty like Marika.” Melt.
So we almost got the pretty-like-Marika blond dolly, until Lucas noticed I was holding a Colour and Cuddle Washable Pony, and he decided that would be what Marika liked best of all. We added in a handful of Robert Munsch mini-books and we were good to go.
The clerk sent us off to pay for our purchases, and told us to come back for the free gift wrap, which we did.
So now you know my go-to resource for the next decade of birthday-party-gift shopping! Would you like to win an Indigo gift card so you can check out the Indigo Kids experience on your own? Contest closes on Monday, so this is your last chance!
Here’s the details:
- This is a giveaway for a $35 Indigo gift card.
- To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on any post in this series of three telling me why you love Indigo Kids or how you think Indigo Kids could be helpful to you.
- This giveaway is open only to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. (sorry!)
- This giveaway will run until 11:59 pm EDT April 30.
- One winner will be chosen from all comments posted on any of the three contest posts on this blog.
- You can comment as many times as you like, but you will only be entered into the giveaway once.
- You can also enter to win on other blogs, but you can only win once.
- If you win, you must be willing to provide your full name and address to me, to share with Mom Central Canada, in order to claim your gift card.
- Gift cards will be sent 4 to 6 weeks after the close of the giveaway.
And if you haven’t get checked out the great new Indigo Kids section of your favourite Chapters/Indigo store, this store locator link will help you find a location near you.
Disclosure: I am participating in the Indigo Kids program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign, but the opinions on this blog are ALWAYS my own. I only participate in promotional campaigns for products and services I feel I can personally endorse.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a comprehensive database of information about services, companies, events and other resources relating to raising a family in Ottawa?
Well, thanks to our newest bloggy sponsor Help! We’ve Got Kids, now there is! Help! We’ve Got Kids was founded in 1994 as a print directory and evolved into an online database for parents and caregivers with a comprehensive listing of the products and services for kids and families in the Greater Toronto Area. They’ve since expanded to several Canadian cities, and as of this spring, they are establishing a presence in Ottawa as well.
I’ve been following the Help! We’ve Got Kids twitter stream for quite a while, and I was happy to help promote the Ottawa launch. On the Help! We’ve Got Kids website, you’ll find information and resources about birthday parties, camps, after-school programs, sports, schools, amusement centers, indoor playgrounds, support services, parenting articles, event calendars, parenting resources and more. You can even get a free basic listing for your own business or submit an event.
In addition to the services and parenting resources, there are deals, coupons, events and contests, and even a couple of blogs to follow. And of course you can follow them on Facebook or Google+ as well. Looks great, doesn’t it?
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Help! We’ve Got Kids. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
I don’t know why my kids like to play with me. I am not a creative sort of person when it comes to play, especially imaginary play. I like board games because there are rules and processes to be followed (oh, I have been badly damaged by my 20-year civil service career, haven’t I?) and I am happy to supply glue and feathers and beads and let them have at it. But I am just not good at imaginary play. I’m a photographer, not an actor! And the reason I had three kids in the first place is so they’d play with EACH OTHER and leave me out of it.
So whenever Lucas wants me to be grumpy Gordon while he is chipper Thomas winning approval from Sir Topham Hat, I divert us to safer ground. As in, to save my sanity. Since you know I’ve been blogging for Fisher-Price Canada lately, I thought it would be fun to share some off-label uses for our favourite Fisher-Price toys. Fun, and sanity saving, too!
1. Hot and cold Little People
I started doing this one when the big boys were wee, and they’ve always loved it. It’s kind of like an Easter Egg hunt without the sugar rush. We gather up a big pile of Little People (because they’re the perfect size for hiding in places that are not too challenging to find) and the boys leave the room while I “hide” them. Then they take turns looking for them while I giggle and give clues like, “Oooo, getting warmer. Feel that tropical sun, you are so warm now. Uh oh, but of a cool breeze, you might be going in the wrong direction!” The kids can do this for hours, and I can spend large stretches of this game on the couch clutching my coffee. Win-win!
2. Kid-Tough Digital Camera scavenger hunt
I like this one – go figure! Choose a theme – blue or round or leaves or dandelions or whatever, and try to find and take a picture of 10 things that have that quality. Or set a time limit: how many can you photograph in 10 minutes? Beware of obscure kid-generated themes here, though. We don’t have a lot of “things that growl” in our house (once mom and dad have had their first coffee, anyway.) And “things polar bears eat” was a bit of a challenge.
3. What animal am I?
We have a jumbled set of animals from the Little People Musical Zoo and the Animal Sounds Zoo. Lucas has to cover his eyes while I choose one, and hide it in my hands or behind my back, and Lucas asks questions to try to figure out which animal it is. “Does this animal have fur?” or “Where does this animal usually live?” We play this in the car sometimes, too, but having the actual animal in his hand tends to keep him focussed on which animal he chose. I’ve otherwise found myself trying to guess an animal that has fur and scales and eats leaves and fish and has both spots and stripes.
4. Pictionary on the Kid-Tough Magnetic Doodler
It is a sad but true fact that Lucas can now draw figures that are both more accurate and recognizable than those that I am capable of drawing. “That doesn’t look like a bird, Mommy! That looks like a squashed mushroom.” (I like this game less and less as their artistic ability outstrips mine.) I stand a better chance at the 3D version of this game where we try to guess what the other is building with Trio building blocks.
Okay, so that’s a few ideas – can you think of any more? Croquet using Corn Popper mallets, maybe?
Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog, however, are always my own.
This is the second in a set of three posts about how Indigo Kids makes birthday party preparations painless and maybe even fun.
Last time, I mentioned how impressed I was to find rows of pre-wrapped (and FREE-wrapped, no less) gift selections at my local Indigo Kids last autumn. Fast forward to March of this year. Tristan’s birthday party had snuck up on me, and I found myself the day before his party with out-of-town guests on the way and a huge to-do list that included buying groceries for 11 and finding something in lieu of a loot bag.
I feel very conflicted about loot bags. I’ve always been vaguely opposed to sending kids home with bags of dollar store junk that will spend 2 minutes being played with (if that) and several lifetimes in a landfill. Or the bottom of the toy box. But lately, the boys have been coming home with increasingly elaborate loot bags from the parties they’ve attended, and it’s clear that parents are spending upwards of $10 or even $20 per loot bag. I swear, there have been times I’ve felt guilty that I may have spent less on a gift for the party than the parents spent on loot bags!
I don’t remember who gave me the idea for $5 gift cards to the candy store as an idea to replace loot bags, but I loved it and filed it away in the steel trap that is my brain. And there it stayed, for at least two or three birthday parties. But this year, something tweaked it loose and I remembered it just in time for Tristan’s party. The party attendees were coming not only from across town but across the province, so I’d figured in lieu of a local candy store, I’d give the kids $5 gift cards to Bulk Barn. When I mentioned this in passing to Beloved as I was heading from the grocery store to the Bulk Barn the day before the party, he didn’t seem to think it was a great idea. And the more I thought about it, the more I was no longer sure it was a great idea either.
I was short on time, with houseguests pending at any minute, and my choices were limited. I could get $5 grocery store cards. That didn’t seem like an improvement over the Bulk Barn. I looked around the plaza. Movie gift cards? Maybe. Walmart? Um, no. And then I saw it. Of course! Indigo!!
So I headed over to Indigo and picked up $5 gift cards for everyone. And then I wandered over to the card section, hoping to find actual loot bags, because I’d also noticed Lego mini-figures on sale for 20 per cent off (woot!) in the Indigo Kids toys section, and I had mini-chocolate bars to round out the loot bags. But the stationery section had no loot bags.
I’d resigned myself to personalized ziploc bags as I headed back to the Indigo Kids section to pick out the mini-fig bags, and asked the clerk almost as an afterthought if they carried loot bags. “Oh sure,” she said. “How many do you need?” She pulled a handful of bags out of a drawer and I realized that they were not for sale – they were free! Free loot bags! How awesome is that?
I know, you’re sad that you couldn’t come to Tristan’s party. But you can still win your own gift card for Indigo Kids! Here’s the details:
- This is a giveaway for a $35 Indigo gift card.
- To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on any post in this series of three telling me why you love Indigo Kids or how you think Indigo Kids could be helpful to you.
- This giveaway is open only to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. (sorry!)
- This giveaway will run from today through April 30.
- One winner will be chosen from all comments posted on any of the three contest posts on this blog.
- You can comment as many times as you like, but you will only be entered into the giveaway once.
- You can also enter to win on other blogs, but you can only win once.
- If you win, you must be willing to provide your full name and address to me, to share with Mom Central Canada, in order to claim your gift card.
- Gift cards will be sent 4 to 6 weeks after the close of the giveaway.
And if you haven’t get checked out the great new Indigo Kids section of your favourite Chapters/Indigo store, this store locator link will help you find a location near you.
Disclosure: I am participating in the Indigo Kids program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign, but the opinions on this blog are ALWAYS my own. I only participate in promotional campaigns for products and services I feel I can personally endorse.
You know I love FisherPrice, and I think everyone loves a good deal. What’s not to love about a whole whack of good deals on great FisherPrice gear?
FisherPrice is offering up to $90 in savings on items from baby gear to preschool toys! Coupons will be available in-store at Toys R Us and Zellers and online via websaver.ca . Coupons are also available inside copies of the April 2012 issue of Today’s Parent Magazine. Some of the savings include:
- Snugabunny Swing – $20 off any Fisher-Price swing priced at $130 or more
- Ocean Wonders Aquarium – $10 off (we had this for all three boys – sigh, happy memories…)
- Little People – $5 off any Little People items with combined value of $25 or more (maybe time to stock up on your DC Superfriends Little People?
)
- Imaginext – $5 off any Imaginext items with combined value of $25 or more
- Thomas – $5 off any Thomas items with combined value of $25 or more
New coupons are released every day on the websaver.ca site, but you have to be quick as they do sell out!
I noticed that one of the “coming soon” coupons is for $5 off Imaginext toys. I adore the Imaginext line! Lucas got the Imaginext Mega T-Rex for his birthday, and it’s a fun toy! At first, I think he was a little intimidated by its big ROAR (Lucas has never been fond of animated toys!) but now he loves to fire the little projectile launchers and push the button to hear him roar.
(There was supposed to be a really fun photoshopped picture for this post of Lucas being chased by the giant Mega T-Rex, but I totally ran out of time. But trust me, it would have been hilarious!)
Don’t miss out on these great deals from FisherPrice!
One of the more popular posts on this blog, from a traffic standpoint, is the “An experienced mom’s guide to kid birthday parties in Ottawa.” It seems parents are looking for inspiration when it comes to hosting birthday parties for their kids.
Consider this set of three posts the other side of that fence: let me tell you about how Indigo Kids is making birthday party gift giving as painless an experience as possible. Heck, I might even go so far as to say it’s fun!
This post is inspired in part by my own experiences with Indigo Kids in the last few months, which I meant to share at the time but never did get around to blogging. (Twitter really does mess with my supply of blog fodder!) So when I saw that Mom Central Canada was hosting a blog tour and giveaway as part of a promotional campaign, I knew it was a perfect opportunity to share my experiences AND give you a chance to win a gift card.
Last fall, Simon had been invited to a birthday party for one of his classmates in Grade 2. I’d just started back at work downtown, and one day on my lunch hour I popped into the Chapters store on Rideau Street, thinking I’d pick out a Pokemon book or something similar as a gift. Since it had been a while since I’d been in the downtown Chapters, I was surprised and delighted to see that they carried a full line of great toys for a wide range of ages, and that they were great quality toys as well.
I perused for a while, and finally settled on a Super Mario Bros Yahtzee set as the perfect gift. I knew Simon’s little buddy shared his love of Nintendo games, and in fact my boys have the same game and love it. As I went to grab one, I realized that stacked behind a couple of the boxes were more wrapped in bright, happy gift paper. I grabbed one and brought it to the clerk, and asked how much extra it was for the gift-wrapped version. “Oh, that’s free!” she said. “We like to make things a little easier for busy parents.”
I was so impressed, and noticed that almost all of the more popular toys had a few wrapped and unwrapped versions available. I meant to blog it at the time, but well, you know. Best of intentions and all of that!
So that’s the FIRST time I was impressed by Indigo Kids this year. (I’ve actually been impressed by Indigo Kids many times over the years, as they’ve made their toy sections comfortable, warm places for kids and adults to spend a little bit or even a lot of time. Maybe this series needs to be four posts long?) But now, the giveaway!
Would you like to win a gift card for Indigo Kids? I knew you would! Here’s the details:
- This is a giveaway for a $35 Indigo gift card.
- To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post telling me why you love Indigo Kids or how you think Indigo Kids could be helpful to you.
- This giveaway is open only to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. (sorry!)
- This giveaway will run from today through April 30.
- One winner will be chosen from all comments posted on any of the three contest posts on this blog.
- You can comment as many times as you like, but you will only be entered into the giveaway once.
- You can also enter to win on other blogs, but you can only win once.
- If you win, you must be willing to provide your full name and address to me, to share with Mom Central Canada, in order to claim your gift card.
- Gift cards will be sent 4 to 6 weeks after the close of the giveaway.
And if you haven’t get checked out the great new Indigo Kids section of your favourite Chapters/Indigo store, this store locator link will help you find a location near you.
Disclosure: I am participating in the Indigo Kids program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign, but the opinions on this blog are ALWAYS my own. I only participate in promotional campaigns for products and services I feel I can personally endorse.
