Interact with Santa!

There are a few ways you can contact Santa Claus during the holidays to let him know what your child wants for Christmas. The first, and most traditional, is visiting Santa at your local mall for a picture. Here are a few tips that I've come across:

• Try to go in the evening, early in the Santa season. If you go too late in December, the lines will be crazy, and the kids will be cranky!
• The best mall in the Vancouver area that I've found is Metrotown. They have a great Santa look-alike, and the pictures are only $2 each, and the money goes to charity. At most malls, the pictures range from $9.99 to $19.99. At Metrotown, you can pick up your pictures the next day.
• Make sure your kids are comfortable. If you are going to have to wait a long time, don't try to put them in a suit and tie to see Santa. Save that for the professional pictures that so many families get this time of year.

Another way to contact Santa is to send him a letter! There are two ways that families can do this: through Canada Post (which is free), or get a personalized letter from Santa to your child where you can order a Letter From Santa. You can order to today and choose a future mailing date. (available from $5.99)
To mail a letter to canada post, send to this address Santa Claus, North Pole,  HOH OHO Canada. You can also email Santa a letter through this website http://www.writetosanta.ca/send-santa-letter/ and receive an email back! (also free) **Don't forget to include your mailing address to receive a letter back!!**

One more way to interact with Santa that I just foud out about this year is a phone call from Santa. I hope it reminds the kids to be good! Check it out here Order a phone call from Santa here.

Good luck this holiday season getting in touch with Santa. I hear he's very busy!

Will You Ship to Me?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm always in the market for a good deal, and that I love shopping. Putting those two things together, and add online shopping, and It's so easy these days to shop, get a good deal, and not have to drag your kids through a mall on a busy day. Here is a list of kids clothing stores who ship to Canada, and ones who don't.

Stores who Ship to Canada


Gymboree - The prices they have on their online store is really great. The prices are exceptionally lower than in any Canadian store, and shipping is quote low when comparing to how much more you would have paid in store. With the Canadian dollar quite high, it's a very good value. Tip: about 1-2 weeks after Gymboree.com releases their new lines, they go on sale. Always wait until they go on sale. Also, always check their clearance section. You could stock up for the next year at a fraction of the price.

Please Mum - Since they are a Canadian store, their prices are usually the same online as they are in store. What is great about shopping online at Please Mum is their sale section. When the stores have a clearance/sale they run out of sizes very quickly, but online they have many more sizes than in the stores.

Old Navy/The Gap - This is a fairly new development. Unlike Gymboree, Old Navy and The Gap ship from a Canadian warehouse, so the sales/prices are the same as they would be in Canada. I haven't ordered from here, but I haven't heard bad things, so if you are not close to a store, it could be a good thing to check out.

Stores that Do Not ship to Canada (but should!)


Carter's/OshKosh - This is the one that upsets me the most. They are predominately a US based store. Even the Canadian stores are not "true" Carter's stores, or so I've been told by other US Carter's store owners. It seems that they aren't as concerned with treating their Canadian customers with the same quality that the US stores get. This disappoints me.

The Children's Place - They are getting a lot of flak about not shipping to Canada from their Facebook fans. So much in fact that they had to create a separate Canada FB page so that their US FB page wasn't flogged with angry Canadians. I suspect that in the near future they will begin to ship to Canada, but when that will start is still a mystery. They do have good sales in their stores, and they have 40% off everything in the store on Boxing day (which is down from 2008 when it was 50%), which is a great deal.

I recommend that if your favorite store does not ship to Canada, you should email them and ask them to ship to you, or comment on their Facebook page about their shipping. Unlike 4-5 years ago, Facebook has changed the way that Customer service is heard. When you put it on the internet, companies almost always have to listen to you. If enough people explain that they want to purchase these products, they should start shipping to Canada.

Let us know where your favorite online stores are!

Moving with Kids

Recently we made a big move with our two young boys. Being 3 and 4 is tough enough any day, but add moving, all of your things in boxes, and not really sure where you are going, and you are going to have a rough few days!

We packed over 2 weeks, and moved everything in 1 day. When I was googling how to move with kids, I didn't really find much information, so here are a few of my tips.

• Always pack the toys and books that they play with often last, and unpack them first. You want to make sure that your children have something that will be constant for them.
• Have extra large plastic garbage bags on hand for bedding you use the night before moving so that in the morning you just have to throw them in a bag, and they are easy to find the next day.
• TELL YOUR CHILDREN YOU ARE MOVING! I am a big fan of letting kids know what's going on to avoid tantrums. We did this about 3 weeks early when the boxes started to make an appearance. We counted down the sleeps (I recommend counting down sleeps instead of days) until we moved and talked about moving every day so that they could understand what was happening.
• Have someone take the kids to a park or play place while the truck is being loaded so that they are not in the way and so that they don't get hurt.
• Let them pack a box or suitcase of their toys so that they feel involved. We have a suitcase that is our oldest son's and they like to pack it whenever they go on vacation or away somewhere. They got to pack that themselves and felt like they got to take part too.
• Reassure them that you will be moving their toys, their books, their suitcase, their bed, the TV, whatever it is that they are asking about. No matter how many times they ask. 
• If something in a box is important, write on that box "Unpack ASAP" or clearly write what is on it. We moved right before Halloween, and there is no way that I could lose those costumes!

One of the things that I tried to see from my toddler's point of view was that he has lived in the house we were in for his whole life (sure it may only be 3 years for me, but it was his whole life!) and this is a big change for him. He is still a bit unsure a week later, but he's getting more used to it. Moving houses, cities, or wherever you move to is a big deal for kids who don't know anything different. Take time to talk to them about their fears, and let them know what to look forward to. There may be new parks near by, an extra bathroom, maybe a playroom for all of their toys, you may be moving closer to a favorite relative, or friend. 

I hope that this list helps some of you who may be moving with children, and good luck! Make sure to post your tips too!

Christmas Gifts - What to ask Relatives for

I've had many conversations that begin with "Relatives are wondering what to get for my baby/child/toddler, but we have so many toys and not enough room!" And to that conversation, weather it be for birthdays, Christmas, or any other holiday where presents are involved, I have the following two tips: (We will focus on Christmas, as it is fast approaching)

1. Ask for Books! For your child's first AND second Christmas, I recommend asking for books to start building your child's book collection. You can NEVER have enough books! They will be read, and re-read over and over and over again. Books will be broken, riped, chewed, and loved. Children need books. Your child is too young to be disappointed that they have not gotten a new toy, and there will be many upcoming years when they can have toys from relatives. Many older kids love reading and enjoy books too, or will need a good book for a roadtrip, school project, or summer read, so don't forget the older ones when buying your books for Christmas.


2. Ask for Clothes, one size up! If you have enough clothes for your child currently, get clothes for your child for next year. Hopefully, you won't have to buy too many things the year after.

Remember that if it is your child's first, second, third, or even fourth Christmas, usually they are just as excited to open presents, as they are to see what's inside. Most won't say "I really don't want this gift", or "this gift is stupid", but if they do, you'll get a good sound bite for later. Chances are that you will make sure that if your child really wants a certain toy that they get it, but grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and everyone else wishing to get something for your child could pitch in and get books or clothes.

Happy Holiday Shopping!!