Disney Store is Back!

Or...at least it will be.

The Disney store will be coming back to Metrotown late spring/early summer 2011. And all I can say is.... It's About Time!!! The Disney Store has been closed for more than a year now, and I miss it! Disneystore.com does ship to Canada, but the shipping is about $30.

Thankfully, the Disney store that is opening will be an experience store. Don't know what that is? Here are a few key tips to what an experience store will look like"

• Children can choose their own movie trailers to watch in the store
• Children can change the colours of the trees in the store
• You can purchase all of your park tickets and book your vacations at the store
• I believe that they will have recorded character voices saying greetings to people in the store
• You will be able to get lots of Disney Store only merchandise
• At Christmas, it will smell like cinnamon, or pine trees. Summer will smell like flowers and sunshine. Winter like hot chocolate and snow, etc.

This is not a place you go to just when you need a gift for your niece or nephew, or for the next birthday party for that kid in the class. This is a store you go to when you want to have a magical time and see the smile light up on your kids' faces. I cannot wait for this store to come back, and I will be there at the opening will bells on!

Also, just a tip, the Disney store has great sales on toys come Christmas time. I regularly do not find their prices to be outrageous, and it's better than that general toy three other moms picked up at wal-mart or at Toys R Us. 

Carter's On Vancouver Island

Click Here for an recap on my Carter's journey in BC.

I was in Langford the other day on Vancouver Island, and noticed that there is a Carter's sign in Westshore Town Centre! They will be opening March/April 2011. Thankfully I won't have to travel far to get Pajamas for my boys! Now if only they would start carrying sizes higher than 24 months, and would have the same quality as the US stores, then we'd be talking!

Happy Shopping everyone!

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!

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!!

Carters: Update

When I heard that Carter's was in Canada, I was so excited!! However, if you've read my previous rant about Carter's, you know that I was not too impressed with the Canadian stores. Well..... We went back to the Langley Carter's store this weekend, and I tried to push my bias out of my head. I was more prepared this time. I didn't go in thinking that I was going to get a whole bunch of cute clothes. I went in with the positive attitude that I would get some really cute PJ's for my 4 year old.

It was quite a good experience! I went straight to the Pajamas, he picked 2 pairs that he liked. OshKosh had some cute Halloween shirts (regular price $6), and the summer stuff was on sale too. The prices were decent. It is still not as good at the US outlet stores, but they will do for now. I would therefore like to say that Carter's Canada: You're OK. I will return to you to purchase pajamas and gifts for my niece, and I no longer have high expectations of you. I am looking forward to our future relationship.

-Melissa

Baby Shower Gifts?

I recently had someone talk to me about their baby shower, and they were uncomfortable asking people for gifts and they were given basically everything they needed for the baby already from friends and family. They were going to have a "no gift" baby shower, but people do feel the need to bring gifts anyways. I suggested that she ask for contributions to the baby's RESP.

RESPs are for save for your child's future post secondary schooling. The government will add money to it to help them go through school as well. It can be difficult with a new family to find the funds to start an RESP for your child/children, and asking friends and family for contributions instead of gifts is a good way to start one. Depending on which institution you decide to go with for the RESP savings, you may need a certain amount to start with, or you could start with any amount you want. Shop around and see which bank or private investor will be right for you. Another way to ensure that you are putting in for the RESP is to have your Universal Childcare Benefit go straight into your child's RESP account. Every family in BC with a child under the age of 6 will receive $100 per month from the government to put towards childcare - well we all know that doesn't even put a dent into the actual cost of childcare, but you can put it to other good use as well.

RESPs will help your child not go too far into debt to ensure they have a higher education than just grade 12. And, if they decide not to go to school after high school, the money is given back (minus the government added money) to you to use. Decide what will be best for your child and your family and start saving for them, weather its in an RESP, long term savings account, or something else. Just remember - don't go into debt helping ensure your child doesn't go into debt. Take care of your family, and put a little aside for your child's education, by the time they are 18 and ready to go to university, they will have a good dent into their education payments already at hand.

On the other side, you can also ask for donations to put towards a high priced item - stroller, crib, organic crib mattress, breast pump, etc. This way, you don't get a lot of little things you don't want, and you can still choose what to buy while making people feel like they've made a contribution. It's a win win!

Carter's - The Journey

So, I went to the infamous Carter's/Oshkosh today. I was disappointed. The clothes were cute as usual, and looked awesome, and the variety looked quite large. BUT...... all the clothes were size 0-24 months. I'm sure that if you have a child in that age range, you will be very happy. The only clothes that Carter's has for kids 3 years and older is PJ's (my fav item from Carter's actually). The Oshkosk, which takes up the back of the store, Does have big kids clothes, but it's a wall the room for about 6 pegs of clothing. And there is 1 or 2 racks for big kids. Needless to say, my excitement is not as large as it was, and I will still be travelling to the states to buy my Carter's clothes for my boys.

Carter's is in BC!!!!

I cannot say how excited to be writing this right now. I feel the need to jump into my car and drive to the store just to see the sign. Yes, I'm aware that they will be closed by 10:00pm when I get there, but it would be worth it!

The fantastic (seriously, the best EVER) children's clothing store Carter's has FINALLY opened a store in BC!!! I have had to go down to the US outlet malls to go to a Carter's, or ask any friends who have been going down to get me clothes for my boys, but not anymore!!!! Right by the Walmart in Langley at 66th and 200th is my wonderful little store Carters. I cannot wait!!

For those of you who do not know Carter's, let me paint this picture for you. My boss gave me his boys' clothes when I had my oldest son. At the time, they had two kids. I then had two boys. When a co-worker of mine had a son, I gave them the clothes. When they were done with them, they donated them to goodwill. That is at least FIVE children who went through the same clothes!! And they were all boys. That is amazing! The clothes are cute, they are durable, they wash very well, and they fit great. The best part of sizing is that they not only put the size on the tags, they also put the weight of the child it will fit. If you have a 6 month old who is 30 lbs, the 6 months clothes will not fit them, but you can find clothes that will!

Seriously, I am so excited about this store, I need my Carters fix, NOW! It is a mixed store of Carter's and Oshkosh, which is super duper cute stuff as well. (Sorry Oshkosh, I just love Carter's so much!)

What you can get: Boys and Girls Clothes size NB to 6. Everything from  shirts and pants to PJ's and accessories. Here is the link to find the store nearest you.

PS. When you buy something, they usually throw in another coupon for 20% off your purchase the following month! Savings that we can all use!