Low Cost Options for Children's Clothes

It is tough making ends meet these days. And, as we know, children grow out of clothes and clothes grow out of them quite quickly. What is the best way for saving money and still having your children well clothed? There are several options to consider.

Low-cost Retailers:

Target - This is my favorite retailer for kids' clothes. If they grow out of them quickly, get ruined or in some cases, just don't seem to fit well, then you won't feel guilty for spending too much money. And, the clothes are often cute and colorful!

Sears - They all used to have Lands End clothes, which I love. But, I think only a limited number of Sears stores carry this label now. They have good sturdy shoes.

Kohls - My next favorite retailer for kids. They often have mid-week sales and lots of basics like tops and tights or shorts. Good selection of almost everything and also carries shoes.

Walmart - I have bought the basics here too like t-shirts, underwear, socks etc. I don't seem to find as much as I do at Target, but there are definitely bargains to be found here.

Resellers:

TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls are all good for finding a few things here and there. But, since their selection is all limited on what they get in as overstocks, don't count on them for basics. I have found high quality shoes there though.

Consignment:

Since we don't have any local consignment stores, I don't often shop at consignment stores. But, I love the idea of recycling, especially when they are younger and there is little wear and tear. Please see a list below of some of the current consignment stores. And, most likely this is a market that will grow this year, so keep your eyes out for others...

A Wee Change - http://www.aweechange.com/ - in Walnut Creek
Grove Stree Kids - http://www.grovestreetkids.com/ - in Berkeley
Small Fry Shop - http://www.smallfryshoppe.com/ - in Danville
Chloe's Closet - http://www.chloescloset.com/ - in SF
Snickerdoodles - http://www.eastbaysocial.com/ - in Danville
The Kidz Shoppe - http://www.thekidzshoppe.net/ - in San Jose

Online Bargains:

Craigslist and ebay can give you some great deals on even new kids clothes.
http://www.craigslist.org/
http://www.ebay.com/

But, don't overlook http://www.overstock.com/ as well. They have lots of stuff and it is easy to search their site.

Other good options are http://www.hannaanderson.com/ and http://www.landsend.com/ when they have sales. I get high quality clothes through these sites when they have specials and buy for the next year, if the sale is seasonal.

Snow Activities for the Family

Now is the time to head out with your family and go enjoy the snow! We have recently had so much rain and snow, that it is a perfect time to enjoy it as a family! Whether you ski, sled, ice skate or simply build snowmen and make snow angels, it is great to enjoy the snow together as a family. It is another way to bond, get away from life's hassles and get some good exercise. Many resorts want families to visit and try to make it easy with daycare, low price ski tickets for young children and great package deals. You can find warm clothes either through consignment, Target or borrow from friends. And, to make some of the deals even better, you can rent a condo with another family or two and split the costs and make it very reasonable to stay overnight. It is a great family activity. See below some of the places to visit for snow fun below.

http://www.diamondpeak.com/ - I have not visited this resort, but it actually advertises that it is "your tahoe place for kids". Kids 6 years old and under ski for free and they have interchangeable parent's passes for $49 for the day. However, it is a bit further away and on the NV side.

http://www.sugarbowl.com/ - We visited this ski area prior to having children and enjoyed it then. It is one of the closest resorts and offer "signature kids' programs". Children 5 and younger ski free. This resort also advertises to have other snow activities such as sledding and snow play and snowshoe tours.

http://www.sorensensresort.com/ - We often drive by this resort on our way to ski at Mammoth and often want to stop. But, we have not done so yet. It is small, cozy and very appealing with its activities such as cross-country skiing, sledding and snowshoeing. They have cabins, a restaurant, a small gift shop and lots of open landscape for winter sports.

http://www.squaw.com/ - this world-class resort has not only great skiing, but lots of activities for non-skiers. They offer ice-skating, snow tubing, snowshoe tours and a wonderful top-of-the-mountain spa. It is a bit pricier than the other resorts, but with the amenities, it is worth it.

Other places to check out:

http://www.northstarattahoe.com/
http://www.sierraattahoe.com/
http://www.skiheavenly.com/
http://www.skihomewood.com/

Happy Snow Fun!

Presidents' Day Activities

This Monday is Presidents' Day and that means the schools are out and the kids are home. If you are having a hard time coming up with some fun activities at home, check out the following web sites that have some great ideas for projects that teach your children about the presidents while they have fun.

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/presidents-day/ - has coloring pages, word searches, putting the presidents in chronological order and fun facts about the presidents. This site is for school aged children.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/presidentsday/ - this site has crafts that are appropriate for preschool, kindergarten and elementary school children and includes lots of patriotic fun crafts.

http://www.alphabet-soup.net/hol/president.html - this site has word searches, a cookie recipe, coloring pages and some fun trivia.

http://fun.familyeducation.com/presidents-day/entertainment/32937.html - this site has puzzles, coloring pages and quizzes. It seems to be a great resource site for lots of holidays.

Enjoy your presidents' day with your children!

Peanut Recall Concerns

The news is appalling. The Peanut Corp. of America was forced to close both the Georgia and Texas plants due to the outbreak of salmonella in peanut products produced in its plants that is believed to have caused up to 600 to get sick, half of whom are children, and nine to actually die from salmonella-tainted products. After one of the biggest recalls ever, more information has been revealed about this company - rodent droppings, cockroaches and a leaking roof onto processing equipment. The company knew all of this and continued to process its products. It is believed that they also knew of the salmonella tainted products. Where is the moral compass in corporate America these days? It makes me realize that we all need to be our own food advocates which includes buying locally and organically instead of from the big manufacturers that allow such unbelieveable lack of quality control and extreme negligence.

For more information, see the latest article on NBC Washington: http://www.nbcwashington.com/health/resources/The-List-Peanut-Butter-Products-Recalled.html where they also have a link to the most updated FDA list of recalled products.

The fact that the Peanut Corp of America had to file bankruptcy this week is the only consolation in all of this. They claim the recall has hit them too hard economically...well, hopefully being hit in the wallet will teach this company not to be remiss in maintaining the quality of their product in the future and jeopardizing the health of the public.

Ongoing Parenting...

Just when you thought you had gotten through to your child or children on the rules and consequences of breaking them, they seem to challenge you again. It is always a surprise, especially when they get older and are supposed to understand the concept of cause and effect. But, the stages of development are many and beyond my relatively limited parenting expertise. But, as they say, parenting is a life-long role. It never stops. So, what do we do? We talk to friends with children and learn about their experiences and what they have tried. We read books (I am a big fan of books and have a wide collection of these!), we watch tv shows (sometimes helpful, sometimes not - Everytime I watch Super Nanny I think I have the most well-behaved children ever!) and we attend classes. I am including a few of these below, but it is only a partial list as we know. Good luck and never stop learning about how you can be the best parent ever!

Books:

Have a New Kid by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman - http://www.booksreadall.com/books-Have-a-New-Kid-by-Friday-How-to-Change-Your-Child-s-Attitude-Behavior-Character-in-5-Days.html

I Break for Meltdowns by Michelle Nicholasen - http://www.amazon.com/Brake-Meltdowns-Exasperating-Behavior-5-year-old/dp/0738211672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233503690&sr=1-1

Setting Limits with your Strong-willed Child by Dr. Robert MacKenzie - http://www.amazon.com/Setting-Limits-Your-Strong-Willed-Child/dp/0761521364/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233503651&sr=8-1

These books (and more on the subject) are available at Amazon.com.

Classes:

Parenting for Peace is a class taught in the East Bay which is supposed to be very effective. They have workshops, seminars and individual counseling. http://www.peaceparenting.org/

Putting Kids First online classes - http://puttingkidsfirst.org/parentingclassinformation.html

Positive Parenting in Ojai has a newsletter and book store that could prove helpful. http://puttingkidsfirst.org/parentingclassinformation.html

Life Matters - a good site for online classes, videos and other resources. Worth perusing. http://www.lifematters.com/parentn.asp

Online Articles:

Kidsource.com has quite a few articles to check out - http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/parenting.general.html

More News on BPA

Most of us are quite conscious of green products and those that may have health concerns. And, we are very aware about BPA or Bisphenol A these days - the additive used in many plastic products to make them shatterproof - and the health concerns related to it. But there is a new study that not only shows it gets stored in the body, but stays stored for longer than first believed. The researchers now say that we are either getting BPA from many more sources than anticipated and/or our body is storing the BPA and therefore, cannot get rid of it as quickly as first thought. We now have alternative products available for us without BPA as well as some affirmation from the FDA on the potential dangers of BPA which are both huge steps. It is still amazing to me that the FDA errs on the side of conservatism when it comes to their reputation but not when it comes to the safety of our population and especially small babies. But, it has taught me not to assume the FDA knows all, but that I need to read and research on my own for the health of my family. For a great site on BPA free products, see the earlier post: Concern of BPAs.

Free Museum Days at Bank of America

It is nice when you don't have to do ANYTHING to get something for free. If you bank at B of A, this is true! They have free museum days the first weekend of every month through April. All you have to do is show your Bank of America credit card or debit card with your CDL. How easy is that?! We have not participated in this yet as I have always had plans the first weekend, but in March, we plan to take advantage of this great opportunity. There is a list of museums that are a part of this program - not all museums participate. But, still, there are a few big ones that make it worthwhile - Tech Museum in San Jose and deYoung in San Francisco as examples. Check out this link for more info: http://promotions.bankofamerica.com/museums/