Learning to Ride with a Balance Bike

At the suggestion of a friend a few years ago, I made a note to look into getting MetaBoy a balance bike when he turned 3. A balance bike is a lot like a traditional bike, except it doesn't have pedals. The idea behind this is that a pedal-free bike is that it allows a child to walk while seated on the bike, allowing him to learn to balance and steer. This action gives the child the ability and confidence to speed up, and before you know it, she's flying along with her feet off the ground, and your running behind her trying to keep up.

I saw several models, ranging in price from $50 to $350. I finally settled on a Skuut, primarily because I wanted to patronize my local toy store, and that's what they carry. A quick search online revealed that its price currently ranges from $90-100.

We bought it for my son's 3rd birthday. He was pretty excited, and on his first ride, he did well. He walked several blocks sitting on the bike. Then he lost interest completely, and I thought it was a lost cause. But one day, out of nowhere, he asked to ride his bike again. Whew!! He got on, and walked like before, but this time he was a little more confident. And he got better with each ride. Now, he sits and runs (think of how the Flintstones drive their cars), then picks up his feet and soars on the bike path...with one of us running and panting behind him.

The best part of this bike is that one day, he'll be able to make an easy transition to a bike with petals, and he won't have to endure training wheels (I hated training wheels!). At least, that's what they say. We're not there yet, so I can't say for sure. But for now, he's doing great, and he loves it. And MetaGirl, who is now 2, will get it when he graduates to a bike with petals.

As for the specific bike, I don't know that one is better than the other. Is the $300 one better than the $50 one? I don't know. But I know that a $50 price tag is much more accessible. And on that note, here's one I found at Costco for $50 (shipping included). And because it's Costco, you know that you can always return it if you don't like it.

If you can afford it, though, consider patronizing your local small toy store. You might pay a little more, but I'm sure they could use the business these days. And your dollars are the best way to assure that the stores you truly appreciate will be around when you need them.

Book for Kids: Tools by Taro Miura

There's a tiny little toy store in Venice called Toys and Tales. Much like small, independently owned stores, the selection there is great. I have a hard time leaving without buying something.

Case in point, I found Tools by Taro Miura. Drawn on two pages are a collection of tools, and the following page is a drawing of the person who uses the tools (e.g., electrician, barber, carpenter). My son, who is almost 4, is obsessed with this book. And the teachers at his preschool loved it so much that they picked up a few copies for the school. Highly recommended!


There aren't many small toy stores in the area, so it's nice to patronize the few that we have. The selection of toys and books is so much more interesting than at the big chains. And while there's room for everything in life, loyalty to the little guy means they'll be there tomorrow to help us find that perfect gift or expand our kids' horizons. So go out and find the small local store that you're going to help support :-)

Keeping an Eye on Amazon's Black Friday-Movies

Here's a link to all of the movies and TV deals Amazon will be having over the coming week. The price isn't listed on each item, but I suppose it might show up as the sale approaches. And some of the listed prices are pretty good (e.g., The Tale of Despereaux for $5).

Keeping an Eye on Amazon's Black Friday

Amazon has some Black Friday deals going on right now. It's something to keep watching because the deals change every few hours. We got a copy of Wall-E for $4.99!! I'm sure it will come in handy this Christmas with all of the cousins ;-)

You can scroll through all of the items that will go on sale today, though the price isn't listed until it actually goes on sale. I saw a couple of things that will keep me refreshing throughout the day.

Tea Collection: Stylish Girls' Clothes

The Tea Collection has the cutest clothes for girls!! I'm not crazy about the boys clothes, but there are a few nice things. But the girls clothes...if they came in bigger sizes, I'm might be doing my own shopping there. Even better, they have a section of dresses under $30, which is very reasonable for cute, stylish clothes. And if you're lucky, you might find a promotional code with Google.

Blue Berries and Green Shopping

Fun stuff this weekend.

We went blueberry picking in Camarillo. Pickings were slim, but it was an interesting experience. A little too hot to be fun, but I like exposing MetaBoy to new food things. And this was definitely new. Blueberries grow on bushes? In the ground? From dirt? A pound of blueberries for $3.50! No, not organic, but I'll let it slide this time. I'll make plans to do this earlier in the season next time.

Afterwards, we stopped by the Camarillo Outlets for some deals.

I always take my shopping bag in my purse. It's small and folds up into nothing, so it's easy. And it means I'm always ready to refuse a shopping bag from stores. I did this when we bought a little something at Banana Republic, and they gave me 10% off. I got a 10% discount for using my own bag!! What a great surprise.

Good on Banana Republic for encouraging shoppers to do the right thing! I wonder if any other stores do this

Living in a Discount Culture

This was an interesting segment about discount shopping on Marketplace. Ellen Ruppel Shell's latest book Cheap:the High Price of Discount Culture is her analysis of bargains in the U.S., which she says can end up costing consumers more than they think. For example, if instead of buying the boots you love you buy the most discounted pair which you never wear, did you save money? Personally, I find myself always repeating the question to myself "yes it's cheap, but will I use/wear it?" If not, I won't buy it. My argument is both about money and space. I can't afford space for stuff I won't use. I taught myself that lesson years ago, but it primarily stems from my Virgo nature. Practical, organized...boring ;-)

Another interesting comment was about "sales" and how prices are set:

"How many of us, for example, have ever paid full price for a mattress. There's an object, you know, it's always, quote, unquote, on sale. Well, it's really not on a sale. That's the real price of the mattress. The other mattresses in that department store have higher prices, but the merchant doesn't really expect to sell those mattresses. He rotates all his mattresses into the sale pile, and he expects to sell them at that sale price, which is actually the full price."

That information will forever change how I see sales. I'm tempted to buy the book, but like those never worn boots, will I ever get around to reading it?

Maybe if it's on sale ;-)

Heels for Babies? Seriously?!?

In case you're baby is too happy and comfortable, here's a product sure counteract that. Heelarious Shoes...

"Your little one will look fabulous in these soft crib shoes designed to look like high heels! Each pair of heelarious heels is packaged in a darling purse-shaped gift box, complete with a rhinestone closure. Red satin heel with leopard satin lining for infants size 0-6 months."

Blegh!!

Farmers' Market Shopping Cart

‘Hook and Go’ Urban Shopper - I see these at the farmers' market all the time. Given that we'll be using a stroller for the foreseeable future, I don't need this. But, oh how sleek and smart. One day...one day...

$59.95 @ Sur La Table

Costco Proposed Settlement of Class Action

Just a little FYI...

Costco - Notice of Pendency and Proposed Settlement of Class Action ("Notice") - If you're a member of Costco, this might benefit you.

Here are some broad strokes:

• "If you have been a Costco member at any time since March 1, 2001, you may be entitled to benefits from a class action settlement."
  
  
• "The Complaint alleges that Costco members who pay an annual membership fee to renew their Costco memberships after their expiration date has passed received a renewal membership term of 12 months beginning from the previous expiration date, instead of the date on which they paid their renewal fee. For example, if a Costco membership expired on January 31, 2008, and the Costco member renewed the membership 2 months later on March 31, 2008, the members renewal membership would expire on January 31, 2009, not March 31, 2009."
  
  
• "Costco members who renewed their memberships 3 months or more after their previous expiration date will receive 3 months of free membership. The value of this benefit is $12.50 or $25.00, depending on the type of membership."

Warm & Fuzzy Rain Boots!!

Having lived in Los Angeles for all of my 30 something years, I really never had a good excuse to buy rain boots. But something possessed me this year. I finally got a pair... Moov Boots! And while I bought them just after the heavy rain in December, they really came in handy for the heavy rain in January and February. And yes, heavy is relative ;-)

They're warm and fuzzy on the inside. They're lovely on the outside.

No, they're not cheap, but they're sturdy and I don't slip when I walk, which means they'll last me a long time. They're sold and shipped from Australia, so you'll have to convert the price into your currency to know your true cost (I like this site). Keep in mind that the price includes shipping.

Even better, Daily Candy is offering a discount of 30% (coupon code: DCMOOV)! Yes, I'm regretting not having waited. But oh well...can't win them all.

The Right Start and Babystyle

A sign of the times?

I occasionally shop at Babystyle, but I certainly can't be accused of keeping them in business since I prefer them during sale season. They have cute, soft baby clothes, baby toys, and a nice selection of maternity clothes.

Back in July of 2008, The Right Start bought Babystyle and Blue Lava Group (owns the Tiny Ride Website). I'm guessing that didn't go well.



That led me to check out Tiny Ride, which is just as grim.



The Right Start's website seems to be up and running. It leads me to wonder what happened. I guess rumors have been floating around for a few days, but what's the deal? I stopped by my local Babystyle, and other than a small statement in the window regarding their having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, you wouldn't know anything was amiss. Haven't checked out my local Right Start, but it's on the list.

Right Start Acquires Two Brands

Geeky Love

Am I this geeky? Is MetaDaddy? Hmm...perhaps not. This is pretty geeky. But maybe you are ;-)

Binary Love T- Shirt

Teething: Sophie the Giraffe

MetaGirl has been teething for a bit now, but nothing yet. She's drooling like a faucet and putting everything in her mouth, including toys, fingers, other people's fingers (ew, MetaGirl...ew).

So I walked into a toy store looking for Christmas gifts last month, and the sales associate asked me if I knew about Sophie? I thought "that's odd that she's asking about my friends." Well, she meant Sophie the giraffe. That is, the little rubber giraffe that teething babies love, love, love to chew on. It's soft, easy to handle (that long neck is superb), it squeaks, and it's made of all natural, non-toxic ingredients. MetaBoy loves Sophie, too. A bit too much sometimes. "Please give Sophie back to your sister!"

It's a great gift idea if you know anyone with a teething baby.

Note: I was reminded of Sophie when I saw this ridiculous thing today. Who would buy this?!? And at that price?!? Holy moly.

Pottery Barn Kids Discounts

I was looking for coupon codes to Pottery Barn Kids (you know, for kicks), and I find this page on Retail Me Not.

One entry says to "change 34 to 68." There are a few other similar entries with different numbers (e.g., change 34 to 59 or 34 to 89). At first, this made no sense. But then I find the item number for these storage baskets (Medium Sabrina Basket, set of 2, Honey) by putting them in my shopping cart. I then start to fiddle with the two first digits of the item number (21-4342838).

The starting number is 21 instead of 34, but I try it anyway. While I had no luck on the first few tries, that changed when I entered 68-4342838.

The price for the baskets dropped to $27.99 from $34. I should point out that any price ending in .99 is a final sale. But that's not the point.

It's like a sale playing Peek-A-Boo with me!

On that note, I probably need to get out more.

But who am I kidding. I'm totally nerdy like that ;-)

(I wonder if this works on other Pottery Barn sites?)

Patagonia Toddler Clothes

This Patagonia vest reads well and looks stylish, but the heck we're spending $70 on a vest for MetaBoy that he'll outgrow in no time. It's made from recycled materials, and is fully recyclable in turn. It's also probably made well enough to last for years. What's the point of that with a toddler? If they make it slightly less well made, can I maybe get a discount?

Holiday Deals

I'm a bit overwhelmed at the sales these days. It just feels like the question these days is not "are you having a sale?" Rather "how good is your sale?" And free shipping is a default assumption.

I went to a favorite store, Anthropology, with a specific item in mind and found myself accosted by racks of clothes that filled half the store..all deeply discounted. The better part of my loot was 50% off.

To name a few recent discounting retailers that have helped to overwhelm me: Banana Republic, Gap, J Crew, American Eagle Outfitters, Bloomingdales, Macys, and even high end retailers like Saks and Nordstrom. Emails and store signs and mailers...it's so hard to resist!!

Gap was selling all sweaters at $25 one day, then all gloves, scarves, and hats for $10 another day. Saks has some serious mark downs on designer labels, though it's all far beyond what I'm willing to spend. And I just discovered that Kate Spade (oh, their lovely handbags!!) is offering 30% off of everything on their website, excluding jewelry.

Yikes!!

Have you found any good deals out there?

Cool to be Frugal

I have my suspicions about shopping. When everyone is trying to keep up with the Jones', it's not very "cool" to say you're cutting back on spending. Even if some people should, they don't want to cut back when it means not getting that cool new something. That's what credit cards are for, right?

As lay-offs abound, consumer confidence dwindles, and the economy tanks, shoppers have stopped opening their wallets for everything other than the bare necessities.

I can't help but wonder. Is it "cool" to be frugal now?

Enough of the Sex and the City.

If you have a favorite store, I suggest getting on their email list. Everything is on sale everywhere. And it's just going to get better as things get...well, worse. Maybe it's time to stock up on basics or refresh your wardrobe. MetaDaddy loves his Polo shirts, and they're finally on sale. Woo Hoo!!

Shoe Pavilion Going Out of Business

Did you hear? Shoe Pavilion is going out of business. The sale is expected to last 10-12 weeks with some stores closing sooner.

Time to stock up on family footwear!

Baby Clothes

Oh, how time flies.

I was digging out some of MetaToddler's old clothes for M2 and I've come to a few conclusions.

1. I can't believe he was ever that small.


2. I can't believe how lucky we've been with his wardrobe. Between gifts and hand-me-downs from his younger cousin (ya, he's way bigger), we've had very little stress in keeping him well clothed. We love the one piece footed outfits from Ireland because they're well-made, soft, cotton, inexpensive, and adorable. I've found similar items here at much higher prices, so we've tried to get him new ones every time we go back to Dublin. That said, he's at that cusp where we can't find footed ones that fit him any more. The footed ones are particularly beneficial in keeping him from climbing out of his crib because he climbs much better in his bare feet. He can't get a proper foothold when he's bound in his jammies.


3. We hardly need anything for M2. We've got clothes, toys, etc. aplenty. Unfortunately, no excuses for shopping. Eh, I'm sure I'll find something. We always need something when it's particularly cute ;-)


4. I'm really excited to revisit some of the things that I really loved seeing MetaToddler wear. The opposite of that sad feeling you get when you admit to yourself that your child no longer fits into that little shirt that you love seeing him in. That's what today did for me. Gave me a big sense of "awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....I forgot how much I loved this shirt!!!"

Now, the unpleasant part. Laundry.