Mamapicks Newsletter – Nov. 10th, 2009

A Giveaway!

Help We’ve Got Kids is an amazingly useful resource book for families in the GTA.  It is filled with coupons and useful listings…45 categories of kid-related information at your fingertips.  From birthday party venues to health resources, and serious savings in the coupon section, this book is a permanent fixture in the Mamapicks  minivan.  Five books are being given away to Mamapicks readers! Visit the website and let me know which is the last category listed on the left hand side.  Also, go to the coupon section and print yourself one of the many useful coupons.  The first 5 readers to respond, win a book!

What To Do This Weekend

Take part in the 105th Annual Santa Claus Parade on Sunday, Nov. 15th at 12:30pm.  Ours is the longest running parade in the world.  See the website for details about a free pre-parade breakfast and lots of entertainment for the kids at Yonge & Dundas Square.

Visit the Bata Shoe Museum for their  Saturday Shananigans and Paint-A-Clog Sundays.  Admission to the museum is FREE every Saturday and Sunday this month with the donation of a brand new pair of socks to the Museum’s “Warm The Sole Sock Drive”.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Roy Thomson Hall) presents Jack in the Beanstalk , a special Young People’s Concert based on Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, and features actors, puppets, and a 60-foot-tall beanstalk!  Young People’s Concerts are created especially for children ages 5-12.  Sat. Nov. 14th, 1:30 pm & 3:30 pm.

For more fun weekend events, go to www.mamapicks.com.

30% off at the Gap, Old Navy & Banana Republic

YAY!  Another awesome promotion.  Time to get the Warmest Jacket from the Gap.  Nov. 12-15th.  Click here to print your coupon.

Maclaren Stroller Recall

Maclaren’s umbrella strollers have apparently resulted in the amputation of the fingertips of 12 children across the US.  Fingers were caught in the hinges when the strollers were opened or folded shut.  According to Kushies, the Maclaren distributor in Canada, the recall is a voluntary one in effect in the USA only.  However, they expect that the repair kits will be available to everyone.  If you would like a repair kit for your stroller, please call the Maclaren Recall Hotline: 1-877-688-2326.  Health Canada has confirmed that the stroller is safe for use when children are sitting in the stroller and it is in a locked open position.  It is the hinge mechanism that can pose danger as the stroller is being opened or folded.

Cardboard Furniture!

I really like this drawing table and bench by Green Lullaby, made entirely out of corrugated cardboard.  The bench holds up to 120 Kg (!) and even has a storage compartment.  I guess I wouldn’t mind it if my kids coloured all over this kind of furniture.  Don’t worry, the surface is easily cleaned with a wet-wipe.  Ever wonder how you survived without wet-wipes before you had kids?

Free Mailing Labels

Love these labels.  Anything aqua, anything postal.  Download the PDF file here to print out your sheet of labels.  These were designed by the talented Miss B @ Le Blahg.