Philadelphia Moms

Sale and Elmo! Suburban Edition

So it's no secret that I love Learning Express Toys.  This weekend the Learning Express Toys in Broomall is having a storewide 20% off sale (Easter basket supplies anyone?).  To boot, Elmo will be making guest appearances on Saturday, March 20th from 10am to 3pm.  I'm going to test the waters and see if my little guy will actually go near Elmo this time.

The Learning Express in Broomall is located in the Lawrence Park Shopping Center, 1991 Sproul Road. 

Duross and Langel Sale!

As you probably know, this blog is specifically geared towards those with small kids who are living and working in Center City.  And while I do sometimes post about places and events outside Center City proper, I love passing along info that is local.  Places you can walk to and bring your kids. Especially when it's an independent retailer.

So, turns out Duross and Langel is having a one-day-only "snow day" sale TODAY, February 25th.  Come in today and you'll receive 20% off your entire purchase.

I've posted about Duross and Langel before and while most items in the store are definitely geared towards moms and dads, they do carry some bath items for the wee little ones.  Plus you can navigate the store with a stroller and the people are friendly.

Duross and Langel is located at 117 S. 13th Street.  Stop by today only for your 20% off!

Babies R Us Trade In Event!

I apologize for the long absence...but we had some post-delivery complications over here and between an additional stint in the hospital and the sleep deprivation that comes with a newborn, I just haven't been getting down to business.

But now I'm back and starting the new year off with a fairly lame post about the Babies R Us Trade In Event.  You might remember they did this in the fall as well.  The basics are that you can take any old item you have that falls under a certain catergory (for example: high chairs, strollers or car seats) and "trade" them in for 25% off a new item. 

The idea is to prevent people from using older items that have been passed down and may have been recalled (or might not meet today's safety standards).  Personally, I think this concept works well if you were planning on buying a particular item anyway and can use this as a way of getting 25% off.  Like, I'm thinking about getting a new pack-n-play, so I may as well "trade" in my old one for the coupon. 

Anyway, if you were thinking about getting yourself some new baby gear, check this out!

Last Minute Shopping

Okay, so only a couple of days left to get all that shopping done.  And who wants to head to the malls?  Not me.  So...shop local!  Head to Happily Ever After, on Pine Street, between 10th and 11th Streets.

I've mentioned Happily on this site before, but they have such a fun selection of toys and books, it's worth popping in.  Not sure what to get a kid on your list?  The owners always have great suggestions.  They have a nice selection of infant gifts but I'm always impressed with their collection of Playmobil and WOW Toys, not to mention all the dolls.  It's like doll heaven. 

Snowed In

So your plans to run out and get some last minute holiday shopping might be impeded by the quasi-blizzard we've got going on right now.  After you build the obligatory snowman, walk on over to the Christmas Village at Dilworth Plaza.  Some of the shops are open and they've got some great stuff!

Then, head on home for some hot chocolate!

Black Friday Sale--Learning Express Toys

Okay, so you're likely getting all sorts of emails and circulars for Black Friday shopping.  Here's one you may not know about it: Learning Express Toys in Cherry Hill, NJ (other locations in Broomall, Springfield and Exton, PA).

I've written about Learning Express Toys before: it's sort of a perfect marriage between Toys R Us and independent retailers.  This weekend, Friday through Sunday, everything in the entire store is 20% off.  And from 6am until 9am on Friday, November 27th, there's an additional 10% off!  That's 30% off everything in the store during those three hours.

I, for one, will be all over it.

Piccolini: Grand Reopening!

I've posted about Piccolini before, and after being closed for awhile, they have reopened with a new concept: an infant and toddler designer outlet.  I thought Piccolini was great before so I'm pretty curious to see what this new idea is all about.

Tonight, Piccolini is hosting a little party tonight at their 20th and Spruce location (264 S. 20th Street) from 6-8 p.m. Free gift with purchase and a chance to win a Skip Hop gift basket (according to their ad on Facebook).  Plus, there will be more giveaways at both the city location and the Byrn Mawr location on Saturday from 12-3 p.m.

Cash for Cribs?

While I'm not a huge Toys R Us or Babies R Us fan, both chains are running a pretty neat program right now. The Great Trade In Event runs today through September 20th. Being in your old crib, stroller, pack-n-play, high chair or car seat made by any brand, and receive a 20% discount on the purchase of another baby item from one of those categories by select companies.

The motivation behind all of this, if my understanding is correct, is that very few people seem to return items that have been recalled.  That's likely because who the heck can even keep up with all these recalls?  So, while the solution going forward would be for companies to, I dunno, make better products, the quick fix is to try to get people to turn in their old items so they no longer continue to use them.  The moral of the story here is to do your research here on recalls and to the extent possible, don't purchase used baby items.

What immediately caught my eye about this event was that Britax, Evenflo and Graco are among the participating brands.  So let's say you've had your car seat a couple of years and are thinking about an upgrade.  Just bring it in and you could get 20% off a new car seat by one of those companies.  And 20% off of Britax prices is nothing to sneeze at.

Big, Red and Furry

Have I told you yet about Learning Express Toys?  There are several of them in the general area, but the one closest to Center City is in Garden State Park in Cherry Hill.  These stores are like the end result if Toys R Us and a mom-n-pop toy store got married.  The stores are a good size, have plenty of toys for kids to test out and have a great selection of products by companies like Alex, Viking, miYim, etc.

And this weekend everyone's favorite (or not so much) furry red friend, Elmo, will be at the Cherry Hill Learning Express Toys. Friday, 1-5pm, Saturday, 12-6pm and Sunday 1-5pm.  For babies, it'll make for adorable photo ops.  For toddlers, it will be a terrifying lesson that Elmo is actually 6 feet tall. 

Duross and Langel

When my son was born, I swore I would not be one of those people who stopped taking care of myself on maternity leave.  Yes, having a newborn is exhausting, but surely one can find time to shower, no?  And I patted myself on the back that every day on my leave, I managed to shower, get dressed AND put on make-up.  Hell, I was even doing my nails and getting my hair cut somewhat regularly.

For me, the wheels came off the bus gradually and hit a climax when my son was somewhere between 15 and 18 months old.  Oh, I still showered every day and got dressed (going to work sort of requires that), but I began to realize that a lot of other things dropped off.  I wasn't doing my nails anymore.  Making appointments for my hair stylist seemed too time-consuming.  Any sort of skin regiment had gone out the window. I hadn't exercised in any capacity.  I put on some weight. I didn't feel like going clothes shopping, even when I really needed pants that fit better.  It all just seemed like too much effort.

And maybe it was.  But that I wasn't doing all those things bothered me just the same.  All those things equated "taking care of me", which you know, is still important, even when you're taking care of a little person or people.  You can lose yourself in motherhood a little bit (or a lot bit) and if that bothers you, you should take time for yourself now and again. Slowly, I've been trying to reintroduce certain "me" things back into my lifestyle. 

So, for a pick-me-up, Duross and Langel, at 117 S. 13th Street, is the perfect place. With a host of soaps, facial scrubs and other bath goods, Duross and Langel is sure to have something to perk your spirits up. The owners make most of the products themselves and you can read about their views on "natural" products here. 

And just in case you're feeling guilty for getting something for yourself, they usually have an assortment of bath toys and baby bath products.  The store layout is even wide enough to be considered stroller-friendly.