Y’all know how much we love consignment shopping at Chez McDougall-Foster, which is why I’m heading to south Ajax later tonight to partake in Once Upon a Child’s Midnight Madness Sale.

Click the ad over there on the left toolbar to check out all the details and the best hours to shop. It’s always a tough decision to go early and take advantage of the best selection, or go later to get the best percentage off. I’m stuck working this morning (boo!) so the decision was made for me.

Happy shopping!

• May 21-28: Mastermind warehouse sale ‘08 — Richmond Hill at 9325 Yonge St.; click link for hours. Discounted, discontinued or slightly damaged packaging. Items include toys, board games, arts & craft and puzzles, from brands such as Melissa & Doug, Playmobil, Gund and Ravensburger.

• May 24-28: Samko & Miko spring toy warehouse sale — Toronto at 77 Fima Cres., and Richmond Hill at 60 East Beaver Creek; Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Wed.-Fri. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Toys, books and arts & crafts, from brands such as Crayola, Graco, Fisher-Price, Mattell, Hasbro, Step 2 and little tikes.

Even with Lucy’s birthday already passed and Christmas so far away, I’d totally check these out if we weren’t down to one income…

Happy shopping!

While I didn’t get a booth at either the Mamas and Chicks Show or Mompreneur Market this spring, I did donate two stuffed gift baskets to raffle off.

This morning one finally went in the mail to Theresa in Oshawa, and the other was picked up for Andrea of i’mnotsurebutshewasveryexcited.

I have to thank the following generous local businesses who donated products. Please support them if and when you can, as they help keep this site going, are Durham-based and Canadian and make things especially for you!

• Shelby from Natural Earth Tones natural body care in Oshawa
• Alexandria of Clippopotamus hair and soother clips in Pickering
• Tamarra of Lollipops & Lizards children’s boutique in Pickering
• Kristen of T Bag & Co. gourmet market totes in Uxbridge

Enough people have emailed and written about this now that it must be true: Zellers is giving store credit if you return any Avent products because of the issues surrounding BPA. You don’t need a receipt or packaging or anything.

Rumour has it the store is only doing this until Friday.

Has anyone done this yet? And what are your thoughts on breast pumps? I have an Avent one, and really liked it for what small pumping I did (and plan to do after the Parasite2 arrives). I plan to just pump into a bottle, then transfer straight into freezer bags or BPA-free bottles for feeding. I don’t know if it’s worth it to find and adjust to a brand new one for the few minutes the milk will be in the bottle?

While at the Green Living Show this weekend, I picked up several cards that list cosmetic and personal care ingredients in big and little kid products to avoid. These are synthetics that are potentially harmful — especially to vulnerable, developing babies.

(For the record, I’m SO not saying these ARE harmful or cause cancer or make your arms fall off or or will kill us all tomorrow. They are thought to be harsh or not environmentally-friendly or come from nonrenewable resources. And yes, this information comes from companies that sell naturally-based products with their own agendas. Which is why I’m linking to Wikipedia or Google for definitions, where you can find all sorts of links on your own.)

While I knew of some of these (parabens and phthalates) I thought you might like to see what other things to look for on an ingredient list. As with food, if you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably not good for you…

• sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate — a cleansing agent that creates foam and suds (which is why many natural products are not near as “soapy” as we’re used to)
• parabens — preservatives used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Controversial studies have linked it to cancer and increased estrogen.
• phthalates — used in plastics to make them more elastic, and found in everything from shower curtains to sex toys to nail polish and perfume and iPods. Controversial studies have linked it to hormonal imbalances (especially in fetuses) and allergies.
• petrolatum — a greasy, film-building skin protector widely used in cosmetics. Byproduct of petroleum (duh).
• phenylenediamine (PPD) — used in hair and textile dyes, printer ink and photographic products. A known allergen.
• coal-tar colours (FD&C or D&C) — synthetic food and cosmetic colour dye.
• diethanolamine (DEA) — used to create a creamy texture and foaming action. Linked to cancer, decreased brain development and miscarriages.
• dimethicone — a silicone oil used in shampoo to make hair slippery and shiny.
• formaldehyde — too. much. to. process.
• phosphate — commonly added to dishwasher detergent to help soften water and boost cleaning power. Excessive amounts in our water can create excess algae.
• oxybenzone — organic compound used in sunscreen and cosmetics as it absorbs UVA rays. A known carcinogen that penetrates the skin and creates free radicals (this one scares me, because I’ve been wearing sunscreen cream for years, and regularly slather it on Lucy. Need to look into it more and find alternatives.)

FYI, two of my favourite Durham retailers (who also happen to advertise, yes) carry wonderful natural baby bath products. Tamarra of Lollipops & Lizards (online) now carries the Little Twig line, and Shelby of Natural Earth Tones (Oshawa) has the All Things Jill line. Both are great priced (the higher cost of natural and organic products is always an impediment for people, myself included, which is why these are great).

President’s Choice had a HUGE booth at the show and was really promoting its Green products. We got a free, full-size sample of their floor cleaner and cleaning putty. Currently, we use the laundry soap, toilet paper and paper towels, and will switch to the dishwasher detergent when our stock is up. I love that these are so accessible and reasonably priced.

A company called Live Clean gave away tons of mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner to promote their eco-friendly body care line. Their stuff is 96% plant derived, and they gave out this neat bookmark that you can plant to make a wildflower garden (what clever, clever marketing).

This post is huge, so I’d better stop before your eyes roll back in your head from too much info or you click screaming away from the hippie-ness. Hope it all helps!

Tomorrow is the Durham Parent Family Show in Pickering, and Sunday is of course The Mamas and Chicks Show in Oshawa.

We can’t make the show Saturday (heading to Toronto with Eric’s brother and his wife to the Green Living Show! Very excited.), but are definitely going on Sunday. If you see Lucy n’ me (or Jen. O and Eirinn or Lauren and Owen) say hi! There’s, like, 40 of you free ticket winners going, so chances are our paths will cross.

Next Saturday is my FAVOURITE SHOW EVER, the Durham Parents of Multiple Births Associations gigantic consignment clothing sale. I so wish I knew the sex of the baby in time for that. Hopefully their fall show lands before the Parasite2 makes his/her appearance…

That day is also The spring Mompreneur Market, at Wooden Sticks in Uxbridge (10 a.m.-6 p.m.). We’re not in it this season, but are definitely going after the clothing sale.

Have a great one!

Several local retailers have been in touch since the newsletter went out about their Bisphenol A- and phthalate-free products. Which: Yay you for going green!

Mulberry Bush in west Pickering is now carrying NuturePure glass bottles, which are chemical toxin-free, allergen-free, polycarbonate- and PVC-free and apparently really durable.

Once Upon a Child in Ajax is carrying Baby Farlin glass bottles, as well as Foogo stainless steel sippy cups by Thermos.

AND, the other day I drove past Baby Shack in downtown Whitby and their sign said they were carrying our favourite SIGG bottles.

Kudos all around. Chuck your plastic and go get some!

I hope all of you have noticed the growing sponsors on the left sidebar.

I am a small town, community girl at heart. Although a decade ago I physically ached to bust out of my hamlet and catapult into j-skool at Ryerson, I knew after less than five years of living downtown Toronto that Big City living wasn’t for me. I knew after five weeks at the Toronto Star that a Big City reporter job was not for me.

And so — having picked up a fiance along the way — we moved back to Durham. In that full-circle way of life, I landed my first Big Kid Job at the very first newspaper I ever worked for (at the tender age of 15).

And so began settling back into the community feeling I felt missing from downtown. That closeness has only intensified after moving to north Durham — now with a baby — back to the stomping grounds of my youth. We are planting roots here.

So you have no idea how awesome it is to have these wonderful local businesses on the site. To have other people value and validate what is so important to me, and what I strive to achieve with this site, is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. And what better way to showcase Durham Region and the network of businesses that support it than share them with you?

I have purposely chosen not to go with a ad network. There is more money that route, but little if any control over content. There are restrictions on what you can say about your ads and advertisers (nothing, mostly), even where they can go on the site itself. I have no interest in that, and it defeats the purpose of what I am trying to create here.

Please take some time to visit them when you have a chance. A big fat thanks to all of you (and my endlessly patient and supportive sister) for the immeasurable help in reaching this point.

I’ve spent an eye-crossing amount of time updating and adding to the links section the past week or so. They desperately needed to be done to preserve my sanity, and also in response to what Mr. Google says people are looking for (namely: stuff to do, places to go, and birthday party centres — all for Durham).

Things are now split into what I hope are easier-to-navigate categories for y’all:

Durham links: The main entrance, also found on the right-hand toolbar over there, and directly above, under the logo

Places to play: Municipal recreation programs, indoor gyms, dance, birthday party centres

Stuff to do: Get out of the house with grown-ups (including, of course, Durham Mom’s Night Out!), Early Years Centres, public libraries, event listings, travel/tourism links

Durham daycare/nannies: Places to find childcare, resources

Safety and support: Recalls, breastfeeding, car seat safety checks, postpartum depression, parenting etc.

Local businesses and mompreneurs: List of consignment stores, baby gear, online sales, local entrepreneurs

Health: Labour, fitness, beauty

Fave Canadian retailers: The Eh! online stores we love the best

Coming soon: Baby shows, crafts and photography. Got any to add?

Have a site you love you want listed? A category to suggest? Business to add? Leave a comment or drop me an email. These are ever-expanding.

Enjoy!

Lucy has a small clear plastic jar with a red flip-top lid, and inside it lives the best distraction in the house: Her collection of “pretties” or hair clips.

She loves to put them in my and Eric’s hair (and you bet Eric just loves this…), but is not a huge fan of wearing them herself. Instead, she likes to dump them on the floor, roll them around with her fingers, talk to them, sort them and — oddly — drop them in the crack between the door frame and the door in our bathroom upstairs.

We can get them to go in and stay in her hair if we clip ‘em and distract Lucy and she forgets. It’s not until she sees herself in the mirror or happens to feel her hair does she then yank them out.

A tomboy in the making, perhaps? Or perhaps just a look-but-don’t-wear-the-pretties kinda gal. We’ll see.

So when Alexandria of Clippopotamus asked to send us some of her uber-cute hair clips, let’s just say we got a little excited at the prospect of trying out some new pretties. Especially since the Pickering stay-at-home Mom of Story, 15 months, makes the funkiest designs, including hot pink skull and cross bones, argyle, polka dots, cherries and stars.

When they arrived in the mail, Lucy pounced. “Pretties!” she exclaimed, and immediately asked us to put them in her hair (!). And for the rest of the day, proudly wore her girly skulls and green and pink cherries. A first!

What I love most about these is the soft liner — the “bite — that ensures the clips go in, and stay in. Who hasn’t fought to get those plastic teeth to stay in fine baby hair?Plus, unlike other ribbon-based clips we’ve tried, Alexandria finishes the ends of her, and tucks them inside so there is no fraying.

Clippos are hand-made in small batches so there are always new designs popping up on the site. There are dozens and dozens to choose from. Oh, and have a special occasion (party, wedding) dress you want a specific-coloured clip made for? She’ll do it. Because she’s awesome like that.

Prices range from $3-$7.50, depending on style and size. Buy them online, or at Mullberry Bush in west Pickering, or Spoiled Kidz in the Pickering Town Centre.

But be careful — they bite. Softly. And prettily.