List of Indie Craft Shows

Holiday Heap
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 1
Where: St. John's of Baltimore United Methodist Church, 2640 St. Paul St.
Admission: Free
Information: charmcitycraftmafia.com

Creative Alliance Merry Mart
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 2
Where: Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.
Admission: Free
Information: 410-276-1651 or creativealliance.org

Out of Hand craft show
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 2
Where: Knights of Columbus hall, 201 Homeland Ave.
Admission: Free
Information: 410-592-9158

Squidfire D.I.Y. Holiday Art Mart
When: noon to 7 p.m. Dec. 9
Where: Lyric Opera House, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave.
Admission: Free
Information: 410-327-3300 or squidfire.com

There's also an article in the sun about these craft shows:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-to.craft24nov24,0,1084386.story

(thanks to Liz for compiling this list!)

Holiday Fair at the Waldorf School

Holiday Fun for the whole family.
Vendors. Arts & crafts.
Marionette show.
Children's shopping room.
Children's crafts & activities.
Cafés.
Live musical performances.
Expanded Spring Garden...and much more.

Saturday Dec. 1, 2007, 10AM to 4PM
Entrance: Children under 12 free, $3 per adult.
Snow date Saturday December 8, 2007
Location: WSB School, 4801 Tamarind Road 21209

WSB is located off of Route 83 exit 9B (Coldspring Ave.- West).
After merging onto Coldspring, go to the 2nd light and turn right
onto Tamarind Rd. The main school will be on your right about 1/2
mile up the road.

I attended this last year as a vendor and it was such a great family event, that I wanted to be able to bring my children just for fun this year.

Cutting to the Chase on Eliminating Plastics

Many parents these days are trying to eliminate plastics from their child's environment, especially from what they eat and drink with. I'll admit, I am slow on this trend, because of the convenience factor. Finding the right kind of sippy and the cash to throw down for $10-$15 a cup (x the number of kids you have!), and it's quite easy to minimize the importance of of a Bisphenol A (BPA) free sippy cup! However, one quick glance at the plastics fact sheet at the site Life Without Plastic and you'll be converted rather quickly. I truly can not imagine a life with out plastic, but, it is in the baby steps that we can make the world a safer place for our kids. Life Without Plastic is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, this company is based in Canada, so shipping to the US can be rather costly, but, you can also get some ideas from the site and do some local shopping to find some of these items.

Huckle Berry Baby: No Ordinary Blankey

Finding handmade items made with Amy Butler fabrics is an easy task. But, finding something that is truly unique is a little more of a challenge. This blanket from etsy seller Huckle Berry Baby is nothing short of stunning! It is a beautiful quilt on the front and the back is pink chenille. This blanket will be adored for generations.

Yo Gabba Gabba!!

I think we all know how rotten TV viewing can be for our kids, but there's no denying it's a rather affordable babysitter when the laptop or kitchen demands your attention and your toddler does too. I started to worry about our youngest because she was never interested in TV for more than a couple seconds. Autism? ADD? Bad eyesight?

Turns out it was none of the above. She just has very discerning taste, and the only "baby show" she's into is Yo Gabba Gabba! I've never seen her pay attention to any show before or after. We tried to get her into Classical Baby, but she's more Daft Punk than JS Bach.

This new live action/animated show debuted on Nick Jr. this summer and is due to pop up on Noggin in the new year. The best synopsis I can give is it's Barney with an indie sensibility. It's Sesame Street set in an 80's video game. It's a breakdancing version of the Teletubbies. It's like a Sid and Marty Kroft show for the mash-up generation.

The first scene in every episode is MC Lance Rock strutting out on a plain white backdrop with a
boombox. The graphics are all pixelfonts. The episodes are all themed and the crux of the message isn't much different than the saccharin songs of that purple dinosaur("Share","Be Nice To Animals", etc.)

Regular guests include Biz Markie, Mark Mothersbaugh, The Aquabats, and Parker Jacobs. Single-episode guests have run from Tony Hawk to Nikki Flores. Music has been provided by a slew of indie bands (Mark Kozelek, the Salteens, Low, etc.) and the "Remixes" at the end of the show have come from bands like Broken Spindles and Digital Unicorn.

So if you're one of those types that never lets the kids watch TV, turn on Yo Gabba Gabba! for yourself.. and if you can get past the cheese you'll be doing the robot in no time.

Mommy Codes from the Mommy Insider

When shopping online you might come across various coupon codes, or be looking for one when you are about to make a purchase. The Mommy Insider blog brings all the coupon codes together with Mommy Codes. I like how there may be multiple codes listed so if one doesn't work you can try another.

Do you know of any particularly great sales or discounts? Leave a comment or write baltimoremama@gmail.com

Happy Shopping!

Sweet Dreams

Stash this one away for the holidays! It's the Nightmare Snatcher Journal from the company Spiderbite. These aborable, furry monsters are journals in disguise. They have a lovely poem on the first page to reassure the child, and the rest are blank pages for your little dreamer to write their thoughts, dreams, and even nightmares. Does the child need to be able to read and write to enjoy this? I don't think so. My four old loves to write in notebooks and journals, and this in an activity she often does in bed as she drifts off to sleep. You can purchase these on Etsy
for $20.oo.