Donating to Grow With Me

Some of you might not be aware that you can donate items to Grow With Me. When you bring your goods in to sell, we will sort through them. Those things we are not able to put on the selling floor, you may either bring home or donate to the store. You may also bring in donations anytime, even if you are not selling to us. Anyone who donates items will receive a coupon for 10% off your next purchase.

All of the donated items that we think are sellable go into our $1 Bins for our weekly Bin Sales. 50% of all the proceeds from those sales go to local autism organizations. Presently, Grow With Me contributes to the Ann Arbor Autism Foundation (www.annarborautism.com) and the Washtenaw County branch of the Judson Center (www.judsoncenter.org). Those items that might not sell during our Bin Sales are donated through us to House by the Side of the Road. What is fabulous about this particular nonprofit is that unlike the Salvation Army or PTO Thrift Store, House by the Side of the Road does not sell donated items, but gives them away to those in need that are referred there from other organizations in town, such as Safehouse and the The Corner Health Center. The only time we throw anything away is if an item is in obviously unsafe condition or otherwise unusable.

So feel good about bringing your things into Grow With Me. Not only will you earn some cash back on them or 30% more in store credit if you are selling, but you will be helping families in need.

But I Waaaaant That!!

Last week we were in Cancun, Mexico. Yes, thank you, it was a good time. But you know, when you go on vacation with the kids, it usually ends up more of a family trip than a vacation. There’s always that whining about all the things they want. The constant “no, no, no’s” get terribly tiring. And you can’t exactly tell them to put it on their birthday or Christmas list. So now that our son is old enough to understand, to some degree, how money works, we decided to try something new. We gave each of them a certain amount of money for the week that they could spend as they liked (for the most part). Of course we gave them some guidance, such as, “I think that giant sombrero would be difficult to get home” or “those dangly earrings are a little long for you.” But overall it was a great success. “Are you sure that’s what you want because then you’ll only have $2 left” got those little wheels turning. We could see them thinking it over and making the difficult decisions. There was still plenty of whining concerning other issues, and we had to deal with the fallout of purchases not smartly made, but it was still mostly a relief to let the kids take over the responsibility of what to buy.

We hear plenty of whining, screaming, and crying over this same issue here in the store. And that is perfectly normal, especially in today’s consumer culture. Young children don’t understand why they can’t just have what they want. Older children always have that great reason why they should be allowed to have what they want. And they all have an idea of what’s fair: “Why shouldn’t I be allowed to buy something when I have to spend so long shopping for what mom wants?” Some parents tell their children to put it on their wish lists. Some parents just say “no” and walk over their tantruming child. Some parents tell their children to pick out one thing each. Some parents give in at some point and buy what the child wants. And some parents look exasperated. If you are one of those exasperated parents, or even if you’re not, it never hurts to teach your children about the value of money. To prep for the trip, we established an allowance. This allowance is not dependent on any jobs that have to be done (after all, we all have to do chores because we are all members of the family), but always given weekly in order for them to begin to understand how money works. When they would like to make an impulse buy,we ask, “Are you sure you want to buy that now, or would you like to save up for something you really want?” And when they want to make a big purchase we say, “If you save up for X number of weeks, you’ll be able to buy that.” Okay. It doesn’t always work. Sometimes they just want what they want when they want it. But it is awfully nice not to have to fight about it all the time. And I think they are actually starting to understand, as mom always said, that money doesn’t grow on trees!

Summer Markdowns & New Items

I know you don't want to think about autumn quite yet, but it is almost time for us to start making room for our fall inventory. So,

All Red-Marked Items Are Now 50% Off!

If your little one might grow out of their shorts before the summer is over, or they need an extra sun hat for the trip to the beach, or you haven't yet bought that July 4th outfit, now is the time to get some great prices on summer merchandise!



Some great items we now have in stock:

*Neurosmith Jumbo Music Block
*Peg Perego Stroller
*Fisher Price Power Plus Swing
*Playskool Simon Says Sit & Spin
*Battat Mini Market
*Melissa & Doug Dinosaur Puzzles
*Ganz Painted Glass Night Lights

Wonderful Baby Shower Gift Ideas at Grow With Me!

Grow With Me offers a great variety of unique baby shower gift ideas at a fraction of the retail cost. Whether you're shopping for an adorable outfit or creating a basket full of baby shower goodies, we would love to help you find the perfect gift to give to the new bundle of joy.

We currently have a huge variety of baby shower gift ideas! Come check it out:

*Me Giant Wee Bubba long-sleeve onesies and shirts are just adorable. Each one comes in its own little lunchbox and is 100% cotton and made in the USA.

*Z. Daisy hooded towels and changing pads are so soft and cuddly. It's too bad their just for babies!

*Baby Ganz stuffed animals and rattles are just the right size for baby to hold. They come in a variety of friendly-faced animals.

*A 2-tiered couture Bloomers diaper cake adorned with yellow silk flowers, a keepsake ceramic baby block, and wrapped in white toulle would be perfect for any stylish baby shower.

*Don't forget our oh so popular Baby Paper that come in three great colors. They are crunchy and crinkly and fun to play with!

*A wide variety of Slinglings baby slings in great colors and patterns.

*New Boppy pillows make a great gift to make mom and baby so comfortable!

The Beginning of Summer Vacation

The Monday morning after school let out for the summer, the conversation went something like this:

“Mama watch me play Wii.”
“Just for a minute. I have to go to work today. Ok. Got to go.”
“Oh, wait, you have to see something.”
“I can’t sweetie, I have to get ready for work.”
“But look! I have 2 Indiana Jones now.”
“Uh-huh. That’s nice.”
“You’re not watching.”
“I can’t. I have to get ready for work.”

And 10 minutes later:

“I thought you were getting ready for work.”
“I am.”
“Well what’s taking you so long. Do you have time to watch me now?”
“No, not now.”
“But I’m hungry.”
“Go talk to your dad.”
“But he’s busy.”
“Well tell him he needs to feed you.”

And then upstairs:

“Mama, can I wear the new skirt you bought me today?”
“No.”
“Why noooooooot?”
“Because it is too nice to wear for a playdate.”
“But what if I only wear it there and then I’ll change if we do something messy.”
“No.”
“But why nooooooot?”
“Because either you will forget to change or won’t want to take the time to do it and then I will end up getting angry and you will tell me it wasn’t your fault.”
“I won’t do any of that. I promise.”
“You always promise and we need to be done with this conversation because I need to get ready to for work.”
“But Mamaaaaaa! What if I bring the skirt and just try it on for her so she can see it and then I’ll take it right off.”
“Go talk to your father about it.”
“But he’ll just ask me what you said!”

And this is why my children go to camp all summer long! I wish my kids could be the kind of children who play well by themselves. Or I wish I was the type of mom who thinks up fabulous activities for my children to do and could spend hours playing pretend kitties that talk to each other. However, I realized long ago that we are who we are. And being who we are, my children and I are both better off when they are at camp all summer long.

But if your kids are home with you for the summer and you are having one of those days where everything is a struggle, then sometimes a change of atmosphere can do wonders. I learned that a long time ago too. So stop by the store. Let the children play or watch a video while you do a little shopping. And then you might want to ask us which camps our children attend!

Position Available

Are you an outgoing, friendly person who is familiar with children's merchandise? We are now looking for someone with flexible availability to join our team here at Grow With Me. Resale or retail experience is a plus, but not necessary. It is a 5-10 hr. per week position. Please give us a call or stop in for more information!

Children Will Be Children

We call our store a resale boutique because of the high quality of our merchandise and the smaller-shop atmosphere we have tried to create. But we are a children’s store and we are very well aware that children will be children.

I was in another resale store the other day and one of the salespeople told my 10 year old daughter to go find her mommy, which upset her terribly. And during the same trip, another salesperson told a mother not to let her child play with the merchandise-- that there was a specific area of the store where children could use the toys. After that experience, I really had no interest in returning there. How can the staff of a children’s store not expect developmentally appropriate behavior from children?

Babies cry, toddlers run around and grab anything they can get their hands on and try to put it in their mouths, preschoolers want to play with everything including baby toys, and older children either want to try on clothes or tell everyone how bored they are! We get it. We’ve had little ones pee and puke in the store. We’ve had others pull every book they could reach off the bookshelves. And we’ve had lots of crying, yelling, falling-on-the-floor-kicking-full-out tantrums. Children will be children and that’s as expected. Most of the time we just smile our knowing smiles. We’ve all been there. And sometimes you just have to laugh.

So next time you come for a visit and your adorable angel of a child decides to do the unthinkable, don’t stress. Know that you are in a tolerant, accepting place. Tell us if we can help in any way. We would, however, appreciate it if you took a few moments to help your child tidy up. We’ll be happy to teach them, and you, the Clean Up Song or play clean up games. You’d be surprised at how well they work! And then take a deep breath or two before heading out for your next adventure.

Blog Deal Day

Can you believe it's almost time for us to start doing summer markdowns? It seems a little crazy since we've hardly even seen summer yet. But keep up with the retail stores we must! Soooo, we are going to give all you bloggers a head start:

Wednesday, June 3rd

Blog Deal Day

Get 20% off all summer items

(that means shorts, swimwear, summer dresses, sleeveless tops)

Just let us know that you saw it on the Grow With Me Blog!