Parental Guidance: November

Local News, Tips, and Products for Families

By Kate Calamusa and Kavita Varma-White December 31, 1969

This article originally appeared in the November 2010 issue of Seattle Magazine.

The Quickie Holiday Pic
Slacker parents who have put off taking this year’s family holiday photo (and whose Type-A neighbors did it in September!) will be happy to know that Seattle photographer Sara Adamski (photosbysara.com) has them covered. Call it a drive-through holiday picture service, where all you do is show up at a local park chosen by Adamski. The $90 session, which can be scheduled through the first week in December, takes 15 minutes and yields seven to 10 4-by-6-inch  prints, a disc with high-resolution digital files, and rights for personal use and printing. (Pressed for time? Adamski can also design and print custom photo cards for $1 per card and envelope.) Adamski warns that clients have to be flexible about weather considerations, because all sessions are outdoors. But, really, does anything say “Season’s Greetings from Seattle” better than a happy, smiling family with a gray-sky backdrop?

/Birthdays in a Box
Post-birthday-party bedlam comes in many forms, from oversugared little guests tearing around the house to the mound of trash—paper products, plastic utensils, decorations—being thrown away.  You probably can’t avoid serving cake, but you can do something about all the waste. Kenmore mom Trish White’s Birthday Kits for Kids (birthdaykitsforkids.com) are eco-friendly, reusable party supplies with themes such as Western Roundup, Jungle Adventure and Under the Sea. Each $45 rental kit provides 12 guests with plates, cups, utensils and cloth napkins, plus a festive tablecloth and centerpiece, a themed-music CD, craft supplies and even canvas goodie bags. White delivers (and picks up!) free in the greater Seattle area, which means less planning and cleanup and more time to enjoy your kiddo’s special day.

Daily Deals for Parents
Groupon-loving, sale-sleuthing moms: The wave of online daily deals is now in your universe. Scroll for duds (no stroller wrangling!) at the new Zulily.com, a locally based members-only sale website wheeling and dealing in apparel, shoes and accessories for kids and hip clothing for mamas. Launched in January by former Blue Nile exec Darrell Cavens and Blue Nile executive chairman Mark Vadon, Zulily offers free membership. (Sign up online; members receive daily dedicated emails with details of shopping events, which last a few days at most.) Deals are as much as 70 percent off kids wear from the likes of Baby Lulu, L’Amour and Petite Lem. And don’t miss the Seattle section on the site, which offers discounted tickets to performances and other local entertainment.


Published November 2010

 

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