June Newsletter: BRIO Play Day this Saturday, Sidewalk Sale Next Week!

BRIO Trains Play Day!

This Saturday June 14th 11am - 3pm

Come build with us! We've got two huge cases of track and trains just waiting to be roll. The fun won't be limited to just train tables--we're planning to fill our entire back room!

Plus, we'll have free BRIO prizes to the first 50 kids who help us build our transit network. And with every $50 purchase you can enter to win one of several BRIO train sets we'll be giving away.

Double the fun and take the train!
The Green Line also opens this Saturday and our neighborhood will be throwing a launch party by the Raymond Avenue station complete with music, art projects, food trucks and a free shuttle trolley sponsored by Sunrise Banks circulating up the road to our store and all the other shops along the way.

Sidewalk Sale June 20 - 21, 10am - 6pm


Mark your calendars! Our famous, fabulous, and fantastic fourteenth annual Sidewalk Sale inspires fanatical followers! This year's sale will not disappoint. Expect tons and tons of closeouts, oodles of scratch & dents, dozens of samples, and bunches of crazy but awesome random stuff.

Yes, there will be toys. Yes, there will be cloth diapers (including a couple of special buys!) Yes, there will be a lot of happy people. Yes, exclamation points are always free!!



New in Store: Hardwood Ukuleles Made in USA by Zither Heaven

These handmade instruments make a perfect first guitar for small hands! Unlike other kids' instruments we've seen, Zither Heaven Ukuleles are very sturdy and are built to last. Plus, they make a great sound and are about the same price as imports!

Our Ukuleles come in a choice of Maple, Walnut or Cherry. Whichever you choose, they'll sound beautiful!


 

Music Together Free Demo Classes & Summer Sessions
Beginning June 23rd

Classes are filling quickly for Music Together Summer Sessions! We'll be offering Mixed Ages classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and Baby classes on Mondays.


FREE Demo Classes June 16th!
Stop in next Monday morning for a free mixed ages demo class at 10:30am and a free Baby demo at 11:30. Find out what the fun is all about!







Dancing for Birth
with Brittany Kubricky
Wednesday Evenings in June
$11.99 per class 

Class continues tonight at 6:15! Dancing For Birth is a fun and exciting way to stay fit during pregnancy. Not only do you learn helpful movements for pregnancy and birth, but the classes focus on building camaraderie and relationships with other moms, normalizing the birthing experience, and creating a safe space to share. Our teacher, Brittany Kubricky, is a doula, childbirth educator, and longtime Peapods friend who loves dancing. Be ready to have some fun!
 

Babywearing Class and Clinic 
with Kelly Lillibridge
Saturday, June 28th
1pm - 2:30pm

Kelly returns on June 28th to teach everything there is to know about the four main types of baby carriers and will help you decide which style is right for you.

Whether you're expecting or already carrying a baby or toddler, learn how to wear your baby in comfort with Kelly's excellent hands-on help.

More Upcoming Classes & Events:

  

Peapods FREE Cloth Diaper Class
2nd and 4th Thursday of Every Month 6pm - Tonight!
Want to learn more about cloth diapers? Attend one of our FREE Cloth Diapering Class! Held one the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month, we'll teach you just about everything there is to know! No need to pre-register.

Preparing for a Positive Pregnancy
June 19, 6:30pm
Join BabyLove's Veronica Jacobson to learn how various options can make your pregnancy and birth a positive experience and reduce the stress of the unknowns. This class will calm your fears, give you evidence-based info, and help you navigate your options.

Please share these classes with friends or family who may be interested, too!

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And, as always, here's some of our recent arrivals:

Dundry Hill Mobiles Made in Minneapolis	Happy Puppy Pull Toy by Plan Toys	Shake it Up Toddler Maraca Set by Hape
New Summer Kickee Pants Bamboo Baby Clothes	Reusable Snack & Sandwich Bags by Skip Hop	Wooden Stacking Lighthouse by Haba

Announcing Peapods' Annual Sidewalk Sale! Friday & Saturday June 20th and 21st

Here it is again!
June 20-21, 10am - 6pm

Our famous, fabulous, and fantastic fourteenth annual Sidewalk Sale inspires fanatical followers! This year's sale will not disappoint! Expect tons and tons of closeouts, oodles of scratch & dents, dozens of samples, and bunches of crazy but awesome random stuff.

Yes, there will be toys. Yes, there will be cloth diapers (including a couple of special buys!) Yes, there will even be a bunch of shelving, planters, and decorations from our basement! Yes, there will be a lot of happy people! Yes, exclamation points are always free!!

The fine print: Because our sidewalk sale is a busy event, we recommend (but do not require) shopping without small children. Our sale will take place rain or shine. Sidewalk sale purchases are final—no returns or exchanges. No fair arriving early! 

Family Roadtrip Tips

Every year, our family goes on a 2-3 week camping odyssey with our four kids and our pop-up camper. We go without an itinerary, hoping that we'll find a place to camp and fun things to do every day. In the past 9 years, we've camped from Maine to Seattle and from Michigan to Texas. 

This year, we followed the Mississippi River down through Iowa, Missouri, Memphis, and Mississippi to New Orleans. Then, we traveled west to Austin, Texas and back north through Oklahoma and Kansas.

Of course, it's important to have a great selection of healthy snacks, books and travel toys (we can help with that!) for each kid before you start out. But, here's some of our more quirky roadtrip tips:

1. Yes you can wash cloth on the road! Remember to bring your favorite detergent, a large wet bag, and lots of quarters.

Laundromats also usually have wi-fi, too, so they're a good place to catch up on the emails.

2. Every so often, leave the freeway and wander into a town and find the playground. Almost every town has one!

Small town parks are also a great place to have a picnic. We pack a cooler with fixings for cheese or peanut butter sandwiches, so everybody's happy.

3.  Seek out Farmers Markets, Food Trucks, and Festivals. They're a great way to get to know a new city with lots of activities for kids!

From left: at the Saturday Farmer's Market in Kansas City, getting tacos at a food truck in Austin, and eating crawfish (bugs! says Ellie) at Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans.

4. Non-toxic washable markers + a notebook = hours of car seat entertainment. At least it did for our Ellie, who filled up most of her notebook on our 2 week trip.

Sometimes she asked us to draw a cat first, then she would take over.

5. On this point we may be biased, but we always seek out indie toy stores when we visit a new city. They're always near other kid-friendly spots like parks and restaurants and their staff can always make great recommendations. Plus--a few new toys for the road!

Ellie playing a guitar in Austin and Duncan goofing with funny glasses in San Antonio.

6. Keep track of your progress! We've been adding stickers to our pop-up camper for 9 years now and we all get pretty excited every time we get to add a state. A journal or paper map would work great, too!

From top: Duncan and Riley in Oklahoma, Ellie in Texas, and Duncan in Kansas.

7. Collect squished pennies! Seriously--not only will you get a nice memento of your visit, but you'll also be able to escape most touristy gift shops for only 51 cents.
















8. Last but not least: Bring a baby carrier! There are so many awesome places to visit that are not stroller friendly. Wear your baby or toddler and you'll both see more and navigate crowds much faster!

Here's Millie and Ellie in New Orleans.

That's it! Happy travels to you this summer!

--Millie, Dan, Abby, Riley, Duncan, and Ellie