Tagged madison
The Incredible Supporters of Half-Pint
We love our community – and we are so thankful for all of the businesses and organizations who help make Half-Pint Resale a reality. We couldn’t do it without any of them. In your check-out bag you’ll find a stack of postcards from some of these folks. Make sure to read them – they include special offers and notices on upcoming events – only for your Half-Pinters! Many of them will also have tables near the check-out lines and all of them offer something that we think might be of interest to you. So without further adieu:
Big Wheel Sponsors
Forward Fertility helps parents-to-be who need third-party fertility services begin their families with a perfectly matched egg, sperm, or embryo donor, or a gestational surrogate. Based in Madison and serving clients around the country, Forward Fertility’s founder Christie Olsen is a nurse practitioner with 16 years of experience in reproductive health care and 6 years running an egg donation/embryo donation/surrogacy program at one of the largest IVF clinics in Wisconsin. Learn about what motivates people to become gestational surrogates.
On Saturday, April 26 (12 pm to 2 pm), Christie Olsen of Forward Fertility will be holding a free, public information session called “All Things Surrogacy” at the Happy Bambino store’s classroom on Madison’s east side. This is wonderful opportunity for women aged 21 to 45, and who are already a parent to their own child, to learn more about what’s involved in becoming a gestational surrogate (carrying a child who was conceived using someone else’s egg and sperm). Imagine what it would feel like to make someone else’s dream of having a child come true! No expectation and no commitment; bring a friend!
SwimWest Swim School offers convenient class times and has award winning instructors. Our Fitchburg facility won a *BEST Facility* award in ’International Aquatics’ Magazine. Come check us out- we offer FREE trail lessons to new families. we love Swim West! They’ve been supporters of Half-Pint since the beginning and our kids all learned to swim here. And don’t miss their FREE Easter Egg Hunt and Open Swim on April 12th at our West Madison location (1001 Deming Way) from 2-4:45. (If you shop Half-Pint in the morning, you won’t miss a thing!) Egg hunts for all ages and open swim to follow!
Hurley, Burish & Stanton, S.C. is dedicated to providing clients with the comprehensive and thorough work usually expected of large firms while maintaining the personal working relationships and cost-effectiveness associated with smaller firms. Heather specializes in business and personal services, focusing on the areas of estate planning, family law, and the organization and management of small businesses. Over half of her estate planning clients are families with young children. She also has an interest in helping same-sex couples and non-traditional families ensure they enjoy the full extent of their rights. Post-sale until May 31, 2014, 20% off all estate planning services for clients referred to me by Half-Pint Resale! Depending on the services requested, for most clients this will be savings of $100-$300.
Parenting can be a delightful journey, full of joy and wonder. Yet it’s also often challenging, and parents sometimes feel overwhelmed and isolated. Particularly when we’re grappling with stressful circumstances such as illness, divorce, or the hectic pace of a full life. Or when we’re striving to parent in innovative ways, which may not be understood by our communities.
Lailah is passionate about helping parents thrive in healthy, deeply fulfilling lives while becoming more present and consciously responsive with their kids. Through coaching, you can become more able to care for yourself and meet your challenges while taking care of your family, even when feeling groundless and vulnerable. Lailah’s clients become more able to fully enjoy the gifts of parenting and steadily grow through the challenges. In this way, we cultivate peace in our hearts, peace in our families, and peace in our world!
Tricycle and Scooter Sponsors
Making your wellness a priority is a gift for not only you but also your family! Polly Westmont Personal Training (a dedicated Half-Pinter!) offers individual, duo, or group personal training sessions as well as nutritional counseling, and boot camp classes. Present the coupon (from your Half-Pint shopper coupon packet) or text #makemefit for a free drop-in to any boot camp class! Outdoor bootcamps begin in May! Sign up by April 20th for a discounted rate! “I love training with Polly! Her workouts are creative, accessible and fun, without ever being intimidating. I always know that I got the most out of my time and investment.” -Erika, Mother of 4
Meriter is an innovative health care organization comprised of Meriter hospital, Meriter clinics and Meriter doctors. they offer pediatric clinics located in Madison, Middleton, Monona and DeForest. Their clinics offer same-day appointments and an excellent care team dedicated to the health of your child. Set up a free meet and greet visit with one of their pediatricians today! Stop by the Meriter table at Half-Pint to learn about food allergies and enter for your chance to win two children’s books about food allergy safety by award-winning author Amy Recob! Also learn more about their upcoming Passport to Food Allergy Awareness event on May 17th (10am-Noon) at the Madison Central Library. Storytime, Ask the Expert, kids arts & crafts, and goodie bags!
OpenHomes is a low-cost, high-tech real estate company.
Sell your home for only 1% commission, with support from real estate attorneys! Their mission is simple – Connect buyers and sellers directly. They put your home on the MLS and other websites, so you get the widest possible exposure. They give you a yard sign and a lockbox for your house key to facilitate showings. And they provide real estate attorneys to help you anytime you need it, so you’re never on your own. Open Homes empowers you to sell your home on your own terms and is the modern way to sell your home – without the high cost of a traditional agent, but with professional backup and help that flat fee/FSBO services can’t match!
Peace of Mind Nannies is a locally owned nanny agency in the Madison area. They help eliminate the stress of finding a nanny, because we are there for you every step of the way. Finding the right nanny is very detailed and important work and Peace of Mind Nannies can take the worry out of the process. They pride ourselves on being rooted in personal relationships built upon face-to-face contact and continuous support. They interview each candidate personally and send our clients only the most highly qualified nannies! Our goal is to help every family we meet choose from the best nannies in the area.
Nicki’s Diapers is located on the west side of Madison, WI at 739 N. High Point Rd in Sauk Point Square (corner of Old Sauk and High Point next to the Alicia Ashman Madison Public Library). They offer all our current products but have also added more to support the breastfeeding mama. They offer one of the largest selections of cloth diapers, baby carriers, and breastfeeding supplies in Wisconsin.
The Little Gym is a nationally recognized franchise offering recreational gymnastics, birthday parties, camps, and Parent Survival Nights. If you have never been to The Little Gym in Middleton and Fitchburg, check-them out for an introductory experience to their award-winning, one-of-a-kind curriculum that thousands of children in the Madison area have been a part of over the past decade! They have Serious Fun at The Little Gym and can’t wait to see you on The Big Red Mat! Year Round Open Enrollment is available! All new summer camps begin June 9! They are celebrating their 10 year anniversary this year in Middleton!
Madison Area Midwives – independent midwives providing out-of-hospital maternity care for women and their families in Dane County. Check out their table at the sale!
MMA is an informed choice model of human milk sharing that facilitates donor lab testing, safety education and health screening and free and local donor human milk for infants up to 6 months of age. Have an over-filled freezer of milk and want to use it to help someone who is having supply issues? Learn more!
Flutterby Beginnings is inspiring families with knowledge and support before, during, and after their births so they can create their own amazing birth journeys. Specializing in HypnoBirthing®, a complete childbirth method that focuses on preparing you and your birthing companion for a gentle and satisfying birth experience. You will learn unique methods of relaxation, guided imagery, and visualization, enhanced by self-hypnosis techniques. With HypnoBirthing®, you will be aware and fully in control, but deeply and profoundly relaxed.
Bricks 4 Kidz is a project based program in which they teach children through hands on classes how to use critical thinking skills, math and science concepts to build and design using LEGO bricks. They follow principles and methods of engineering and offer classes through after-school programs and in-school field trips/workshops in public and private Elementary Schools as well as Scouts, youth groups and recreation centers. Their classes are focused on STEM and can be tailored to meet the curriculum objectives of the organization that they are partnering with. Bricks 4 Kidz also offers birthday parties, Kidz Night Out evening events, and seasonal day camps.
Many thanks to the following businesses and organizations for their ongoing support!
hulafrog: Local things for kids to do.
Have you checked out Hulafrog yet? It’s an awesome go-to guide for things to do with kids in the Madison area! Visit madison.hulafrog.com to see what is going on, and don’t forget to subscribe to their newsletter and get their Our Pick emails & The Weekend Guide to find out about can’t miss activities, deals and events for families. Your kids will thank you for it!
Hulafrog is a Fall 2013 Half-Pint Resale sponsor – so go check them out! (Say hi from us while you are there…)
Who is the Best in Madison?
So many local businesses we love on this list – go vote! And if you are so inclined, give a little write-in love in that Consignment Store category (especially since there aren’t any other kid-focused stores on the list, and we wouldn’t want to leave our little Half-Pint’s out!)
Midwest Clay Project
From the beginning of Half-Pint, we’ve had an amazing friend in Jennifer Lapham. She’s been more than a consignor and volunteer, she’s been a friend who has stayed late and helped our brain-dead heads stay in the game to get things prepped for each sale.
And now that same amazing Jennifer has started her own fabulous business that we can’t rave enough about! (and not just us; read about them on Madison.com)
Midwest Clay Project is “A place to work in clay for people of all ages and abilities”. And it really is! My kids and I could best be described as a giant tornado. And you generally don’t allow tornados at clay studios. But that isn’t the case at Midwest Clay Project. Jennifer and her awesome staff have created a place for all ages – from my two year old little (who exlaims everytime we go, “I cut!”) and my five year old boy (who has more energy than can be stored in his body), to adults of all ages. Neither myself nor my children know anything about clay, but so far we’ve successfully created little snowmen, beads and other assorted “modern” pieces.
For just $10, your child can hang out and play with clay for over an hour. Then, their pieces are fired, and they can go back and paint on an underglaze (that is similar to the final color), for no cost. The pieces are then dipped in a glaze, put through the kiln, and then ready for pickup! (Kids under the age of three are free and welcome as well, as long as they don’t eat the clay.)
So today, on this snowy MLK day, my family (minus the two year old, but plus another 5 year old friend) went back to the beautiful and brightly painted studio. The H-Man was busy creating a new clay piece (a “spiral cup”), and our little lady friend was busy painting her fired pieces. There was another family in the studio while we were there – a mom and her two middle schoolers, who exclaimed “There aren’t many places to bring kids this age, so this place is amazing.” There were also a few adults busy working on the wheels.
With classes for people of all ages and abilities, with a space that accepts all kids they way they are, with a place that invites in the whole community – how could it not be enormously successful?
So go in and try it out. If you think you might make a habit of it (which you should, and your kids will want to), you can buy a punch card for $50, and get 6 sessions! I love knowing that it’s there waiting for us.
Check out their website for information on classes (including information on kid’s open studio), visiting nationally known instructors, gallery events, and more. Or just hop on over and stop in! (You can’t miss it – they are conveniently located next to Madison Sourdough on Willy Street… Before you leave, don’t forget to pop into MSCo for a 55cent chocolate cherry cookie; it’s a good way to refuel after so much creative work…)
And make sure you your kids bring some extra change from their piggy bank, because for only fifty cents, they can shop the “kids shelf” in the gallery area and bring home a little piece of art, all their own.
Bike Rodeo on Friday (and free stuff)
I just ran across this event and really wanted to let folks know about it because it’s full of many of my favorite themes: free kid fun, free prizes, friday happenings, non-profits, safety education…. Seriously. You should go. It’s all a part of Madison Non-Profit Day. Sweet!
DreamBikes Bike Rodeo
DreamBikes and the LUNA Chix cycling team will be hosting a Bike Rodeo as part of NonProfit Day. Kids age 5-15 are invited to participate in the Bike Rodeo, where they will be challenged in an obstacle course, learning bicycle and helmet safety and winning sweet prizes! Free LUNA bars from the LUNA Chix team will fuel the rodeo stars (and their parents). The event will be held in the parking lot across from DreamBikes at 4611 Verona Road, Madison 53711, from 11AM to NOON. Bring your own bike and helmet, although extras will be provided by DreamBikes. Stop in at DreamBikes to learn more about Madison’s youth-involved, non-profit bike store!
Vote Early. Vote Thrift.
It’s that time of year again, and you probably are getting emails left and right from all of your favorite stores screaming ‘VOTE FOR US! VOTE FOR US!’. We will be no different.
Every year Isthmus/The Daily Page runs the ultimate Madison Poll – to find out what the best of the best is; where you wouldn’t want to miss shopping/stopping/playing in Madison. And we are hopeful that you think that Half-Pint Resale is a great thrift addition to this great 77-squared (plus!) miles of land. We hope you want it to stick around. And surely, you must want to tell others about it! (right?)
So, go here and register to vote. They’ll send you an email once you do with your super-secret-password so that no one can steal your vote, and well, you can’t vote twice. There are lots of great categories, and certainly great stores you can vote for. But when you get to that thrift category, remember where you got that favorite outfit, that favorite toy, and that best thrift bargain. (smile)
Ellen and Lisa
