Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy.

November 23, 2009 at 11:03 am · Filed under Store

 
 
 
3 Think about which three independently owned businesses
you’d miss most if they were gone.  Stop in and say hello.  Pick up a little something that will make someone smile.  Your contribution is what keeps those businesses around.
 
50 If  just half the employed US population spent $50 a month
in independently owned businesses, their purchases would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.
 
68  For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68
returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures.  If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here.  Spend it online and nothing comes home.
 
1  The number of people it takes to start the trend……..you.

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Holiday Home Tour

November 23, 2009 at 10:57 am · Filed under Adria

Mom and Pop Place is excited to be part of the Roosevelt Holiday Home Tour again this year.  Have you seen the signs and posters for the tour?  It’s a community fund-raiser put on by Roosevelt Elementary School in Neenah.  Roosevelt is where my kids go, so you know it’s the best school ever.  Sorry.

 

Every December, Roosevelt hosts a Holiday Home Tour showcasing 4 festively decorated Neenah homes.  Local designers and florists and businesses donate decorations and time to create incredible holiday displays inside and out.  People come to enjoy the holiday spirit, to get inspiration for their own holiday decorations, and to snoop through other people’s incredible houses (let’s be real, here).  No matter what, it’s a fabulous event.  So many people work so hard to pull it off.  Funds raised go towards our school enrichment fund, of course, but a larger chunk goes right back to the community through Best Friends of Neenah-Menasha and the Neenah-Menasha Emergencey Society.

 

Last year, Mom and Pop Place was invited to help decorate one of the homes.  It was the home of 5 children and we helped the designers create some toy displays.  It was a lot of fun!  This year, we’re more deeply involved.  I’ll be decorating 3 spaces in one of the homes and running a holiday boutique during the show!

 

You should come to the Home Tour!  It’s on Friday December 4th from 10AM-2PM and 4PM-8PM.  Tickets are on sale here at Mom and Pop Place for $15 in advance.  Mom and Pop PLace will be decorating the Kearny Home at 103 Limekiln Road.  The homes and the displays will be amazing!

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Handmade Bracelets

October 12, 2009 at 2:17 pm · Filed under Cafe, Store

braceletsLook at these adorable bracelets by our crafter-in-residence, Emily.  (You can see some of her hats in the background, too.)  Emily hangs in the cafe a couple times a week to play with her kids and work on her crafts.    Her creations were so cute, we had to get them in the store!  So come and pick up a flower bracelet for the little girls in your life!  At only $8.99 each, you can get a whole garden of flowers!  But, you better hurry.  I already bought two for myself.

 

Join Emily and Nikki in the cafe every 3rd Monday for the Crafty Mamas Pop-In.  Bring your knitting, sewing, or craft and get to work!  Sit, stitch, play.

 

Adria

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Recipe of the Week

October 12, 2009 at 1:12 pm · Filed under Cafe, Recipes

Here’s the recipe of the week from our Whatchamakin Pop-In on Monday mornings.  Try this Peanut Sauce as a veggie dip, over noodles, or with chicken.

Peanut Sauce

1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1 T Grated Ginger

1 T Minced Garlic

3 T Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Hot Water

4 T Cider Vinegar

2 T Soy Sauce

1 t salt

Crused Red Pepper to taste

 

Puree all ingredients in the blender until smooth.  Adjust seasoning (salt, pepper, etc) to taste.

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Breastfeeding Alliance

October 7, 2009 at 2:33 pm · Filed under Breastfeeding

The Breastfeeding Alliance of Northeast Wisconsin (BFANWI)is a group dedicated to improving the health of area residents by working to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding!  Basically, it’s an alliance of anyone in the area interested in breastfeeding: nurses, business owners, moms, WIC employees, childcare providers, and you!   Check out our website at www.bfanwi.org. 
 
Mom and Pop Place is helping to host a fun event this month to brainstorm ideas on promoting breastfeeding! 
 
 
Monday October 19, 2009
6:30-8:30PM
Hosted by Tammy Elliot WFRV News
The Wave Bar and Ballroom
2350 N Casaloma Dr.
Appleton, WI 54914
 
The event is completely free, totally fun, and baby-friendly.  We’ll be serving refreshments, giving away door prizes, and providing toys to entertain your little ones.  After an introduction from Tammy Elliot, we’ll break into smaller groups to collect ideas on supporting and promoting breastfeeding.  We know you have ideas to share.
 
Please email me at adria@momandpopplace.com to RSVP!

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Washing Wool Diaper Covers

October 6, 2009 at 2:41 pm · Filed under Diapering, Parenting Information Sheets

Don’t be afraid!  Washing your wool diaper covers is easy.  Best of all, you only have to do it every few weeks: when your covers start to hold a pee smell or when your covers start to allow leaks.

1.  Fill a sink with tepid water and woolwash (like Eucalan) or baby shampoo.

(1.5.  Every few months or so when covers become less waterproof, wool covers can be re-lanolized.  Dissolve a small amount of pure Lanolin in boiling hot water.  Add the dissolved mixture to tepid water and soak covers for 15 minutes.)

2.  Soak or gently swirl covers for 15 minutes or so.

3.  Gently squeeze excess water from covers.

4.  Roll covers in a dry towel to remove even more water.

5.  Lay covers flat to dry.

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Wonderful Wool

October 6, 2009 at 2:36 pm · Filed under Diapering, Store

wool cover

 

We have some wonderful new wool diaper covers in stock.  They were hand-made by Gretchen, right in Appleton!  Check out all of her adorable diapers and cover here in the store.

 

Have you ever used wool for diapering?  It has magical properties.  It’s super-soft (forget your Grandpa’s scratchy wool sweater).  It’s lightweight and breathable so it stays warm in winter and cool in summer.  It’s waterproof and manages to both absorb and repel leaks at the same time.  Best of all, it has natural antibacterial and antismell properties.  It basically cleans itself.  If your wool diaper cover gets urine on it, simply hang it up to dry and the moisture and smell will disappear.  You can actually go weeks between washings!  On purpose!  Give wool a try.  You won’t be sorry.

For more details on washing wool diaper covers, see our blog post.

 

Adria

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Whatcha Makin’?

September 28, 2009 at 12:12 pm · Filed under Cafe

There has been a core group of foodie moms meeting in our cafe on Monday mornings.  We found that we spent most of the time talking about recipes and our menus for that week.  Then, many of us would head out to the grocery store right from Mom and Pop Place.  We decided to turn our cooking discussion group into a formal Pop-In group.  Join us every Monday at 10AM for the Whatcha Makin” Pop-In.   I’ll post a highlight recipe from each weeks discussion.  This week’s recipe is for a Tomato and Cheese Tart.  (I said “tart”.)  What a great way to use up the tomatoes we all have left from our garden!

Tomato and Cheese Tart

1T Extra-virgin Olive Oil

1 Large Onion (about 2 cups), sliced very thinly

1 Pastry crust, unbaked (store-bought or homemade)

4 oz cheese (recipe calls for goat cheese, but we agree mozzarella or even string cheese would work well)

1/2 t Dried Thyme

3-4 Medium Tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

1. Preheat oven to 425.    In medium skilet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook, stiring often, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove form heat.

2.  Lay pastry dough or piecrust flat on cutting board.  Distribute onion evenly on top, leaving 1 inch border all around.  Dot with cheese, sprinkle with thyme.  Arrange tomato slices on top, overlapping slightly.  Sprinkle with pepper.  Fold pastry over topping, crimping dough every inch or so.

3.  Transfer to a baking sheet and bake approximately 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Transfer to wire rack to cool.

4.  Eat.

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Vegas Hits

September 28, 2009 at 11:37 am · Filed under Store, Toys

Here’s a sneak peek at a tiny bit of the cool new products we saw at the Baby Show in Las Vegas this year.  We can’t wait to get all this new stuff in the store for you!
These toddler-sized Play Packs are insulated to serve as lunch and snack bags! Perfect to carry your sippy cup or Laptop Lunch Box.
These toddler-sized Play Packs are insulated to serve as lunch and snack bags! Perfect to carry your sippy cup or Laptop Lunch Box. These items are on their way to us in the next weeks.
New Tub Toys from Alex Jr! Cute toys for stacking, squirting, washing, and playing!

New Tub Toys from Alex Jr! Adorable washcloths, squirters, stackers, and tub mirrors are in stock now!

A new line of insulated, stainless steel drinking containers from Foogo (a division of Thermos). Their line of sippy cups, toddler cups, and straw cups are all double-walled to keep drinks cool and inhibit germ growth. All the tops are BPA-free and fully interchangable.

A new line of insulated, stainless steel drinking containers from Foogo (a division of Thermos). Their line of sippy cups, toddler cups, and straw cups are all double-walled to keep drinks cool and inhibit germ growth. All the tops are BPA-free and fully interchangable. Watch for Foogo next month.

The new Flip diapering system from Bumgenius is totally, well, genius. Each diaper comes with a waterproof cover and the option to stuff it with a super absorbant cloth insert OR a biodegradable disposable insert. You can flip between cloth and earth-friendly paper at any time! Genius. These diapers will be available the end of October.

The new Flip diapering system from Bumgenius is totally, well, genius. Each diaper comes with a waterproof cover and the option to stuff it with a super absorbant cloth insert OR a biodegradable disposable insert. You can flip between cloth and earth-friendly paper at any time! Genius. These diapers will be available the end of October.One of the world's smartest diaper companies has come out with a detergent perfectly formulated for cloth diapers! No more wondering if your detergent is right. Bumgenius detergent should be in stock in October.

The Ergo Baby Carrier is such a perfect product that the company doesn't usually have any improvements to announce! They just keep coming out with new, fabulous colors and accessories. This year's offering include this Sienna carrier and another style in light gray with embroidered stars. Ergo also debuted a new infant insert to use with tiny babies. We will have our new Ergo products in stock later this year.

The Ergo Baby Carrier is such a perfect product that the company doesn't usually have any improvements to announce! They just keep coming out with new, fabulous colors and accessories. This year's offering include this Sienna carrier and another style in light gray with embroidered stars. Ergo also debuted a new infant insert to use with tiny babies. We will have our new Ergo products in stock later this year.New dishes, cups, and silverware from Sugar Booger. My favorite: super-functional divided plates! These items are on the way for October!

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Made By You!

September 28, 2009 at 9:24 am · Filed under Uncategorized

Well, I asked you for locally-made products and you really delivered!  WHo knew you were so crafty?  We have gotten to see cute knit dolls, batik baby ha-ts, funky stroller blankets, adorable hair clippies, hand-stitched wool diaper covers, and tons more!  Our “Locally-Made” department is growing by leaps and bounds.  Come and check it out.  My favorite goft for a new mom is a beautiful baby product made by another mom!

 

Adria

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