JUNKDRAWERS

BOSTON’S Baby PLANNERS!

The founders of the Boston-based, Perfecting Expecting™, Kristen Parker and Sandee Tisdale, MSW, met while working together as child care providers in Massachusetts. Between the Internet, boutiques, giant baby department stores, and word-of-mouth advice, they saw parents-to-be become overwhelmed, tired, and frustrated at the amount of energy that it took to narrow down each decision that they had to make. That’s where the idea for a baby planning service was “born.”

According to the team, “it seemed to us that each family had many of the same questions and concerns, yet each family spent oodles of time wading through the seas of information to get to their answer.” Now, Kristen and Sandee spend their time doing the reading, reviewing, researching, pushing, pulling, and prodding products for you so that you don’t have to.

It all begins with a phone consultation. From there, the help you can receive is momentous, whether it be organizing a baby registry, what to pack in your hospital bag, baby proofing your home, finding proper child care, or at the very least, finding clothes that fit!

For more info, visit perfectingexpecting.com

Games 2U In Your Driveway

Picture this: A giant truck with a huge game trailer pulls into your driveway. The trailer transforms into a complete gaming system: a pull-out canopy stretches out, and the back opens up. Inside and outside, the trailer is decked out with flat screen televisions, each equipped with video game technology like Wii, Guitar Hero and Halo 3. Laser tag is set up in your backyard, and 20 kids “graduate” from bouncy-house parties to a new level of fun.

Games2U was created for the ‘tween and teen party market—they even have a giant hamster ball to roll around in! Don’t worry if your child has a summer birthday, the inside of the truck is air-conditioned!

Get all the party details at g2u.com.

DO-IT Yourself DOG WASH

With winter upon us, hosing down the dog has become a bit trickier (and messier)… unless you enjoy putting Fido in the family tub!

The Medway Dog Wash, located on 165 Main Street (Rt. 109), offers three levels of grooming. They will wash your pet while you wait or by appointment, or they’ll leave the bathing to you.

Customers who opt for the self-serve option use a waist-high state-of-the-art tub designed for washing dogs (they have built-in ramps to get larger dogs in and slip-free bottoms so dogs feel secure). Heavy-duty water sprayers are pre-set at a comfortable, safe temperature, and a variety of shampoos and conditioners are provided. Aprons come in adult and child sizes, so do bring the kids. Turn an item on your to-do list into a fun activity!

After the bath, use the high-powered blowers and super-absorbent chamois to dry your dog--leaving the mess in the tub for an attendant to clean up (Yes, all of the tubs are cleaned and disinfected between customers).

Not only will you have a sweet-smelling pooch, but you will have saved yourself a mess at home as well as some money. The self-serve dog-washing option costs half of what it would to professionally groom your dog.

Check it out at Medwaydogwash.com. You can even take a groom-your-own-dog class—an evening course on grooming basics, including how to keep your dog clean, happy, and healthy.

JOY - You Gotta GIVE IT!

As both an early childhood educator and mother to 5-yearold, Maxwell, Joy Olaes Surprenant is committed to teaching and caring for children. In response to the many parents who expressed interest in getting their children involved with charity work, Joy created Catching Joy, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that promotes volunteerism in preschool and elementary-aged children. According to Joy, the mission is to teach children that “catching joy” actually means giving joy to others. Hence, their catch phrase “You gotta give it!” created by her son.

Joy, who has always enjoyed charity work, found it hard to fit in volunteering once her son was born. So she began using her classroom as an outlet for giving back. That is when parents began approaching her asking how they could become more involved as a family. “The need was really there,” Joy said “for kids to channel their creativity, energy, and idealism right now.”

Since there are not always outlets for these little hands to help, Joy organizes hands-on community service projects that both children and their parents can do. For example: creating birthday cards for kids in shelter homes, making dog biscuits for animal shelters, singing at nursing homes, joining a charity walk, having a lemonade stand…and the list goes on and on….there’s even a turtle release program!

Most recently, Catching Joy set up cheering stations at the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and the MSPCA walk and held a fundraiser at Fenway.Visit catchingjoy.org for an up-to-date list of events you and your family can participate in. Junkdrawers strives to highlight the products, people and places of Massachusetts. Have an idea? E-mail editor@baystateparent.com.