Parent Perks - Bag Review

As both a sponsor, a best friend of the founder, a blogger and of course an extra pair of hands to pack, I was lucky to be able to get an early Parent Perks bag to take home for review (and use!)

What is Parent Perks? It's the brain child of Monika at Aias dot ca

Parent Perks prepares and distributes gift bags full of fabulous perks for parents. These gift bags are 100% free to parents and contain coupons, gift cards, product samples, and full-sized products from Vancouver and Canadian based businesses.   Products vary from items for kids and babies, to perks that are just for mom and dad. Parents pay zero dollars to get a Parent Perks Gift Bag. Sponsors pay a small fee to participate and have their goodies in the bags.

Others have and continue to do something similar, but she took it to a whole new level. In the past, I've gotten one of those "free for parent bags" and almost all of it was just paper that ended up in recycling. There were a couple of good offers, but most of it was not even worth the time I spent sorting it. I've also paid for bags full of 'surprise' products from multiple companies. Now these, I've mostly liked, but they run about 30 each and even then there was lots I couldn't use.

So I was a bit skeptical when Monika started Parent Perks. But I had also recently launched my Avon Independent Rep business. I wanted in that bag! If it was going to be all junk, I wanted to be the one who stood out. I put together 100 bags with a full sized Avon product, some samples, a business card, an offer code and a flyer. I figured I was rocking it!

Then I went over to help stuff the bags on Sunday. I was blown away.

Fast forward to when I got home and was able to unpack the bag. Check out how much was in the bag!!! And it may not even be complete as there was 1 or 2 sponsors who said their products 'were in the mail'.

For me, this was one of my favorite and shows how serious the sponsors were about the bags. There were 100 handmade greeting cards from Stampin' it Up. There is even a class only a few blocks from me!

This next group contained lots of samples. Almost all of these are new to me and I'm excited to try them out. There was more than 1 pack of Runa tea, Ener-C supplied one of each flavor, and Gardener's Dream also provided several good sized samples. Along with the sample products, most of these included an offer or a discount coupon so once you find a favorite, you can save on your next purchase!

A few Sponsors offered services rather than products, or were larger, heavier products so of course they couldn't include a sample. They did manage some kick ass offers though. There is a coupon for a free David's Tea, a 6 pack of zevia (I'm glad we didn't have to bag full sized of these!), 25% off at Helix Personal Training and more.

Then there was this grouping. These were full sized included products! A bag of Hardbite chips, a full bag of coffee from local roaster Doi Chaang Coffee, Valentine's Day lunch box Lovable Labels, Bamboobino washcloths, candles, scrubbers and more.

I was very impressed. More than impressed. There is very little "just paper" and what there is has a very compelling offer. There were many sample and full sized products. There were no business cards with a candy stuck on as the offer. I think if I added the value of this, it's less than those full sized bundles I paid for, but I will get more value out of it. Also, these are mostly local small sometimes sole proprietorship businesses, not big corporations, looking for an extra buck. 

As a parent who got a bag, I think Parent Perks is an amazing service. As a small business owner, I have high hopes for the marketing outreach. These bags are reaching a target market, mostly parents, all local (bags must be picked up in person). Vancouver is a very expensive city and I can't afford to be at trade shows, but this is something within my reach. How successful remains to be seen. 

This is being cross posted on my other blog Comfort And Beauty

Mud - it does a body good

Nah, this is not a post about a high priced spa treatment (although I could use one), this is a post about having fun with your kids for little or no cost. Outdoors even.

I live on the "Wet" coast, so named because there are months when it seems like all it does is rain. Sure, the view and those 3 months when don't get a drop of rain make up for it, it's still hard during the rainy season.

So what do you do with kids on rainy days. You can stay inside, play games, do crafts or watch TV (we do all these). You can go to museums or play time drop ins (we also do these). But just as fun and often over looked, you can just go outside and play.

We have been going  out and playing in the mud and rain before the kids could walk. They know that as long  as they have boots on, they are welcome (and encouraged) to splash in puddles. If I have my boots on, I will join them. If they need a break but want to keep playing, we'll go to a covered area and just hang for a bit. There have been many afternoons when we are the only ones at the playground. I don't get it. Sure, we throw on rain gear, but when they sit in the water, there is only so far it goes to help. Plan some playtime in the bath after and just let go and be free.

Here are some of my favorite pictures over the years of rain and mud play. It's free and it's good for the skin. (fyi, for their rain coats and pants, I buy 2 sizes too big, they can wear it over other clothes at first and it lasts so much longer, only on our second set now which should last at least 2 more years)