Jumping for Joy

I hadn't been to Arena Sports Inflatables in quite some time, and was pleased to find out that they have totally revised their indoor play zone!

They are even open on weekend mornings -- check it out!

Spring is just around the corner...

Or at least it should be! All this rain have you feeling soggy and trapped inside with the kiddos? Thinking back on our favorite rainy-day parks, I remembered this piece I did for Red Tri -- one of the best rainy-day neighborhoods in my opinion.

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Ready to turn over a new leaf? Try Maple. Seattle’s often overlooked Maple Leaf neighborhood features several must-dos for tots.
Where to play: Start at Maple Leaf Park and playground. No soggy wood chips here—brilliantly layered gravel simply drains the raindrops and keeps kiddos dry if they take a tumble. With a mix of retro steel climber toys and newer gadgets, this park has something for all.
Fuel up: Next stop, a short walk up to Cloud City Coffee. Its open floor plan, comfy couches, free wi-fi and kiddie play area make Cloud City a perfect place to recharge. Enjoy their wide range of tasty kid and adult menu items. No time to sit? We love the coffee honor bar, where drip coffee is just a buck. Green tip: Bring your own travel mug, drop in a dollar, and head out for more adventuring.
Bonus: Get craft items at Beadworld or stop by the Northwest Puppet Center for a weekend puppet show or weekday Puppet Museum tour.
Possible lunch spot: Gluten-free and kid-sized pasta options available at Cafe Piccolo, or try Maple Leaf Grill.
How to dress: comfy walking shoes and layers, in case the weather gets nice.
Cost of trip: Inexpensive to moderate.
Approximate travel time: about 15 minutes north of downtown Seattle.
Online: Check out the Maple Leaf Life blog for current news and events and links to other nearby neighborhood blogs. Want more restaurant reviews, ratings, and photos? Looking for a kids’ book group?  All this and more is available at Maple Leaf Life.

The latest from Livingsocial --@livingsocial please help me!

Today, many days after I'd contacted customer service again about the problem I had on the Fandango deal, I received  reply. I was very excited. That excited soon turned into disappointment when I saw the reply was simply a generic reply, once again telling me that I must not have used the correct link to share out... Here is their email:

Thanks for getting in on a great deal and for spreading the word about LivingSocial. We really appreciate it! We bet you’re wondering why you didn’t get your deal for free, right? Just so you know, our referral links are tracked by our system, so when one is used, the purchase is automatically associated with your account.  When the third referral purchase has been successfully processed, it’s tagged to your account and you're not charged for your deal. Unfortunately, your account does not show that three users made purchases through the referral link generated for you when you purchased the deal. We offer multiple opportunities to share deals, so next time, make sure you are sharing the special referral link given to you AFTER you make a purchase by clicking the blue ‘Copy’ button. We are beyond flattered that you shared information on our deals with your friends and we want to ensure you get credit for your efforts.  In the future, please be sure to “emphasize” (“air quotes” work well!) to those you refer that they must use the specific link you provide to purchase the deal, in order for you to receive credit for the referral. Since this is an automated process, us humans cannot manually link purchases from other sources to your account to provide referral credit. In the words of the silver-tongued crooner Stevie Wonder, “that’s what (your) friends are for.” Still, we truly apologize that things didn't work out this time, but totally encourage you to continue spreading the word, as you have the potential to receive each of your purchases free with our referral program. Thanks for LivingSocial! P.S. If you still have questions, please reply to this email, or call us at 877-521-4191 (US) or 0-800-014-8431 (UK).

Livingsocial Deal Site Letdown

I've been a long time supporter of deal sites such as Groupon, Mamapedia and others. I also found a site called Livingsocial.com, and thought it to be innovative and, so I thought, a good deal. They don't give the same type of referral credit the other sites do. Instead, you have to buy the product first and then share the specific link they email you with your friends. They are betting on you buying it with the hopes you'll get a free deal if 3 friends buy. After you buy, the link also shows up below your purchase with the option to share it out on your favorite social media sites, or email your friends directly-- sounds easy, or so I thought.

I tried it with the Cinebarre deal, sharing it over Facebook, Twitter and all of my preschool groups. Several Moms I know bought, but Livingsocial's only suggestion when contacted was to ask the Moms to cancel their orders and buy again from my link. Ummmm no, not going to do that. Moms are busy enough.

I've now been burned by them 3 times -- once for Cinebarre, once for the hugely popular Amazon.com deal, and now, for the Fandango deal. I share the deal with thousands via email, Facebook, and Twitter. Each time, I've personally known a few folks that bought, including those I've actually helped buy from my link on their laptops.  Livingsocial customer service  has refused to assist me, stating that I must have done something wrong!! In spite of the fact their Web site says "We're not satisfied unless you're jumping for joy. Call, email, tweet (or, hey, fax) us with any issue and we'll make it right.", and in spite of the fact that the purchase price here was under $10, they've ignored my emails, and most recently, asked that I call them because I must not be aware of how to correctly share the link!

As the founder and CEO of a local Seattle software startup, operating with affiliate links and every type of web code you can imagine, for over 10 years, I beg to differ! And, as a mom of 5 kids under 5 including 2 4month old babies, I'm hardly going to sit on the phone and verify that yes, I can share a link.

The only time I can get a reply from them is on Twitter, which I respect. However, trying to explain the problem in tweets is getting annoying!

Now, what is my goal here you might ask? Not to get a lousy 10 bucks back. No, in fact today I bought another deal from Livingsocial using a friend's link. We will see if she gets credit. Is it is cookie issue? A tracking issue unique to my account? Or a ploy hoping no one will really ever know if they actually got 3 friends to buy.

At any rate, Livingsocial.com is going to the bottom of my deal site favorites until this mess is cleared up.