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When my girls were born, they received an abundance of blankets and stuffed animals. We moved to a different state shortly after their first birthday, so many of the stuffed animals ended up in boxes. Over the years, I've pulled out those stuffed animals to give my daughters on their birthday or Christmas. It has been nice to give them these gifts when they're at an age to actually appreciate and use them. Unfortunately, yesterday my scheme began to unravel.
This past Christmas, Santa left a stuffed bear in each of my girls' beds as she slept. They thought it was great to wake up and immediately find a gift from Santa. They all still play with these bears (which most parents will agree is an accomplishment, since stuffed animals tend to get tossed aside fairly fast). Yesterday I was purging an area of the house that was long overdue for cleaning. (It's part of the purging I started in January. I said it was going to be a slow process). I found a cute photo book I made from birth to age one and knew my girls would enjoy looking at the pictures. Soon after looking at the book, R approached me and said "Aren't these the same bears Santa gave us for Christmas?" Busted! Um, why yes, the bears you are posing with at your first Christmas are indeed the same bears you just received! I took a deep breath, avoided eye contact with Hubby so I wouldn't laugh and said "Well, look at the picture. The bears are bigger than you! Santa realized you weren't ready for the bears, so he saved them and brought them back when you were older." She seemed to buy my story.
I don't mind that my daughters may have figured out my regifting error. What I'm not ready for is for them to figure out who Santa really is. The excitement leading up to Christmas morning is always so much fun. I'm not ready to give that up just yet. So I guess I'll need to go through my picture albums and see if they have any more secrets to tell!
This weekend Hubby and I will be taking on the dreaded task of trying to organize our daughters' toys. This will involve tossing anything that's broken and packing away anything that's for younger children. Typically, it takes us a day to truly organize their toys. This time, though, we're at a loss on how to make it "work." We want something that is easy for them to help us maintain, without spending tons of money on storage bins. Right now all their stuffed animals end up in one big pile in a corner. This works, as long as no other toys are thrown into the pile. We have several mesh "bins" that work to an extent for storage, but they're not good for larger toys and they rip under the pressure of heavier toys. Yesterday I checked out plastic bins, but even those seemed expensive for the amount we would need. Feel free to share how you keep your children's toys separated and organized!
From the minute my daughters were born, they have been inundated with stuffed animals. I think it's great that people see a toy and think about my daughters. I am grateful that others send gifts. Still, at the end of the day, when it's time to pick up their mess, I wonder why we have so many stuffed animals.
It would be easy to say, "Oh, we'll just thin the pile." It's not that easy. Each stuffed animal has a purpose. Each animal is sought after during specific games. I'm trying to figure out the best way to thin things out without causing a ruckus.
Please don't take this as an indication that my daughters are spoiled. They're not. It's just that it's not easy for them to see their toys taken away, regardless of the reason. Every six months my moms of multiples group holds a sale so we can get rid of clothes, gear and toys. My daughters have actually been really good about helping me determine which toys are "baby toys." We've sold or donated a considerable amount of toys and books... still, every time I turn around, I'm stepping on another stuffed animal.
Some days I threaten to throw it all away. All of it. These are the days when no one wants to help me clean up. I'll never follow through with that threat, but it's always interesting to think of what my house would like without toys in every corner!
Last night when I drove home from work, I passed the UPS truck. It was just leaving our neighborhood. Could it be? Were the Pillow Pets finally here? Yep!!!!!
I was so excited to see the box, but a little concerned. It was an awfully small box to be holding four Pillow Pets. I couldn't wait. I grabbed the box, dashed into the den, shut the door.... and found four Pillow Pets crammed into the box. They fluffed up the second I took them out of the box. They're soft. They're cute. They're just what my girls want for Christmas.
Am I excited? I cannot wait for Christmas morning. It's going to be a truly magical day... and not just because the Pillow Pets arrived in time!
(And just a reminder from my original post about Pillow Pets: I was not paid to write about these things nor was I given any free Pillow Pets. My daughters saw a commercial a few months ago and have been telling me Santa's going to bring them each one. And he is!)
I lamented last week about my stress related to Pillow Pets. My daughters each want one of these stuffed animals that unfolds to be a full-size pillow. My order is "back ordered" and I'm stunned by the number of people who want these things. A search on the Internet yielded numerous sites with parents talking about how desperate they are to get their hands on these things. All of this has given me a new appreciation for my parents and grandparents.
When I was somewhere between the age of three and five I wanted a Whoopsie doll. Maybe it was a regional thing because whenever I talk about this doll people look at me like I'm crazy.
When you squeeze Whoospie's stomach, her little pony tails fly up and she says "whoopsie." But, according to my mom, finding this doll was like trying to find a Cabbage Patch Kid when those first came out. Whoopsie was the hot toy one Christmas, at least for little girls in Ohio. Then one day my grandparents heard on the radio that a toy store about an hour from their house had just received a "Whoopsie shipment." They called the store and begged the workers to put one aside for them. No luck. They jumped in the car and raced to the store. I can just picture my grandfather on his CB talking to the truckers and asking them to alert him about any "Smokies" up ahead. Guess what? Christmas morning Whoopsie and I became fast friends. I still have that doll.
As for the Pillow Pets... I found out cyber friends can be awesome. Stephanie B from Ask Me Anything and Rocket Scientist went to her mall and found the Pillow Pets my girls want. She talked with the kiosk worker and found out I could have all four for $140. Stephanie was willing to buy them and ship them to me. After a long discussion with Hubby and an update from the site where I placed my order, we decided that we'll take a gamble and wait for our original order to arrive. Still, Stephanie deserves a HUGE thank you (THANK YOU!!!!) for her willingness to help. I like to picture her speeding along a crowded highway talking on a CB to truckers about the "Smokies." I'm pretty sure that's not how it happened, but it could make for a good story to tell my daughters one day.
When my daughters had their birthday party last weekend, one guest gave each of them a Barbie. The mom, who only has sons, asked me if it was OK for my girls to play with Barbies. Ummmm... yeah. You see, the liberal, "girl power" side of me cannot come to terms with the notion that Barbie is supposed to be evil.
I grew up with Barbie. My Barbies were my favorite toys... ever. I have a box in my basement full of Barbies and another box full of clothes. I spent hours playing with my Barbies through sixth grade when it was no longer cool to play with dolls. Sure, I brushed their hair and dressed them in fancy clothes, but playing with Barbie was more than just playing dolls.
Each doll in my "Barbieverse" had a name and a specific role. I made up elaborate stories and acted them out with my Barbies. Barbie sparked tons of creative play for me.
I know, I know, if a real woman had those proportions she would fall over. Let me break this to you gently... Barbie is a doll. Shortly after my daughters were born they each received a doll that was the same length my girls were at birth. I like to point this out to them every now and then when they're playing baby dolls so they have some concept of how small they were. But here's the kicker: Sue Sue's doll is a chubby little thing. Sue Sue may have been the biggest at birth at a whopping two pounds four ounces, but she didn't have the chubby cheeks or meaty legs this doll has. Where is the outcry over baby dolls whose proportions don't add up?
Barbie is a bad role model? I seem to remember her motto during my childhood being "We girls can do anything." And my Barbie did. She wasn't limited to her wedding dresses and ball gowns. She had adventures and kicked butt along the way.
If my daughters want to play with Barbie, I'm all for it. It's more about playing with a doll and making up stories, than which doll their playing with. But if they ever decided they like Bratz dolls it will be whole different story.
Every week when I wash my daughters' bedding I end up gathering up a toy box full of "stuff," too. They each have certain things they like to take to bed at night: Tortilla needs her blankie and also likes to have a small stuffed lamb with her. Sue-Sue has her blankie (actually she has two identical blankies and often wants both at night) and a stuffed polar bear she received about a year ago during a doctor's visit. Roo sometimes wants her blankie, but her animal of choice changes on a regular basis. Right now she's all about a stuffed penguin I bought at Kohl's when they had their Curious George themed books and toys. Cakes needs her blankie, but often doesn't want an animal.
The problem is that throughout the week they end up bringing more and more stuffed animals to bed. It starts innocently enough. One day Roo will be attached to a stuffed flamingo and want to take it to bed. Why not? But then a few days later she wants Curious George, and the penguin and the flamingo. Some nights I really don't know who has what in bed with them until we're all upstairs. When I announce "bed time," everyone goes running and I never know who has grabbed a new toy. This week when I did laundry I was amazed Tortilla even found room for herself in her bed. Here's what I found in her bed: her blankie, stuffed lamb, a large stuffed dalmation, a smaller version of the dalmation, a Dora doll, a Beanie baby teddy bear and a purse, yes, a purse. I was surprised to find there wasn't anything in the purse. I fully expected to find it stuffed with another animal, or, at the very least, some magnets.
I'm all about having comfort items in bed. If they want certain things with them to help them sleep it truly doesn't bother me. But when those things start taking over their bed, well, it starts to become an issue. So each week I clean out their bed, leave one or two treasured toys and start the process all over.
With our fourth birthday quickly approaching, I've been trying to make a list of things I think the girls would like for gifts. Actually, I do a combined birthday/Christmas list since the holidays sneak up right after their birthday. This year I've realized how much easier it is to buy for girls than it is to buy gifts for boys.
I've always known little girls have a better selection of clothes. Dresses, skirts, pants, shorts.... don't tell my daughters, but sometimes I even scour the boy's clearance racks because the shorts and pants are cheaper. At this age, who's going to be able to tell the difference?
It's the selection of toys that makes everything a little unfair. My daughters have their fair share of baby dolls, Care Bears, dress-up clothes, fake food, etc. They also have cars, fire trucks, soccer balls. These days no one thinks twice about buying little girls toys that are traditionally associated with little boys. It doesn't bother me that my daughters don't always want to play with dolls. Some days they want to splash in the mud or race their cars around. But think about buying a boy a doll or a pink Care Bear and you may be setting yourself up for an argument. Now let's face it, not every boy wants to play with a doll, just like not every girl wants a baby doll. But why is it much more acceptable for girls to play with "boy" toys? Why do we even have "boy" and "girl" toys?
I did notice one exception to this "rule" many years ago. When I was in third or fourth grade, Cabbage Patch Kids were all the rage. If you had one, you brought it to school. Suddenly it wasn't just the girls bringing their dolls to school... boys were receiving Cabbage Patch Kids and proudly bringing them to school, too. They, of course, always had boy dolls. It is the one time I can remember when it was acceptable for boys to own and play with dolls.
Boys want to have as much fun as girls, even if it means stomping around in dress up shoes. Have you heard the noise those shoes make on wood floors? What kid doesn't want to drive his or her parents crazy with those loud stomps?
On the flip-side, I don't push things on my daughters. If they want to wear pink and play with baby dolls, rather than cars, go for it. But on the days they want jeans and their fire truck, I'm all for that , too.
