a peek inside the fishbowl

Okay, maybe hate is a strong word. Perhaps I should rename this post Toys to Which I Have a Very Strong Aversion and Would Never Buy.

The Canadian Toy Testing Council has released their annual top toy list.  They are also urging parents to be vigilant about labels and potential safety hazards. (Check out the article over at CBC.ca)

This got me thinking.

So here, for no reason in particular, is a list of toys that stick in my craw for one reason or another. This is my personal Worst Toy List.

1) The Fisher-Price Easy Link Internet Launch Pad – “makes it easy for kids to visit preschool appropriate websites to play online games.” The utility of this is debatable, but personally, I think personal supervision is the way to go here.  

2) The “First Fitness” series of play exercise equipment: the kiddie stairmaster, treadmill, and exercise bike, all brightly coloured in unisex red-yellow-blue for maximum kid appeal. Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t we just let our kids ride real bikes and spend more time playing outdoors? 

Most ironically, in the Sears catalogue, these are shown these right next to the …

3) Battery-powered ride on toys.

4) Bratz. Bratz makes Barbie seem wholesome in comparison. No wonder so many girls have body image problems. Even worse than Bratz? Baby Bratz. Here’s a Baby Bratz Eskimo, for example. Not only is it gross and indecent, but totally offensive.

And speaking of sexualizing our kids, how about the (5) Totally Me Glitz & Glam Cosmetic Case. You know, for your six-year old “aspiring diva.” 

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Over to you. Anyone care to add to the list?

*photo by Mark

We found a mostly-empty bag of grass seed in the garage. We gave it to the girls and asked them to spread it out, not realizing they’d put some in this little bird feeder.

I need your help!

I’ve done a few researchy-type shopping trips for various Christmas gift guides, including a couple for Ottawa Magazine which were very very fun, and gave me some great ideas to boot. All of this pre-shopping shopping has given my brain a big jump on Christmas this year.

My general take on the holiday is this: less gifts, great gifts. That’s my motto. But from a shopping perspective it also takes time and energy.

I don’t know if anyone would be interested, but I was thinking about highlighting some of the excellent shops in Westboro Village and posting about it here. If you have kids, there is kid stuff in Westboro that’s so cool you’ll hardly believe your peepers.

(the rest of this post is hidden below the fold – you know, in case someone is eadingray over my houldersay.)

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