a peek inside the fishbowl

I like reading toy recommendations from parents. They’re gold for people like me. A recommendation from a fellow mom holds more weight than a traditional ad.

Judging from the commercials I’ve seen on TV lately, marketers would have us believe that their toy is the MOST FABULOUS and has lots of PLAY VALUE and your KIDS WILL LOVE IT and they MUST HAVE IT and it WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER TOO. Some of their claims might be true. Some might not be. Sometimes it’s hard to know what believe. 

Which toys really capture children’s imaginations?
Which toys will kids want to spend the most time with?
Which toys are truly fun?
Which toys will annoy parents the least? (Personally, I don’t really like toys that are loud, or toys that have a million parts and don’t come with their own storage.)

The critical question is this: Is ToyX really worth the money, or will it just gather dust and clutter up my house? 

If you’re looking for ideas, Canadian Family has published a great-looking toy guide, in which, they say, all the toys have been family-tested. (I want to be a toy tester too! Is that a great gig or what?)

I wanted to list a bunch of our own favourite toys – the ones which have been enjoyed the most in our household. It’s kind of specific to our own family, but you might find something that fits your own family too.

• Vintage “suitcase style” record player and old-skool records. Santa brought it a few years ago (but I hear you can pick them up on eBay), and we have accumulated quite a few albums – of both music and stories.  The girls love it. There is a lot to be said for kids having control over their own music. I guess you can go the Mp3 player route too, but I don’t think it has quite the same tactile charm that a record player does.
• 20 Questions – A great little toy. If only I could find it. :(
• Playmobil– great design, great play. If I had a special room I’d get a special table and set up a special World of Playmobil JUST FOR MYSELF.
• Melody harp – Finally! A quiet musical instrument children can play without a single lesson! I also like the fact that we can buy additional sheet music for it.
• Stilts– It took them awhile to figure it out, but now that they get the hang of it they can walk pretty much anywhere. It gave the girls a wonderful dose of new-found confidence. (Ha! If you look at the page I just linked to you’ll see my personal recommendation listed right on it. If I could add something to it I would say that my girls have used them so much that the rubber tips are worn down to nothing and we’re now having trouble finding replacement tips.)
• Bikes, bike locks, bike baskets – not exactly a Christmas gift, I know, but bikes are big around here. The baskets were a great addition: they carry found objects, dolls and toys, and their bike locks.
• Plasma car – it might look like a toddler toy, but it’s great for kids of all ages. It’s rated to 200 lbs.
• Skipping ropes and sidewalk paint and chalk – no further explanation required.
• Sled/toboggan – Inflatable sleds are great for sore and achy parents. We used to have an inflatable two-seater and I *loved* it. It saved my fanny. This year we’re going for a regular four-seater like this one. Sadly, no padding. Perhaps I should bring a snow pillow when we go?
• Sea Monkeys – Life, death, procreation, patience, responsibility … this toy teaches it all.
• Good quality art supplies – we were at a school function recently, and part of it was a raffle of 52 various baskets of things that were donated by each classroom and by some parents. One of these was a basket of art supplies, paint, paper, pencils etc. Each of the girls had five raffle tickets to put towards any basket. Sarah shoved all of hers in the one with the art supplies. Truly, art supplies (and a place to put them away) are one of the things that is used the most around here. I’ve learned, through the years, that it pays to spend a little extra on the good stuff. Cheap art supplies just end up in the garbage.
• Books – We’re reading book four of the Sisters Grimm series right now, and loving it.
• Magazine subscriptions – Emma gets Owl. Sarah gets Chickadee. It’s a thrill when it comes once a month. It’s the gift that keeps giving, and giving.
• Board games – I’m happy we’ve gotten past the Candyland stage. And I found it hard to stay interested while playing board games involving pretty ponies and princesses. Now we play games like Trouble, Uno, and Battleship. The girls like Mousetrap – a lot – but it doesn’t do it for me. There is a special place in my heart for vintage games (Ooo, 1968 Battling Tops!)
• Art – Kids and art go hand in hand, so why not decorate their rooms with it? Last year I bought them each a print from Etsy and I’ve done it again this year too.
• Nintendo Wii– I bet you didn’t think you’d see a video game on this list, did you? I let Mark convince me to get a Wii and I haven’t regretted it. if you’re looking to buy a game, do your research and read some consumer reviews before you buy. Crappy games are a waste of money. Better yet, rent some games at your local video store, play the heck out of it, and then bring it back.
  Our most enjoyable games so far: Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wario Ware Smooth Moves, Wii Fit, World of Goo, Party Tetris (!), Mario Kart Racing.  Not only are these all fun to play, but they’re also fun to watch, which makes it the ultimate family video game.
• Handmade goods: hats, mitts, scarves, slippers. We’ve been the lucky beneficiaries of wonderful crocheted and knitted goods. This stuff gets a lot of wear, and the girls get to brag about their grandmother.
• Fun portable/unbreakable nightlights– Sarah uses hers every night. I love it as much as she does. This one was from Ikea.
• Pup tent and collapsible fabric tunnel. The girls love having their own “secret” hideout. I should also mention that the girls also like to play with old blankets and an old sleeping bag. It’s definitely not a Christmas gift, but I wanted to mention it as sort of a sidebar. During the summer months I keep them on the back porch. They drag them all over the place and every once in awhile I shake them out and throw them in the laundry. They get used ALL THE TIME. One day it’s a blanket, or a cover for the picnic table, or they use them to make a fort, or they sit on them while they’re reading under the tree. It’s crazy. It ranks up there with empty cardboard boxes for play value.

That’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure you have your own to contribute. What toys have been big in your house? (Bonus points for links!)

I am rather picky about …

This photo isn’t related to anything I’m about to write. It’s just that I like it:

In fact, this post is going to be a mash of a whole bunch of unrelated things!

Mark and I were invited to attend the A-channel (er, sorry, it’s just called “A” now) Christmas party tonight. I’m too pooped to go so he went without me. He will be schmoozing while I hibernate and eat popcorn. (He just called to tell me he missed me and that it was a GREAT PARTY. Ack!)

I hope he remembers to say hello to Vinney White from BOB-FM for me, who will be there too. (They’re combining parties.) I’m not the type of person to have favourite DJs but seriously, he is my favourite DJ. He spins great tracks on Saturday nights. But knowing me, I’d probably gush, flail my arms around (as I am wont to do when I’m nervous) and do something totally embarrassing. So perhaps it’s good that I’m not there, right?

*sigh*

These past couple of days have been a blur. I have meant to update re: Advent days 11 and 12 but I haven’t been around and the girls have been hanging with Mark’s parents. They’ve watched movies, eaten popcorn, fudge, played the Wii, and goodness knows what else. I am confident there has been PLENTY of merrymaking these past two days.

–

I drove my mother to the Toronto airport yesterday. I have three totally unrelated things to say about it.

1) As we waited around the airport my mother bought me a really swank purse at one of the little stores in Terminal 3. It’s a great bag, I love it, but it STINKS inside. There’s a very stale chemical smell emanating from its bowels and I’m not sure what to do with it.

2) British Airways has self-check in kiosks and, in the name of progress, they force people to use them. We were assisted by a helpful attendant – thank goodness –  because as we went through the process I seriously wondered how on earth a senior citizen like my mother can be expected to adopt this kind of new technology. After some amount of fumbling and re-typing of 10-digit codes we had to go to the counter with our little print outs where …

3) … a kind lady clerk asked my mother if she had any liquids, gels, or sharp objects in her carry on. My mother pointed to her luggage – which was on the scale – and said, “No, all of my sharp things are in there.”

I didn’t laugh at the time (I am now – sorry mom) but she shouldn’t have said anything. I’m willing to bet she was red-flagged because someone thinks she might be smuggling a machete overseas.

–

Gah. How that for mash? I think my brain has stopped working now.

Off to eat popcorn.