Sub-Optimus Prime

For Big Bro's second birthday he got a play kitchen with a ton of accessories. I bought it off of Craigslist for $70. Parenting win: saving money and not taxing resources by always buying new.

The kitchen got a lot of play over the last 3 years, however recently it had turned into a dangerously tippy climbing structure. I decided I wanted it gone. They weren't playing with the right way anymore, why keep it? So I sold the whole kaboodle for $40 since the kids had decorated the backside of it with plenty of crayon scribbles.

To lessen their anxiety over separating with something familiar, I told them that we could use the money to buy something new. That made it an easy sell and they were happy to let go of the kitchen. Parenting win: sell old toys to get new ones. New toys do not just appear out of thin air.

We went to the giant toy store and Big Bro picked out Optimus Prime complete with the trailer that carries the rest of the Rescue Bots. Lil Sis wanted to buy Blades the helicopter Rescue Bot but he was not available that day. She settled on some Dora DVDs that she spotted all by herself instead. 

Once we were back in the car Big Bro asked "why do they put all the toys in boxes?" He was trying hard to get at his new toy to transform it. "I don't know." I responded. "It's not very good for the planet, is it?"

Just yesterday he had asked out of the blue "where does all the trash after the truck picks it up?" I told him what a great question it was then I explained how in a place called Coventry Vermont there is a giant hole in the ground where everyone puts their trash and buries it.

"It must be as big as the Grand Canyon then," he said, "because there is a lot of trash!"

It was an easy segue to explain to him that's why it is so important to recycle and compost.

But this darn toy packaging. It's so excessive. It's all designed so that only adults can open it. I was happy that at least with this Optimus Prime trailer toy the twisty ties that hold the toy in place were made out string made from paper tied in a simple knot. It didn't have those dreaded plastic twist ties that you need kitchen scissors to cut, nor was it encased in form-fitted, clear plastic.

All this packaging:

For this. Yes, the packaging is recyclable but that is not the point. Reduce is the first instruction in the phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle!"

It is a quandary buying children's toys. On the one hand I want my child to have toys that are current and fun. Yet I think of the unfair labor that goes into them, the plastics, the shipping, the excessive packaging, the greenhouse gas emissions...!. If only they sold Rescue Bots used on Craigslist. I suppose they will someday when Rescue Bots fall out of fashion. The cycle continues.

I don't want to teach my kids to be greedy consumers. Part of me is regretting this Rescue Bots purchase. Another part of me is happy that he has a fun, current, popular toy that all the kids talk about and is the subject of his favorite new show. Many of my kids' toys are hand-me-downs and garage sale finds, surely new toys can be ok sometimes.

A couple months ago we went to a little girl's birthday party where she had kids bring books to swap and cans of food to donate to the food shelf in lieu of presents. Perhaps Big Bro will be willing to do something similar for his next birthday. 

The gist: buy used when possible; forgo material goods entirely at least sometimes; a new toy on rare/special occasions is ok.

Want to learn more about 7 trashy items to avoid? http://www.takepart.com/photos/wasteful-packaging?cmpid=ait-fb

OMG, you guys...

Lil Sis is potty trained! and it happened in one day.

It's been a while coming... we've been talking about the potty plenty and she even used it on a handful of occasions. She also also peed on the floor plenty of times though and didn't really care. 

So why now, at age 2 years and 10 months, on a snowy February Sunday did she decide that this was the day? I have no idea, but I can't tell you how happy I am that she did!

I suppose it started last week in Florida. We were swimming in the pool and she told us twice that she had to pee. As soon as she was out of the pool she peed on the concrete (shhh, don't tell the association). I joked that we would have to use the pool as her potty training tool, which would mean waiting until summer. Once we were back home in Vermont she told me twice while in the tub that she needed to get out and sit on the potty (though nothing happened). She was showing definite signs of readiness.

I recently bought a bulk pack of diapers and silently wished that this would be my last diaper purchase. I didn't actually believe it would be.

Yet this morning she decided to wear underwear. I think it was actually Big Bro who suggested she wear them on this particular morning. He brought a pair of cowboy Woody (from Toy Story) boys' undies downstairs for her to put on. They were size 2T/3T with lots of different character designs that I bought for him years ago. He never wore them because they were too small by the time he trained for real. Lil Sis loves them and picks all the boy undies over the "Tangled" princess undies I bought for her months ago.

All morning Lil Sis told me she had to go to the potty and I would whisk her to the potty and help her pull down her undies. I had her sit on the potty while reading stories and drinking milk and water like I did with Big Bro when he potty trained. After several false alarms I suggested she go bare bum so it was easy to sit on the potty whenever she wanted. The potty was in the same room as her all day long. She would often go sit, realize there was nothing, then try again later all on her own.  All day long she continued and each time she succeeded she got tons of praise from me, Big Bro, and Daddy, plus a sticker and a chocolate. For #2 she also got to pick from a selection of toys that I had when I was little. 

She was so proud! Not one accident all day. It's done! I don't want to jinx it, but WE ARE A NEARLY DIAPER FREE HOUSEHOLD! 

(except for the nighttime, but that's a whole other ballgame)

Winter stinks

If you know me personally on Facebook, you know that I was very unhappy to be flying back to the snowy north when our vacation in Florida ended. To go, in less than 24 hours, from this:

To this:

Just seemed cruel.

We literally flew home during a winter storm. Upon arrival, schools were closed due to 5-8 inches of expected snow and the temperature was 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Hey, at least it wasn't negative temperatures.

Couple that with cranky, whiney kids who are stuck inside. The air is dry and my house seems out to get me with static electricity on everything I touch. It's just a general feeling of "Ugh. Two more months of winter, really?"

Typically by mid February we begin our maple sugaring season. Sometimes this bolsters my spirits that spring is just around the corner. So far, the forecast doesn't look anywhere near friendly for sugaring.

So I will keep waiting, and trying to entertain ourselves inside. I also may or may not be scheming ways to be a Snowbird even when I'm not retired. Spring can't come fast enough!