View Full Version : Super Awesome Kid's Toys!
My favorite toys growing up -- as with my son -- tend to be toys from nature.
While in the south island, we collected the most *gorgeous* green rocks. DS loves them!
I was thinking that I would like to collect some Paua shells for him to use, too, but I've been having such a hard time finding some (on the beaches).
Well, wouldn't you know that, the very day I thought of it, our neighbor stopped by and gave us a HUGE bag of them? She'd found them on the beach while walking her dog. She said that it's rare to find so many on our particular beaches, but there they were!
I was so excited!
And, the best thing is that we are going to Hawk's best friend's Jul party next week (yes, swedish christmas now, because it is winter), and we're giving her one shell, two little wooden people (no faces, etc, waldorf style). It's just a fun little play set. Then, the next day we go to another little friend's birthday, so we're giving him the same.
DS has about 15 or so all told now. They are so awesome.
Free toys from nature. Between rocks, drift wood, and shells, plus our blocks and play silks, this kid is happy as can be. :)
Love your story! My story comes by way of one particular Christmas morning and how shortly after present opening was all said and done with I found my three youngest having a BALL with a few large cardboard boxes! Has such a way of making a parent feel so good about themselves knowing they bought their kids all the right stuff/things for Christmas! >8)
my kid loves a box! we usually hand boxes over to him to destroy over a few days. but, he started to get really attached to boxes, so now they are a special treat. lol
I don't know what it is about kids and cardboard. In our house, cardboard wrapping paper tubes and cardboard boxes are it! :laff:
it's gotta be something, i guess. I don't know. I think it's because it is so open-ended.
I found some scrap wood today -- nice and weathered -- and sanded the rough spots (DS helped), and he spent most of the day building with them -- bridges, "snowboarding" and "skiing" and then a house, etc. It's amazing what he gets up to.
I love your motherly qualities Zoebird! I can tell (just from reading your posts) that you pour your heart and soul into your family. So nice to know/see. Your son sounds like such a great/fun kid.
We have neighbours with a younger little one and it seemed that he was always by himself. No one to play with. I felt sorry for him, so one day I walked over with my youngest son and after introducing the two, a friendship was born. Now they spend nearly every day together doing what kids should do, playing and having fun! And the stuff those two get their hands on in order to make things. (We see it as a nice weathered board, they see it as a building block to their future)!
thanks. *blushing*
i do enjoy being a mom. sometimes, i think more littles would be awesome, but i seriously do not want to send my husband off the deep end. LOL i'd also like to adopt, but DH is adamantly against it.
anyway, that aside, a mother of another only and I are going to swap child care. Her daughter and Hawk are "best friends" and both of us have very similar parenting styles. i know that i need a few days to work when DH also needs to work, and she could use a few hours to herself now and again, and so we're going to swap for part of it. It gives the two of them a chance to play together, and it gives us moms what we need too.
i'm so torn right now. Part of me wants to finish putting in things IN the house to make it more homey (and get our stuff organized -- although it IS organized, it's just not all completely as accessible as we might like), OR make the courtyard a really nice place for DS (with plants, a sand box, etc). I mean, the gardening side could probably be done very cheaply, but . . . i want shelves. LOL ah, budgets.
Oh, I know all about budgets and budgeting..... Budgeting and me are best of friends! Pinching here, saving there, scrimping over there, such an important issue when it comes to larger families, but with SL running through my blood I enjoy sitting down and figuring out this and figuring out that. Keeps me fresh and alive! :)
Love your idea on childcare/babysitting swapping. A neighbour and I did that a fair bit back when my forth was a baby, and what a saving grace it was. No cost, no fuss, and convenient! You'll love it! So happy to hear you've met another mom to talk with and share time with. That's a real biggy when it comes to settling into a new home and life.
we've known each other quite a while. the only hang up is that we live on opposite sides of town from each other. it's two buses for either one to get to the other! ah well, is what it is.
i don't think it's going to be a total swap -- hour for hour -- but she is offering for me to give her a little cash in exchange for extra care, which is great for her and for us. we need the care, and we trust her, so it works out. :)
now i'm wondering if i should buy stockmar watercolors and paper for DS. i get myself all in a tizzy.
Hi Zoebird. Awww..... Wish you guys lived closer to one another, but at least you have each other. :) As far as doing total swaps and things, even if it doesn't equate to a total swap of sorts, hopefully it will reward you with the time you need to accomplish extra things and get caught up on all the loose ends that we parents FOREVER face.
I remember the busy days I put in when my last two were babies (13 months apart). Seemed I had no time for anything, but just when I'd feel as though there was no "out" for me, my mom or SIL would walk through the door! Oh what a feeling that was! The weight on my shoulders would disappear just like that! Just having someone to sit down with and talk to, have a cup of tea or coffee with, and just the feeling of having someone there in ones company. We need that.
The watercolours and paper sounds like such a nice gift for your son. Kids and paint? Now there's two things that were made for each other! :)
well, now her husband got involved and he insists that she does it 'in the white' -- paying taxes on it and the whole thing. I think his issue is that he doesn't want her to be taken advantage of by us, but I pointed out that doing child care on the radar means having to do a lot of things that you might not want to do (laws and regulations). So, we'll work it out. ;)
I planned out the yoga classes for the winter session -- i'm doing seasonal themes for the classes. keeps it simple. :)
I hope you can work it out. (Fingers crossed). Excuse me if I come across as being a little standoffish with what I am about to say, but if a mom stays at home with her children and the husband works outside the home, then the husband should butt out of things that (really) don't pertain to him. (Paying taxes on her childcare services and all)? As Dear Abby used to say, "he has a geranium in his cranium". :)
I wanted to enroll in a yoga or aerobics or zumba class last fall/winter (so bad) but never got around to it, however this year will NOT be a repeat. So although I'm going to embrace summer and all it's worth, deep inside the fire is already burning as to me starting something for me.
i can understand that!
i discovered that his big concern was that, while she has residency, she doesn't have citizenship, and he's afraid that any "illegal activity" would be caught and could impact whether or not she would get citizenship (in four years). so, while I understand that, on the flip side, what government official is going to know that some mommies swapped and created a kitty for activities, food, and art supplies for the kids? it's such a ridiculous worry, imo.
anyway, we'll see how it goes.
Agreed, such a ridiculous worry it is. Maybe through additional discussions between you and your friend, the husband will loosen up and relax a little. Here's hoping for just that! :)
Just as a sort of side-note to all this, any thoughts on what I should take up in the way of a better-health program? i.e. Yoga, Aerobics, Zumba. I've never taken part in any, so it's going to be a whole new experience for me.
well, here's my take.
aerobics is pretty darn tedious unless you really like the instructor. and even then, it's often pretty darn tedious. LOL i grew up with my mom going to all manner of fitness classes, and aerobics were really. . . well my least favorite. but, heck, i can churn out a decent routine for a class in about 10 seconds. LOL I've been to so many.
yoga is my favorite (obviously, since I teach yoga), and it is really great. but you have to find the style that works for you, which means you might not just like any class that's available. it could be awesome or it could be 'meh' and so it's a good idea to 'taste" yoga classes before you sign up.
now, zumba. i'm not thrilled with it, but everyone I know does it and loves it. it's totally fun. you dance a lot. they have parties. you can wear costumes OR you can wear jammies. everyone of every size and background is in those classes. I have a friend who is a professional dancer who takes zumba with my other friend who is a morbidly obese mother of 5 looking to get her health back. they *love* it.
so, if you're just going with a shot in the dark, go with zumba. you'll probably really enjoy it. I, personally, find it tedious. LOL but tha's because I love yoga and walking around looking for starfish (that's mroe than enough exercise for me). oh, and roller derby.
Thanks for the insight scoop Zoebird! I appreciate it. When it gets closer to sign-up time (for me), I'm thinking I'll make a few drop-in visits to each of the classes and gauge what each is about. I was hoping to enroll in something that benefits me in both the cardiovascular and physical department. I'd really like to get moving, even if it's only a night or two out of the week.
I've watched Aerobics on television many times and the repetitiveness of it all (movements, etc) isn't something I feel terribly excited about, but I didn't want to cast an automatic "no" out there before checking it out to see for myself (firsthand) as to whether or not it would be a possibility, or whether it would be a flop.
I'm not much for kicking and punching and from what I understand, Zumba, is mainly based on just that. Like a martial arts class of sorts. Am I right ZB? If so I don't think Zumba is going to be for me.
My husband suggested I take up something along the lines of badminton or racket ball, and I definitely like the sounds of that, other than the competitiveness part. Something about the whole competitiveness thing sort of turns me off. I think it's because it seems less fun and relaxing always being in competition with someone else, whereas Aerobics and Yoga strike me as being the sort of thing where one can comfortably go at their own pace and if you can't keep up, you simply do your best.
zumba (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf0q6qtThF4) is effectively a dance class. (video of a class in the link)
they teach you a lot of dances from around the world, really. they mix it in with some traditional aerobics moves, but it's mostly dancing and mostly from brazil/latin america -- but really, from everywhere. :)
it is totally fun and awesome. i just don't do it. :)
oh, and in case those routines seemed unattainable, here's a nice simple one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm2zT5JUAzs&feature=related). :)
after watching these two videos, my husband thinks he should take up zumba. :)
I think part of the reason why this form of exercise is so popular is because it is obviosuly a good workout, btu it's also just fun dancing.
like, my friend who takes it. when she started, she weighed 360 lbs. she was like, no way I can do this, but her friend said she'd like it, so she was in her gungy, un-fancy work out clothes at the Y. and so was everyone else.
it's a dance class, but when people think "latin dance" they think you have to dress up, and learn these fancy ballroom style moves. but zumba says that it's not that -- you just come and do some moves and have fun.
so, my friend has lost 50 lbs or so (probably more by now), and so she's 310, right? (or less). and she's so happy doing it. and hte cool thing is that she goes to weddings, or parties, or BBQs and as soon as the music starts, she's out there with her zumba moves. and everyone goes "omg! you're an amazing dancer!" and it's true. she didn't ahve to take extensive classes or be fancy, but she has learned to dance, had fun, and lost weight.
so yeah, it's popular for a reason. it *is* fun, and you can take it to the club (if you're so inclined). they also have massive parties. I am invited to one -- for my local friend's class -- and it's a massive deal. people dress to the 9s and they have a DJ and it's just a lot of fun. and people do their zumba dances and have fun. :)
Great links and info. Zumba does look like fun but I can see it's not for me. Loud music blaring, no can do. I need something peaceful, calming, and quiet. Almost meditative like, without getting all spiritual. I thought about something like Tai Chi or another comparable Martial Art, but it all seems too regimented to me. I know, I'm picky. I best do a drop-in one night to one of the local Aerobics classes in our area and sit-in for a few minutes and watch. I think Aerobics is my speed.
I think that's so great about your friend! Good on her. I hope she can continue to loose.
yeah, i think her diabetes is half way under control or some such. i think it's great that she found something that she likes.
aikido is fun, if you can find it. :)
I think what I'm going to do is resurrect this thread closer to September/October (if I can find something I fancy in the way of exercise) and post about it, otherwise I'll just start a new thread topic to brag about my new good health venture! I really do hope I can find something that tickles me pink. I've spent WAY too many years behind closed doors tending to kids and the home-front, and the time come for me to branch out of the old and into the new. A chance for me to revitalize and reinvent myself! :)
It's been fun chatting Zoebird! I've really enjoyed it. You've been so helpful and supportive.
cool.
i really want to get into roller derby, but i just cannot make it work. Thursdays are a long day for me, and that's the skate night. If i took DS to play group, worked from 12-7 and then skated from 7:30 to 9:30, and then caught a bus home (45 minutes or so), home at 10:15 and then asleep, and then a friday. . . yeah, i don't think it's possible until I have a car. that would cut commute times. and, when DS's schedule changes.
Roller Derby does sound like fun, but I would think one would have to have an aggressive side to them to enjoy it. I'm not a physical person per se, but the skating part I could live with. As kids we used to go roller skating and that was fun. We do go ice skating throughout the winter season and much of it is outdoor skating which is second to none. Outdoor skating is the best IMO!
Here you go Zoebird! http://th617.photobucket.com/albums/tt258/aufrog/Smilies/th_thiceskating3.gif
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