Pile of Stuff

I was looking through my labels on the blog and noticed that most of them have only one posting that goes with them. They are probably feeling lonely, so I thought I'd add on to one of the lonely ones. It's funny that now they're in a big list, because I was just labeling haphazardly and now I feel like there should be some method to my madness....

So, we're moving soon, and I've started packing. We still have a couple of weeks left here, so I've been boxing up non-essentials. What I've realized is that we have a LOT of non-essentials. For example, one day, my daughter and I boxed up 3 boxes of toys, and the other 2 kids didn't even notice. It has also made their room easier to clean. Today, I boxed up two boxes of serving plates. What the heck?! I left several out to send to Goodwill, but still.... it's a lot of giant bowls, platter, etc. I do use them from time to time, but never all at once, and I had no idea I had accumulated so many.

Now, I have no problem with having stuff, but I just think that if we're going to pay for a big enough apartment/house to store it, and appropriate containers, and have to pick it up, and dust it (I hear some people do this)... that it should be useful.

I was guilty of giving pretty terrible gifts to kids before I was a parent, and even now, if the kid is over 6, I don't really know what to give them, but I know what the under 6 crowd needs:

• puzzles
• art supplies - I prefer scissors, glue, crayons... not the twist-up crayons because they're a HUGE waste. The kids like markers but I don't really because they always dry up. But, if they get markers, I always get washable markers.
  
• playdoh -- it would be even better to make a kid playdoh and put it in a reusable container. The yellow plastic containers the playdoh comes in are not recyclable (or at least I have not found a marking on them)
• playdoh toys -- can never have enough
• Barbies and Barbie clothes. My daughters love Barbie. But here's a secret. They don't care if she comes in a box. In fact, if she comes in a bag from the Thrift store, it's even better because she is easier to get out and play with. At Savers or other thrift stores you can often find bags of Barbie clothes. Heaven!
• dress-up clothes -- I never had a dress-up box growing up, but now I see how awesome it is. This is a very popular activity when kids come over. Costumes are super cheap at Goodwill.
• books -- kids who are of the losing teeth age will love One Morning in Maine. Who Has a Bellybutton and I'm a Big Brother/Sister are great books for kids who will soon have younger siblings. Find a book that you loved as a child, and dedicate it to your favorite child.
• bicycles, scooters, tricycles -- beware the Rock n Ride, as it falls apart. (I have seen MANY broken specimens around my apartment complex)
• baby doll -- the ideal would be a cloth doll with a couple of changes of clothes and a bag or bed to put him/her in.
  
• LEGOS and/or K'nex. These are totally awesome. Easy to find used.
• Little People -- but stick with classic structures, like the house, farm, zoo. The amusement park is VERY annoying.
• Power Rangers or other action figures -- ours all come from garage sales. These are very expensive new.
• Toy dinosaurs
  

Besides the art supplies and puzzles, I don't think any of these things need to be bought new. The kids certainly don't care, and if a gift is given with love, I don't think that the parents care either. Nonetheless, I have trouble giving used gifts to acquaintances (ex. a birthday party from a kid in my son's class... don't know the parents). In these cases, I usually give art supplies.

From packing so far I can see that kids tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. We don't even buy them toys, and they still have tons of stuff. What doesn't last/isn't worth it?

• train tracks -- I think this is a Christmas fantasy. You want the image of the train going around the track on Christmas morning. The reality is a derailed train, lost/drained batteries, and tracks EVERYWHERE.
• stickers -- made by the Devil.
  
• Beauty or make-up kits for really little girls -- end up everywhere.
• Mr. Potato Head -- I want to love him, but I hate him. His little arms and nose, etc. are all over the house.
• Lite Brite -- die, lite brite, die! Not for the under 6 crowd unless you have a very patient mother.
• Color Wonder stuff by Crayola -- the idea is great -- the markers/paints only work on the special paper. BUT, you have to have a parent willing to buy more special paper.
• Candy Land if the child is under 5 (maybe even 6)-- I think the game says 3 and up. Right!
  
• Most card games -- far easier to just use a deck of cards and teach the child how to play War (after kindergarten, so they know numbers)
• mobile -- it's so cute, but it takes a while before the baby can look at it because their head is all flopped to the side, and pretty soon you have to take it down because the baby is able to pull on it. Not something I'd buy new. But, again, very cute.
• Any tape/Cd/whatever that purports to teach your child another language. It's a lovely idea, but your child needs interaction to learn a second language. Ralph's World is a great children's CD, and your kid can learn to count in Roman Numerals.
  
• glitter -- Grrr...