I think if nothing else, this blog has established me as Not the Greatest Parent in the World. My first impulse is to use sarcasm when my kid is sassy, I have a tendency to resort to childish retorts, I hate baby showers, playgroups, and parenting magazines... this list goes on.
But I think recently I've hit upon one of the great child activity tips of all time.
Get yourself on the Oriental Trading Company catalog mailing list. Not because you need a single thing in there (and... seriously... you don't) but because you will get about eleventy-hundred catalogs a year and each time one comes in the mail, you'll hear this:
"My magazine! My magazine is here! I LOooOooVE this magazine!" *runs around the room, prancing and jumping up and down, triumphantly holding catalog above head*
Then, she will pour over the pages like a day trader reading the Wall Street Journal:
"Look at this!"
"Wooooow."
"Momma check this out!!"
"Now, this... Is.... AWESOME!!" (Oh and by the way, thanks, Monica, for teaching her that phrase.)
She'll bring it to read in the car. It will keep her quiet in line at the bank. She'll actually sit still while reading it. And then, just about the time that you've exhausted your clear tape supply putting the pages back together after they've ripped and you're ready to throw it out in the neighbor's garbage can when she's not looking, another one will come in the mail, with all new things to look at. All, I might add, free of charge.
It's a gift from the gods, right up there with Achilles' armor and ambrosia.
But I think recently I've hit upon one of the great child activity tips of all time.
Get yourself on the Oriental Trading Company catalog mailing list. Not because you need a single thing in there (and... seriously... you don't) but because you will get about eleventy-hundred catalogs a year and each time one comes in the mail, you'll hear this:
"My magazine! My magazine is here! I LOooOooVE this magazine!" *runs around the room, prancing and jumping up and down, triumphantly holding catalog above head*
Then, she will pour over the pages like a day trader reading the Wall Street Journal:
"Look at this!"
"Wooooow."
"Momma check this out!!"
"Now, this... Is.... AWESOME!!" (Oh and by the way, thanks, Monica, for teaching her that phrase.)
She'll bring it to read in the car. It will keep her quiet in line at the bank. She'll actually sit still while reading it. And then, just about the time that you've exhausted your clear tape supply putting the pages back together after they've ripped and you're ready to throw it out in the neighbor's garbage can when she's not looking, another one will come in the mail, with all new things to look at. All, I might add, free of charge.
It's a gift from the gods, right up there with Achilles' armor and ambrosia.
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August 21, 2007 at 7:34 AM
Don't look at me, that was Barry's doing!
August 21, 2007 at 8:10 AM
However, if she says JACKASS a lot you can totally blame me.
August 21, 2007 at 11:55 AM
Another good one is the Birthday Express catalogs. Our kids will look at them for ages, planning out their next 10 birthday parties. I think Lindsay has hers planned out until she's 20 (as well as Nathan's, Maya's and Jesse's).
August 21, 2007 at 9:50 PM
I'm the same way with the Bas Bleu catalog. But my favoritest catalog of all time, ever, in my whole life, was the annual Christmas catalog from Sears, Roebuck & Co. I ADORED that catalog. Pages and pages and pages and pages of glorious toys that went beyond even the greediest child's wildest imaginings.
I miss that catalog. Sigh. Ah, to be five again...
August 24, 2007 at 8:20 PM
I love the Oriental Trading Co catalog! Too bad you have to buy most of the stuff in bulk! It might be fun to have one glow-in-the-dark whistle or one bouncing eyeball or something... but fifty?