Toys

My philosophy on toys is fairly simple: I am anti-battery. As a babysitter in the dawning of the "interactive" toys I watched as children's imaginations slowly slipped away because there was no need for it. Pushing a button to hear a song or sound requires no thought and, in my belief teaches nothing. I want my children to grow up thinking a box can be way more fun than the gift that came in it. That socks can be puppets, and mud can be pies. I want them to think of fun creative things to do with toilet paper rolls and paper bags. I want them to know how to entertain themselves. I want our home to be filled with musical instruments of all kinds. The toys that we do have I want to last from child to child and perhaps even my grandchildren. I think we are off to a good start. It helps that we are in Vienna 1/2 the year so our toy supply is limited, and it also helps that Jameson is only 20 months old and doesn't see toy commercials. I am sure this philosophy will get much more difficult to maintain once Jameson is older, in school and going to friend's houses.

This is our playroom/loft area. It is probably one of my favorite rooms in our house. When we first bought our house I had no idea what I would use it for, but I quickly fell in love with its warm cozy feel and I am up there way more than I ever expected.

A comfy chair is a must for all the reading we do and I was lucky enough to pick up a matching pair with an ottoman at a consignment store for $100 each and the ottoman came with it. They are really well-made and while I want to re-upholster them I don't mind the current fabric.

One of my favorite pieces in the room is our little Schoenhut piano. Jameson sits and plays it everyday. I found this piano when Jameson was just a little baby and couldn't wait until the day I could buy it. I love hearing the tinkly little sound when he is playing, it makes me all sorts of happy.
Eventually, I want it to be even more child-play friendly. I want an activity table that is always supplied with paper, pencils, and art supplies. I also want display bookshelves because I love books of all kinds! Another love is music. We love to listen to music while we play. Our favorites are: Elizabeth Mitchell, Lisa Loeb and Frances England, all of which you can buy on iTunes.

I love looking through websites that have my same philosophy on toys. One website I really enjoy is called "The Magic Cabin" and it has some really fun looking toys. Another helpful website for cool toys is Mothering Magazine. There is a resource page with a ton of websites. I love having a kid because I get to look at all the exciting toys again!!

P.S. I am attempting NaBloPoMo which stands for National Blog Posting Month. All that means is I am going to write a blog a day for the month of November. I am hoping that leaving for Vienna doesn't interfere with this. That is the reason not all of these posts are related to Jameson like they normally are for all our family and friends that are far away. I will try and get pictures of the boy posted on a fairly regular basis though!