trampoline, dangerous book for boys, catapult, harmonica, magformers, knit cap, automoblox, wobble deck, play-doh
Why did these gifts make the cut?
indoor trampoline: We get snow in Indiana. My kids still have energy. I like my few nice things. Therefore, we bought an indoor trampoline to help them get their wiggles and aggression out for the winter months. This one isn’t terribly springy, so it doesn’t get too wild and it tires them out faster. ;)
dangerous book for boys: Boys need adventure, and sometimes parents need some inspiration on how to point them in that direction. Win-win.
catapult: Small objects flying across the room? Sounds like a normal day at my house. Plus, this one is inexpensive and actually kind of beautiful.
harmonica: No parent is really thrilled with a musical instrument (at least, no sane parent!). But, a harmonica can’t be played out of key, and no matter what they play it kind of sounds like a sweet small-child’s version of a movie soundtrack. This was a year-long hit at our house, and it didn’t totally annoy me.
magformers: These are kind of expensive but were the winner toy for us during our fall birthday season. Our boys have fall birthdays so we get to test out present satisfaction before we invest in a whole set. These Magformers get a whole lot of play at our house (we got the boys the car set for their birthday).
knit cap: Darling and modern little knit cap from J.Crew. Surprisingly, it’s not a million dollars!
automoblox: These are sweet little toys that are a puzzle/building toy and a vehicle toy at the same time. That’s a winner in my boys’ book.
wobble deck: We don’t have this yet, but it will be under our tree. I’m thinking along the same lines as the indoor trampoline. I need lots of “energy expending options” for afternoon stir-crazy play!
play doh: A perennial favorite at our house. We have wood floors, so I don’t get bent out of shape about the mess. And, can I just give you a mom-hint? If you are anal and hate Play-Doh…just remember it’s cheap and let them mix the stinking colors. Throw it out when it becomes a nice shade of mud or dries out. No harm, no foul. We buy new Play-Doh about every 6 months. I let them play with about 3 tubs at a time between the 2 older boys.