Toy Wars {Dear Best Friend...}

Your little baby kicking in your womb, what a sweet feeling. So you don't know yet what stepping on Legos feels like? Oh you will. It's is the rite of passage for all moms.

Our toy story starts way back when I was a child. I pretty much remember each and every toy I owned. Every stuffed animal, every doll, and the dollhouse I created myself on our bookshelves. I could probably count them on four hands (always wished I had that many hands).

I entered motherhood with this idyllic idea that my children will have few quality toys, simple ones that child after child can play with. Wooden toys, classics, maybe a few stuffed animals and dolls, you know - a manageable amount that wouldn't overload their developing imaginations... Ha! Hahaha! So very funny! ツ

I had good intentions, obviously. But now we are living the reality of a white picket fence American life. Okay, so we have no white picket fence, but we do have middle class consumer buying power and two sets of loving, well-meaning grandparents. Scratch that, we don't actually buy toys, but the grandparents really mean well. 

While I suspect that our toy bins are still smaller than that of the average American child, it just feels like too much. Maybe it's because the playroom/bedroom is in the middle of the remodel and our tiny living room is the playroom right now? Maybe it's because I find myself tripping over toys? Maybe because I repeat "Please put that away!" only 129 times a day?

So if you are a mama-to-be, I'll give you one word of advice. Okay, three words. Just say no. 

You don't have to say no to everyone who wants to bless your child with a new toy, but you can and should say no to keeping those toys forever. 

An uncluttered home is more peaceful. Less toys = less clutter. Less toys = more peace. Less toys = less clean up time. Less toys = more down time. 

Less toys = more imagination! Kids don't need toys, honest. Their favorites? Pots and pans, cardboard boxes, random empty containers and bottles, towels, phones, remotes. Books. You can [almost] never have too many books. 

Do I regret letting our toy collection get out of hand? Yes, a little. Some days it nearly sucks the life out of me (of course I'm being overly dramatic).

Start now, when your little one is still in the womb. Make a place for toys, just toys. Maybe a set of bins (like these) in cubbies (like these) and don't let them overfill. Once you have a collection, make a point of donating a toy for every new one brought in. I wish I started that policy around age 2 with my first child. Sigh. Better late than never, right?

Of course you may have some toys that don't fit in a bin and that's fine, but it's the little ones that are hardest to manage. I sometimes think that toys with many parts are evil! If you want to know what I would keep if I had to toss everything else, it would probably be these favorites: a wooden play kitchen (this one is a splurge, you can make one too), dollhouse, building blocks, walker wagon, a real rubber duck, a doll, sand play set, wooden railroad, pull toy, Lego Duplos (and original Lego when they are older), art easel, rocking horse, a few wooden puzzles, musical hand bells, a few stuffed toys, and a xylophone. 

Always keep in mind that many toys will be inevitably gifted to your children, so don't feel any pressure to buy them yourself. We rarely buy any toys, yet ended up with a houseful. They are like cockroaches, they multiply pretty quick!

Oh, and start teaching that baby to put their toys away at around the age of two weeks [wink].

Do you battle toy overload in your home? How do you keep it from defeating you?

This post is part of a series called {Dear Best Friend...}. See previous posts below:

5 Foods That May Make a Breastfed Baby Fussy

5 Tips for a Peaceful Birth Experience

Creating a Non-toxic Nursery

Cosleeping is Not a Fad, Cribs Are

How to Cloth Diaper

Pregnancy Must Haves

There is Only One Mom Like You

How to Pick the Best Stroller for Your Baby

Surviving the Glucose Test

Baby Must Haves, Nice-to-Haves, and No-Need-to-Haves

My Best Friend Will Be a Mom!

Photo: Baby E at 6 months, tasting his wooden shape sorter.

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Tea Collection Memorial Day Sale!

Fabulous sale alert for one of our favorite children's clothing brands, ever! Through Monday, May 27^th, Tea Collection is offering $15 Girls Dresses, $12 Girls Leggings and $12 Boys Tops. Stock up on comfortable and durable tops for boys. Mix and match adorable girls' legging and dresses for endless outfit combinations. Don't miss your chance to take advantage of this amazing sale from Tea Collection! 

Just take a look at some of these fabulous finds that are on sale... Limited availability is available in each size!

SHOP TEA

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My Favorite Kitchen Essentials

In a 'real foods' kitchen where meals are made from scratch, there are many essential tools I use pretty much every day that make food prep faster, easier, and a lot more efficient. I sometimes take it for granted, but every time I visit someone and use their knives, can openers, or dish washing sponge - I realize what gems I've found to use in our kitchen! 

These items are either really good or simply amazing and I never regret having spent money on them. In my photo (top to bottom) you can see some of the items that are on the list, followed by other favorites not pictured.

1. Breville Ikon Stainless Electric Tea Kettle: We love drinking tea and actually haven't had a coffee maker in our house in over 5 years. We've had this one for over four years, best decision ever after burning one stove top tea kettle. I love that it doesn't have an exposed heating element for mineral deposits to get stuck on. With a flat, stainless interior base it is really easy to clean. At just under $80 I feel that the quality is there, it's lasted us a while and shows no signs of giving up. Breville also makes the much more expensive One-Touch Tea Maker that I think is awesome and our friends love, but it is over $240 [gasp!]. It heats to precise temperatures for different types of tea - for gourmet tea drinkers!
   
   
2. Flour Sack Towels: These cotton flour sack towels have so many uses around the home, but in the kitchen they are simply magical for straining and I've used them for my farmer's cheese recipe. They are also great for drying dishes, which I usually don't bother with unless I'm putting away the nice 'guest dishes' and don't want water spots on them. They aren't very cheap for under $15 for four towels, but reasonable. For some reason they remind me of my Culinary Arts class and France!
   
   
3. Goodbye Detergent Spaghetti Scrub: We don't use a dishwasher and I always thought there is no other way to wash dishes other than with a sponge or cloth. Then I got one of these spaghetti scrubs and I'm telling you, there is no going back! I never liked sponges to begin with. Even when wrung out and left to dry, they would get smelly fast -yuckiness. Not to mention we were spending too much money constantly replacing them. I've used one spaghetti scrub for a year before switching to a new one - and it still looked almost like new! It scrubs very gently, so it never scratched my non-stick ceramic and our dish-washing soap use went way down since it really only needs detergent for extra greasy pans and dishes.
   
   
   
   
   
4. IKEA Tea Infuser: We really enjoy loose leaf tea, but I don't enjoy brewing a whole tea pot just for the two of us. That's where these handy tea infusers come in. Just big enough to brew a cup of tea. It's just a perfect little gadget and has never failed, plus the price can't be beat at $1.99.
   
   
5. Kuhn Rikon Can Opener: I've discovered this dream can opener when I still lived with my parents, I think my mom bought it at Marshalls. When I got married and saw all the cheap, pseudo can openers that didn't work, I went on a quest to find one of these for our kitchen! I was excited when I finally found one - best can opener ever! It leaves smooth, child-safe edges on the can. That alone is priceless. Totally worth the $14.
   
   
6. Cutco Knives: These are an absolute must have in our kitchen. I've tried many knives. Expensive ones. Nothing compares to Cutco and nothing can compare to their lifetime guarantee and free sharpening for life. I know people who have been using them for 30, 40+ years and they still are good as new. You get what you pay for! It's just such a pleasure working with them, I realize that every time I use some other brand at someone else's house and I wonder how in the world anything can get done in a kitchen with dull knives.
   
   
7. Bamboo Cutting Boards: Plastic cutting boards harbor bacteria, bamboo and wood ones do not. I love my bamboo cutting board and use it every day. It's held up well to rigorous use. There are a ton available on the market, so I would just go by online user reviews of particular brands, some are better than others. I also love my bamboo utensils, use them every day as well - they are great for being non-scratchy to keep my pans like new.
   
   
8. Ceramic Diamond Non-stick Skillet: Literally used every day, I have peace of mind knowing there is no toxic, carcinogenic teflon in my non-stick pan. You really don't need a whole set, I find it sufficient to have one large one for everyday use and I also have the smaller non-toxic skillet for when I need two at the same time, which is rare.  
   
   
9. KitchenAid Stand Mixer: I was really fortunate to be donated a vintage KitchenAid stand mixer and although it doesn't look up to date for the 21st century, the performance is flawless. It saves me a lot of time when making cakes, cookies, dough - all the things I used to do by hand prior to 3 years ago.
   
   
10. Toaster Oven: Our toaster oven has seen better days, it still works but it's been through a lot! We are contemplating replacing it with a larger capacity one when/if it finally dies (probably this one). We don't have a microwave, so I use it to reheat leftovers and I often make quick dinners in it by throwing some chicken with spices inside and not having to think about when to turn it off as the timer does it for me. 

These are our essentials, things I use every day and it would be hard to do without. By no means do you need these to create meals from scratch, but it does make it easier. I will also be sharing with you my kitchen splurges and my wish list in the future! 

Now if only they made an affordable kitchen robot to make all the gourmet meals from scratch... For now we're sticking to me as the chef, it's hard to beat a meal made with love. 

What are your kitchen essentials?

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