Who needs a car wash? We've got Legos!

We need some new kitchen chairs.

I know, I know...not the most exciting intro to a blog post.

But let me continue...I thought, wouldn't it be nice to get these chairs that we need in some kind of secondary market? A rummage sale, perhaps, or a resale shop? This would help me to feel far less consumerish...

So, I suggest it to my husband, who, to my surprise, readily agrees to drive with me to a few rummage sales this weekend.

We did not find any chairs.

At the first stop, however, we found the most awesome collection of Legos, which we snapped up immediately. (Also another winter sled, great for the "me toos")

Then we came home and I insisted on some Lego-washing. Great activity for a nice warm summer day....




Would you insist on washing used Legos? My husband didn't want me to post this because he thought it would make us look ridiculously over-clean. It didn't seem so weird to me.

So, at the end of the day, we're still using folding chairs in the kitchen but we have some awesome new Legos to play with. I think we came out ahead!

More best shots here.

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Go see: Snoopy has posted the latest edition of Haveil Havalim: Haveil Havalim #177 - Tisha B'Av Edition.

Starting them young...BSM

My daughter does seem to have a bit of an obsession with my Starbucks cups. She always wants them! One day last week we were playing outside and, sadly, I ran out out coffee. Yael, on the other hand, was not sad at all...because she had a new and wonderful plaything: Mom's cup.








I have often wondered about the effects of marketing on our kids. My husband remarked the other day that our now 6-year-old believed that Target and Toys R Us were "toy museums" where he could look but not take things home...until he was about 4 years old (unfortunately, he now knows exactly how shopping works!). My 2-year-old, on the other hand, already understands completely that Target is a magical place from which toys often come. I'm sure in some ways this is due to having an older sibling who is making him wise to the ways of the world!
Would she care if it weren't a Starbucks cup? What if it were a cup from the gas station, or from some fast-food joint? I haven't explored this with her, and I'm not sure I'm ready for the experiment! All I know is this...if I have it, she wants it.

(I could post another series of all of my kids holding my cell phone. I'm sure all of you could do the same.)

Maybe it's less about marketing and more about "being like the big people." Which is something that I know I need to remember all the time. Not only are my children little sponges, they are also little mirrors. Sometimes it's cute. But sometimes... darn it if I don't always like what I see! I know that if I start with myself, I will improve them too.

For the moment, I guess it's not so bad if she's interested in drinking coffee.

Right?

See more pictures and musings here.

I ♥ a greener Target!

Seriously, though, doesn't everyone ♥ Target?

And now even moreso...because Target has...reusable shopping bags!


Not only that, but they're cute and red.

AND they have, along with the usual flat-bottomed ones, ones that zipper back into a handy little pouch that fits nicely into my purse.


Oh...I think I've gone to Target heaven!

Why is no one making a bigger deal of this!?


But...I must admit, the checkout clerk tried to put my re-usable bags into the plastic ones. We straightened that out right quick. She did put the ice cream into a little plastic bag before I caught her (didn't notice until I got home) but I guess that's okay.

Small steps, people, small steps.

This week's Works for Me Wednesday is a "Greatest Hits edition." My post here is basically a continuation of this one, which I think was one of my favorite WFMW posts. What works for you?

I ♥ Amazon.com

Did you know how useful Amazon.com is? I've actually written about this before, how much I love the "wish list" feature. (even my kids have wish lists on Amazon!)

But there are other great things you can do with Amazon as well.

I have a Prime membership, which makes 2-day shipping free (well, I pay the fee for it upfront, basically). I use it for diapers. I've bought food items to send to soldiers abroad. I buy all sorts of miscellaneous things available from my favorite online store! The Prime membership also makes it easy and inexpensive to send gifts because I don't pay for shipping. (You can send a $10 gift and only spend the $10 you wanted to spend!)

I also use it for recommendations. I love the feature that when you are looking at a book, you get other books that you might like to read too!

I also have a collection of Listmania lists that I've written.

Getting Ready to Travel to Israel
Great Chanukah Books
Great Jewish Children's Books
What's Next to Read With My 5-Year-Old
Books I've Read with my 5-Year-Old

I also have on "so you'd like to guide...": So You'd Like to Lead a Great Passover Seder

I think that these are a great way to "share the wisdom" that we have all gained in a creative and interesting way. I love to look at other people's lists to see what to read or research.

The prices are right, the orders come quickly, and I love shopping on Amazon!
(Plus I hear rumors that maybe...occasionally....the Amazon CEO "grants" wishlists. So make sure you have one and that it has that big beautiful camera that you really want...and the sewing machine you've been drooling over....it never hurts! Okay, it's probably an urban myth. But it makes me happy.)

What works for you?