Monthly Archive for December, 2007

Best toys

Published
by
twinutero
on December 21, 2007
in Learning & play
. 0 Comments

The holiday season is here, and as much as I wish the world were less materialistic, most parents, myself included, will likely be buying toys. There are lots of “best toy” sites to direct shopping. Here’s mine.

  • Ikea wooden train tracks. By far, this has been the best entertainment value for money in our house. The tracks are compatible with Brio and Thomas sets, but are much, much cheaper. We’ve supplemented with a few extra Thomas pieces and trains to make the set more interesting. So many toys advertise that they supply “hours and hours” of fun. This one really does.
  • Other Ikea toys. Actually, you can’t go too far wrong with any Ikea toys. Our kids love the tent, the pots and the wooden stacking blocks.
  • Baby Einstein Alphabooks. A box of 26 short books, one for each letter of the alphabet. There’s no text - only the sort of engaging pictures that have made Baby Einstein famous. Jon has dragged this box around the house for months and, for a boy just two, has learned a surprising number of letters and words. Not that Baby Einstein needs any extra advertising, but this is definitely a “best toy” in Jon’s world.
  • Playskool Spin Arcade. When our wonderful Aunt Sam bought this for the twins, we were skeptical. When we flipped the “on” switch, we were repelled. But Sam has a way of choosing toys, and this one turned out to be a favorite. When the twins were just learning to stand, they would pull themselves up, press the buttons, and chase the balls. When the novelty wore off, they put other objects on the spinner - bottles, cars, spoons - and watch the result with intense curiousity. Experimentation at one year old.
  • Cars. Thomas loves trains; Alex loves cars. We have a few second-hand garages and a bucket of toy cars. He sorts, arranges, then resorts and rearranges. No batteries (and not much money) required.

Living the life chaotic

Published
by
twinutero
on December 14, 2007
in Coping and Getting Around
. 0 Comments

I got out for a hair cut yesterday. Getting out, even to the hair salon, always freshens my perspective.

There was one other client in the salon. She was stationed beside me, listening intently to advice on how to wear a ponytail without causing hair breakage. She was also stressed – right out of her ponytailed head – about an upcoming two-week vacation. What should she pack? Will the weather cooperate? Did she choose the best destination? Will she gain weight?

I hadn’t been to this salon before, so my stylist asked the obligatory personal questions. Yes, I have children. A three-year-old and two-year-old twins. All boys. Yes, very active. Sleep? No, not much. Not much at all.

Our home? Well, that’s a bit tricky. Technically, we live in Ottawa but we have sold our house there, and all of our belongs are en route to South Africa. Or so we hope. Last we heard, the moving company was searching madly for a shipping container, as if it were something they’d never needed before. So we are here in Nova Scotia (except for my husband, who is in Malaysia) camped out at my parents house.

Moving across the globe with two toddlers and a preschooler? Yes, a little hectic. Wouldn’t have been so bad if Jon hadn’t come down with the flu and kept us up for forty eight hours, or if Thomas hadn’t leaped from a chair and sprained his foot, or if the first winter storm hadn’t wedged the moving truck into the snow bank down the street. Or, of course, if the moving company had a shipping container. Other than that, it’s going pretty well.

Africa? Never been there. Nope, no friends or family….

I don’t know.

I don’t know.

I don’t know.

The woman next to me was silent. I have no idea what she was thinking but in her silence I realised that almost everyone lives a stressful, chaotic life. We just have different reference points, different baselines. Five years ago, I could not have imagined living as I do now. In fact, had I walked into my home, I would have retreated immediately and not very politely before a migraine set in. Non-stop chaos is now a way of life, and our transcontinental move just adds another layer. Our ability to adapt is truly astounding.