Toys

Pokemon, Bakugan - If this sounds like a foreign language to you, then I'm guessing you don't have a six year old boy living in your house. Bakugans are my first grade son's latest obsession. They are these neat little things with magnets in them that the kids trade and battle with. Mason sleeps with his, sets them up on the table when he eats, you get the picture. Here's the thing, 2 months ago he was just as obsessed with his Pokemon trading cards. He spent days decorating his Pokemon card book. This week he gave that book to his little sister since he isn't into Pokemon anymore.

What latte could I possibly derive from all of this rambling? Don't stock up on anything. In my basement right now there sits a Pokemon game of some sort that I found last month at a consignment sale, and I thought it would make a great Christmas present. I guess I could give it to Charlotte since she is now the owner of all of the cards. It seems like only yesterday that Mason was outgrowing Elmo, Blues Clues, Spiderman, Transformers... One day he'll learn to just stick with what works, and maybe he'll enjoy ordering the same thing from his local coffee shop every day. Until then, I'll wait until December to do the Christmas shopping!

Splurge

That's the latte du jour - splurge! Not on everything, but every now and then moms need to splurge on themselves. Ok, so I know that times are tough and I already splurge on coffee almost daily, but there are a couple of other things that are worth a few extra dollars. Here's the big one that I've found having to do with kids - diaper bags.

After about 2 years of motherhood, I realized that a baby and a diaper bag had really become my only accessories. I spent several years trying to deny the need for a really great bag, but as the babies grew and I needed even more "stuff", I accepted the fact that I need a bag that I could take anywhere. Then I just had to find the right bag. For a while I carried a gardening bag from Target. Lots and lots of exterior pockets make it a good bag to have, but it's not just right. Maybe the key is to have a few bags.

For now, I just placed an order from www.amymichellebags.com (it's co-owned by a classmate of my husband's from high school). I'm hoping that sometime in the next month, we will be a diaper-free household, but it's going to be years (if ever) before I am through carrying a bag whose main contents revolve around snacks, water bottles, wipes, tissues, toys, books, etc. I may as well have a bag that has external cup holders, a waterproof interior, and looks more like a purse than anything I've carried since I became a mother. Maybe it's my first step back into the non-baby world!

Sentimental Attire

When Mason curls up in the den to watch TV, he always uses the same quilt. My mother made the quilt over 20 years ago using fabric from mine and my sisters old dresses. When she gave the quilt to me, I thought it was very sweet and more than a little nostalgic to have proof of all of the things we wore in the mid-70's. Now I have a new appreciation for that quilt. As a mother, sometimes it's really hard to let go of a little dress or T-shirt that has so many memories attached to it.

We are finally having beautiful cooler fall weather here so this morning I spent some time packing away some summer clothes. Charlotte's are easy since if they don't fit her next spring, I'll give them to Mary Jane. But what about the clothes that don't fit anyone? Some I'll consign or give away (consignment will be a blog all its own), but some clothes, like the crib, I'm just not ready to let go of. So here's today's latte - pack them away. If you have the space, it's ok to hold onto them for a little while longer. In a year, you might be ready to give them away, make a quilt out of them, or transfer them to a bigger box with a new batch of clothes containing new memories.

Organization (or lack thereof)

I have several books about how to get organized, reduce clutter, etc. It's a slow process for me because I tend to just keep things in stacks around the house, but it's hard to keep little hands from moving things. Organizing toys is a constant battle, but we have a rough system for it. Rob now refuses to purchase any more bins, baskets or shelves to further organize. We need to just "get rid of the stuff." This blog is going to be yet another test of my organizational skills. I haven't quite figured out how to organize my thoughts. I would welcome any suggestions.

I guess my daily latte (or tip) on this subject is to purge as much as possible rather than store it. This especially holds true for toys. One thing, you must make sure that you have all of the pieces of a toy before getting rid of it otherwise you're in for trouble when a 3 year old finds a stray part.