Mr Potato Head creeps me out sometimes

Peanut is having lots of fun putting her Mr/Mrs (depending mostly on the shoes) Potato Head together. More often than not, the body parts end up in close-to-normal locations on the Potato body.

The end result usually looks like a mad scientific cloning experiment gone wrong or what would happen to potato-people after a nuclear accident. Mr/Mrs Potato Head has only one arm twisted backwards, a set of eyes where the nose should be and an upside grin full of teeth. On top is a glowing green hat.

Peanut sees nothing wrong with her creations and lovingly brings Mr/Mrs Potato Head to the dinner table or, as is happening now, cradles Mr/Mrs Potato Head in her arms as she sleeps peacefully.

ABCD, where is the off switch!

Peanut got all sorts of wonderful gifts from her relatives & friends for Christmas. She spotted the wrapped presents under the tree right away on Christmas morning and we had to pace her opening them through the day to make sure each got the attention it deserved. Not to mention that we had already opened several on Christmas Eve. We figured its the Finnish way so no rules broken :-)

It seems that the toys which sing, beep and bleep all must also play the Alphabet Song. You know, A B C D E F G...etc.... Its a catchy tune. Its educational. It can also drive parents nuts when you just can't stop running through the letters as you try to drift off to sleep! I can't be too harsh though. In the past week, Peanut has started singing the song to herself and now gets all the way to H I J, seemingly adding a letter each day.

But, I still think one of the greatest advances in electronic toys must be the volume and on/off switches. So now, Puppy can go to sleep. The Bandwagon can go to sleep. The singing cow can go to sleep. And, so can mama & papa.

Some of Peanut's favorite new toys are the Aquadoodle mat, Parent's brand Animal Hospital (from Target), Fisher Price Puppy, massive rocking bear and borrowed shopping cart!

Consignment sale confessions

I'm becoming a consignment sale junkie! I wouldn't yet call myself an addict - I don't get in line at 6.00 am, I don't have to be at EVERY sale and I don't haul away mountains of stuff. Perhaps, I should say I'm becoming a conisseur - I'm developing refined strategies, a critical eye, an ability to swoop & scoop with grace.

In reality, I only hit two (three, if you count that I went back to one!) sales: Divine Consign in Grapevine and Plano and the Rockinghorse Sale in Coppell. I do have one more in mind. This year I skipped the Just Between Friends sale because I found the one in Denton so small last time.

For Divine Consign in Grapevine, I arrived around 10 am on opening day. Good timing, no line, no mad rush, still plenty to look over the gear. This is the sale I also decided to visit again on 50% off day - just because it was close by and I wondered what would be left. Not a whole lot of high quality stuff. I did pick up a bag of toy cars for $0.50, a Fisher-Price Little People fire station for $2.00 and Little Tikes tool kit for $0.50.

Divine Consign in Plano was disappointing. Maybe I was late? But, I felt like the prices were higher and quality lower. I even saw some repeats from Grapevine. Won't make the drive there again!

The little Rockinghorse Sale in Coppell gave me the one big item I'd been searching for - table and chairs for Peanut. For $20, I got the cutest wooden giraffe and walrus back chairs for a matching table :-) Otherwise, its like a big garage sale, but just around the corner so I'll be back again! You can get in early to this sale on opening day with a $5.00 donation to the hosting church's youth group.


My hints for successful consignment shopping:

• have a shopping list and focus on those items first - there were specific toys I wanted, everything else I skipped until I had looked for those first.
• bring a few empty canvas bags to fill with shopping. Yes, some people drag an empty laundry basket around with them, but its not very practical.
• there seemed to be tons of clothes available at all the sales so look over the other stuff first unless you are desparate for clothes.
• if you MUST have a bigger item (stroller, beds, big plastic toys, bikes, etc) - you will have to be fanatical about being there first. Volunteer to get in on the pre-sales.
• consign something yourself to get in early without the hours of volunteering - most sales let you shop at the first night as well. I suppose you are a consignor even if you only put one item up for sale!
• peek around all the corners - both Divine Consign sales were spread over several unconnected rooms. One toy-filled and overlooked room was brimming with goodies because half the shoppers didn't even notice it!
• move your big items into the roped off hold area - or better yet, have someone take them there for you - and continue shopping
• I had Peanut with me. I also had lots of snacks and drinks for Peanut to keep her happy. She's a quiet, happy shopper so I knew it would be OK. If yours isn't, you'll be better off sans bebe.
  

Last two sales I know of for fall in the area both take place tomorrow!
North Dallas Mothers of Twins Club in Richardson and the
Metrocrest Parents of Multiples sale in Flower Mound.

We should've been quarantined

Well, not really, but it sure seemed like last week wherever you looked around our home, you saw sick Peanut, sick mama, sick papa. Perhaps even the kitties were sick, but we were just too sick to tell.

Fortunately, Peanut was the healthiest of all. She made it through the week with just one little vomit episode and a couple of loose diapers. (Too much info?! Watch out - there's more coming). She barfed on our bed, into our awaiting hands cupped to catch her vomit. Then papa quickly scooped up a little vomit covered Peanut and snuggled with her to help her get over the nasty surprise. The things you do without even blinking an eye for your children. Amazing.

I spent much of the week on the sofa or in the bathroom, thanks to a stomach virus followed by a fever and sore throat. Papa had to go out of town after he recovered enough to get on a plane.

I was at a loss as to how to get through the days with Peanut. I was so tired and completely lacked any will to make/eat food, play games or go anywhere.

So, I turned on the TV for Peanut. We never have the TV on during the day so I didn't know if it would amuse her, but I needed some help. I didn't want to take her anywhere cause I thought she might be contagious, too. No family in town and I only know one babysitter. What else to do?

Well, Peanut just LOVED PBS Kids. She LOVED Curious George. She followed Clifford the Big Red Dog through all his adventures. And, some computer animated looking show about a tree sloth, monkeys and a green tropical frog was just fab. I tried to be involved - what's the monkey say? Oh, did he go into the tree? Dogs like bones......

Peanut could have cared less where I was or what I had to say. She lay down on the floor, tucked her thumb in and did not move for the entire show.

I felt a bit sorry for her. She usually wanders around the house and finds something to do, but also likes to do many of these things with mama, who could not this week.

Today, when I felt better, Peanut took the TV remote, pushed the red on button and waited. I had to explain how the TV is sleeping today and there will be no monkey show. Maybe, she'll forget Curious George....maybe not. TV is powerful stuff. Now, I really know why its recommended to limit TV viewing for little ones.

Some other activities I did manage to do with Peanut from the sofa were:
> blowing bubbles - fun for her, the kitties chased them and I didn't have to move
> sticker book - again, very little effort on my part, just handing her stickers
> coloring book
> hiding toys under the blanket
> reading
> puzzles

And, for next time, I've hidden away a Mr. Potato Head toy that will come out as a surprise. Its kinda like planning for a long flight - new toys, easy to play with while fixed in one spot, and kid-friendly snacks all packed up and ready to take out.

Its almost Divine Consign time again

Soon, August will upon us and it'll be consignment sale season again! Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Divine Consign is already looking for volunteers for their events in Grapevine and Plano. Being a volunteer gets you into the must-attend-to-get-the-real-deals pre-sales.

At the pre-sale I attended for a spring sale, it was just madness. Imagine the good old Supermarket Sweep programs where a couple has like 3 minutes to run through the store to fill their shopping cart and everything in the cart is then free.

It was just like that minus the shopping carts - moms racing through with laundry baskets or strollers in tow. Grabbing toys, shoving clothes into the carts, wild-eyed and oblivious to each other. Not much was left dangling on the racks after that crowd came through there...

Giant Turtle moves into our backyard

Its Peanut's new/used sandbox! We filled up last night and Peanut quickly stuck her hands in. her papa was having as much fun with the sandwheel :-)

I'd been told about a woman who runs a consignment biz out of her home for these types of toys. I paid $16 for Peanut's Little Tikes turtle box, they retail for around $40 - 60. She had even replaced the eyes on it :-)

She has the whole collection in her backyard in Flower Mound - very close to Sprout's supermarket! Some of the outdoor stuff was quite faded from being out in the sun, but looked to be in decent condition. For the indoor toys like kitchens, workbenches, cash registers, etc, she often gets all the accessories from the manufacturer.

I just haven't figured out yet how to come to terms with having such big pieces of plastic filling up our yard! But, if Peanut enjoys them then it doesn't really matter what they look like. What I like about finding this consignor is that there is a bit of a recycling element to buying from her. We're helping to reuse something someone else has outgrown and then when we're done, we can trade it in with her and pass it around again.

Don't email her, she doesn't check her email -- call her if you want to make an appointment.

Judy Moore

972-539-4563 or 469 233 4050

ToysforTykes

( i think the photos here look better than the toys did in real life)

The classics are always fun

Whenever we go visit my mom, she has taken the time to dig up some of my old baby clothes and toys for Peanut. Its a nice way for us to recall my childhood - what I was doing when I wore the little woolen dress or poncho from Spain, how I used to carry the teddy bear around with me everywhere and other memories attached to the clothes & toys.

Here are some photos of what Peanut played with last time - anyone remember these?!

Is your baby a Baby Einstein?

Sure, we all secretly (and some not so secretly) think our own babies are geniuses. And, they all are, aren't they :-)

I've thought alot about the Baby Einstein phenomena during this first year of Peanut's life though we have never owned a BE DVD. In Finland, they did not exist so they didn't really even enter as a possibility until we moved to Texas. By that point, however, I had decided to try and keep the TV off at home during the day. Now, we've lived the first year without having TV viewing as part of our daily routine so its very natural for us to not even think of watching it or having Peanut watch it as a distraction.

Here it seems EVERYONE has and watches BE - they get them as gifts, some buy them, but most parents swear by them: our 4 mo old loves it, our 8 mo old learned baby signs from it, our 12 mo old sings along with it, etc, etc. They buy me time to take a shower, read email, make dinner, etc, etc. I don't know how I would make it through the day without TV....

Since we never had TV in our daily program, Peanut doesn't crave it and I don't even think to turn it on. If I need a few moments of baby-free time, I play some music for her, open a book for her to flip through, dump a pile of blocks on the floor for her to carry to the bathtub and she's just as happy doing those things.

Blogging Baby's post about a Child Advocacy group suing BE was very interesting as are the comments left by other readers:

From the Washington Post: A child-advocacy group is petitioning the federal government to bar the Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby Companies from promoting their products as "educational and beneficial to child development." The group, The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, says that claims made by the two companies that their videos "foster toddler's speech and language skills," and otherwise enhance childhood learning are deceptive, since there's no proof, and in fact, television watching "could adversely affect cognitive development if it replaces creative play and interaction with a child's parents and surroundings."

Further Comments on baby consumerism:
I'm not sure that I agree with the ban, but in general I have found the Center to be an excellent source of information about the adverse effects of marketing on children. Have any of you read books such as Juliet Schor's "Born to Buy"? Unfortunately there is ahuge push for cradle-to-grave brand loyalty. Children as young as 6 months have been proven to recognize icons like Elmo, and 18 month-olds can correctly identify brands. It sounds innocuous enough on the surface, but when you start thinking of all the character tie-ins (Thomas the Tank Engine underwear, Dora soups, etc.) it becomes weirdly obvious what is going on in conjunction with your nice, educational programming.

my shower buddy - the Exersaucer

We had only heard rumors and whispers about exersaucers while we were in Finland. I never actually saw one there - i guess they haven't made the leap across the pond. Several of my friends swore by them: "our baby loves it! she can play in it for hours". Another called them a waste of money. The online reveiws were raving.

I'm not convinced it was worth the money for a new one.

When Peanut turned 6 mos when went to Babies R Us to test drive their exersaucers. We placed Peanut in each one, one after the other. She seemed most amused in the Baby Einstein activity center so home it came with us.

Secretly mama and papa were also leaning towards that one, I mean, with a name like Baby Einstein how could it be anything but educational!! It even plays classical music tunes and has animal names in English & Spanish!! The classical music I have to admit is really a nice feature - I mean if its got to make sounds, might as well be something soothing that everyone can enjoy, right?

The first week or so, Peanut had a good time IN the saucer - for about half an hour at a time. Then she wanted out. She was very close to crawling at that age so it was no fun to be tied down. It was enough time usually the unload the dishwasher, cook dinner or take a shower.

Its the last activity that I think the exersaucer has been most used for in our household. Though Peanut hasn't actually been IN the exersaucer much after that first month of use, she loves to cruise around it and climb under it. Its become a permanent fixture in our bathroom and keeps her happy while mama takes a shower.

I wonder how many exersaucers end up in bathrooms? I've seen at one other house already!

More consignment sales -- Rockinghorse in Coppell

Rocking Horse Sale

It looks like if you are into consignment, there is no lack of choice! This one is in Coppell and being promo'd to the Finnish mama community.

Its close by so I think we'll check it out. I was even trying to sort out some clothes to sell, but its tough! Those little itty-bitty baby outfits are too cute and who knows we may need them again or we could pass along to Auntie M .... one day .... maybe ....

Living Hope Church
Coppell, Texas

Spring Dates: March 2-4, 2006

Come shop or consign with us!

We are celebrating our 18th sale!

Consignor price tags are being distributed now.

The mega-consignment sale - Divine Consign

By word of mouth from one our Gymboree mama's (no, not the mama of the boy Peanut bit)


This is evidently a mammoth consignment sale that takes place twice a year in Dallas.

From the looks of it - Divine Consign promises to be just that.



Note that "first time moms", ie, those pregnant or with a child under 1 year can get into the PRE-SALE. But, they are like the number three pre-sale group following the volunteers. Nonetheless, its the night before Divine Consign opens its doors to everyone else.

I've signed up for the pre-sale...more posts to follow.

Another hot consignment store tip was for Once Upon a Child in Flower Mound next to the new Sprouts supermarket. Once we visit, I'll have some more info.

Plus from Dallas Child - a 'how to' save in your shopping with garage sales, consignment shops and more. Here is thier list of area consignment shops:

Consignment/Resale/Thrift in the Dallas Area Please call ahead to verify information, as it is subject to change.

Shop: KidSwap
Drop Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri
Appointment Necessary? No
Percent to Seller: 40 percent
Consign Cost: N/A
Items Accepted: Name-brand, in-season clothes, cars and strollers. No toys!
Location: Dallas
Phone: 214/890-7927

Shop: Mudpuppy
Drop Hours: 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri
Appointment Necessary? Yes
Percent to Seller: 40 percent
Consign Cost: $10 per season
Items Accepted: Toys and clothes
Location: Fort Worth
Phone: 817/731-2581

Shop: Play It Again Sports
Drop Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon-Fri; 10-6 Sat; noon-5 Sun
Appointment Necessary? No
Percent to Seller: 50 percent
Consign Cost: N/A
Items Accepted: Sporting goods (exercise, hockey and baseball equipment)
Location: Dallas
Phone: 214/821-7737

Shop: Play It Again Sports
Drop Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon-Fri; 10-5 Sat; noon-5 Sun
Appointment Necessary? No
Percent to Seller: Percentage varies depending upon item.
Consign Cost: N/A
Items Accepted: All Sporting goods
Location: Dallas, Carrollton
Phone: 972/3805-550

Shop: Purple Pony
Drop Hours: 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon-Fri
Appointment Necessary? Yes
Percent to Seller: 40 percent
Consign Cost: N/A
Items Accepted: In-season, excellent-condition clothing. No toys.
Location: Dallas
Phone: 972/422-4500

Shop: Runt Rethreads
Drop Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon-Sat
Appointment Necessary? No
Percent to Seller: 50 percent
Consign Cost: N/A
Items Accepted: In-season kids clothing (must be washed and on hangers)
Location: Mesquite
Phone: 972/686-7007

Resale Shops
Shop: Children's Orchard
Drop Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon-Sat, 1-5 p.m. Sun
Appointment Necessary? Yes
Percent to Seller: Based on condition of item; 30 to 50 percent of resale price
Items Accepted: Excellent condition baby items (clothing, toys, furniture). No car seats or mattresses.
Location: Lewisville
Phone: 214/488-2257

Shop: Kid to Kid
Drop Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon-Fri
Appointment Necessary? Yes, but drop off available
Percent to Seller: Based on condition of item; 20 to 40 percent of resale price
Items Accepted: Brand name not necessary. Toys and baby equipment, but car seats must be like brand-new.
Location: Allen and Plano
Phone: Allen: 972-390-1117; Plano: 972/781-2543

Shop: Once Upon a Child
Drop Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon-Fri
Appointment Necessary? Yes, but drop off available
Percent to Seller: Based on condition of item; 30 to 40 percent of resale price (20 percent more if store credit accepted)
Items Accepted: Baby furniture, toys, equipment and clothing
Location: Plano, Carrollton, Flower Mound, Garland and Mesquite
Phone: Plano: 972/618-5800; Carrollton: 972/250-6603; Flower Mound: 972/874-0779; Garland: 972/495-4662; Mesquite: 972/279-8048

Semi-annual Consignment Sales
Sale: Great American Wee Sale
When Held? April 2- 4
Percent to Seller: 60 percent (70 percent for volunteers)
Consign Cost: N/A
Items Accepted: Gently used baby and children's clothes, games, toys, equipment, maternity clothing and furniture. Clean, working, stain-free and in-style.
Location: Plano
Web site: www.greatamericanweesale.com

Sale: Just Between Friends
When Held? March 5-6
Percent to Seller: 70 percent (80 percent if five new friends consign)
Consign Cost: $5
Items Accepted: Gently used toys, videos, maternity, children's clothing and baby items.
Location: Dallas
Web site: www.jbfdallas.com

Sale: Just Between Friends
When Held? March 17-19
Percent to Seller: 70 percent (80 percent if five new friends consign or $25 sale gift certificate)
Consign Cost: $5
Items Accepted: Gently used toys, videos, seasonal maternity, children's clothing and baby items.
Location: Dallas
Web site: www.jbfconsignment.com

Sale: Lil' Lambs Sale
When Held? March 25-27
Percent to Seller: 70 percent
Consign Cost: $6
Items Accepted: Gently used toys, videos, seasonal children's and maternity clothing only. Toys, videos, furniture and baby items.
Location: Allen
Web site: www.fpcallen.org

Sale: Tried and True Sale
When Held? March 19-20
Percent to Seller: 50 percent (60 percent for volunteers)
Consign Cost: N/A
Items Accepted: Gently used toys, videos, seasonal maternity, children's clothing and baby items.
Location: Plano
Web site: www.triedandtruesale.com

Thrift Shops
Shop: ACO Upscale Resale
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat
Items Accepted: No mattresses, recliners or car seats
Location: Allen
Phone: 972/727-4751

Shop: Casa View Thrift
Hours: 9a.m-9 p.m. Mon-Sat, 1-7 p.m. Sun
Items Accepted: Everything
Location: Dallas
Phone: 214/324-5026

Shop: Genesis Thrift Store
Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat
Items Accepted: Everything
Location: Dallas
Phone: 214/520-6644

Shop: Goodwill
Hours: 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Mon-Fri
Items Accepted: No mattresses
Location: Dallas
Phone: 214/638-2800

Shop: Goodwill
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon-Sat, 1-5 p.m. Sun
Items Accepted: Everything
Location: McKinney
Phone: 972/542-3721

Shop: Hannah's Hand-Me Downs
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue-Sat
Items Accepted: No mattresses or car seats
Location: Dallas
Phone: 972/642-1115

Shop: Thrift Mart
Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun-Sat
Items Accepted: Everything
Location: Grand Prairie
Phone: 972/721-1861

Bid your way to cheap baby gear

The local e-Bay is called Huuto.net and features a Children's section chock full of furniture, clothes and various other baby gear.

I was cruising through the listings last night and saw plenty of bargains - especially in the baby clothes section. Many times a package is offered that can include 50 pieces of clothing. Much of it looked to be in good condition and the prices were very reasonable.

A few quirky items found their way to the site as well:
> 20 diapers -- ??
> 10 Libero diaper proofs of purchase - ??!! - OK, you can collect them and send them in for a free spoon, but ??
> coupons to Citymarket for discounts on diapers
> issues of Vauva magazine

We have used Huuto.net to sell items in the past and have been very pleased with it. Often the buyer pays the shipping costs. We send the packages COD via Posti and the buyer pays the amount to Posti who transfers to our bank account before releasing the package.