Why I Need To Get Rid of More of Our Toys

The children played beautifully in California for two weeks, virtually without toys. The only toys they used were some digging implements, sidewalk chalk, and two trucks. They have too many toys, in my opinion, and seem to use them to make messes too big for them to clean up at this age, while actually playing with non-toys.

Last night, letting them have my bag full of rubber bands kept them busy for an hour. They made "gates" on this overturned table. Earlier explanations of the danger of snapping rubber bands did not register for John, but last night he got to learn that little bit of physics from Real Life.

They climb things all the time, here pretending to ascend a mountain. I didn't get pictures of it, but yesterday John spent at least a half hour using some bed rails (used to keep a toddler from rolling out of bed, currently not installed on any of our beds) to be an imaginary "boat."

Collecting earthworms in the yard


Despite our owning several riding toys, the children spent this morning pulling each other around in a garden cart (that normally has a lid on it).