outside the (toy) box

Nope, not blogging. That would be very very bad, seeing as how I am diligently writing my book and no longer succumbing to the heaven that is the blogosphere. Sniff.

I drop by only to say that I am still going to this and if anyone else out there is attending and wants to get together, I would love it.  In fact, I’m hoping to have many drinks with some of my favorite people in bloggyland and YOU are also invited. Just send me an email to mom at outside-the-toybox dot com so that I know you are attending!  You’ll know me by my bright yellow coat.

On other fronts, you may remember that I bought my daughter a set of rubber Disney princesses (not a big deal for me, no, not at all) and I thought it worth mentioning that they were a complete flop.  They got exactly zero special adoration when they were opened and have been played with 4 times in 3 months, three of which were games initiated by me. 

We played princess book group, princess soccer game, and princess presidential deabte, complete with voting.  Thing 1 voted for Sleeping Beauty because she liked her committment to raising teacher salaries as a central part of the solution to improving education in America (yes, really).  Ariel was a crummy moderator, but I liked that because it was r e a l i s t i c (remember the “Diamonds or Pearls” question? Gag. barf. snort.).  We used a portable phone for the voting booth - it was perfect, we could waddle their little 3 inch princess behinds right up and push a button.

Those three play sessions were in January. Then, the princesses lay dormant (and all was right in the universe).  Finally, 4 or 5 days ago, the baby found them in the toy bin and he waddled them over to his sister.  You know what she did?  She brought them to me and said, “Can we play that voting game again?” (and the crowd goes wild).

I also am pleased to report that I have had some success with Scholastic, Thing 1’s school is dropping them and Scholastic knows why.  What’s more, I get the impression that the company senses a rising tide of frustration with the commercialism.  So, if you have pent up rage, by all means let your school know and let Scholastic know.  There is critical mass accumulating and if the criticism beccomes great enough that they begin to get shut out of schools, they will have no choice but to respond. 

Not everything is cheery though.  Thing 1 has started categorizing everything that sits still as “boy things” or “girl things,”  she recently described marriage to me as the “man picking the prettiest girl to be his wife,” to which I very calmly replied:

and my wonderful nanny recently told me about a friend who asked her pediatrician what to do because her son kept asking for a stroller.  Not a boy with a stroller!  Someone DO something!

So, you know, I’m still here - living it.  Just like you.  I can’t wait to return –  Till then, please email if you are going to the summit! 

Tree of Knowledge dropped a little goodie from heaven, two lists of alternative princess books that I thought many of you with daughters (or little gift recipents, anyway, in Eszter’s case) might also be happy to know about. 

First, an anti-princess reading list (you have to look for it on the sidebar, it doesn’t pop up) that includes many ideas that some of you have mentioned along the way as well as several new finds. Super.

Second, a best princess list. Eureka!  Tree, where have you been all my life?

Thanks to Lisa, over at Corporate Babysitter for these two gross posts that have my anti-childhood commercialism mind reeling.  ARGH. 

First, commenting on Shrek’s outrageous full throttle marketing blitz and near complete ownership of the Macy’s Day Parade, she goes exploring at amazon and finds: Read the complete Post.

So, we did the Thanksgiving thing and it was great.  The kids had a ball and I almost had the great pleasure of winning the family poker tournament (only to lose to my dastardly husband who used my 87 year old aunt as distraction).  At least we’re keeping it in the family.

At any rate, I realized that this year blogging (well, reading blogs, which I like far more than posting) is very very high on my list of things for which I feel thankful, probably higher than it should be, but that’s another story that involves a dull tale of woe about  Read the complete Post.

I like the ride-on radio flyer fire engine a lot. 

I’m serious.  It’s fantastic.  The kids like it too. Thing 2 smiled when my MIL wheeled it in, festooned with a gorgeous heap of red and yellow curling ribbon.  It has a rubber horn that honks easily and with a satisfying “ooo-ga ooo-ga.”  She handed him a glossy red baby sized fire hat.  My mother had also given him a red and gray striped outfit embroidered with the words “little hero” and a fire truck on the chest.  Everyone said we should take a picture.  We should.  He’s too cute for words - beaming that uneven gap toothed grin, hat off-kilter.  It was a nice day, a lovely little party.

For his first birthday my son got a total of nine vehicles.  One toy airplane, two toy fire trucks, a toy globe with a train that goes around and around inside, a tractor, and a few other sundry transit items. 

That’s what boys like.

Except he didn’t have a wish list.  Nope — I didn’t take him, diaper and all, to do a registry Read the complete Post.

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is having their annual summit in Boston in April. 

The topic is sexualization of children(read as BRATZ et al - that image above is of Bratz Babyz, btw - I know my dd always wore a LOT of liquid eyeliner when she was part of the under 1 set.) Read the complete Post.

Okay, so I need to get to work, but sometimes you have moments, you know?

I get Blender magazine.  Not maybe what you’d expect, but people are funny.  At any rate, this was the cover photo that I found on my doorstep today:

In case you do other things with your leisure time, that’s the former lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls (and also former member of “Eden’s Crush” — remember them?) who is now releasing her solo album.  At any rate, I grabbed it just as Thing 1 said, what was on that “maz-a-geen”? I said - nothing - just a picture that was pretty inappropriate.  “I saw it” she giggles.  Most of the time the cover is fine, but I’m pissed at Blender, and at myself.

I distracted her with a different piece of mail – from her younger cousin — she opened it - it was a thank you card.  This thank you card to be specific: Read the complete Post.

Advertisers generally respond to critiques of marketing to kids by calling it an issue of parental responsibility. If you don’t want your kids to see advertising, just don’t let them watch TV.  Simple as that. 

I’ve tried it — it helps  a lot. Thing 1 has never seen commercial television, and I also work hard to keep her out of shopping environments (sometimes with comic outcomes…).  I have also tried to have playdates at parks and playgrounds or museums or sporting events instead of at other kids’ homes where the world of Disney, Bratz, etc. may reign supreme.

Well, Friday, Thing 1 had her first playdate at a friends’ home.  Janie is Read the complete Post.

Dove’s newest viral video “film,”  Onslaught is making the rounds.  In case you haven’t seen it, it’s certainly well worth the 1 minute and 15 second time investment. Check it out here. 

But, poor Onslaught is getting shredded by the feminist blogosphere, and yesterday even some of my very, very faves like Jill over at Feministe and Two Knives… had at it — both making extremely good Read the complete Post.

Okay, so for the last month I’ve been obsessing in my own secret way over Halloween. 

I love Halloween - it has always been my favorite holiday, because it asks nothing from you other than your creativity. What a delight. Over the years I’ve had some really great costumes too — I once went as a can of Tomato Soup, and made dh dress as Warhol, one year I was a picnic (you had to see it), once I was Molly Shannon’s Mary Catherine Gallagher from SNL (smellin’ my armpits all night, with great Read the complete Post.