Today UPS delivered a big cardboard box containing the Duplo building bricks I ordered for P. He really seems to love building (and destroying) things and only had one tiny circus train Duplo set, so when I found some Duplo on sale, I went ahead and ordered it. He was so cute when he realized that the items in the box were for him - he kept chanting, "Ooooh! Ooooh!" in anticipation. He had a lot of fun asking me to build things and then taking them apart. He also tried to cram himself into the 8x12 inch plastic storage box.
I loved Legos a lot as a child and have many fond memories of building a huge freakin' town with my sister F. We especially loved all of the consistently smiling minifigures that populated our town, and we assigned them a variety of wacky personalities. There was "Eudora," for example, a crazy chick who kept trying to run over everyone in town with her white Lego bicycle. Then there were our favorite players - four inseparable minifigs named Tutti-Fruity, Strawberry, Peachy, and Blueberry (obviously, we felt we were really on a roll). I'll spare you the wild explanations we came up with when F. lost Peachy's hair.
Anyway, I was thinking about my strong desire for P. to have a lot of the same toys I did. Don't get me wrong - he likes a lot of stuff I never did, and we always encourage him to be himself. But I can't help influencing him a little and being secretly pleased when he likes something like Legos just like I did. I guess part of me likes tradition. Part of me feels like new toys are just noisy and flashy and crappily made. Part of me wants P. to get a glimpse of the millions of little things that helped make his parents who they are (maybe so he'll "get" us when he's a teenager, ha-ha!). And yes, part of me irrationally thinks that I can pass on my happy childhood to him the same way I hand him a little green tub filled with colorful bricks.
P.S. T. doesn't wonder about these things because he claims he only had rocks to play with as a child. : )
Friday, January 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A Note
This will definitely be a happy blog (at least most of the time), but before starting on the happy stuff, I wanted to address a thought that's been swimming around in my head for several weeks.
My life has been seriously out of balance the past few years, and I desperately want this to change. Too much to do, too much stuff, just too much of everything seems to be getting in the way of whatever it is I need to do to bring things back into balance. I need to live a simpler life right now, one that is a little more of a blank canvas in terms of environment, food, exercise, commitments, etc. I know that none of this will happen overnight, but I want to start guiding things in the right direction. The first thing I need to do is to create a more quiet environment, particularly visually.
As a start, I asked my husband T. to help me tackle the "Psychotic Closet of Doom and Destruction" in our shared office - you know, the kind of closet where everything falls on your head should you try to open it even a smidge. Don't know what I'm talking about? You're a far better - and more clever - person than I, and I applaud you! Really!
We attacked the closet at a completely stupid time, a random afternoon when we were both dead-tired and T. had a work deadline the next day. Clearing out the closet took much longer than we thought, but the task also wasn't nearly as bad as the dread that had been leading up to it for almost a year and a half - sad, I know. Now the rest of the house is in shambles, but at least the process of fixing things has begun.
I share this not to be a downer but in the hopes of enthusiastically shouting "Solidarity!" to anyone else tired of having things be harder than they have to be (i.e., getting hit on the head so much by your own falling stuff).
My life has been seriously out of balance the past few years, and I desperately want this to change. Too much to do, too much stuff, just too much of everything seems to be getting in the way of whatever it is I need to do to bring things back into balance. I need to live a simpler life right now, one that is a little more of a blank canvas in terms of environment, food, exercise, commitments, etc. I know that none of this will happen overnight, but I want to start guiding things in the right direction. The first thing I need to do is to create a more quiet environment, particularly visually.
As a start, I asked my husband T. to help me tackle the "Psychotic Closet of Doom and Destruction" in our shared office - you know, the kind of closet where everything falls on your head should you try to open it even a smidge. Don't know what I'm talking about? You're a far better - and more clever - person than I, and I applaud you! Really!
We attacked the closet at a completely stupid time, a random afternoon when we were both dead-tired and T. had a work deadline the next day. Clearing out the closet took much longer than we thought, but the task also wasn't nearly as bad as the dread that had been leading up to it for almost a year and a half - sad, I know. Now the rest of the house is in shambles, but at least the process of fixing things has begun.
I share this not to be a downer but in the hopes of enthusiastically shouting "Solidarity!" to anyone else tired of having things be harder than they have to be (i.e., getting hit on the head so much by your own falling stuff).
Welcome to Ollie & Pooky!
Hi! Welcome to my new blog, a happy place about all things comfy, cozy, crafty, and more!
I hope to create a little corner of the world here filled with peace and delight. Please grab a nice mug of tea and take a peek into my crazy (but very blessed) life - all the better if it's raining or snowing outside while you're tucked inside all safe and warm. : )
I hope to create a little corner of the world here filled with peace and delight. Please grab a nice mug of tea and take a peek into my crazy (but very blessed) life - all the better if it's raining or snowing outside while you're tucked inside all safe and warm. : )
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