I've been fascinated by the Raw Food Movement. I wasn't even aware of this diet when I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian several years back (before a meat-eating husband came along). But, lately, it's popped up on my radar. I've read quite a bit about it after discussing it with health-conscious pals and coming across it in natural living articles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism
From what I gather, a raw food diet is exactly that. You don't cook the food you eat. And, though it doesn't touch a stove or oven, the food seems to require a lot of preparation in the way of pre-soaking, chopping, blending, dehydrating, and some super-duper creativity. For example, I'd never know how to make a "raw" apple pie. Don't we bake pies? Apparently, you don't have to! Check out this recipe for Raw Apple Pie from Food.com:
http://www.food.com/recipe/raw-apple-pie-225462
Or, try some "raw" chocolate pudding. This rates high on the yummy and texture scale. You can easily mix 1 avacado, 1 banana, 2 tbsp. cocoa powder, stevia to taste, and almond milk as needed for mixing. Don't let anyone know it contains avacado until after they eat it! You'd never know.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/alexs-raw-chocolate-pudding/
I think I'm more raw-ish at this stage. Some items I consume just have to be cooked. My sort-of-raw proejct for today includes blending up some homemade pesto sauce to toss with whole wheat pasta and veggies. I've got an abundance of basil growing in my garden right now, so this suits me well. Ok, some raw emerald-green basil and pinenuts has to give me some points. Or, I could go further by making some raw zucchini noodles.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pesto/
I find the raw diet my ideal way of eating food, but I've got a long way to go. I don't own a dehydrator and I don't know how committed I am to all of the food prep involved in many of the recipes. I'm not sure how this would work with a family-- I doubt my husband would fully embrace it and give up certain processed items. He's healthy for a guy, but total rawness isn't going to happen in our lives right now. It's inspirational and pushes me to think about recipes differently. I guess I am more raw-inspired with my cooking. It's my goal to head in that direction by consuming more living fruits and vegetables and avoiding all things highly processed. I'd like to have more lunches from Pat Greer's Raw Vegan Kitchen here in Houston and it has inspired me to grow my own wheat grass (for making wheat grass juice). http://www.patgreersrawvegankitchen.com/
I'd like to start these habits now when my daughter is young and impressionable, while I'm in my child-bearing/nursing years when good nutrition is essential, and when our family habits/traditions are still being formed. Have you been inspired by the Raw Food Movement? How have you incorporated it into your diet?
Tuesday
Monday
Kids Birthday Parties: More Soul, Less Waste
After discovering "The Slow Movement" and learning ways to live a simpler, more meaningful, less consumer-driven lifestyle, I'm having a major dilemma with planning a birthday party for my daughter. We've been able to forego the standard party for the past two years and she hasn't noticed. A cake and presents with family has sufficed. However, she's turning the big 3 now and is fully aware of party hats, birthday cake (which magically tastes better than other varieties of cake) and presents. I'd like to do something special for her, but I'm trying to find something different...something more meaningful than renting a clown. Or a pony. Or a bouncy house.
So, I came across this article by Megan Tietz from Sorta Crunchy that addressed my concerns perfectly. Check it out! Yes, there are other ways to host a child's birthday party!
http://simplemom.net/simple-birthday-ideas/
While you're there, SimpleMom and SortaCrunchy are inspirational websites full of creative ideas.
Some ideas for my daughter's birthday party are swirling in my mind. She really wants the cone-shaped party hats, a birthday cake, and cats. Therefore, I'm thinking we could make homemade hats, a healthy cake from a local natural foods store, and we could have the kids bring items to donate to our local cat shelter. Let me say that I love Evite, but I really want to use this opportunity to mail paper invitations and write paper thank you notes before our mail system becomes obsolete. It can be a learning moment. So retro. Love it.
I've also asked her Waldorf teachers to hold a rainbow bridge ceremony during the day she attends. This classic Waldorf ceremony will be a first for us and is a tradition that I want to start with my children in the home. Please watch this gorgeous video from our local school if you've never seen the beauty and reverence of a Waldorf birthday:
http://www.greatoakschool.org/2010/10/29/the-rainbow-bridge-ceremony/
This video always makes me cry. It reminds me that my daughter is a soul inhabiting a body. The weight of her existence is enormous. Her connection with The Creator is eternal. The day she entered the world and began breathing oxygen was the richest day of my life. I need more than pinata to celebrate that.
So, I came across this article by Megan Tietz from Sorta Crunchy that addressed my concerns perfectly. Check it out! Yes, there are other ways to host a child's birthday party!
http://simplemom.net/simple-birthday-ideas/
While you're there, SimpleMom and SortaCrunchy are inspirational websites full of creative ideas.
Some ideas for my daughter's birthday party are swirling in my mind. She really wants the cone-shaped party hats, a birthday cake, and cats. Therefore, I'm thinking we could make homemade hats, a healthy cake from a local natural foods store, and we could have the kids bring items to donate to our local cat shelter. Let me say that I love Evite, but I really want to use this opportunity to mail paper invitations and write paper thank you notes before our mail system becomes obsolete. It can be a learning moment. So retro. Love it.
I've also asked her Waldorf teachers to hold a rainbow bridge ceremony during the day she attends. This classic Waldorf ceremony will be a first for us and is a tradition that I want to start with my children in the home. Please watch this gorgeous video from our local school if you've never seen the beauty and reverence of a Waldorf birthday:
http://www.greatoakschool.org/2010/10/29/the-rainbow-bridge-ceremony/
This video always makes me cry. It reminds me that my daughter is a soul inhabiting a body. The weight of her existence is enormous. Her connection with The Creator is eternal. The day she entered the world and began breathing oxygen was the richest day of my life. I need more than pinata to celebrate that.
Thursday
Waldorf education looks like...
Experiential learning.
Our back-to-school shopping list for my toddler's Waldorf school included "full rain gear". Each child is required to have their raincoat, rain pants, and rain boots because the class goes outside to experience all sorts of weather. Rainy days are the best!
You'e got to visit TGR Exotics Wildlife Park!
What an amazing find for those in the Houston area! TGR Exotics Wildlife Park is just north of Houston in Spring and showcases an incredible array of exotic animals. This is a great alternative to the larger Houston Zoo, especially if you have young children. We recently attended a playdate out on their property during their pumpkin patch season. They have a fenced-in play space for kids to look at bunny rabbits, do arts and crafts activities, dig in troughs filled with dried corn, paint pumpkins, and pet the resident tabby cat. (Out of all the exotic species living at the park my daughter loved that tom cat more than anything else!) The owner even brought out one of the young joey kangaroos for the kids to pet. That was a first for us!
The owner was incredibly hospitable and fantastic with the children. This was such a unique learning experience for us that we will be back many more times in the future. The facility is well-maintained, the animals are loved, and the staff is incredibly knowledgeable. I highly recommend this for your visit to Houston or for those living in the area. What a find! Here's their website for more info:
http://www.tgrexotics.com/
Monday
Wow! Breastfeeding, baby-wearing, co-sleeping, and even an involved father!
What a gem of a children's book I just found today! We were at a local kids consignment store choosing books when I noticed one authored by Dr. Sears. It was What Baby Needs by William & Martha Sears with Christie Watts Kelly. I love Dr. Sears! His Baby Book was the most helpful manual during my daughter's first two years of life. My personal copy attests to that with its torn pages, pages that have been cried on, breast milk spilled on, baby food smeared on, and a cover with coffee rings and cat tooth marks...all the signs of a good read. So, I was delighted to find a children's book by the amazing Sears family. The story is about a mom and a dad with two children who have their third newborn baby. It depicts ways the older siblings can get involved in caring for the baby and explains how life changes when a new baby arrives.
What makes it stand out amongst the "new baby in the family" children's books is that it portrays Attachment Parenting as normal and healthy. For instance, the mother is shown discreetly breastfeeding, modest skin-to-skin contact is mentioned and its importance to the newborn, the baby sleeps in mom and dad's room in a co-sleeper, both mom and dad wear the baby in a sling while they multi-task, and dad is shown feeding the baby a bottle-- but it is mentioned that it's breast milk in the bottle, not formula.
Interestingly, I picked up on the fact that baby never comes home from the hospital. Hmmmm. In some of my daughter's other books about new babies in the family the baby always has to "come home from the hospital". This is very out of place in our family since she was born at home and I only plan on having home births. Ideally in our society we would have a system in place where home births would be the norm and medically-necessary hospital births would be the exception to that norm. Therefore, in this book, the first picture of the family is in bed. It looks like this could have been a home birth or a birth in a birthing center. Knowing the Sears' views, this looks quite intentional.
Below is a picture taken from the book that I just love! Notice Dad wearing a sling and taking the baby out while mom gets some time with her other child. On the other page, mom is wearing baby-- and, thus, freeing her hands-- while they shop for healthy foods! Do you see how happy those kids are about celery?!! I'm sure that was drawn intentionally, too.
It's nice to see such an involved father in this book. Too often the dads get pushed to the side when babies are little so I love how this shows all the neat things dads can do. I must say, this illustrated father really steps up to the plate and serves as a true hero for his family. It's practical, too, with it's tips for parents and the way it connects with older siblings. I highly recommend this for your own family or for an expecting mom who already has kids. So inspirational when seen in the form of a children's book.
Let me say that my daughter hasn't put this down. She keeps looking at the illustrations and loves all of the adventures the newborn baby has with his family. I breastfed her for 22.5 months so she knows that babies drink milk from their moms and she recognized the sling immediately. She herself has been carried over two years in a Dr. Sears sling from his store. We are thinking about conceiving Baby #2 in the spring or summer and I feel much more confident about her ability to be a big sister after seeing her connect with the ideas and pictures in this book. This is the family I want to be!
Since reviewing this book, I've purchased Baby On The Way by Dr. Sears, the book before this one that details the mom's pregnancy and birth. I've also added some more Attachment Parenting children's books to my wish list. Check these out:
A Ride on Mother's Back: A Day of Baby Carrying Around The World by Emery Bernhard
Carry Me (Babies Everywhere) by Star Bright Books
Mama's Milk by Michael Elsohn Ross
We Have a Baby by Catheryn Falwell
Welcome With Love by Jennie Overend
We Like To Nurse illustrated by Chia Martin
We Like To Nurse Too illustrated by Mary Young
What makes it stand out amongst the "new baby in the family" children's books is that it portrays Attachment Parenting as normal and healthy. For instance, the mother is shown discreetly breastfeeding, modest skin-to-skin contact is mentioned and its importance to the newborn, the baby sleeps in mom and dad's room in a co-sleeper, both mom and dad wear the baby in a sling while they multi-task, and dad is shown feeding the baby a bottle-- but it is mentioned that it's breast milk in the bottle, not formula.
Interestingly, I picked up on the fact that baby never comes home from the hospital. Hmmmm. In some of my daughter's other books about new babies in the family the baby always has to "come home from the hospital". This is very out of place in our family since she was born at home and I only plan on having home births. Ideally in our society we would have a system in place where home births would be the norm and medically-necessary hospital births would be the exception to that norm. Therefore, in this book, the first picture of the family is in bed. It looks like this could have been a home birth or a birth in a birthing center. Knowing the Sears' views, this looks quite intentional.
Below is a picture taken from the book that I just love! Notice Dad wearing a sling and taking the baby out while mom gets some time with her other child. On the other page, mom is wearing baby-- and, thus, freeing her hands-- while they shop for healthy foods! Do you see how happy those kids are about celery?!! I'm sure that was drawn intentionally, too.
Let me say that my daughter hasn't put this down. She keeps looking at the illustrations and loves all of the adventures the newborn baby has with his family. I breastfed her for 22.5 months so she knows that babies drink milk from their moms and she recognized the sling immediately. She herself has been carried over two years in a Dr. Sears sling from his store. We are thinking about conceiving Baby #2 in the spring or summer and I feel much more confident about her ability to be a big sister after seeing her connect with the ideas and pictures in this book. This is the family I want to be!
Since reviewing this book, I've purchased Baby On The Way by Dr. Sears, the book before this one that details the mom's pregnancy and birth. I've also added some more Attachment Parenting children's books to my wish list. Check these out:
A Ride on Mother's Back: A Day of Baby Carrying Around The World by Emery Bernhard
Carry Me (Babies Everywhere) by Star Bright Books
Mama's Milk by Michael Elsohn Ross
We Have a Baby by Catheryn Falwell
Welcome With Love by Jennie Overend
We Like To Nurse illustrated by Chia Martin
We Like To Nurse Too illustrated by Mary Young
Wednesday
How to make easy felted balls
Supplies:
100% wool roving yarn (or any wool yarn but I like "roving" because it felts better)
Jingle bells (I prefer a medium to large size)
Pantyhose
Detergent and/or dish soap
Vinegar
Procedure:
1. Wind the wool roving yarn firmly around the jingle bell until you have a ball in the size and shape you like. Repeat this for as many balls as you wish to make.
2. Take a pantyhose leg and stuff one ball inside and tie it off with a piece of yarn to hold it's shape in the washing machine. Repeat this for as many balls as you're making. Each ball needs to be tied off individually so that it looks like a strand of pearls, not a bean pod. The end result might look like a caterpillar.
3. Wash in the washing machine with detergent for a few hot/cold cycles.
4. If this isn't enough to felt it, what I did was soak and rub the balls in one bowl of hot water with dish soap and then alternate with a bowl of ice cold water. I found it easier to put the 2 bowls in the kitchen sink since you'll have splashes. Alternate washing and aggitating the balls a few times.
5. Rinse in white vinegar and then rinse it one last time in water.
6. Remove the balls from the pantyhose (or you can remove them immediately after they come out of the washing machine) and let them dry. The pantyhose will be stuck to the balls but just peel it off or cut as much of the pantyhose off with scissors. It might be a little fuzzy, but it'll come off.
NOTE: Feel free to mix pieces of yarn together to create different color combinations. Or, try making an orange felt ball to be a pretend orange, or a red one for an apple, or a bunch of little purple ones to create a bunch of grapes. They can be a model solar system, snowmen, beads for jewelry, or garlands for decorating. With the jingle bell inside they make perfect cat toys or the larger sized balls can be used for baby toys. I get a lot of inspiration from Etsy or just Google images of it.
Applying "Mindful Parenting" with simple verses.
Overwhelmed is how I've been feeling lately due to obligations, dealing with illness, dealing with difficult people, dealing with homeschooling my toddler part-time and always being "on" and 100% at my best, dealing, dealing...there's always a challenge in our path as mothers. As humans beings. Such is life. Therefore, I've been forced to use all these wonderful "tools" in my "emotional toolbox". I wanted to share a simple tactic that has helped me get through these past weeks.
Many of you are familiar with the concept of mindful parenting. Being mindful, living with intention, and doing everything I do with purpose are major goals in life for me. It's nothing I've mastered, but it is certainly a practice. Here is a link to their website and one I've found to be inspirational in my own life. It really speaks to me and what I'm trying to accomplish in my mothering: http://www.themindfulparent.org/
On their website you'll notice their mission statement. Repeat it to yourself. Being "better grounded in the present moment" is the part that resonates with my soul the most. I need lots of help being in the moment and savoring each precious day.
I've started using the verses suggested from The Mindful Parent. Waldorf education makes very good use of verses and I've started making up little rhymes with almost every activity we do at home. They serve as a way to transition from one activity to the next, to bring the child's attention to the task at hand, and makes it seem like it's a task worth doing. For example, at school we complete the chore of folding laundry whilst singing "butterfly so high, butterfly so high, friends forever, folding together". Or, when making the bed it's "make the bed, make the bed, every body make the bed". Likewise, if I'm having a morning with dread and stress creeping in I purposefully say This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. That simple memory verse brings my focus to the weight and wonder of living through another cycle of a day on earth. It reminds me that God wants me to be alive on this very day in this very place. It's not something to be taken lightly. It's an abundant gift.
The idea behind the use of verses is that it forces the parent's attention back to the child, focuses their response to the child, and helps parents enjoy those moments of "stillness and deep joy". Meditations and verses help parents return to that "place of stillness". Too often we simply go through the moments without enjoying this rich world around us, without enjoying this connection with our children. When I am connected with my daughter and in a place of mindfulness, I am in such a state of peace. I love being a mother in these moments. And, when things get out of hand, I can handle them with much more calm and stay in control of the situation.
Check out their website and try them out in your own life.
Many of you are familiar with the concept of mindful parenting. Being mindful, living with intention, and doing everything I do with purpose are major goals in life for me. It's nothing I've mastered, but it is certainly a practice. Here is a link to their website and one I've found to be inspirational in my own life. It really speaks to me and what I'm trying to accomplish in my mothering: http://www.themindfulparent.org/
On their website you'll notice their mission statement. Repeat it to yourself. Being "better grounded in the present moment" is the part that resonates with my soul the most. I need lots of help being in the moment and savoring each precious day.
I've started using the verses suggested from The Mindful Parent. Waldorf education makes very good use of verses and I've started making up little rhymes with almost every activity we do at home. They serve as a way to transition from one activity to the next, to bring the child's attention to the task at hand, and makes it seem like it's a task worth doing. For example, at school we complete the chore of folding laundry whilst singing "butterfly so high, butterfly so high, friends forever, folding together". Or, when making the bed it's "make the bed, make the bed, every body make the bed". Likewise, if I'm having a morning with dread and stress creeping in I purposefully say This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. That simple memory verse brings my focus to the weight and wonder of living through another cycle of a day on earth. It reminds me that God wants me to be alive on this very day in this very place. It's not something to be taken lightly. It's an abundant gift.
The idea behind the use of verses is that it forces the parent's attention back to the child, focuses their response to the child, and helps parents enjoy those moments of "stillness and deep joy". Meditations and verses help parents return to that "place of stillness". Too often we simply go through the moments without enjoying this rich world around us, without enjoying this connection with our children. When I am connected with my daughter and in a place of mindfulness, I am in such a state of peace. I love being a mother in these moments. And, when things get out of hand, I can handle them with much more calm and stay in control of the situation.
Check out their website and try them out in your own life.
Tuesday
A special gift from A Toy Garden
I just received a package I ordered from A Toy Garden, one of my favorite natural toy stores. This was a gift for my 2-year-old and it arrived so quickly that I'm having to hide it a few more days until it's time to open it. This was the fuschia pink Sweetie Pie Doll and the set of 4 Summer Play Silks, all lovely in color and of heirloom quality. The doll is the perfect 13" size for her right now, slightly weighted with millet and surpisingly sturdy. The silks are thicker than others on the market and are the most versatile "toy" a child can own. She loves building with them, they're blankets for her stuffed animals, it's for dress-up, it's for scenery, or just snuggling with the natural silk fabric.
This gift was purchased because I am in the process of transitioning out of our old plastic, battery-operated toys to more natural, open-ended ones. For instance, the toy "wish-list" for my daughter includes: Waldorf dolls (handmade of wool with minimal features), wooden Ostheimer/Kinderkram animals and people, thick play silks, wooden puzzles, handmade musical instruments, Stockmar modeling beeswax, Stockmar block crayons, little face-less gnomes, silk and felted crowns for dress-up, a handmade train set, some needle-felted figures, a set of wooden eggs and more wooden pretend food.
I've donated, sold, and thrown away a lot of my daughter's old toys as I have slowly and thoughtfully replaced them with high quality ones that encourage open-ended play. (Let me reiterate that we've done this gradually throughout the past year and I don't advise anyone to switch toys on a child overnight. Start by replacing the toys they don't use anymore. And, yes, some of her old toys we have decided to keep. For instance, she loves her pink plastic kitchen with the blender that makes sounds. We've also got this giant plastic riding horse that says, "Giddy up, partner! Let's set up camp for the night! Oh, no! It's a stampede!" So we are in no way Waldorf purists! It's all about the small changes here and there.) Many of these were gifts so we've kindly asked loved ones to avoid anything with batteries and popular cartoon characters.
Speaking of the cartoon character issue, I had a conversation with a like-mided mom last week and made the comment that we were a "Dora-free family". She knew exactly what I meant. We want our kids to use their own brain power to develop the characters in their play and to write their own scripts. We want our kids to be surrounded by more wholesome and innocent figures than Barbie dolls. We don't want advertising campaigns influencing what our children consume or their values. I'd seriously prefer my family give her a sock filled with rice, a basket of acorns, a hand-made item, or an experience such as a trip to the museum...anything but SpongeBob. To explore this topic more, please click on this link to read the Chicago Tribune article, "Cartoon pals stay home: Looking to combat classroom distractions and marketing overload, some schools are banning media characters":
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-01-04/features/sc-fam-0104-character-free-class-20110104_1_private-schools-waldorf-schools-american-montessori-society
And let's not forget that the best part of any new package is the box it came in! My daughter loves turning these boxes into cat houses, she decorates them with crayons, it's a boat, it's a car, it's a table for a tea party...you really see those little minds constructing and creating.
Making this toy conversion gives some parents pause due to the higher cost compared with items found at the local chain or big box store. (It certainly gives me pause, which is a good thing! It forces me to think about what and how much I purchase. It forces me to be a conscientious consumer and mother.) The cost reflects the high quality materials used such as woods, silks, wools, linens, cottons, metals, beeswax, organic herbs, and they cost more to manufacture. You won't be pulling any "made in China" stickers off these toys. Most are made in the USA or are Fair Trade items made in developing countries. A Toy Garden offers lots of unique fair trade toys that make your dollars stretch even further into the lives of others. Even with the higher cost, I've come to see that these toys are worth it in the long run. They are an investment. You won't be throwing away broken parts the day after Christmas and they're so open-ended that their multiple uses last more years. A toy a toddler can play with can also be used in a different way by an older sibling.
It is far better to have fewer toys that will recieve much more use. Try visiting these stores for some beautiful children's items:
http://www.atoygarden.com/
http://www.palumba.com/
http://www.novanatural.com/
http://www.rosiehippo.com/
http://www.thewoodenwagon.com/
This gift was purchased because I am in the process of transitioning out of our old plastic, battery-operated toys to more natural, open-ended ones. For instance, the toy "wish-list" for my daughter includes: Waldorf dolls (handmade of wool with minimal features), wooden Ostheimer/Kinderkram animals and people, thick play silks, wooden puzzles, handmade musical instruments, Stockmar modeling beeswax, Stockmar block crayons, little face-less gnomes, silk and felted crowns for dress-up, a handmade train set, some needle-felted figures, a set of wooden eggs and more wooden pretend food.
I've donated, sold, and thrown away a lot of my daughter's old toys as I have slowly and thoughtfully replaced them with high quality ones that encourage open-ended play. (Let me reiterate that we've done this gradually throughout the past year and I don't advise anyone to switch toys on a child overnight. Start by replacing the toys they don't use anymore. And, yes, some of her old toys we have decided to keep. For instance, she loves her pink plastic kitchen with the blender that makes sounds. We've also got this giant plastic riding horse that says, "Giddy up, partner! Let's set up camp for the night! Oh, no! It's a stampede!" So we are in no way Waldorf purists! It's all about the small changes here and there.) Many of these were gifts so we've kindly asked loved ones to avoid anything with batteries and popular cartoon characters.
Speaking of the cartoon character issue, I had a conversation with a like-mided mom last week and made the comment that we were a "Dora-free family". She knew exactly what I meant. We want our kids to use their own brain power to develop the characters in their play and to write their own scripts. We want our kids to be surrounded by more wholesome and innocent figures than Barbie dolls. We don't want advertising campaigns influencing what our children consume or their values. I'd seriously prefer my family give her a sock filled with rice, a basket of acorns, a hand-made item, or an experience such as a trip to the museum...anything but SpongeBob. To explore this topic more, please click on this link to read the Chicago Tribune article, "Cartoon pals stay home: Looking to combat classroom distractions and marketing overload, some schools are banning media characters":
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-01-04/features/sc-fam-0104-character-free-class-20110104_1_private-schools-waldorf-schools-american-montessori-society
And let's not forget that the best part of any new package is the box it came in! My daughter loves turning these boxes into cat houses, she decorates them with crayons, it's a boat, it's a car, it's a table for a tea party...you really see those little minds constructing and creating.
Making this toy conversion gives some parents pause due to the higher cost compared with items found at the local chain or big box store. (It certainly gives me pause, which is a good thing! It forces me to think about what and how much I purchase. It forces me to be a conscientious consumer and mother.) The cost reflects the high quality materials used such as woods, silks, wools, linens, cottons, metals, beeswax, organic herbs, and they cost more to manufacture. You won't be pulling any "made in China" stickers off these toys. Most are made in the USA or are Fair Trade items made in developing countries. A Toy Garden offers lots of unique fair trade toys that make your dollars stretch even further into the lives of others. Even with the higher cost, I've come to see that these toys are worth it in the long run. They are an investment. You won't be throwing away broken parts the day after Christmas and they're so open-ended that their multiple uses last more years. A toy a toddler can play with can also be used in a different way by an older sibling.
It is far better to have fewer toys that will recieve much more use. Try visiting these stores for some beautiful children's items:
http://www.atoygarden.com/
http://www.palumba.com/
http://www.novanatural.com/
http://www.rosiehippo.com/
http://www.thewoodenwagon.com/
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