Dear Fisher Price

Dear Fisher Price,

Apparently I am a difficult child to entertain these days. I have the cutest pink bouncy seat, but generally I am pretty fussy in it. Don't bother to turn on the vibrate option - that really gets on my nerves and I will let out several piercing screams to let everyone know just how much I don't like it. My parents got me a swing because swings were a "godsend" when their other children were babies. It's okay, I guess. If all my toys are lined up on the bar just right and the insanely annoying music is NOT turned on, I might enjoy my time in the swing for five or ten minutes. Then I get carsick and make sure Mom knows it's time to remove me from the swing.

My parents are not the brightest people on the planet. It takes them a while to figure out the right things for me. I don't know why because I try to let them now as loudly as possible what the wrong things are. They did finally figure out that I do like to be upright as much as possible, leading them to get me one of those Bumbo seats. It's fine and all, and I do like looking around and watching my siblings argue and throw Hot Wheel cars down the stairs. Only thing is, my neck can't support me for very long and I grow tired of the Bumbo seat quickly.

So Friday night Mom and Dad went to Toys R Us to scout out birthday present possibilities for my older brother. While there, they decided to go check out the baby section to see if possibly there was still some entertainment option left for me. Dad was talking animatedly about exersaucers. Hello?! Remember the whole my-neck-can't-support-my-head-for-very-long issue? Then they saw your Discover and Grow Kick and Play Piano Gym. I was immediately very interested in the bright colors of your product. Dad remembered some cute time in the bathtub when I was kicking my legs a lot and giggling so he thought I would like this piano gym. (I don't specifically remember this moment as I have a lot of cute moments.)

Anyway, my mom, cheapskate that she is, immediately looked at the price and said no way. (And really, Fisher Price? I mean I really wanted that piano but even I thought $55 was a bit steep.) Dad saw a sign that stated the piano gym was on sale for ten dollars off. Mom suddenly remembered that she might have a coupon for it and dug out her embarrassing coupon notebook to look. Now they were looking at a $40 piano gym. Wouldn't you know it, my parents stood there for twenty minutes debating whether or not to buy that piano gym?? If they had just taken a moment to look at this face,

they would have purchased it right away. But thankfully they finally did decide to buy it (whew!) and I got to play with it the next day.

I'm not sure what my favorite part of my new toy is. The mirror makes me laugh, and I think the animal rattles are adorable. I could just eat them up! (and I try to, on a regular basis...) My brothers and sister love to watch me pound out a tune on the piano with my feet, no doubt wishing they had such talent. Oh, and when I accidentally roll over? My mom can just lay the mirror and toys down and I get some valuable "tummy time,"' whatever that is.

So thank you for saving my desperate parents and for giving me something that is actually fun to play with. (Yes, I know I'm not supposed to end my sentences with prepositions, but give me a break. I'm only three months old!)

Keep up the great work!

Sincerely, the Drama Princess

****no, I was not contacted by Fisher Price to endorse/do a review on this product and certainly was not compensated in any way (although, FP, if you're interested, I really want that musical dino!). We simply want other desperate parents to know there is hope out there. And it is worth every dollar.****

Reclaiming Our Living Room

I used to be quite pleased with our living room's decor. It was the only room completely finished and decorated, and I loved sitting in it after the kids had gone to bed, catching up on email or TV shows and drinking some yummy chai tea.

But now the aliens have taken over my favorite room in the house. Three little aliens with a whole LOT of stuff, to be exact. As I sit here on our comfy leather couch, there is not a single direction I can look without seeing all their stuff. I'm tired of it - the little aliens are even overwhelmed by it, and it's time to make a change.

They don't know it yet - although there has certainly been some clues - but over half of their toys are leaving this house. We are taking our living room back! I have filled several large plastic containers with their toys and stuck them in the garage to be sorted through. The toys that survive the cut will be stored in the garage and only brought out for "dollhouse day" or "train day" or building blocks day."

So suddenly, I need to come up with a new solution for the living room. The room basically has been designed around all these toys, and so I am trying to figure out how to best use the space that will be freed up. Last night we hit IKEA in hopes of figuring out the perfect idea for our space. We left with lots of ideas but no concrete ones yet. Basically we are moving out a large toy storage unit and replacing it with. . . an entertainment center? a storage unit with locks that the kiddies can't open? a sofa bed to provide more seating plus a sleeping area for naps/guests? We are still not sure what the best option is yet - I will post pics of the space later and perhaps you all can chip in with your ideas.

Beyond reclaiming our living room as a mostly adult space, we have been talking about getting rid of a lot of the toys for another reason. Our kiddies, especially the Drama Queen, have seemed a little "entitled" lately. Just last week, Grandma brought over some new toys for the kids to enjoy. I was shocked and embarrassed to hear my daughter ask, "What else did you bring me, Grandma?" At Sunday School, she thinks that she deserves to get a special treat every week. I've observed her and the Beast go from one toy to the next, none of which hold their attention span for more than a few minutes. It's time to get this under control. I want my children to realize that you don't just get everything you want - things come with hard work and wise choices.

I expect the Drama Queen will not be pleased with the changes we are about to make. She will probably have a few "moments" but will get with the program fairly quickly. I dare say that the Beast will not even notice. He's usually too busy playing with things that are not toys! And the Spud's too young to really care.


I can't wait to get my room back!