Entry FeedToday the kids and I attended a Hasbro Holiday toy event. The kids were invited to take a look at some of the new toys coming out this fall for Christmas. Yes, somewhere, someone is already thinking of Christmas shopping (and someone really crazy may have already even started their purchasing!)
My first thought when we were invited was to say no. Not because I don't like attending events with my kids, but they have been crazy this summer and I was concerned that they could follow the "rules" of the day.
For days I have been preparing them:
- No fighting
- No yelling
- No grabbing
- No throwing
- No fighting (yes, always on the list at least twice)
- No purchasing
- No taking
- No breaking
Yep. Lots of "NO"s. Perhaps a better parent would have been focusing instead on the positive, what they could do, not what they couldn't. But I really just wanted them to get out of their without wrecking the place and embarrassing me. I did try to make them think that playing with toys that weren't even in stores yet was pretty neat, but we settled on it being an opportunity to write an early Christmas list. Very early.
My plan was to leave extra early so that we were not in a rush. Of course, we were rushed. And I was confused about parking downtown (almost parked in a tow-away zone that turned into street parking at 6 pm.) And the kids don't walk as fast as I do. And I wasn't sure exactly were I was going, though I had the address and had googled and mapquested it. Twice.
But we arrived, on time, slightly out of breath, and sweaty.
The representatives were amazing, and the kids loved playing with all of the toys. Son One even loved the preschool toys and girl toys.
Daughter, predictably, latched on to Baby Alive, and decided that I needed to make sure that her Christmas list asked for two. The boys liked this crazy Nerf machine gun thing, and an amazing Tonka Monster Ricochet Truck.
I will review some of the toys that I loved and I think would make great gifts this Christmas in another post. Yes, I took notes.
Daughter, aged four, was the only one of the three who really complained when leaving because she just didn't understand why we couldn't just buy the Baby Alive now. I mean, they were new and just sitting there in their boxes! She "pleased" and "pretty pleased" and even "por favoured" all of the women there at least 20 times. I am sure another 20 and they would have caved just to get her out of there.
They did leave us with a goody-bag. The kids were thrilled. And I was please that we made it through the morning without reining supreme chaos on a downtown office.