Things My Toy Garden friends whisper

Dear My Toy Garden friends!

It happens at least 3 x's a week. A customer pauses, averts their eyes to anywhere but my eyes and they confess. They always speak in hushed tones and hurry their words together. They inhale as they deliver the news. "I'm been to Toy Store X." they say. They feel as though they've somehow cheated on My Toy Garden by visiting and, oh my, purchasing something from another specialty store in the area.

My reply each time? "Great! Doesn't so and so have a great store?!" I do not perceive any of the other wonderful toy stores in the Indy area as competition. I see them as partners in the important work there is to be done in supporting families and building vibrant communities. I would love to see them all thrive and reach more families. I see the My Toy Garden competition much more in the big box stores and online sites like Amazon. Hmm...should I tell you how I really feel about Amazon? Nah, perhaps I'll leave it for another newsletter topic. All I'll say for now is I never, ever, never, ever, ever, ever shop on Amazon.com. Can't make me. Won't do it. Ever.

This Saturday is Small Business Saturday promoted by American Express and we are very excited to see this celebration growing every year! Small businesses make a huge difference in so very many ways and this week, we invite you to learn more AND we'll pay you to learn! As you know, we rarely offer coupons or discounts believing that our products are fairly priced as they are. So, if you're still reading...enjoy these 3 ways to save at My Toy Garden this holiday season!
1) Register your American Express card for Small Business Saturday. Once you register your card, you then go shop at a locally owned business that accepts American Express like My Toy Garden and spend at least $25! American Express will then credit $25 back on your statement within 6-8 weeks. Oh yeah! There are limited slots to register so grab one right now!
2) Shop at the other delightful specialty stores in the Indy Area! Pick out a few treasures and spend at least $20. When you show us your receipt dated from Nov. 23 - Dec. 16, we'll enter you in a drawing for one of 4 $40 gift certificates to My Toy Garden as our way of saying thank you for shopping local! 
Indy Area Toy Stores:
Earth Explorer Toys - Zionsville
For Kids Books and Toys - Zionsville
Imagination Station - Franklin
Kits and Kaboodles - Westfield
Mass Ave Toys - Downtown Indy
Mudsocks Books - Fishers
Wilbur's Lincolnwood Toys - Brownsburg
The Wild - Noblesville
3) Educate yourself about shopping local! Read any of the following articles, print off 1 page from any of them. Just one page, that's all. Any page from any of the articles below. You pick. That printed page will be your coupon for 20% off of any one item at My Toy Garden. You must have the printed page to receive the discount. Each small business purchase you make helps keep the local lights on!

Playfully,
Toylady Janet

Shop Local Articles:
Sustainable Connections - Why Shop Local?
Babble Blog - Where You Buy is as Important as What You Buy
Project 3/50 - A National Campaign we proudly support...why? Read on!
One Local Family - This blog is the adventures of a family who tried to shop only local for a full year. Great insights!

What?! I Only Clicked a Little!

Dear My Toy Garden friends!

Oh, that'd be great for Sam! Click! Love that for Grandma! Click! Awwww, that's sooo cute for Sophie! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! There, holiday shopping all done..whew! That sure was easy!

Zoom...off goes your dollars from your bank account to the online retailer's account in a bank far, far away never to be seen in your community ever again.

Or...if you will.....one stop shopping! Enter the mega world full of this, that and the other thing. You fill your cart with goodies for beneath the tree. No staff member acknowledges you or can be found when you need them. But no matter, you are done with your holiday shopping...whew...

Zoom...off goes your dollars from your bank account to the corporate office in the land of far, far away. Some of it trickles back to your community in the form of employee paychecks, sales tax paid to the state that funds community projects and offices, and property taxes paid in your community.

Or....one last trip with me if you will...you visit 3 locally owned stores who carry a wide variety of merchandise. You are greeted with a smile, by name. You are personally guided to just the perfect gifts...things only found in special stores like these. Your gifts are gift wrapped for free. You are helped to your car. Your shopping is done stress free. You know everyone will rave about their gifts.

Zoom...your dollars fly from your account to a local bank account that supports the local community. It goes to the retailer's account who lives in your neighborhood, pays community taxes, eats at the local restaurant, gets their haircut at the local salon, shops at the local grocery store, donates to the local charities, hires local employees who do the same local spending. It goes to pay taxes that pay for your schools, your fire department, your police staff, your library.

Where you spend your dollars matters...tremendously! With each local purchase, you send your dollars swirling around the other local businesses you drive past every day. With each local purchase you make, you keep the charm in your community. With each local purchase you make, you nurture a flicker of light that one day will shine brightly in what is now a vacant storefront. You make a difference one dollar at a time.

Playfully,
Toylady Janet

Treats from a Halloween Heart

Dear My Toy Garden friends!

Thursday morning dawned with it's usual to dos. Shower. Dress. Wake the kids. Breakfast. Pack lunches. Load the car. Last Thursday though was a bit different. As I backed out of the garage, a flash of pink caught my eye. I smiled. I let my gaze return to the flash of pink. I stopped the car and returned it to the garage. I got out, grabbed a pair of snippers. There beside my garage door was the most perfect pink rose. It's petals softly opened, still wet with the morning dew. It's stem straight and strong and a deep shade of green making the pink even more brilliant. I snipped the rose and laid it in my car. I knew just what to do with this treasured last rose of summer. The same thing I'd done with each rose that was the first to bloom and each rose that was the last to bloom of the season.

You see this rose bush has some magic to it. The previous owner of our home was a woman named Monica and her family. Monica and her father had one of those rare relationships of deep love for one another. When Monica and her family moved in to the home, her father gave her 4 rose bushes. She planted one on each corner of the house to wrap it in her father's love. One of the bushes especially thrived in it's chosen spot.

Shortly after, they had a family surprise and their brood was due to grow from four to five. This led to a move around the corner to a home with a bit more space. Sadly the rose bush was left behind. As the new homeowner, I began the tradition of taking the first and last rose each summer as a gift to her from her father. It's become one of my favorite memories of each summer.

Last Thursday though, Monica did not receive my gift of the rose. I tucked it in the flag of her mailbox where it proudly stood awaiting it's discovery. Thursday passed. Friday passed. Then Saturday, an email arrived. "I just found a rose on the ground below my mailbox this morning; is it from you? If so, then I'm glad I found it (it looks like it had been there for a few days!) because today is the anniversary of my dad's death-4years now." Tis a magic rose bush indeed.

We each have the power to make a difference in the life of another. In these days of tricks and treats, take a moment from the chaos of life to look, to notice others, to give a treat to a friend, a neighbor, a total stranger. Drop a quarter on purpose in the store. Rake leaves for a neighbor as we did on Sunday. Place a treat in a mailbox. Cook dinner for a friend who could use an extra pair of hands. Write a handwritten note to someone. I love that Smokey Row Elementary used some of their Educator's Shopping Spree money to buy a gift for a student who was in the hospital. It takes but a moment to touch a heart and My Toy Garden is here to help!

Playfully,
Toylady Janet

The First Piece of Loot

Dear My Toy Garden friends!

We had arrived at the perfect time. No lines. No crowds. We wandered past the halls of spiders. Past the bats. Past the tombstones. Around the corner, there. There. Perched on her pedestal an orange hair witch awaits, scratching her wart and beckoning us with her long fingernails. Dare we enter? Yes? Yes! Hard hats secured, we enter the Wicked Workshop of the Haunted House at the Children's Museum. A must on our annual Halloween tradition list!

The first stop gives us a bag to collect all our loot in and what is that prized first piece of loot in this holiday season of sugar and artificial colorings? What is the first item to hit the bottom of our goody bags? A toothbrush. Yep. A simple plastic wrapped toothbrush. I love the Children's Museum!!! I love that their core belief system centers on "creating experiences that have the power to transform the lives of children and families." The simple act of giving out a toothbrush first each year sends the message that Halloween can be fun without the pile of sugared treats so easy to amass this time of year. The loot continued with tattoos, stickers, fold and go car, coloring books and coupons to area businesses and, oh, 1 small bag of gummy treats. Love it!

What is in your bowl by the door this year? I invite you to try something new. Something that invites play rather then added obesity issues and lethargy. Below are a few ideas to get you brainstorming! Have more ideas? Please share them on our Facebook page!
1. Stickers - Glow in the Dark, Scratch and Sniff...lots to choose from!
2. Tattoos - We just got in Creepy Crawlies Tattoos that would be perfect for just such a use! How fun to scare your friends with a well placed spider on your face!

3. Origami - Pass out premade ones like the ones on this link or pass out colorful sheets of paper with simple directions for fun past day 1.

4. Bandaids - Everyone needs one sooner or later and why not have a laugh with a bacon bandaid? Or pirates? Or Unicorns?
5. Dot to Dots - Have you seen a dot-to-dot with 1400 dots? We have! My Toy Garden carries dot-to-dots from 1-10 to 1-1400! A fun surprise in a trick or treat bag!
6. Kazoos - Eerie music will follow the ghosts and goblins from house to house and won't rot their teeth.
7. Bubbles - small bottles of bubbles make a fun change and yep, you can find them at My Toy Garden! Try us before the dollar store!
8. If you do end up with buckets of candy at your house, start a tradition that children can leave it out for the Candy Witch. The Candy Witch comes on Halloween night and trades candy for money or a goodie from My Toy Garden! A win/win for you and them!
Do you have other ideas! Share away on our Facebook page!

Playfully,
Toylady Janet

Balance is a Unicorn

Dear My Toy Garden friends!

Grab a piece of paper and pencil. Draw a circle on it and make a dot in the center. Now divide the circle up into 8 pieces. Label them work, marriage, family, exercise, nutrition, relaxation, spirituality, friends. Now with the dot in the center being one and the outer circle being 10, make a dot to show how much time you spend on each of the above categories. If you spend alot of time on it, mark it 10. Zero time, mark it 1. Connect the dots. How balanced is your circle? Now rip up the paper.

Chances are at one point in your life, you've attended a workshop and been asked to do an exercise like the one above. I believe that balance is a unicorn. It doesn't exist. You can chase it through the forest, catching glimpses of it once in awhile, but you will never catch it. Balance is a game of Whack a Mole. One area is lifted up and another area is smashed down in contrast. It is impossible to spend an equal amount of time on all the things that are important to us. So what's an overworked parent to do?

Begin each day with a grateful heart. Focus on all the good things you have in your life and the possibilities the day holds. I shared with the My Toy Garden staff recently that I have begun each day for the last several years sitting on the edge of my bed and saying, "Thank you for this day and the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of the people I meet." When your head and heart start with positive energy, the rest of your day is bound to follow along. When there are bumps, you can ride them easier as well. Do your best knowing that you are not perfect. You are human. If you can take but one step forward each day, celebrate that!

End each day with a grateful heart. Praise yourself for what good you did do. What task you did complete. What life you did touch. Let the rest go. You've done your best. Love yourself. Love others. Each day brings new possibilities!

Playfully,
Toylady Janet

Junk, Junk, We Want Junk!

Dear My Toy Garden Friends,

    Are you one of the over 3 million viewers who have fallen in love with a 9-year-old boy named Caine?   The story starts with a man in East LA looking for a door handle for his old car who stumbles across an auto parts store with magic inside.  Inside, he meets Caine and Caine's arcade.  This little miracle of a child spends many, many hours at his father's business.  Instead of pouting about how bored he is and begging to play on his Dad's Ipad, this little miracle boy takes what he has around him and creates magic.  What he has a lot of is...cardboard!
      One arcade game grows to two and then three and then the whole front of the store is a full blown arcade including soccer, basketball, skeeball and a Crane game.  All made from cardboard and the imagination of a little boy.  He has thought of every thing!  Fun Passes that have security codes on them.  How to have the winning tickets pop out for the winner.  How to stock the toy gallery with goodies for the winner to pick from.  Everything.  The only thing missing is customers.  Day after day, Caine invites passerbys to play and day after day no one plays.  His positive attitude never waivers.  One day, a film maker, in search of a door knob for his car, stops by and becomes customer #1.  The short film he made a year ago about a flash mob of customers he arranged for Caine's Arcade went viral and now has over 3 million views.  You don't want to miss out do you?  Click here to see what all the excitement is about.
    This short video has inspired cardboard creativity across the world and My Toy Garden is bringing that excitement to Carmel, Indiana!   We invite you to create!  Children create.  Adults and children create.  Adults on their own create.  Everyone!  Snap a photo of your work, post a picture on our Facebook page and 3 creators will win a pair of tickets to the Palladium's Nov. 2 production of The Royal Drummers of Burundi!  And...you will have your winning creation on display in the Palladium lobby before the show to inspire others to create as well!  Families can enter!  Teachers can invite their students to enter!  Everyone is invited! Forward this newsletter to your friends!  What a fun girl's night out that could be!
    As part of this celebration, we'll be hosting three free in store events - Pizza Box Maze Day on Sat. Oct. 13 and Create a Cardboard Concert on Fri. Oct. 19.  Last, on Sat. Nov. 10, as part of Neighborhood Toy Store Day, we'll create in Santa's Cardboard Workshop!
     So..we have lots of cardboard you can use but WE NEED YOUR JUNK!!  Oatmeal containers, paper towel tubes, bottle tops, butter tub libs, odd toy parts, bread twists, scraps of whatever, we want it!! We have a bucket at the store ready for your junk!!!  The more we have the more creating we'll do in store!  Ready? Set? Create!  We can't wait to hear about what project you are working on!
   
 Playfully,
Toylady Janet

Someplace New and Someplace Near the Water

Dear My Toy Garden Friends,

It happens every year. Sometimes on a grand scale and sometimes in my own local backyard. Someplace new and someplace near the water. This year as my birthday drew near, I once again felt the pull to water. Perhaps in my previous life I was a mermaid. This year, as I got in my car after storytime, I had only an inkling of where I was headed. Eagle Creek Park. I had been there for this annual tradition two years before and enjoyed such a wonderful day. The rules are though...someplace new. No going back to Lilly Lake this year and napping under the branches. No exploring the Nature Center and the gifts tucked inside. Someplace new. But where? I turned the key and then the steering wheel and headed to water.

I decided to wander along the eastern side of the reservoir. Right turn after right turn landed me in cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac. I saw many beautiful homes but no place with access to the water. I persisted and felt a possibility was near by. Around a bend and poof! A private beach complete with tiki hut, sailboats, sea shells and birds beckoned. Perfect!

I hiked down to the shore, perched atop a sailboat and sat. Just sat for 15 minutes listening to the waves lap the rocks, bird calling to one another and fish splash. It is quite hard to sit still for 15 minutes but, oh so worthwhile! My mind quieted as I reflected on the year past and the year ahead. My favorite moment of the year. I spent the next hour wandering the coastline spelling my name in sea grass, balancing on driftwood and being. Just being.

I do this each year for many reasons. The greatest of which is to fill my cup. We pull and pull from our energy sources each day with all the many hats we wear. We need to be mindful to take time to fill the tank back up again. I created My Toy Garden to help families do just that. Play. Connect. Fill the Cup. When will you be stopping by to fill yours? We look forward to helping you!

Playfully,
Toylady Janet

The Nutcracker Cracked Her

Dear My Toy Garden Friends,

She'd been excited about it for days. Just moments before she had been skipping and smiling and excited. She took her seat and some other children joined her. Then more children came and more children came and still more came. Many more than she expected and now she sat on my lap crying saying she didn't want to do it. She didn't want to audition for The Nutcracker...this year's production at her elementary school.

Stress is a part of all of our lives. Adults learn, most of the time, to handle is as part of the normal ebb and flow of life. For our children, learning to handle stress is a skill to be explored and practiced. Below are some ideas on how to help your child handle stress.

1. Paint a Picture - Before an event that might be stressful such as visiting a new place, meeting new friends or auditioning for a school play, try to paint a clear picture with words or even actual pictures or videos of what the experience might be like. This was my error with Lily in the story above. I did not explain to her how many children would be there and how it would be a bit chaotic. It surprised her and caused her stress. On previous occasions when my mom badge was a bit shinier, I've shown her pictures of family members she seldom saw but was about to see. This helped her be comfortable with names and faces and knowing a bit about them.
2. Read books - There are several great books about being nervous and handling stress to read and talk about together. One of my favorites currently at My Toy Garden is Flying to See Janet. Great title huh? It takes a child through the entire adventure of flying to help them know what to expect. [Here's a fabulous list] of other great books related to various stressors in a child's like such as divorce, death, new baby, moving, etc.
3. Name Emotions. Help your child develop a vocabulary of emotion words beyond just happy, sad, mad. My Toy Garden carries several board games that are perfect for just that!
4. Provide toys that absorb nervous energy. The What'zit snake below is one of our top selling items! One of the main reasons is that it keeps busy hands busy with something creative. Counselors know that when hands are busy, minds relax and children can cognitively begin to process things they would have a hard time doing otherwise.
5. Role Play the stress away! Another tool counselors utilize are role play items such as doll houses, dress up clothes and puppets. When children play with these, their storytelling can reveal how they are feeling and give them a safe place to explore those feelings. Playing alongside them gives you an opportunity to understand and help guide them to find positive solutions on how to handle their negative emotions.
6. Make Eye Contact - This one is so simple and yet so powerful and it's one we forget to do daily. Look your child in the eyes...intentionally...lovingly...daily. That connection makes them feel loved and supported and builds a bridge of trust that they'll need to come to you when life has bumps.

My Husband Would Have Loved This Store

Dear My Toy Garden Friends,

As I walked by her on Saturday, her eyes caught mine. She turned to face me, grabbed both of my hands gently and a tear began to swell in the corner of her eye. "Are you the owner?," she asked.

"I am," I replied.

"Thank you." She paused while the tear in her eye grew. "I just had to tell you how much I look forward to your newsletters each week. They touch my heart. I recently lost my husband and he would have loved your store. He was a big kid and loved to play. Your store is full of all the classic toys he enjoyed. You have created such a place of warmth and love here. He would have.....he would have loved it."

That conversation with Peggy...thank you Peggy for sharing your heart with me...are the moments when I think, "Yes! People understand that my vision for the store is to be so much more than just a place that sells toys." Our birthday party last Saturday was definite confirmation that you get that...you really get that. Thank you! Over 200 of you came to play with us and enjoy this special day. What a crazy, fun, amazing, stupendous day filled with love it was!! Below are a few moments I've captured in the camera of my memory that I want to hold onto forever.... Thank you for coming. For Sharing. For supporting. For loving us, yourselves and one another. Here's to many more years of making a difference!

• The picture below is some of the treasures that were brought with small hands and big smiles....gladiolas picked from the garden....tissue paper flowers bursting from the perfect glass jar vase...a pipe cleaner butterfly Skribble loves....fresh baked cookies with a chocolate "1" on top ...cards from friends who know I love a good quote...all things that warm my heart.
• Ruditoonz...oh how I love to see the pure joy on his face when he performs and how I love to see the kids dancing away to Yellow YoYo and other favorites. Thank you for being part of our celebration!
• Fun with Frannie transformed kids into princesses, pirates, dogs and more with her facepainting talents that kept her fingers flying for the two hours she was here. Thank you Jane!
• Painted faces led to cheesy photos in the My Toy Garden photo booth. We have copies of all the pictures...oh my! Watch for them to be displayed in the store very soon. Love the child it brought out in everyone! Thank you Bigzy's Photo Booth!
• Music is such a powerful medium...music from the voices of children is truly heaven sent. CYT (Christian Youth Theater) performed for us in the afternoon and swept us all away on a roller coaster of emotions that true talent can do. Thank you CYT! Do check out their theater classes and shows!
• Last, the staff and I all predicted what the day's sales were. We clicked and the computer whirred and....whoa! The total was 25% over what we guessed! I happily went to my office and wrote a check for 20% of the sales, handed it to my daughter Lily and we drove to the Ash house. Lily handed the check to Tracy who was surprised by the total and so appreciative. We chatted and our girls played together on a beautiful September day. So very much to be thankful for. Thank you for helping make a dream come true!

Playfully,
Toylady Janet

7 Seeds to Celebrate

Dear My Toy Garden Friends,

It really is what childbirth is like I image. Being an adoptive mom, I can't know for sure but I suspect birthing a toy store has it's parallels to this life experience. The clock was zooming forward, my pillow was a stranger, Pizza King was by new best friend and I had a laser focus on one day...opening day of My Toy Garden! A year ago, I was challenged by pregnant shelves stacked with unopened boxes of toys. A new Mac computer with new Lion software that didn't want to play nice with my new Point of Sale software. It took us 4 days to figure out why my keyboard kept flipping into Japanese mode. There was soooo much to be done before clicking on the Open sign for the first time and delivering this miracle for everyone to enjoy.

We're turning one and it's time to celebrate!! Here are my thoughts on a few seeds that have been planted this year and dreams that will grow from them.

1. Be Determined - My mantra said daily on the edge of my bed each morning for at least a year before My Toy Garden came to be was Dream, Decide, Do. Three powerful little words. Try them repeated over and over and see what adventures they lead you to!
2. Be Consistent - When there are systems in place, all flows much more smoothly. This is true for bedtime routines for children and certainly true at My Toy Garden. Writing these routines down one by one makes it clear for all what is to be done when and how. Confidence grows and hearts are happy. What routine do you need to clarify and be more consistent about at home or at work?
3. Ask for Help - I've been totally overwhelmed by all the help I've received this year!!! Thank you to all who have volunteered to help with windows, filled in so I could step way when needed, helped with wrapping, worked special events. I adore you! We tend to think we can do it all ourselves. That's not true. We are human and need help. Ask and you'll find yourself surrounded in love.
4. Have a Budget - This has been a major learning curve for me this year. I've surprised myself at my skills in this area. Having a budget that is clear about past spending and conservative about future spending is so freeing! It gives you control over small and large financial decisions and peace of mind to your days. Do you have a detailed budget for your household that you update and discuss monthly?
5. Welcome All - My goal was for all to feel truly welcome at My Toy Garden and I feel that we have accomplished that goal. From moms with extra smelly children who use our Mommy Emergency Kit to the customer who grunts when they arrive and leaves smiling to the special needs child whose Mom now knows they are very welcome with us no matter what. All are welcome. Period.
6. Celebrate Small Steps - Our tendency is to want more, to make it better. I want to add so many more classes, camps, services but I know that in order to maintain the level of quality products and quality customer service you've come to know, I need to let growth happen slowly. The staff and I celebrate all that we already offer and do well. Celebrate the good things you do! What have you patted yourself on the back for lately?
7. Take Time for Self - My to do list, like yours, is like a dry sponge shoved in a bucket of water. I commit myself to take 2 days a week and step completely away from the store. I spend quality time with my 2 young children and my husband. I treasure these moments while my chlidren are young. I take a 20 minute nap in the afternoon on my days off. The store seems to survive my absences, thanks to my amazing staff, and I return to the garden renewed each time and ready to make a difference on a new day! Do you take time for yourself on a regular basis?

Thank you so much for making this first year completely amazing! Your kind words, repeat visits, referrals to friends and family make my heart swell and gives me tremendous hope for the future, for us and for our children as we grow and play together. Bless you.

Playfully,
Toylady Janet