Leave My Underwear Alone!

Dear My Toy Garden friends!

I stood there faced with Thomas the Train, Spiderman and Spongebob. "Why? Why?" I wondered. Then a mom rolled up with a cherub faced little girl plunked in the front basket and asked, "Cinderella, Dora or Kitty?" "Please leave my underwear alone!" I wanted to shout.

A week ago, I took my soon to be 2-year-old to the dentist for the first time. They ushered him off saying, "We have some fun Spiderman glasses." Why would my 2-year-old know who Spiperman is?

Why does my child need to have licensed characters on his behind? Why would my dentist subconciously promote this Marvel character? Why are licensed characters everywhere you turn? From shirts, backpacks, plates, jewelry, water bottles, socks, balls, bike helmets and on and on and on, we are blasted with images of licensed characters over and over and over. Most families go with the flow buying up these items without a thought about it. What harm could it cause, right?

It is very intentional that My Toy Garden does not carry licensed character items. It is a Disney, Marvel, Nick free zone. Why?

Did you know....

- there are 40,000 Disney princess items on the market?

- companies spend $17 billion a year marketing to children? Up from $100 million in 1983.

- children see 25,000 advertisement a year on television not counting product placements?

- Brand licensed toys accounted for $22.3 billion in sales in 2006.

This commercialization to children is raising a generation of consumers. Children under 12 influence over $500 billion in purchases each year. Along with this we are seeing an increase in violence in children, a lack of problem solving ability, a lack of social skills and other issues. I invite you to ponder this and learn more by visiting the Commercial Free Childhood website. Their list of fact sheets will provide you with some great food for thought. Explore books like Cinderella Ate My Daughter (Click for a link about the book and the author's blog which I alway find eye opening.) This book and others can be found at My Toy Garden along with other parenting resources to help you learn more and make decisions that are the best ones for your family. My Toy Garden is here to be a resource, an inspiration and an oasis from the marketing assults. Come, relax and reconnect with the power of real play!

Playfully,

Toylady Janet

My Pee and Read Philosophy

Dear My Toy Garden friends!

The New Book of Knowledge. Oh, the hours I spent randomly selecting a volume. What will it be today? A with Atlantis? ardvarks? P with Paris? pygmy goats? I'd run my fingers bump, bump, bump down the spine of the books, slow to one and slip it from the shelf. I'd feel the happy weight of it on my lap and the silky edges of the pages, smell the musty scent of secrets to be told. Balancing it on the spine, it would kerplop open unveiling the newest treasure to be explored, the newest world to travel to, the newest friends to meet.

It was a sad day for me when encyclopedias died. The Kindles, Nooks, Iphones, etc...all have their place of importance in our lives. I argue today for the belief in books...real books with real pages. Sure we can read away on our electronic devices but we lose a major sensory input of pleasure from the "old fashioned" experience.

Children are missing major sensory input from many of their play experiences today. Once upon a time, children climbed trees and felt the bark against their skin, smelled the pine sap, saw the light dance through the leaves, tasted the fruit that was tucked away, heard the squirrels jump from branch to branch. Now they virtually climb trees on Ipads and watch Angry Birds fly about. I'll venture out on a limb here and say that I believe this loss of sensory input is, in part, a factor in the skyrocketing number of special needs children we see today.

All is far from lost though. We, as the adults, can make a difference! Start by enjoying sensory experiences yourself. Take time for a leisurely lunch with a friend to be fully present in the moment. Back away from your electronics. Spend some unconnected time with an old fashioned book, puzzle, go for a walk. Go climb a tree.

Second, have books available all over your house. We have books in our bedrooms, living room, kitchen, playroom and every bathroom has books. I call it my pee and read philosophy. In the time it takes you to sit and pee, you can read a page that will inspire, inform or uplift you in some way.

Third, set expectations and limits for your children. They really can be happy disconnected from electronics. We do not have cable in our house and love the freedom it gives us. We do 5 hour car trips without a DVD player with 2 small children. How? Any change is hard at first, especially if unhealthy habits have been allowed to form. If you give a new habit 21 days of consistent effort and you'll soon find that you wonder why you didn't make changes sooner. With March is Reading month officially here, now is a good time to snuggle a child close to you, slip your finger down a bookshelf, kerplop a book in your lap releasing it's sweet scent and go on an adventure!

Playfully,

Toylady Janet

HAppiness HAppens

Dear My Toy Garden friends!

"When I was 5 years old, my mother told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "Happy". They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life."

-John Lennon

Ding dong! The door opens and another friend arrives at My Toy Garden. What brings them by today? Some do come by in a playful spirit and are ready to be happy and join in a bit of fun. A, perhaps surprising, number of people come not in a happy state of mind but come to be comforted...to seek information that may help...to cross off something on their busy to do list....to passify the curiousity of what is in store. One of the many things I love about watching the growth of My Toy Garden is that many of you have already come to understand that what we do is so much more that sell toys. This place was created to bring happiness to others! It is a place to connect, be inspired, learn and play. The staff is delightful in that they embrace with me that belief that everyone is welcome from the toddler emptying shelves to the grumpy senior who seems to have more on their mind than they need. Thank you for emracing this philosophy with us and making My Toy Garden a regular part of your lives!

HAppiness does HAppen and there are many things we can do to attract it to us. Which of the following do you already do? Which one will you try next?

- Learn Something New - Exploring a new skill can uncover talents you didn't realize you had and create happiness. (This, by they way, is why My Toy Garden is laid out in the 7 Pathways of Wonder.)

- Participate in a Hobby - What do you like to do? Do you make time to do it? Doing a hobby with a group of like minded individuals is extra happiness points!

- Beat the staff on a My Toy Garden Game Night and win a gift certificate - Every Friday night from 5:30 - 7 pm!

- Be Totally Present - Stop, look and listen...what sounds are around you? What colors? What textures? What smells? Take two quick minutes to enjoy your surroundings will boost your sense of happiness!

- Connect with Nature - Feel the sunshine. Pick a flower. Hug a tree. Go for a walk. A good dose of nature on a regular basis will life your mood guaranteed!

- Come to My Toy Garden Storytime held once a week for preschoolers. See calendar below and on the store website.

- Use Music - Music is known to have the power to change moods and is an excellent stress reliever. Listen to this one and be happy!

- Incorporate Laughter - Laugher enhances immunity and prolongs life. Learn some jokes. Watch a funny video clip. Just don't drink soda at the same time. That hurts.

- Do Something Nice for Someone Else Just Because - Hold a door open. Hide chocolate in the neighbor's mailbox. Put a flower on a coworker's desk. Smile at a stranger. Watch your smile grow!

- Make a Birthday Bucket at My Toy Garden. Help the birthday child pack that crate with fun things making life easier for friends, family AND you! Bonus happy points is all the gifts go to charity!

Join the Secret Society of Happy People.

(Thank you to Dick Guernsey for the HAppiness HAppens inspiration!)

Playfully,

Toylady Janet