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