i've been preparing for my trip to dallas today. i always have excitement about going on a trip but the thrill has definitely been tempered by the headache of traveling with kids. despite the hassle of all the gear you suddenly have to tote, and sitting on a plane with a toddler on your lap putting their fingers through other passengers hair and losing their binky in the aisle 10,000 times, i still think it is worth it to travel with kids and let them experience the world in a different locale. i don't care where you go, when you leave your square of the world, your viewpoint changes a little. and i think letting kids see just how big the mighty world is at a young age is a lesson worth learning early. maybe it is a know your place kind of view, but i tend to think it better to encourage kids to see themselves as a small piece in the puzzle instead of the only puzzle, if you know what i mean.
normally when i travel with the kids i go out and buy a batch of new travel friendly stuff...coloring books, little portable type toys, usually dollar store style stuff that will be fresh to them and hopefully keep them better entertained on a flight or in a car. with the strict budget this month i realized that wasn't going to be a possibility. and i actually had fun being more inventive with the stuff we already have but often gets relegated to the back of the shelf. (hello, finger puppets! hello weird stacking game! hello flashlight!) i also went to see my girlfriend, the library, and stocked up on some new dvds and books.
it felt so nice not to spend money BEFORE a trip even starts. and it felt great NOT to invest in any more cheap crap that just ends up getting trashed or breaking. i hate to think that even toys are somehow disposable in today's world. i hate to sound like an old bitty, but they really don't make them like they used to! the dollar store toy aisle is filled with stuff that probably wouldn't last the year. it just isn't well made (and given all the findings about standards in toy factories around the world, who knows how safe it is, either.) i try not to be too big a nazi about my toys, though i find it very hard to fight the urge to enforce my own aesthetic. in my perfect toy world, everything would be wooden and charming and never require batteries. but of course these are not the type of playthings most kids like. but still, i think there is something to be said for searching out craftsmanship and for investing in what i'd like to call heirloom quality stuff. i guess i'd say this is a rule i'd like to apply universally to the things i acquire from here on in. is it well-made? is it unique? does it make me happy to look at or interact with? do i love it? now i will just have to train cleo to ask herself these same questions. hmmm, somehow i think we'll still end up with the sleeping beauty talking vanity.
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