Big kids and little stuff

We live vicariously through our children, wanting to give them opportunities we weren't able to have. We try to direct them to things that interest us, in the hopes of having a shared hobby we can indulge in, together. Or, less flattering but more accurate, I just really like toys and am glad the kids are an excuse to have them around. Kind of like seeing a Disney movie in the theatre; you feel a tad creepy unless you are accessorized by pint-sized persons.

My downfall: miniatures.

I remember getting a zillion catalogs when I was little, and some of them were entirely dedicated to dollhouses and furniture. I remember turning the pages and looking at the pictures for hours, home decorating for tiny, nonexistant people. I didn't have a "real" doll house, other than a Weebles Tree Home I got long after it was developmentally appropriate, and some townhouse for Barbies that never amounted to more than a storage case with aspirations. So when my daughter was able to score a dollhouse made by my friend Sheila's dad, it was pretty gratifying. I even built another dollhouse from a kit, although it still needs trim and paint. But they are all mere vessels to holding all sorts of clever, tiny furniture and accessories.

What is it about things in the miniature scale? They are known to bring about shrieks and exclamations and words I rarely say, like "Darling!" I'm pretty opposed to crappy plastic toys as a rule, but if it's a teeny-tiny crappy plastic toy, it gets a pass... Storage issues are usually not a problem, and they have an added bonus of being small enough to get easily lost.

At the Salvation Army I picked up a Barbie dress set and the coolest popcorn set, complete with bowl, popper (with crank to produce lifelike popping noise and motion), and a 6 pack of diet soda. I couldn't NOT buy it; it didn't even occur to me. It was a buck. My daughter loves it; I came home last night to find a teeny little 6-pack ring carelessly discarded, capable of strangling miniature seabirds, and the dollhouse scattered with empties. Like Barbie on a bender. It was awesome.

Last fall I had purchased four super cool rooms of doll furniture and the Loving Family dolls they had at SA, and wrapped it all up for Christmas. Both kids play with it, for hours. It's much better now that I moved it up into their room (from our icky basement) and set it up in the sunniest window. Imagine, quiet play. It's a beautiful thing.

I guess I'm fairly unrepentant about shopping yesterday, partly because of the cool stuff. I must admit this year would be a lot harder if I didn't have the option of shopping at the Salvation Army basement of Cool and Random Bargains. Although, most thrift stores do have new items and closeouts from major retailers. If I was hard core, I'd have to say I could only buy reused items from thrift stores. I'm not capable; I don't have that kind of restraint. Especially if the stuff is little, and cheap, not to mention darling! Lest you think this is purely a girly thing, I must admit hours spent on Ebay finding an awful lot of vintage MicroMachine playsets and cars for my son. Even the cool firetruck that opens up into a city with parking ramp, collapsing bridge, and factory on fire still elicits an "Awww!" from me. By definition, though, I don't consider this a BIG problem. Nope.

In the interest of full disclosure, I spent $36.61 total yesterday at the Salvation Army. A pair of gloves for me, a pair of pj's for X, and a bunch of school supplies - hoping I can minimize the buying binge come Sept. I also scored three Klutz Press books/kits for $4 each, two for a niece that I spaced on her birthday, and one to put aside for to Christmas. And a Hotwheels scooter for X. This is borderline child abuse, as the scooter is really cool, but there is still snow on the sidewalks...

I did have a lot more in my cart at one point, and had seriously considered buying the 1/2 size air hockey table ($65!!!) but calmer minds did prevail, and I put back several toy vehicles, pillows, placemats and shirts. I know I sound like I'm rationalizing my behavior, which I am, so... there! It's what happens when my inner child takes my actual child shopping.