Real-Life Toys...

I could get rid of all the toys. People would think I was hopelessly depriving my children of life's most basic joys. My own mom would tell me what a mean mommy I am, and would probably send boxes of toys to try to cheer up the boys, since their mom had obviously gone off the deep end.

The thing is, except for a couple of favorites, I don't know that His Highness and the Littler One would even notice the missing toys. They'd be all, "Hey Mommy, where'd the trains go?" and I'd be like, "Ummm, they're being repaired, here's a bucket!" and they'd grab the bucket and start putting things in it, and His Highness would probably ask for some string to tie to the handle, and then I'd find them digging through the kitchen drawers, stealing my stuff and inventing strange new functions for the rolling pin, and having a glorious time all around.

Then later they'd go, "Mom, where are the blocks?" and I'd say "They're taking a nap; here's a paper towel roll and an empty water bottle!" and they'd occupy themselves for an hour. But not before going back into the kitchen and swiping more stuff out of the drawers.

We could get them an awesomely awesome play kitchen, complete with food, utensils, and even friggin' appliances, and they wouldn't like it as well as going through the drawers in the real kitchen, playing with whatever random stuff they find. The Littler One is a big fan of the red plastic chip & dip tray. He hits it with stuff, uses it to hit other stuff, and holds it up to his face to see the world with a red tint. His Highness's current favorite is the rolling pin. You can find a lot of variations on hitting with a rolling pin.

Before you panic and start imploring me to keep the toys for the sake of the children, fear not. We won't be getting rid of the toys anytime soon.

The Cat Daddy and I need something to play with, after all...