PenPenWrites

Uber son's family of five live in a city some 400 miles north of us. So it makes more sense for Paterfamilias and I to visit them, then it does for my son and daughter-in-law to drag three small children back to the family manse. Which is why it has been almost two years since they've been to our house for a weekend. 

Rarity has its charms–and inspirations. My store of toys and amusements for children were in sore need of an update–the two "big" Grands have outgrown the Matchbox cars and play dough. Instead of just laying in a store of stuff for them to do–just-in-case rainy day amusements–I decided to try a variation on something I had read about and posted a while ago: Creating a special bag of stuff for each child–anything from a funny toothbrush to a word-game book to a box of crayons.

It turned out to be a more interesting way to shop for stuff–thinking about each child and what he or she  would like. I ended up packing each bag with a few small items–from colored drinking cups with built in straws (one for each of them) to assorted small puzzles, a small board game, stencil kits and other art supplies. Bottom line: It didn't cost a lot of money but they seemed thrilled with having their own bag of tricks to rifle through. Especially the 2-year-old: She felt quite grown up being treated as an equal–especially since she got a page of stickers all to herself.