How we played: ball pit

Pack n' Play + bag of balls = best. thing. evar!

I love how the best toys are the easiest. I wish I could save all this money and time by making toys and games for Whitman, but I don't. I still spend way too much money on him, but he's our first born and we're allowed that, dagnabit! I try to console myself by saying it's an investment for his future siblings, but let's get real: the only thing more fun than buying clothes, is buying toys. 

I got this idea from a lady at work who said her daughter-in-law did it with her son. They would put a lot of balls in a laundry basket and the kid loves it. Well overzealous me had to do it bigger and I still want to add even more balls. Because honestly, what's better than a pit full of stuff?! One of my favorite memories as a kid was the foam cube pit at Pat Gray's, a gymnastics studio where you could have birthday parties. You'd do cake and presents downstairs and then let the kids loose on the equipment upstairs. One set of uneven bars was over a huge pit of foam cubes and we were constantly swimming in it a la Scrooge McDuck.

 

Whit loved it! And still does <--- that's the shocker. The ball pit has been going strong for almost three weeks now and it's still as fun as day one. The first day we had it, Whit would try to throw the balls out and we were hitting them back in while quoting Dikembe Mutombo from the Geico commercials.  

"Nuh uh uh! Not today!"

As the newness wears off, we've found different ways to make it fun. We've tried the muffin tin game, which Whit is only slightly interested in. Throwing the balls out and into specific things: gift bags, baskets, his car seat. Hiding other toys in the balls and asking him to find them. Sometimes he will just lay flat on them and move his arms around enjoying the feeling. 

But Dikembe Mutombo is still his favorite.

I finally gave in

And bought a box from Citrus Lane. I'm so excited! I've been debating back and forth since Whit was born about doing this. If you've never seen/heard of/agonized over this, it's a subscription service that sends you a care package each month filled with age-appropriate toys, books, goodies and even goodies for mom.

May 2012's box

You can sign up for any amount of months you would like to get the service, and the longer your subscription the cheaper the box is per month. I went with just one box at $25, to see if we like it. But I have pretty high hopes from looking through some of their previous boxes. I mean who doesn't LOVE getting good stuff in the mail? We already enjoy getting a free book in the mail monthly thanks to Dolly Pardon's Imagination Library, which I'm shocked I've never mentioned before. If you have a kids, go register and get some free books!

At first the cost was my big concern, but after months of buying toys just because I'm around them I think this may be my solution. I only buy toys when I need them (which is rare) or when I happen to be at a store and see something Whit might like. But if I already know we're going to get something each month I think I'll stop the extraneous spending, especially if I don't have to leave the house for it. Ahhh, I can't wait!

EDIT: I am so scatter-brained! If you want to try out Citrus Lane, the code TAKEHALF will get you half off your first box making it $12.50. So you know the first box will be a deal no matter what's in it!