A Totally Awsumb Nerf Birthday Bash!

Kenneth and I had a special surprise planned for Awsumb's birthday this year.  But it became clear we would have to throw a decoy party so Awsumb wouldn't know something was up.  I came up with most everything from things I already had.  We did buy a few more Nerf darts and the bandanas and lanyards to make License to Nerf badges.  other than that we didn't really spend any $.  Awsumb invited 24 kids with instructions to bring their own Nerf. What I didn't realize is that the kids would come with duffle bags full of Nerf weapons and ammo!  It was crazy!  But one of our best parties yet!

I set out baskets of ammo and bandanas so the kids could TEAM UP!

 

 

Then I told the kids the rules.  Basically they couldn't shoot me, even if I was armed and shooting at them. They signed the back of their ID's put a finger print on the front and filled their pockets with ammo.

 

Lanyards and Badge holders can be found for a good deal in bulk on Amazon.com

 

 

Snacks!

Let the Wild Rumpus BEGIN!

 

The kids managed their own Nerf game and ended up playing some sort of humans versus zombies or whatever. They roamed all over the clubhouse grounds which includes tons of trees, bushes and old fall out shelter and played until dark.

 

OUCH! That hurt and that blur - a hatchet!

 

Awsumb asked me to plan official games. So I found some ideas online.  This kept the boys busy while we set up pizza and cupcakes.

 

Sunkist Slingshot (Yes, I let Awsumb drink most of those! just to make this game)

 

Target Shoot with NERF Dart Tag (Velcro darts)

Disc Throw with some Frisbees we had laying around from last Halloween

 

 

 

Thanks for the cool gifts everyone!  Awsumb will never need to buy another Nerf gun again!

It's all fun and games, until you have to pick up the darts!

Washing Stuffies

Official instructions will tell you to spot clean a stuffed animal.  But when you live with OCD and severe allergies this just isn't going to cut it!  I have successfully been regularly washing my child's favorite furry companions over the past 10 years.

When the preschool class Teddy Bear came for a visit at our house, Teddy had to go through a full decontamination process. Whoever came up with that idea, to pass Teddy around... oh, how did I want to wring their neck!  To think of all the homes it had been to simple gave me a panic attack. And to top it off, he came with a full suitcase of blankets, clothes and things the kids had donated to the furry bundle of cooties... I mean, come on, that's what it was. Included with the bear was a journal of all the homes he had been to and places he had been, the movie theater, camping, etc. Yuck, yuck, yuck!  I totally washed that thing to death - along with all it's belongings gambling that it wouldn't fall apart!

Before washing always check the seams and make any repairs needed.

Wash in zippered pillow case.  This will contain the stuffing in case it falls apart.  If you use a thick flannel, it can also keep things like the eyes from getting scratched. I learned that lesson the hard way after I washed The Grinch.  Just a few scratches of his eyes and he looked like a green devil.  Thus, he was no longer fun to hold  and sadly, he was eventually used as some sort of joke gift!

Use fabric softener or dryer sheets and they might even come out softer than before!

The high heat of a drying cycle can also kill dust mites and other cooties.

Other alternatives include:  Spot cleaning, which was the best I could do with the beloved Bob the Builder because he contained a sound box... Eventually we just had to put him to rest.

Sprinkle baking soda in a large paper sack, enclose stuffy inside and shake to freshen bad odors.

Freeze stuffies for a day or two.  But this one breaks my rules about contamination.

And finally, regularly vacuuming stuffed animals and other things that can't be washed is always a good thing.

I was just thinking that keeping them each enclosed in individual Ziplock bags would be a great idea... But as any literate Kmart shopper knows:

Warning: To avoid danger of suffocation, keep this plastic bag away from babies and children. Do not use this bag in cribs, beds, carriages or playpens. The plastic bag could block nose and mouth and prevent breathing. This bag is not a toy.

My final tip about stuffed animals is where to keep them. I purchased coordinating laundry basket to act as a sort of "dog bed" for Awsumb's stuffed animals.  And finally - don't be afraid to throw them out!  No matter how much they are loved, if it became too contaminated I would toss one in a heartbeat!  Seeing kids drag around filthy blankets and stuffed animals is just beyond gross to me.  Because I know this can be hard on a little one I do my best to help my son keep his most favorites safe. 

How you do keep your kids stuffed animals clean and contained?

Meet Rusty

As I rescued Rusty, yet again from another fate worse than death, I realized I needed to photograph this little guy.  Awsumb has many stuffies and loves them all equally. There is probably a top 10, but he rotates through them all pretty regularly. Wherever you find Awsumb you will also usually find 2 or 3 of these furry creatures around, just to keep him company while he reads or plays with toys.  But none of them compare to his beloved Rusty, with his oversized head, pouty little face, floppy ears and rust colored fur.

When Awsumb was just a baby and could finally sit in the front of the shopping cart we took a trip to Fred Meyer and found this classic stuffed puppy with babysoft fur.  Although Awsumb was too little to understand I handed him this tiny stuffy and said, "If you can hold onto him until the checkout stand, you can keep him." He squeezed him tight all the way through the store and just as we were getting in line he dropped him on the floor.  Nonetheless... Rusty came home to live with us that day.

Since that time Rusty has been a faithful companion to Awsumb. He often went unnoticed because he was small.  But as the years went by it became apparent that he was special.  Awsumb reserved him for times he needed the most personal comfort.  Awsumb carries him around and holds him by his neck, in which after all these year the stuffing has completely broken down.  Rusty is so tiny that he can be jammed into a pocket or at the bottom of a bag.

Unbenounced to me he went to many firsts with Awsumb, including the first week of 1st Grade. Although, Awsumb had been in preschool for 3 years he just had to have his most treasured companion with him when he went to the big new school.  At the end of the week when I discovered he had been hiding him in his backpack everyday I questioned Awsumb. Because of my contamination issues I was pretty upset that he had taken him out of the house without asking permission.  His reponse was, "I kept him in my backpack so I would know he was there, just in case I needed him."

Because he is just a little guy I don't think I have ever caught him in a photo with Awsumb. And because Awsumb treasures him so, he is usually tucked away safely in his room.  Rusty has survived many trips through the washing machine and is softer than the day we brougtht him home.  I hope Awsumb has him to love forever!

My little brother had a stuffed dog name Woofy.  My Auntie had a favorite doll Tookie.  I named all my baby dolls Mary because she was the mother of Jesus.  What do you remember about your favorite stuffy?

Update: It's all worth it when you find a little note on your bed.  We took Awsumb to the batting cages today And all I'll say about it is that it was epic and I still feel contaminated!

"Thanks for the fun things today. Thank you for cleaning Rusty, I was very worried. You two can share him for the night, you earned it.  :)  Love, Awsumb"

Oh, and he gave me two Zingers snack cakes. (Which have recently become a hot commodity around our house.)

Have you seen Lego Man?

This is one of Awsumb's favorite LEGO MINIFIGURES and he is missing in action!

Apparently he is about to go on a wild adventure!  Awsumb is worried about how he is going to get him back.  He keeps asking if he is going to Cairo?  I don't think he won't go too far away for his first trip outside in the big wide world!

Check Where is Lego Man Blog off an on this weekend to help Awsumb track one of his favorite little toys!

 

Legoman's crew was a little worried and had to bring out the big guns to open and read the note!

Counting

It's well known that people who live with OCD love to collect things, line things up, organize things, etc. But what you might not realize is that pertains to everything around you, even things that are not yours.

For my husband there is no safe place in this house that is all his. Not one place that I don't come upon at least once in a while and just starting sorting, throwing out and lining up. I remember at one point he was carrying around TONS of files in his backpack, back and forth to work so that they were "safe" from one of my mad episodes! (until I found them LOL!) Even his office at Microsoft isn't totally safe. I can't stop by for more than 30 seconds with out throwing out all the Dr. Pepper cans that have gathered on his desk, throw out all the trade show crap that is piling up and wiping all the surfaces. I just can't help it.

For my child this means that he doesn't really even own his toys. First, I have always had all sorts of bizzare rules about which toys go in which room... and they have to be segregated. It's like they become contaminated if they enter the wrong room. I simply cannot have toys mix. Even toys of the same brand type (Legos, etc.) MUST be separated by themes, etc. When he was small I would actually COUNT all the little pieces that went with specific sets EACH night when I put him to bed.

Counting is very relaxing for me. But I can also become a slave to it. And for any behavior that I am able to overcome I will just adopt another, most likely one not of my own choosing. So, I count. I count the Little People, I count the blocks, I count cars, I count the socks.

Before you decide I am totally crazy, just remember this... Didn't you see Toy Story? Don't you feel bad for missing toys or missing pieces? What about that little squeaker that got lost behind the dresser!?! And even if the toy doesn't really have feelings, what about the child? That could have been the one special sentimental something... No missing toys in this house!

Somewhere along the line I had to stop counting certain things. But counting gives me a control that I just can't seem to find anywhere else. So about 6 months ago when Awsumb bought his first Nerf gun I taught him how to keep track of the darts. 2 guns, 6 darts each. Easy. Each time he finished playing we collected all 12 darts. Once in a while one would go missing and just like my "sock alerts" we put out a "dart alert" so everyone in the house could be on the look out for the missing dart. When found the darts were neatly placed in the 12 little slots on the guns. Awsumb wanted more darts and I didn't want him to get any more because I didn't want to keep track of the pack of 36!

Then there was the big neighborhood dart gun fight in the front yard one evening and I knew it was over.... right now, at this very moment there are 2 or 3 little darts, lonely and wet out in the front yard, hidden under a bush or a pile of leaves and they will never enjoy the love of a child again! So today at Awsumb's birthday party he was give the Cadillac of all dart guns. AND it came with 100 darts. The battle is over. The darts won. But we will have to search for the perfect size little bag, themed and all for them to live in until they too become lost in the cold, dark world...

Next to tackle the Lego Star Wars Minifigs, which thanks to the XBox Lego Star Wars game Awsumb had to mix 'n match all up... Get ready... there is a sorting day for those in the near future!

Why Can't Lego Click?

You know your sons a Lego Maniac when you go to give him a kiss goodnight... after he is supposed to be IN bed mind you, and find him on the floor putting together his new Lego set. That's right, for a while now he no longer waits for me to help him open the box, cut open the bags, unfold in the instructions "just so" and start sorting the pieces. He is proficient enough that he just dives in himself.

Awsumb began his obsession with Legos way before he even knew they were Legos. Kenneth and I worked hard to acquire some really great Duplo sets when he was a toddler. At the time Lego was going through some changes and there wasn’t much available other than the basic Duplo Bucket (Legos’s toddler version of their famous bricks, not to be confused with Megablocks or other such copy cats). We were lucky enough to score some great sets at a toy liquidator and of course the Bob the Builder sets came around just in time for his Bob the Builder stage.

Then sometime after his 4th birthday a friend gave him his first real Lego set. It was a small set with only about 10 steps to build a simple race car. Awsumb followed the instructions putting the set together, taking it apart, over and over again. Not yet being the Lego connoisseur I have now become, I asked my friend where to get simple small sets. I found Lego offered quite a few small sets… The first ones we started buying were of these little Knights that fans often refered to as the 'Rainbow Knight' collection. The Knight’s Kingdom collection was simple and sweet, each knight donning his unique color, thus many Lego fans regarded them as childish. The Lego website had some really great stories about these little Knights and especially one young, but fast Knight who learns and grows and becomes King. Awsumb was hooked for life!

The Legos that I had been stuffing in Kenneth’s stockings for years came home from the office to live at our house and Legos basically became part of the family budget! I called Lego parts department and was able to acquire all the little characters from the Knights set that he had grown to love (TIP- The parts department can be your best friend!) By the time Awsumb was 5 or 6 he was putting together pretty complicated sets. If the set was a large one we often helped him find the pieces or snap the pieces together a bit more tightly for him. Then over the years he took over most of the Lego building in our house.

Right away I began to have puzzling questions about Legos... How they should be played with, stored, etc. When I was a child we had one or two basic boxed sets. I am not sure they even came with any more instructions that a few suggested things to build on the box. The sets came with some wheels, minifigs and a few specialty pieces, but were pretty basic sets… what you decided to build was completely up to you. I quickly realized this wasn’t how Legos were these days. Legos came in sets… Branded Sets. Besides the original stories Lego was coming up with they had Star Wars and other popular characters. And of course those were the sets that Awsumb wanted.

This of course meant that one set was meant to build one or two specific things. Being the perfectly organized person that I have to be, I was struggling trying to figure out if I should be letting him 'free build' with all these cool sets, or keeping them all segregated to individual ziplock bags with their individual instructions. What I realized was that in the end that segregation was not fair. BUT I couldn’t have the little cute Rainbow Knights mixing with the Star Wars or other characters either! What was I supposed to do with this organizing dilemma?

I came across this article and it helped me understand where some of my anxiety was coming from. Click here to read Why Lego’s Can’t Click. Yes, Legos sets were a complicated issue. Thus a new decree was declared in our house… “Lego sets must first be built to the instruction booklet specification.” Then they would become part of a free build bucket… still segregated to their themes of course!

And this is how we came to build the wall that is now A Lego Bucket Wall in Awsumb’s room. (No, I won’t show you a photo!). Awsumb has one or more buckets for each theme: City, Knights, Star Wars, Batman, Indiana Jones, Racers, etc. Each theme is allowed out one at a time (thus proper segregation!). And the original instructions are filed perfectly away for future rebuilds (which does happen from time to time). But for the most part once the suggestion ship or car is completed it is cannibalized to become a new creation.

An additional tip is that when we reached the point that Awsumb’s Lego creations were displayed and being played with all over the family room I couldn’t take it anymore! So, I bought a train table, which turned out to be perfect because the raised edges keep the tiny pieces from falling on the floor. And finally we had a Lego Creation Studio right in our own family room! Do Legos still end up on the floor? Sometimes, but I always threaten with the vacuum and that seems to work!