Hanging By a Thread

Toys For Sale: Impromptu Garage Sale

To have a garage sale or not....that is the question.

Earlier, this week, I got a sudden urge to get rid of unnecessary, unused, outgrown items in our home. And late that night, as I re-arranged my living room and made the decision to get a bunk bed for my two sons who share a room so that I could put their toys back in their room and remove them from the living room, I decided to have a garage sale...on Friday; as in, tomorrow.

Now, every few years or so, we have a garage sale, but I usually coordinate it with the citywide garage sale and take weeks to cull through and price and plan and debate whether to get rid of something or not. Other times, we drop off things at ARC's Value Village or give outgrown clothes to friends with younger boys.

This time, there is no planning time; no coordinating with other garage sales in the area; and there are a couple of glitches; Darling 1 and Darling 2. They are always adamantly opposed to getting rid of ANYTHING that belongs to them. And I didn't realize until yesterday that Darling 1 doesn't have school tomorrow. So, he'll be here to "help" me, as well as Darling 2.

I expect fits of crying and negotiating and stubborn arguing over the items I have selected to make their homes elsewhere. I expect I will have to be armed with lots of reason and explanations. And I have already paved my way to success, with a little bribery.

Without knowing exactly what will be on the chopping block tomorrow, the boys agreed to help with the garage sale and sell some of their things in exchange for $10 of the profit to spend as they please at Target.

This will be my bargaining chip each time they begin to slip in their resolve and clutch a raggedy stuffed animal that has been forgotten for years; yet has all of a sudden become his favorite stuffed animal of all time. Or when they attempt to show me that they can still fit in the Little Tykes car you push with your feet, I will dangle that $10 in front of their dazzling eyes.

Do I recommend bribery for every situation? Absolutely not, but I think there is a time and a place for everything. And I don't mind sharing the proceeds from their cast-off toys and outgrown clothes and gear. After all, it is their stuff; or was their stuff and is soon to be someone else's.

So, am I crazy to attempt this impromptu garage sale with my sometimes strangely attached to ragged, forgotten toys, always willful and determined, yet easily bribed with money to spend at Target children in tow?

Well, we shall see. I'm going to attempt it. I'll report back.

Do you have garage sales? How do you decide what to get rid of and what to keep? And are your children present at the sale? Over and out...

Anna

Spring Break: Wide Open Schedules

When I was growing up we hardly ever traveled anywhere for spring break. In fact, I don't recall anyone who did, except for maybe a road trip to visit a grandma. As a young child in south Texas what I recall about spring break is that it was a time to go to the local dime store and choose a few new toys and games to keep us occupied throughout the week.

We bought jump ropes, jacks, paddle balls, pick-up sticks, harmonicas and marbles. And sometimes, if I was lucky, my mom let me buy those cheap plastic high heels. Of course, several of these things usually broke pretty quickly.

The little, pink, bouncy ball stapled to the piece of rubber band that was stapled to the paddle almost always detached after only about 5 minutes of pounding the ball against the paddle. And those plastic heels; well, if I didn't sprain my ankle or get a deep, red, burning impression across the top of my feet from the tight elastic band holding the "shoes" on, the cheap plastic would break in half by day two.

At some point, my mom, brother and I would play Monopoly, which always ended the same way time after time, year after year; arguing, tears and money being thrown at someone. Honestly, it was generally me who threw the money at my brother, the great hotel mogul. And yet, we would play it once more and my brother and I would promise we wouldn't get upset with each other, but we always did.

Spring break was a time to sleep in, play for long hours and stay up late. Schedules were relaxed and time seemed to slow to a crawl. We went bowling, watched movies and ate at our favorite burger place for lunch. As a child, spring break felt like it lasted for much longer than a week.

My favorite part of any holiday has always been the start of it. All those free days with no obligations; no deadlines; no morning rushes out the door spread out before me. Each day full of possibility; days open to the spontaneity of sudden inspiration; and days that allow for lazing about and doing absolutely nothing.

This is spring break to me. So, as we begin a new chapter of spring breaks with our kindergartener, I'm excited to take a week out of our normal, busy schedules for play, adventure and folly. And I'm leaving our schedule wide open for those impromptu moments that will almost certainly be our favorite memories. Over and out...

Anna

The List: The Fickle World of Toys

Toys that Seemed Like a Good Idea {But Weren't}

1. Moon Sand. Contrary to the description on the package; this is basically colored sand and nothing like clay or play-doh; I don't need colored sand in my house.
2. Card Games. For some children of certain ages, this is probably a great idea, but for two active, young boys, a card game simply ends in a mess of cards scattered all over the table and floor and 4 disgruntled participants.
3. Anything not made of the strongest materials on the market. IT WILL break within 24 hours if bought at the dollar store, in the dollar area or just generally cheaply made.
4. Kid Camera. For the price, you might as well just buy a cheap real digital camera that will actually work.
5. Toy Laptop. They use it to pretend sometimes, but it has never taken the place of one of our real laptops or smartphones.

Toys I Wasn't Sure Were a Good Idea {But Were}

1. Any and Every Costume. They love to get dressed up and play. While I have never paid much for Halloween costumes, we definitely get our money's worth and more from them.
2. Large Cardboard Bricks. At first I thought they were a mistake, but with time the bricks have been used to build structures for the Cars vehicles and Toy Story characters, walls for their "Café" that includes their play kitchen and obstacles to be knocked down.
3. Anything from the Imaginext Line. These toys are large, but inspire creative play. The space shuttle and launch pad, bat cave and airplane carrier and more have been involved in many missions, involving super heroes, cars, animals and more; and what's more, they're sturdy.

Toys that Have Stood the Test of Time

1. Stuffed Animals. Whether being cuddled or caught or re-enacting a Disney movie, the boys' giant pile of stuffed animals remains.
2. Books. A favorite book is a favorite book, no matter how much time has passed.
3. Sports Equipment. Balls, bats, racquets and more have been played with from the time that Darling 1 was a tiny tot and continue to get lots of action.
4. Any kind of connecting blocks. Legos and Duplo Mega Blocks have always been a favorite too. And as the boys grow, they grow into the smaller and more complicated Legos, but still use and incorporate the larger pieces too.

Most toys come {and break} and go, but a few stick around. My mother-in-law still has a number of toys from when her 30 something boys were youngsters that her grandkids now enjoy just as much. Choosing which toys will stand the test of time and be worth your hard earned money is much harder than it appears.

Which toys have stood the test of time in your home? Over and out...

Anna

F is for Fear: Bad School Policies Affecting Good Kids {On a Soapbox....on a Tuesday}

School Contraband

I really hate the stories about the students, mostly boys, who once at school discover they have accidently brought a toy gun or small pocket knife in their backpack, book bag, lunch box or coat pocket; who report this to the teacher because the student knows this is contraband that shouldn't be at school; only to be tossed out of school and receive a record of bringing a "weapon" to school and a school suspension.

A boy from Georgia did just this a week or so ago. While in chess club, the 13 year old middle school student, discovered the 1.5 inch knife in the military style bag his aunt bought at a yard sale and gave him as a Christmas gift. The boy, upon discovering this knife, immediately alerted his teacher. His reward for this honest act? A 4-day, in-school suspension.

The Wrong Message

I can't tell you how angry this story and others like it make me. Disciplining an honest, well-meaning child in this way teaches two negative lessons: 1) don't tell the truth and 2) justice is a fraud.

We tell our children to tell the truth; honesty is the best policy. We tell our children that justice will prevail; the innocent will be free and the guilty punished.

And yet, our schools have responded to isolated incidents of evilness with fear. This fear has caused them to write harsh and unfair policies regarding ANY "weapons" brought to school, whether real or perceived, under ANY circumstances.

Lessons Learned

These school policies teach children to hide the truth {and the contraband} should they make such a discovery in their bags or pockets. These policies teach children that mens rea, or intent, doesn't matter, motives are unimportant, they are guilty by association and the school need not have any evidence to present against them to be found guilty of this "crime." These are lessons our students will learn at a young age and take with them all through school and into their adulthood.

We have thrown out the common sense response to the self-reporting of accidently {or unbeknownst to the student, as in this case} bringing a toy weapon or small knife to school. The response in such cases should be kind and appreciative. We should applaud and welcome those who come forward to admit the mistake and turn in the contraband; then remind all the students of the dangers of having any weapons, toy or otherwise, at school for a variety of reasons and tell them to carefully check their bags and remove any such items before coming to school.

The Scoop

Schools, in trying to protect the students, have instead hurt some of the "good" students. These policies are bad. These kinds of stories almost always make the news because they are unjust policies. Why must we punish the truthful, rule-following, upstanding students? The simple answer is Fear.

Fear controls much of how we run our lives. We must overcome fear and recognize the difference between students who are a threat and in need of intervention and students who are well-meaning, good kids, who sometimes make and honest mistake. Over and out...

Anna

Twas the Night Before Christmas: Motherly Law Style

Twas the night before Christmas,

When all thro' the house,

Not a creature was stirring,

Except for the Mom;

The stockings were hung

By the chimney with care,

Full to the brim with Angry Bird pencil toppers, Pez dispensers, chocolate, Squinkies and socks;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of superheroes and pirates danced in their heads,

And Dad in his fleece had just started to snore—

When out on the lawn

There arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my work to see what was the matter.

Away to window I flew like a flash,

Peeked out of the blinds

And checked the triple locked door.

The moon shining down on the brown grass below

Gave no reflection at all;

When, what to my squinting eyes, peering into the darkness, should come into sight

But 8 plastic yard reindeer attached to a broken down sleigh,

With a little, middle-aged driver, so wobbly and slow,

I knew in a moment he must be drunk.

More rapid than eagles these reindeer were not.

And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name:

"Now! Jack {Daniels}, now! Jim {Beam}, now! Jose {Quervo}, and Crown,

On! Bailey{'s}, on! Bud {weiser}, on! Malibu and Captain {Morgan}"

"To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves before a wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle...really, what does this line have to do with Christmas?

Regardless, up to the house-top those coursers did not try;

With a tired old sleigh and a tipsy St. Nick, those plastic reindeer didn't move an inch.

And then in a twinkling I heard on the window pane

The tapping and rapping and prying and tugging and struggling of that drunk Santa.

As I stood against a wall in the shadows, and reached for my Smartphone from the pocket of my flannel pajamas,

That fake Santa opened the window and climbed in with much difficulty:

He was dress'd all in synthetics,

from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnish'd

With chili cheese fries and root beer {say it like a Minnesotan and root rhymes with foot, kind of};

An empty bag he had flung over his back,

And he reminded me of...well, the Grinch

Just opening his {empty} sack:

His eyes – oh, how bleary!

His dimples very un-merry and really more like scowls,

Now, his cheeks were like roses

And his nose like a cherry {because of the liquor};

His droll little mouth was

Drawn down in a frown.

And the beard of his chin

Was as red as the nose on a clown;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth

And the smoke was thick and stinky,

Messing up my freshly cleaned house.

He had a broad face, and a

Big round belly

That bumped into my treasures and trinkets as he tread across my floor;

He was chubby and plump,

A right sad old elf,

And I dialed 911 when I saw him

In spite of my staring

A droop of his hand and nod of his head

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but

Went straight to sleep.

As he sank into my couch in his filthy old suit,

He turned on his side and began to saw logs.

Giving a nod {to the police} as they arrived at my home,

Out he was dragged before

He could awaken and make haste out the door to escape.

Once revived by fresh air, he sprung into action,

To his team {of plastic reindeer} gave a whistle,

But alas, to no avail, those old yard decorations gave no heed,

And away the cops took him, as fast as they'd descended upon

My humble abode,

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight-

Merry Christmas to you, and I'm not the real Claus, just an imposter.

Well, I'll have you know that fake Santa was booked, jailed and bailed,

Then charged, put on trial and convicted

Of the theft of 8 plastic yard reindeer and one antique miniature sleigh,

Disorderly conduct {based on his action at the bar prior to the theft of holiday decor},

And breaking and entering of a residence,

For which he received quite generous sentence in exchange for the promise

That that red-bearded elf would never play Santa again.

And, the red and white Santa Claus suit?

He swears it came in the mail,

Addressed to K. Kringle at his address penned beneath.

He donned it for a lark, but liked its affect

And wore it out for the night of pre-Christmas delight.

Alas, his folly got bold and he landed in prison, abject.

Over and out....Happy Christmas Eve!

Anna

The List: Bobby’s Letter to Santa; an Unexpected Find

Hunting for Treasure

In search of the perfect makings of pirate costumes, which happen to be on my Darling Boys' Christmas Wish List, I visited my local ARC Value Village shop of donated new and used items. Well, I discovered a treasure trove of goods there for my little Capt. Jack Sparrows {I am very proud of the costumes I put together and can't wait for Christmas morning!}

Well, it also happens that this was my first foray into the world of the Value Village. I found several other treasures too; among them was a Christmas Nativity book that I had as a child and brought home for 69 cents. When I got home and was looking through the book I found a fill-in-the-blank letter to Santa stuck in between two pages of the book that had been filled in by the original owner of the book. I know this because just inside the cover it's inscribed with the year 1983 (the year the book was published) and a boy's name. The name in the book matches the name on the Santa letter.

The Unsent Santa Letter

Here is that fill-in-blank letter with a list of requested Christmas gifts for the family:

Dear Santa,

I can hardly wait until Christmas! I've been very good all year (except for that one time when I markers). The things I want most are ecto-1, basketball and piano.

My parents have been good, too. Maybe you could bring a baby for my mom and girlfriend for my dad.

These are my favorite Christmas things: My favorite cookies are chocolat; my favorite color is rad, and my favorite reindeer is Rudy.

We'll leave a snack for you Christmas Eve so you won't go hungry.

Love Bobby

PS. Could I meet Rudolph someday?

Wish Lists

Hmmm. You have to wonder how well they all made out that Christmas. Perhaps young Bobby's parents weren't married to each other. I suppose, let's hope that was the case. Ah, out of the mouths of babes...Well, here's hoping you have all been good and that your kids have requested such special gifts for you this year.

By the way, I did a little research and the Ecto-1 was the vehicle from The Real Ghostbusters cartoon and seems to have been a top toy to get in 1986. I was 12 in 1986, but I am not a boy and we watched little, if any, TV back then, so this toy was not stuck in my memory. I'm sure my brother could rattle of this information even still without referring to Google. So, perhaps this letter is from 1986. Are you out there, Bobby? Over and out...

Anna

Straight Shooting: Boys & Guns

It's Inevitable

When I gather with other mothers the topic is bound to come up. It started when my sons were just little tikes, probably around the two year mark. And just as the discussion among moms is inevitable so is a boy's desire to know more...no matter how you, as a parent, feel about it.

I'm talking about guns; space blasters, water squirters, Nerf guns, laser guns, pop guns, rifles, pistols and any other kind of toy firearm. There comes a time for just about every boy when guns are of the utmost interest. It seems to be innate. It isn't something that can be contained or dismissed by a parent who wishes to suppress the issue of firearms, whether toy or real. It just happens.

This is not to say that a boy who puts a toy gun on his Christmas wish list will grow up to be a gun slingin', always packin', proud card carryin' NRA member. No, for most it's just a fad as are so many types of toys.

Not to be Ignored

My theory is this, the more you try to ignore the subject of guns, the more your son will want to know about what he's missing out on, which will only perpetuate the gun phase. Boys who are not allowed to play with actual toy guns will build them with Legos or other connecting blocks, turn sticks into guns or simply use their hands. We have allowed the toys guns, but the boys have only a few guns, mostly of the space alien laser type.

We are not gun toting kind of people, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, but I do talk openly about guns. I have explained about the dangers of guns, what to do if they ever encounter a gun in a field, at a person's home, at school, at the park, etc. I have said if they do happen upon a gun that they should never pick it up; even if it looks like a toy because many times real guns might look like a toy gun. Instead, I have instructed them to immediately report to a trusted adult. And I have made it a practice to inquire whether there are guns in the home where my child is invited to play.

The Presence of Firearms

Many people do own guns; some for protection, some for hunting and some for work {as in the case of law enforcement, not bounty hunters and assassins}. And to each his own; as long as the gun is not used or kept in a reckless manner and is obtained and registered legally.

Recently, while at a park with my Darling Boys and one of Darling 1's new friends from Kindergarten, the friend's mom and I had a conversation. Eventually, it turned to boys and guns. I mentioned that we don't have any guns in the home and she told me that they don't have guns either. Then, she said that she had been wondering how she would bring this issue up with parents of new friends from school who might invite her son over, and she was relieved that we had gotten that out of the way.

It's an awkward conversation to have, especially with fellow parents you may have just met, but I made a decision a while ago that I would ask. It's far less awkward to have this conversation than the conversation where you have to tell the parents that their child was accidentally shot and killed by a gun in your home. Sounds harsh, but it's true.

Just think of the number of times you have seen a headline telling of tragedy involving young kids and guns found in the home. Often, the child who lives in the home isn't even aware that a gun is in the home until he or she accidentally finds the gun. These accounts usually have the same storyline; a child finds the loaded gun in a closet, in a table next to the bed, between the mattress, etc. and by accident pulls the trigger shooting either him/herself, an unsuspecting sibling or friend.

You Should....

So, my opinion is that if you do indeed have guns for any purpose in your home, you should tell your children and anyone else in the home that there are firearms present. You should talk to the inhabitants of your home about the dangers of firearms. You should keep the firearms unloaded and locked. You should make sure that the inhabitants of the home know where the firearms are kept, and that location should not be accessible to children. This means it should be locked; kids can climb and reach anything.

The Scoop

And that's my two cents worth.* How do you feel about guns; toys or the real deal? Over and out...

Anna

*I write this from the perspective of a boy mom. Girls may have an interest in guns too. Of course, all the safety information pertains to both boys and girls.

Layaway: Strapped Shopper’s Good Deal or Stealing from the Consumer?

When I think back to my childhood, I recall saving up for things; I recall collecting points for items; and I recall putting things on layaway. It was a way to make sure you got the toy or piece of furniture or coat or whatever it was that you wanted without paying for it all at one time. Credit cards weren't used as freely as they are now, at least not in the world I grew up in.

To put something on layaway, you had to pay a small amount d own and perhaps a small fee and then you could make payments on your items in small increments or in a lump-sum payment. I don't remember layaway lasting more than a couple of month for each item. It was great for Christmas gifts, school clothes and larger ticket items. I even used layaway during my second year of college when I got my first apartment and needed to buy some items like a vacuum cleaner, bar stools and such.

As credit cards gained in popularity over the last 20 years, layaway began to fade away. Instead, people were able to have instant gratification when purchasing with the almighty credit card. Oh, yes, we were paying for it in interest, but we were able to live the lives we wanted rather than what we could afford.

While we still live in a world ruled by credit, people have been forced to live more within their means due to our sour, stagnant economy. This is not a bad thing. In fact, it's one of the few good things about our economy. However, there are also many who are just barely getting by, living paycheck to paycheck.

Those people still want to be able to buy their kids Christmas gifts or a new, warm coat or a new table for the dining room or a bed or other item they need without charging up credit cards. This is where layaway comes in. They can pick out the items today, pay a little from each check and be sure that in a few months they'll have paid for their holiday gifts or have outfitted their family for the winter or replaced old, broken furniture with new, etc.

Well, layaway is on the comeback with a number of large retail stores offering it to customers in this pre-holiday season. I recently read an article in The Week with excerpts from Mr. Hyman's NY Times article stating that the financing of layaway is much worse than using credit cards. Here's the example he gave, paraphrased by me:

A mom goes to buy Christmas gifts for her kids which total $100. She puts them on layaway, paying $10 down bringing her total owed down to $90, but then she has to pay a $5 service fee. She has basically two months to pay off the $90 remaining and has spent $15 already; paying just $5 more than what it would have cost her if she hadn't put it on layaway.

Mr. Hyman complains that the rate paid by this fictitious mom could be considered "predatory." Mr. Hyman equates this $5 fee for a $90 two month loan to a credit card with a 44% annual percentage rate. He complains that companies like Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Sears are taking advantage of shoppers who are low on cash and credit.

I don't see it that way. I am in no way a fan of extra fees or high interest rates, but if by paying $5 extra dollars, it meant that I could afford the items my Darling Boys were dreaming of Santa bringing them for Christmas, then I would happily put the toys on layaway and pay the measly $5.

If the alternative was waiting until the last minute when I had saved up enough money to go shopping on Christmas Eve praying there would still be choice toys available, $5 is not a big price to pay. Additionally, if and when credit cards are used, often times a person uses it over and over and racks up so much debt that the fees and interest paid greatly exceeds $5 in the end. I would always choose layaway over a credit card.

What do you think? Are you a fan of layaway or do you side with Mr. Hyman? Is paying the $5 fee better than racking up more debt on credit cards; debt you may not be able to pay off right away, which means paying much more in interest? Over and out...

Anna

Dirty Little {Hidden} Toxins: Exposure to Lead in Bounce Houses {2012 Reminder}

Dirty Hands

My Darling Boys are always sticking their fingers in the mouths or grabbing a snack with their fingers and eating it after playing at the park or in the dirt before I can clean off their hands or send them to the sink for a thorough washing.

This grosses me out and sends thousands of warnings messages through my neurons. I try to stop them and get their hands clean before it happens, but it invariably does happen. Darling 2 will say, "Why, Ma?" as he sticks little goldfish crackers in his mouth with his filthy little hands. And yet, they have survived and a little dirt is OK, but it's all the chemicals and germs that scare me. And now, another danger to be wary of...

Hidden Bounce House Dangers

We are aware of the threat of lead in old paint, in toys, in jewelry and on strands of Christmas lights, but here's one that might surprise you: beware of dangerous levels of lead in inflatable bounce house vinyl. Last August, the CA attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against 8 bounce house manufacturers claiming there are unsafe levels of lead in the vinyl. In February, a settlement was reached with 2 of the major suppliers to reduce the lead in the vinyl, making it safer for about half of the bounce houses.

The lawsuit was filed after the Center for Environmental Health tested dozens of bounce houses. The advocacy group focused on the vinyl of the structures; the very thing that makes them bouncy. The group used Field Portable XRF analyzers with X-rays to determine the chemical makeup of solid objects. What they found was surprising.

Lead Exposure

The tests revealed that the vinyl tested contained lead in levels of 5,000 parts per million to 29,000 parts per million. These number far exceed the federal limit of 90 to 300 parts per million. These levels are potentially toxic.

Lead is a cumulative poison; every little bit exposed to can make a big difference in the long run, particularly for kids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that exposure to lead can lead to learning disabilities, behavioral problems and seizures, coma and even death, in cases of extreme exposure.

Precautions

If you choose not to boycott bounce houses altogether, based on this issue and others, then be sure to wash hands and face after your child is finished in the bounce house and before eating. What happens is the lead dust gets on a child's hands and face and clothes, the child then gets out and grabs a drink or eats some food and ingests the lead dust in the process.

The two manufacturers who agreed to the settlement in California also agreed to test their structures that are already in circulation for rental for parties and events and replace those with dangerous levels. However, the safe assumption is that your child may be exposed to lead when using a bounce house. So, make sure to wipe your child's hands and face after playing in a bounce house.

The Scoop

We can choose to be overly cautious or throw caution to the wind or settle somewhere in the middle. We fall in the middle ground. I'm not a fanatic about washing hands every three minutes; I let me kids play in the dirt; we swim in lakes; and haven't had all of our toys tested for lead or other dangerous chemicals. Yep, we're living on the edge. Over and out...

Anna

Ready, Set, Jump: Bouncy House Safety

The Joy of Bouncing

What is it about jumping that brings such joy to kids? When Darling 1 was just a few weeks old he starting bouncing in my lap; he loved to bounce, bounce, bounce. Darling 1 was such a bouncer that we bought him a Tigger Halloween costume when he was 3 months old. Both the Boys still love to bounce whether it's at Skyzone on a trampoline, on a bed at home, or in a bouncy house.

Nearly every mid to large size town now has a inflatable bounce structure business that's all about jumping, climbing and sliding. These are prime birthday party locations; great indoor play areas when the weather is foul; and fun for the whole family. These structures have made appearances in thousands of yards for all kinds of celebrations; they're present at fairs, festivals and carnivals; and a sure thing at church events and school activities.

Safe Jumping

So, what's the big deal? It's fun to jump; the surfaces aren't hard or sharp; and the kids are safe, right? The answer is tricky. Lately, the seemingly innocent and fun bouncy structures have been getting a lot of bad press. A preliminary search quickly found these incidents: a gust of wind has picked up a bouncy house and flung it into a roof or several yards over or straight up in the air; kids summersault or fall or jump into each other; kids knock into people standing outside the bouncy structure; and kids are exposed to lead in the plastic of the bouncy house. In each of these accidents, people were killed or injured, some were catastrophic injuries.

A Collapsing Bouncy House

This past weekend, we attended a fun end of the summer party in the backyards of our friends and their neighbors who live behind them. Partygoers wandered back and forth. There was live music in one yard, food in one of the houses, drinks at both houses, and a bouncy house in one yard. The Boys immediately gravitated to the spectacular, Toy Story themed, giant bouncy structure. There was a slide, a basketball hoop and several "rooms" for jumping. We finally cajoled them to get out to come eat.

Later, when it was dark, they asked to go back to the bouncy house in the other yard. DH went with them and about 10 minutes later, I walked over to check on them. When I got past the shrubs that divide the yard, I heard Darling 2 crying and saw DH crawling in to find him. At that same time, I noticed the spotlight that had been trained on the bouncy house went out, along with other outside lights. I went around to the side where Darling 2 was to check that he was OK and with DH.

It was then I noticed the bouncy house was deflating... and quickly. Then, it dawned on me, the breaker had flipped with the bouncy house compressor, spotlight and outdoor lights all on; it was too much for the breaker. By this point, the kids were screaming because they realized it was coming down. I yelled to the people standing by the house to flip the breaker and get a flashlight. Since DH was in the bouncy house, he was able to grab our Boys and corral the rest of the kids and get out. He told me the kids were having a hard time trying to get out because the top was falling on them and the deflating floor had big sink holes and gaps in it and it was totally dark.

All the kids did get out {as well as DH}. No one was injured. But that was enough excitement for us. We were done with the bouncy house. And it made me start thinking about bouncy house safety. I had heard a few stories of the structures taking flight after a big gust of wind or on a windy day, but with just a little digging I found a lot more.

This week I'm going to be discussing the various dangers, liability issues and rules for staying safe when it comes to inflatable bouncy structures. Should you boycott them altogether? Well, that's up to you, but I know that I will for sure never rent one for my yard, and I will think twice before allowing my kids to jump in one. I'll be back with more tomorrow. Over and out...

Anna