[blparent] Safety first

[David Andrews]

My daughter had one of those talking cash registers when she was 
younger, and loved it.

Dave

At 08:24 AM 12/14/2010, you wrote:
>Austin is getting a talking cash register called the Zillions Talking Cash
>Register.  It is supposed to scan actual bar codes that you put on objects,
>you can make announcements through its microphone, it's a talking
>calculator, and more.  I hope it is really as cool as it looks.  I've done a
>bit of playing with it in the box and it seems to be living up to its
>description.  It is also only $30 which to me seems like a great deal for
>what it does.  It comes with play money as well.  Austin is very into
>playing restaurant with his play kitchen and food, but he has always wanted
>a cash register so people can pay their bills.  I think this gift will also
>encourage him to play other games such as store which will be fun.
>Austin is also very into Mr. Potato Head because of the Toy Story movies.
>My husband found a huge lot of Mr. Potato Heads and pieces on Ebay so Austin
>will be getting that for Christmas.  He'll also be getting a US puzzle map
>that says the state and capital of the state when each piece is inserted.
>My husband travels a lot for work, and Austin is always asking where daddy
>is, so I've been wanting to get him a US puzzle for a long time so he can
>learn about all of the states, where they are, and then we can have a
>tradition of looking at where daddy is when he's on the road compared to
>where we are in MD.
>Some print and Braille books, the Toy Story movies, and a few other little
>things will round out his Christmas.  Oh, he's also getting Lincoln Logs
>from his Nanna; he usually likes to build things, so I hope he likes the
>Lincoln Logs as much as I did when I was a kid.
>         Austin had a birthday yesterday and he got a bed tent that looks
>like a tree house, a Mrs. Potato Head (since the big lot did not include one
>and he's been wanting one so badly) and some other things from friends and
>family.  He got a Motor Works set from Discovery Toys from his grandma.
>It's a set with a car, a motorcycle, and an airplane that can be taken apart
>and put back together with a real battery operated drill and a manual screw
>driver which come with the set.  He's had tons of fun with it all ready.
>         Oriana is getting a Jack In The Box, a Fisher Price Record Player
>that actually plays special records like a music box...  I had one when I
>was little and loved it, so when I saw it I had to pick it up for her.  I
>couldn't believe they still make and sell it.  Oriana is also getting the
>Baby Grooves set from Discovery Toys.  It is a set of different instruments
>made especially for babies and toddlers and has a CD to play along with.  I
>know at first she'll just bang the instruments around, but I thought this
>would be a fun toy for her to grow into.  She's also getting some books, a
>block that makes different animal sounds and sings different animal songs
>when it's pressed, and a new teether.
>         Both kids are getting a Treasurery of Christmas Stories book.  We're
>planning to give it to them on Christmas Eve, and we're hoping it will
>become a tradition for us to read from it every Christmas Eve, and every
>year around Christmas.  The stories it contains look wonderful.
>         All in all, I'm pretty pleased with our gift buying this year.  I
>feel like we're doing a pretty good job of balancing the toys with more
>technology, the movies,  and the old stand bys and books.  This can
>certainly be challenging when it seems as if so many toys Austin talks about
>are those with batteries and all kinds of bells and whistles.  Not that
>there's anything wrong with those, but I always try not to lose sight of the
>toys that are really kid powered.  And, we haven't been reading together as
>much as I'd like, so getting both kids books was a huge priority for us this
>year.
>         Sorry for the novel!
>Melissa