Vintage.

I've been thinking a lot these last few days, about how toys are so different from what they used to be. I remember sitting in the floor as a young girl, playing with my Fisher Price toys and loving every minute. Although, Fisher Price makes some outstanding toys nowadays, I find myself constantly worrying about what hidden toxin could be hidden in them. With all the "recalls" and Fisher Price's recent "Lead & Magnet Class Action Settlement", I have found myself reminiscing about the old days, where they were no "scares" of lead poisoning from the toys we played with. So, with all this "thinking" that I've been doing, I decided to explore E-Bay and find some old, vintage Fisher Price toys like the ones I used to play with as a child. I've been making a checklist of the items I would like to put in the Little Monkey's Easter basket and some good toys is on the list! You might think I'm crazy for buying someone's old, used toys, and that's your opinion. I see it like this. I'm saving money, which is a biggie (these toys sell for $20- $40). Plus, I'm introducing some of the same old toys that I played with to my toddler child. Toys that have been around for years and are safe from lead and other harmful materials that we see far too often in toys today. After all, his safety is my #1 priority :)

This is on my E-Bay watch list. A 1974 Vintage Fisher Price Camera (talk about old school). I can remember playing with something very similar to this when I was little.

Since my little boy's room is decorated in planes, trains and automobiles, I decided that this plane would be a great addition to his "boy toy" collection :) He needs an airplane :)

Do any of you remember this? I do! I had one of these little wind-up telephones. Also on my watch list.

Most of you know that I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education back in 2008. I was so stoked about getting into the classroom, my classroom, and setting up centers and reading rugs, etc. When I found out I was pregnant a month after I graduated, it seemed pointless to find a job to only take maternity leave after the first 6 months, knowing I wouldn't want to go back to work. So, I never got the chance to put all these creative ideas to use, until now. The Little Monkey is getting old enough now to start doing fun, creative activites like reading and puzzle centers, coloring and painting in the following months. I have been slowly making a list of fun center ideas for him to play at. My first, is his reading center. Reading centers play a big part in a kids day. They go to school and spend a great deal of their time reading. Which is great! That's why I'm helping the Monkey get a head start in that department. Here is my win on E-Bay last night. A win most Elementary School teachers would drool over :)

16 Vintage Dr. Seuss, Mercer Mayer, P.D. Eastman and Robert Quakenbush books!! For a total of $4.28!! I don't know if any of you have priced Dr. Seuss books lately, but some go as much as $12.95! I basically got 16 books for $0.27 each! That's some mad savings! Ha!