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Monday, December 9, 2013

Muffins with mom – The Island of Misfit Toys



Photo credit: www.urbanspoon.com

Today’s muffin talk begins with a chocolate chip muffin and a warm cup of coffee with a shot of Vanilla. Join me as you read.
Do you know where dead basketballs end up? Apparently in the basement of my home. I went to basement to retrieve Christmas decorations, when I stumbled upon forgotten treasures. It was like the Island of misfit toys in Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

Some kids outgrow their clothes and the clothes are given away or donated somewhere. My kids outgrow their toys, but they still seem to remain around the house. There are flat basketballs, footballs, old Nerf guns and so much more.

What do you do with toys that your child no longer plays with? One idea I had was to pack some of the items into a suitcase and send them with my son when he goes away to college. The forgotten treasures could serve as nostalgia to remind him of home.
Below are four ideas I found around the web for finding a new home for old toys.

1.      Sell old toys and baby clothes on E-bay or Craig’s list.

2.      Trade items – organize a swap party where you could trade clothes, toys or maybe even fun items such as jewelry.

3.      Repurpose – use old building blocks to make a wall hanging or animal head toys to make a coat rack.

4.      Donate – there may be a number of places in your area to donate items. Some fire departments and EMT’s keep stuffed animals on hand for children they transport to hospitals. Check local churches and business to see if they are having a toy drive.

Check out the website at donationtown for items that may be donated to local charities and picked up free of charge.

Just for fun check out the clip below of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys.
 
Youtube video credit: Holiday Favorites

Do you have an island of misfit toys? What do you do with old toys?
 
Forgotten toys at my house


3 comments:

  1. We certainly do! I'm horrible about getting rid of things that belong to my kids, even though my husband wishes I would. Now that we're having another baby, however, he's grateful that I kept everything! LOL I know I'll have to deal with the toys eventually though, or they'll push us out of the house. :)

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  2. Dana - it's a good thing you held onto some of the kids toys (-:

    George - The muffin was good!

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