apparently the must-have-gift for three year olds this year was playdough. i'm not complaining, though each person who gifted my son with such item cringed when he unwrapped it and apologized to me profusely.

hint: do not buy a gift you must apologize for.

however, the javinator and i had a brilliant time last night at the kitchen table. i laid out yards of parchment paper and we brought out the 1500 or so containers of playdough along with the molds and stencils and other assorted crap.

i got way too wrapped up in making a playdough zoo complete with giraffes and alligators, but all pluck wanted to make was a snake. over and over again. and he liked to break my animals to add to his "nake".

i found myself getting mad and trying to deceive him, but then realized that it is his toy and if he wants a 500 foot long lumpy flat snake, by god he'll have one. and so he did.

i still don't understand the cringe - though my sister says it's cause i rule with an iron fist, pluck helped me put away each and every clump of dough and then together we wiped down the parchment paper and folded it/put it away. no fights, no fuss, no horrible stinking mess.

once his back was turned i hid every last playdough tool and tub in the buffet. you see, while i may not believe playdough is messy, i don't need to go out of my way to prove to myself that is by allowing the crafty little boy free rein over it.

tonight it's a dora game. one gift a night and he chose the dora game. the boy loves him some dora and so i will sit and attempt to play it with him. i have a master plan to use it to work on his matching/shape recognition skills, but SHHHHH! don't tell anyone!

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the mama part of this is over. in non-mama news, oh wait. i don't have any. i'm racking my brain and can't come up with anything. i'll skulk off feeling pathetic now...