I know I know. I’d been fairly MIA all of 2011. You see, my weekly housekeeper quit to look after her sick mom back in December 2010 and we decided not to hire anyone new to replace her. So I’ve been doing the cleaning and laundry too, which after a year I am still doing rather poorly (but we get by). Plus when you’re so exhausted any blogging ideas kind of dissipate and disappear before they hit paper (or the iPhone).

The kids have been great. 5 and 2 have been a lovely age for each kid so far. Both are helpful with housework – they love hanging out and keeping laundry, folding and keeping clothes, and pick up their toys and keep them. When I need to do housework, they have a choice of helping or entertaining themselves. They’ve become very good at the latter!

So I have to say full-time housework has been a win-win for this family. The kids have learnt to play on their own without my having to be there but am within shouting distance in the same house. I get a bit of quiet time washing dishes and doing laundry.

The only downside for me is I need to rest a lot more during the day because it isn’t second nature for me to do housework but I trudge on because I want it to be easy for my kids, second nature, no sweat for them to do housework, not like the chore it is for me. After all, isn’t parenthood is about arming our kids with life skills? This is one skill I want my kids to have. I truly feel that life would be so much easier for them if they embrace it.

This afternoon, I got Wolf to turn off the light and pretend he is in a dangerous zone somewhere with wandering monsters (so he needs to be very quiet) and he needs to recruit stuffed friends scattered around the bed to be his soldiers (he learns to id them from touch) and he has to build a fort from blankets and pillow and assign jobs to his soldiers.

So far so good! He does whisper questions to me and I issue instructions on the scenario but it is quiet time.

Mommy Doll (see previous post) has been assigned the role of Commander because she is the most powerful. :p

Update: The game lasted an hour till he wanted to rest too.

Here’s a wonderful opportunity to buy her beautiful safe open-ended toys for your child.

Everything except the Little Kitchen, Sun House, Oak Bus, Hammer and Nails, Tools and Toolbox is 20% off! The coupon code is JANUARY.

Go visit her store already: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaMadeThem

Different children like different truck toys, but there are certain trucks that tend to be more popular than others, such as:

• Dump trucks
• Garbage trucks
• Cement trucks
• Crane trucks
• Tractor trailers

The reason why the above mentioned often receive the most attention is because they have unique parts that move. After all, even though a solid truck without moveable parts can be a lot of fun to play with, a vehicle that features an extendable crane, a turning cement mixer, detachable pieces or a place to store special objects is far more entertaining and more likely to provide unlimited fun.

Keep an open mind when you are searching for truck toys and remember that there are many diverse options available, and not all are only for the purpose of playing. There are also plenty of fascinating models in the form of diecasts or sold in building kits, which may be perfect for a truck enthusiast and collector.

Regardless of your reasons, if it interests you to obtain diecast trucks, you will quickly discover that there are plenty of different models to choose from. You will also find that they range in sizes, as well as color and design. Thus, there are plenty of trucks for you to choose from, including transport trucks, dump trucks, and much more.

Something else for you to think about when you are considering diecast trucks is whether or not moving parts matters to you. If you want a model where parts move, such as doors that can open and close, a steering wheel that spins, hoods that open, you’ll find that the larger the toy, the more intricate the detail.
Thus, it’s a good idea to carefully think about the type of diecast trucks you want to add to your collection because they are not all the same.