Tuesday, August 14, 2012

My Sources Say ...

I'm immature.

I'm sure this isn't shocking news to you. You've listened to me rant about things like granny elbows. You've seen the tense exchange of verbiage with my older sibling that often happens in the comment threads. And most of all, you know that I'm an author, which means I have conversations with imaginary people.

Also, I play with toys.

We saw this in the clearance isle at the toy store and I pretended to be the nice mom and buy it for my 11 year-old, but really: I WANTED IT FOR ME!

This was one of my favorite toys as a kid. Obviously, I knew it wasn't really magic, but that didn't stop me from asking it questions non-stop. Most of the questions probably had to do with boys. I must have been about 17 or 18 at the time. (Kidding, more like Jr High, which is still embarrassing.)

One thing about me: I'm impatient. I always want to know what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next year. I would like little glimpses of my life off in the distance so I know if I'm on the right track. Since I haven't found a crystal ball lying around, I'm back to relying on a Magic 8 Ball. I quietly whisper it questions like these:

Did everyone think I was vain and foolish after last weeks post?

Are my blog friends the best kind of people in the world?

Is there someone who takes better pictures of barns than me? (You need to look here and then you'll know that the Magic 8 Ball possess amazing powers.)

Will I be in a mental institution before school starts again? 

And guess what answer I get every time?

You may rely on it.

But! The Magic 8 Ball is not broken, because when I ask it the following question, I get a different answer:

Is my new book, Reign of Trees, any good? 

Outlook not so good.

Argh!

That's when I throw the Magic 8 Ball across the room and say, "This stupid toy doesn't work!"

The M8B (I'm getting tired of tying Magic 8 Ball, so we're going with an acronym. Besides, it sounds more modern and hip to call it the M8B.) wasn't the only toy I played with as a kid. I loved Barbies. Loved, loved, loved them.


I even had Donny and Marie Dolls. He had purple socks! And a microphone!

I had a Green Hulk lunchbox.

I loved my Cabbage Patch Kid.

What toys did you play with when you were a kid? Do you have any toys you like to play with now?  And did you read about the kid who had a Lego stuck up his nose for 3 years? Do you think he still likes to play with them? (Obviously not the piece that was in his nose, because eewww! It's covered in boogers!)

Be a sharefish and tell us all about your toys.

And no post next week. I know a bunch of you have kids going back to school (and two of you are off to college!) and I'll be traveling, so we'll see you back here on 28th.


8 comments:

Nicole Jessop said...

Yay! I love kids toys! I think I was always the babysitter that wanted to play with the toys more than the kids did. Legos were probably my all time favorite. We have a bunch now that we're starting to get together. For the future kids of course, we would never buy toys for us to play with. We're much to old and mature for that. *cough, cough* And Tonka trucks! I bought one at DI the other day! It needs a little TLC with the paint but will be so cool! And my Super Nintendo. Steve got one last year for his birthday and it's so fun to play together. I still like to play with toys :) It's fun still being a kid sometimes! Oh, and the Magic 8 Ball was something I always wanted but never got. I have one now- it's a digital keychain one, so you press the 8 button and it gives you an answer. Not as fun, but I finally have one!

Jennifer Lovell said...

I love our vintage toys that I've come across over the last few years (meaning between the time I stopped playing with toys and now). You should have seen me squeal and jump up and down when my daughter opened a birthday gift that my mom had found at a yard sale: Fashion Plates. The best! My mom and I both knew that gift was really for me, but she gave it to my daughter just to help me save face, ha ha. Last year I bought two Lite Bright sets for our kids! We have a Magic 8 Ball that I got at a yard sale a long time ago (although it's pink and says "Magic D8 (get it? Date?) Ball" on it, the answers inside are all the same), and I saved it to give to my daughter when she turned 8. That was for me, too. I wish I could find a real Slinky somewhere, and then my collection would feel complete. (By the way, do they make PacMan and Frogger for Wii?)

Devree said...

Well since I still am a kid ;) When I was younger, like since I was 3, my favorite thing to play with were barbies! That and Bratz. Actually around 4th grade I sort of out grew Barbies and played with Bratz and MyScene dolls. Now I'm into all things Cars and Finding Nemo. They exccite me. For Christmas my brother got me a Lightening McQueen for me. Noble and I joked that all we wanted was a pony for Christmas so a few years ago I bought him a My Little Pony. He kept it at the top of his closet until the Throw Away queen, my mother, was helping him clean up and decide what he wanted to save while he was on his mission. The pony didn't make the cut so he donated it to some little girls in our ward.
Lori I don't leave until September 5th and college won't stop me from commenting!
JazznJenna, I have PacMan for my x-box which isn't 360 but I guess that's considered old school now. Maybe after Wreck It Ralf comes out in the theatres there will be some arcade games for Wii although I don't know how well you could play those with a wii-mote.

Caitlin said...

Oh yes, the magic 8 ball. I wish I knew where mine dissapeared! Hands down, my favorite toys were my Barbies. I think half my childhood was spent playing with them- although I wasn't cool enough to have a Donny or Marie doll. But I did have the Olsen twins! And sometimes I'd take a break from barbies and play with our dollhouse or stuffed animals.
Oh yeah, college! Way to bring me back to adulthood.

Anne said...

Yep barbies for sure! I loved little toys . Polly pockets , dressup , my little ponys , legos, micro machines, cabbage patch dolls and cupcake dolls. Ooo and teenage mutant ninja turtles! Toys are so fun! I have love hate relationship with them though. I hate having to clean them up if they all get mixed together. It drives crazy!

When does your book come out? Can't wait to see you. Maggie is excited to see "the girl who is her cousin who lives in Montana. "

Lori Folkman said...

Did you guys feel like the conversation was a little un-conversational last week? Sorry!

Nicole: Can I hire you to babysit? Or be my nanny? We have lots of cool toys you could play with. But you'll have to clean up the legos. Have you ever stepped on those with bare feet? Ouch!

JazznJenna:I LOVED Fashion Plates too! You lucky mom you! We got a replica for my daughter, but it's not the same!

Devree: he didn't take My Little Pony on his mission? That is so sad. What does he hug when he is having a hard day? :) I'm glad you still have a bit longer at home before you have to go grow up!

Caitlin: Come on, admit it: you had the Twilight dolls too, didn't you? If you ever need me to ask my Magic 8 ball something for you, text me and I'll get a reply for you. Or maybe I should just get you one for your birthday!

Anne: You have mommy OCD? Me too! I hate it when the kids don't sort toys and just dump them together! So glad Maggie got to see her Montana cousin! Cute girls!

PaulaShawn said...

Anything with a steering wheel was a good friend to me. I loved my noise making dashboard with real blinkers and a CB and a key to turn it on or off. I loved my magnetized roadways (race course on one side, scenic parkway on the other). Driving was my passion as a child, and I love it still today.

I played with your barbies every now and then. And I remember your cabbage patch girl. But I only remember it in Great Falls. Doesn't that mean you were almost done with middle school when you got it? Who's the least mature one?

I still like to play on bicycles. And a new kayak would compliment our family activities. Tech toys are kind of great, too. The sad thing about growing up is that the toys get more expensive!

Lori Folkman said...

PaulaShawn: you played with my Barbies? My jaw just fell to the floor. Did you take them for rides on your skateboard? I'm a little worried as I think about you spending quality time with my Barbies because they probably had more fun with you. That's how it always seemed to go. Oh and tech toys! I found a great website where you can get everything (even Apple stuff) for dirt cheap. It's called www.youaregullible.com The maturity thing is still up for grabs.