Gearhead Mom

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Becoming Blockheads

Posted by Jenny M. @ 11:45 PM

My aunt, my father’s only sister, unmarried and without children, wound up with five nieces and nephews, and is currently Great Auntie to six (going on seven) grand nieces and nephews.  Among her many cool attributes, Auntie C has distinguished herself as a very creative and personalized gift giver.  She’s the one who ordered us the home delivery subscription of organic fruits, vegetables, and flowers after our first daughter was born.  She has an uncanny ability to pick out books that match each relative’s interests and developmental stage.  In turn, she asks only that we make a donation to a worthy organization and let her know all about it. 
Last Christmas, Aunt C gave the parents of small children gift certificates to Maple Landmark Woodcraft, a folksy company that makes handmade wooden toys of the traditional variety. 

I took my time browsing the site to figure out just what we should order, but was hard not to settle upon simple wooden blocks.  I can still remember the feel of the stamped blocks I grew up with.  This company has traditional ” title=“Natural ABC Block Set”>Natural ABC Block Set.  But with my youngest child already almost three years old and my eldest daughter loving to spell things, I was tempted by the company’s

” title=“small”>small, more colorful.  We went for the large set, since I have a feeling my fun with these blocks, given my penchant for poetry and pithiness, will outlast my kids’ childhood.  It’s hard to believe what you can spell with 16 wooden blocks, but so far, we’ve lined up days of the week, our names, and more recently, professed love for a relative whose shower we hosted at our house (the set comes with a heart and exclamation mark).  Next up:  Halloween words:  spooky, ghosts, goblins…
The blocks make a great, classy gift for a new baby or for three-year olds and up.  They also smell heavenly, like they were just carved up yesterday. 

Share: Email   |     |