Friday, December 11, 2015

One of these Thomases is not like the other: A lesson in toy investment

When my brother was a little boy - a couple decades ago - the TV show "Shining Time Station" was the only pacifier that could shut him up when Mom was out of the house. We kept a VHS tape with a few hours' worth of episodes for those babysitting occasions, and of course it wasn't just my brother that was captivated by the stories of Thomas the Tank Engine and his Sodor cohorts.

Imagine our excitement when Ertl started to produce Thomas toys!

In the beginning, the die-cast model trains were compatible with both Ertl and Brio track sets. The engines cost $5-10 each and were built to last. It was a happy time...


Now...BUYERS BEWARE!!!

If you're a boymom (or girlmom; girls like Thomas too!) who's new to the train buying experience, make sure you do your homework before investing in Thomas products for your kiddo. If you aren't decisive at the beginning, you'll end up with half a dozen sets or more that can't be used together and will wreak havoc on your sanity.

There are now four major lines of Thomas products that you need to be aware of:


1. Trackmaster by Fisher-Price

Trackmaster sets are characterized by plastic motorized engines with hook-and-clip connectors, and gray or beige plastic track pieces with two-pronged connections on each end.
Trackmaster track close-up
Trackmaster is the newest and largest-scale collection and offers a broad range of sets and pieces. They are definitely designed for preschool age kids as they have a lot of moving parts and take fine motor skills to put together.

Your youngsters will probably gravitate towards these boxes in the toy aisle more often than the other Thomas lines because they are heavily interactive and colorful. And to Fisher-Price's credit, they now offer track adapter pieces so that their sets can be integrated with any of the other lines. But take note that, due to their thin plastic construction, they are the most breakable option.
Trackmaster Sort & Switch Delivery Set (we have this one)
Remember, moms, because Trackmaster sets usually employ motorized engines, be sure to stock up on batteries for when Thomas and his friends run out of steam again and again.


2. Take-n-Play by Fisher-Price

For families on the go, Fisher-Price offers this travel-friendly line with sets that fold up for easy transport and die-cast engines that are roughly half the size of their Trackmaster counterparts. Their tracks are gray molded plastic with single tab connections. The Take-n-Play engines have magnetic connections that make play for younger kiddos a lot less stressful. And don't worry - they have a healthy selection of talking engines too!
Trackmaster Percy vs. Take-n-Play Percy
You can see from my home photo of the Percys that the paint will start to rub off of Take-n-Play toys. It's a hazard of the design. But overall they are very durable, made with metal and plastic components.

Maybe you aren't much of a traveler, but you want to save space in the complicated realm of toy storage. Or maybe you're like me and your loftiest goal is for the tracks to take up just a little less square footage on your living room floor. Either way, when size matters, Take-n-Play is going to be your best friend.
See how nicely Roaring Dino Run folds up?

3. Motor Road and Rail/Plarail/Tomica World by Tomy

To be honest, I'm still researching whether or not these sets are still being manufactured. Whether or not you can buy them new at the store, you will still see plenty of them floating around the secondhand and thrift toy markets. They are easily identified by their trademark bright blue plastic tracks with triangle-shaped connector tabs.
It's easy to confuse the Tomy engines with the newer Trackmaster models as they're both large, plastic, and motorized with white switches on their cab roofs. They're basically the same and you don't really need to worry about using them together. But my advice is to steer clear of the blue (and sometimes green) track sets that will not work with any other collection - unless you get yourself some of those handy track adapters from Trackmaster. This line is quickly phasing out!


4. Wooden Railway by Mattel

This line is sort of the piece de resistance of Thomas collections and the one that I personally wish I would have committed to from the very beginning. Engines, tracks, and accessories are built of durable wood that can be passed down through the generations and lend a nostalgic/timeless charm to your child's play. The size of the pieces fall right in between Trackmaster and Take-n-Play with no small parts or flimsy components that can snap off (read: "choking hazard" or "toddler meltdowns"). Tracks are simple to hook together; engines have big round magnet connections.


Because Wooden Railway is so doggone charming, you're going to pay handsomely to collect their pieces and sets. Now, I don't mean to say that they're unreasonably priced. I'm a big cheapskate, especially when it comes to buying toys, so while I'm curled up in the fetal position on the floor of the toy aisle and/or foaming at the mouth over a price point, you may empty your wallet with glee. And, hey, if you're going to shell out for a toy, you might as well choose one that's going to last!



What did we learn, moms?

Whatever train collection you choose, my six years of buying experience leads me to strongly advise that you set your sights on one of them and commit to it for the long haul. Tell the grandparents, the aunts and uncles, the gift-buying friends who will be eagerly browsing the stores for Thomas paraphernalia - especially if you have a little mister who is coming of age. Train sets are one of those rare toys that will stick with your family for a long time, so you want to make the very most of your investment. Take it from a mom who has some of every kind - variety is the spice of life...when spice equals storage mayhem and incompatibility frustration. Don't be like me! Save yourself!

By the way, Thomas and Friends turned 70 this year! I'm sending a big, grateful shout-out to Rev. W. Awdry and his son Christopher who created the Sodor stories and brought these wonderful engines to life. They have brought countless hours of enjoyment to so many families. :-)

Friday, July 17, 2015

Knock, Knock! It's Me - God!

I always say that I never asked for much. I don't have any really major ambitions in my life. Growing up, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be a wife and a mom. I wanted to live in a pretty house in a quiet neighborhood, hosting play dates and leading bible studies. Someday I'd like to write a novel - that's my "biggest" goal. I'll leave the high-rise executive jobs to the career women, the mansions to the doctor's wives, the silver screen to the waitress-slash-actresses. All I want is to be "normal."

Recently it struck me how I measure the loftiness of my dreams. It's pretty common to want things that come naturally and are social norms in our culture, like marriage and kids. I think we come to expect that those goals are merely milestones in life, inevitable, coming naturally in time to follow losing baby teeth and growing body hair. But talk to a single person in their 30s or 40s and you realize very quickly how love and marriage do not automatically come to everyone who wishes it. Visit with a couple who has been struggling to conceive for five years and you will see the agony of unattained parenthood.

Now how do my dreams measure up?

I married my high school sweetheart. I hit that one out of the park in terms of life achievement! We have been married for ten years and are better friends and partners with every day that passes. Yes, I know God gave me my greatest blessing - second to salvation - when he brought the two of us together. One very ordinary goal was made an extraordinary success for me.

Three little boys were graciously gifted to hubby and me. They are healthy, they are handsome, they are a handful with a capital H. I hug them closely every time my mind wanders to the five boys in heaven that the Lord called home as babes. To my hubby they are uncles, brother, and nephews. Priceless. To me they are my welcoming committee when I go Home (O Lord, haste the day!) and a constant reminder of the earthly blessing I have in my children. Was my average desire to be a mother very average in light of those five precious souls? Oh my...NO.

You know how I said I wanted a pretty house in a quiet neighborhood? Yeah, I didn't get that one. And for nearly a decade, that one (what I call) failure has driven me to misery and distraction. Since our wedding, hubby and I have bounced from one mediocre rental home to another - seven in total so far - longing for the day that we would have the means to buy our first house. Now, as we wait for God to show us rental number eight, I meditate on this bible verse:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 
and do not lean on your own understanding." 
Proverbs 3:5 (ESV)

My own understanding, up till now, has been that I was entitled to a comfortable house. My own understanding was that a house was what I needed to be idyllically content. My own understanding was that God was punishing us for not using our money wisely by forcing us to slog through life in debt and theoretical homelessness.

My own understanding is faithless garbage.

What I realized about this widely-known verse from Proverbs is that, if I lean on my own understanding, I am not trusting the Lord with all my heart. Maybe I was trusting Him with part of my heart, but that's not what He calls for, is it? Furthermore, if God granted me my few measly requests, I wouldn't really need Him for anything anymore, would I?

Bingo. In my life plan I forgot to leave room for God. So He made room for Himself.

With every move, God is knocking on my door. He's saying, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock (Rev. 3:20)!" He's asking me to let Him into my life, to leave room for His plans. And I'm finally opening that door so that I can enjoy what He wants to give me. Sure, I still feel tense about our housing situation. It's difficult to move on an almost-annual basis with three kids and not always knowing when or how it will work out. But because I am submitting to the Lord's will, my faith is being strengthened and my life made more whole.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Writer's Block

I stare at the computer screen. Blank. My mind is blank. Around me are the familiar and monotonous sounds of home: the hum of the dishwasher, the voices of little boys negotiating the arrangement of Legos on our coffee table, toys rattling, limbs clunking against furniture. I block it out most of the time, but when I really want to focus on something like writing, that’s when I most notice them. My brain and my fingers and my easily-manipulated emotions ache to spin words into a brilliant work that will cause others’ emotions to ache the same way, but all I can do is sit here and stare at the screen. Blank.
            When I read, my mind comes alive with excitement to produce, but never with anything specific. Most times I want to extend the lives of the characters I am reading. I want to create the moments I have longed for them to experience but never get to read. I yearn for happy endings that didn’t materialize on the page. I feel as though there are deep, insightful, thriving characters that lie, unhatched, in the recesses of my imagination. They peek into my dreams at night and dabble in ribald adventures of my subconscious. If I could somehow hook up a recording system to my brain when I sleep, Hollywood would sit back in awe at its contents. I wish that I could get some of this out when I’m awake.
            I mull over characters I’ve tried to develop in previous stories. They are mediocre, one-dimensional beings that never seem to have any goals beyond simple romance. Recently I read that the best and most memorable characters are the ones who portray quintessential traits. They embody the extremes of humanity – anger, beauty, long-suffering, selflessness, bravery, skill, brutality, charm, etc. I would like to create a person who is equally extreme, but I feel like all of the possibilities have already been covered. Do I want to introduce the world to another beautiful but slight heroine who rises from poverty to material or emotional riches through her resolve and mental fortitude? How will she be different from Anne Shirley, Katniss Everdeen, Tris Pryor, Elizabeth Bennett, Elisa Lindheim, Laura Ingalls, Jane Stewart, and all the other women of fiction? What trials will she have to endure to make her lovable and believable? How will I bring about those trials organically without making them seem too convenient?
            Blank.
            Another challenge: do I want to include spirituality? I so admire the way that Brock and Bodie Thoene incorporate the Bible and God and the Holy Spirit into their stories quite seamlessly, enriching the reader’s faith without sacrificing the quality of the plot. I would LOVE to write that way. Usually it seems easier to leave out that aspect completely, because it’s so hard not to be cheesy or superficial. But if I’m not focused on the Kingdom, then what really is my purpose in writing? To impress myself? To impress others? Entertainment? Simply to check a goal off my personal bucket list? For that matter, does fiction have any eternal value? If it doesn’t, why do I feel so passionate about it?
            Blank.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Too Needy to Receive



Exodus 17:1-7 “Water from the Rock”

     The Israelites spent a lifetime in the desert, and they never missed an opportunity to gripe about the unfavorable conditions. After God had miraculously delivered them slavery through the ten plagues (Exodus 12), miraculously saved them from Pharaoh’s army by parting the Red Sea (Ex. 14), and miraculously kept them from starvation with daily supplies of manna and quail (Ex. 16), the chosen people still had an ungrateful attitude. They continued to worry and complain that God could or would not meet their needs. So God supplied yet another miraculous sign of His faithfulness: water from the rock.
     Sometimes I wonder if the Israelites’ eyes were blind to the seemingly obvious phenomena that the Lord used to display His power and protection. I mean, how fantastic would it be to have God show you exactly where and when to go with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13)? Christians these days would give an arm and a leg to receive such clear and wondrous guidance. I think most of us are under the impression that God doesn’t do miracles anymore, not like the ones we read about in the bible. But is it possible that we’ve surrounded ourselves with so much other junk that we are totally blind to His signs, just like the Israelites were?
     There have been plenty of instances when I agonized and despaired over circumstances that were out of my control, and every time the Lord made a way through it. My needs were met when I didn’t think it was possible. I’m glad that I’ve been able to recognize them as little miracles in my own life, but I want to become more aware of God’s provision. I want to put complete trust in Him and rejoice in His blessings. When I think about it, my heavenly Father has poured water from many rocks for me.

Thank you, Father, for the ways in which you command my attention. Teach me to look for them and expect them. Teach me to trust you. Show me your plan in a radical way. Amen.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Chump Change?

Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4 “The Widow’s Offering”

I’m starting my quest for Obedience to God. This morning it began with something very simple that in some ways was also difficult: giving away spare change.
     Every year our church receives empty baby bottles from a local pregnancy center that we are supposed to fill with money that will go towards preventing abortions. In the past I’ve looked at the empty bottle and subconsciously reacted, “I want to help save babies. But I can’t afford to give away my spare change. That’s our tiny savings for a rainy day. Someone else’s easy $10 will do more good than my sacrificial $7.52.”
     What I realized today was that I needed to embrace these opportunities to give; I needed to be excited about them and do everything I could to help in Christ’s name. So I promptly took out my recycled yogurt container of loose change and let the kids fill the bottle with coins while I explained that the money would “help teach ladies how to take care of the babies in their tummies.”
     And I recognized the necessity not only of giving, but of sharing with my boys a legacy of giving and the attitude of a willing heart to do the Lord’s work.
     The story in Mark and Luke of the widow offering her only two copper coins in Obedience to God encouraged me to give my own coins – a meager quantity that would look like chump change to a lot of people (in this country) but means quite a bit to me who has little to offer.
     And instead of worrying what I would be unable to buy with those few dollars, I found excitement and blessing in my heart as the Spirit taught me to rejoice in the potential glory it would bring to the Father. I found myself praying for the precious mother and baby whose lives might be changed by the $7.52 (or however much) I sacrificed out of Obedience.

O Lord, what wonders you can do with even less than that! Thank you for allowing me, your humble servant, to be a part of your amazing Plan. Keep my eyes and heart open to discover more opportunities to Obey you. Amen.