I can’t stop buying things for my daughter. Granted, it’s all things we need (like pants, socks, and a hat that fits), but I certainly spend more on her than on anyone else in the house (David and my wardrobe is quickly becoming threadbare). In fact, it’s a long standing family joke that I never spend money on myself and have 28 years worth of birthday and Hanukkah presents in the bank (I do, actually). But tempt me with something super cute, well-made, practical, and a good deal for my daughter and I just go crazy. A non-shopper suddenly becomes a shopper.
Take our new stroller. Several friends highly recommended Maclaren strollers (quality! style! durable! lightweight!), but I thought they were outside of our budget (I mean, who spends over $200 on a stroller?!). Then I found a great deal on a model from last year with free shipping and no tax and, well, I just couldn’t help myself.
Rather that reprimand myself for a few modest purchases (lol), I guess I should instead focus on how proud I am of myself for the restraint I’ve exercised by not buying every single item on our gift wish list and every children’s board book at our local bookstore… and trust me, I’ve been tempted!
We read every children’s book in the house every single day. Usually twice. Yep, we Spritzer Leyba’s love our books. Thank you to everyone who has given us so many fantastic books! (For her complete library, see the list in our sidebar further down this page.) We are so enjoying them!
Special thanks to Alexis for buying us the board book version of Harry the Dirty Dog
Here we are reading another favorite, The Very Hungry Caterpillar
(Thank you to Stephanie and Andy for this Eric Carle classic!)
You know, I hate to say it, but when my nephew was about 2, my sister told me if she had to do it over again, she would have just bought a maclaren stroller instead of being unhappy with and overall spending about the same amount of money on the 2 or 3 different strollers she ended up owning. But I agree – those things are expensive. Just think, since it’s good quality, you’ll probably be able to sell it and recoup some of your money when you’re done having kids (or delight a relative or friend by passing it down).
I’m so excited that Miss Leyba is into Harry the Dirty Dog! Board books are the best–you can grab ’em, you can chew ’em, you can fling ’em down (discovering gravity is important), and yet at the end of the day they hold up for a good day’s reading. I LOVE that you read to her. Love it, love it, love it, yay. Please do keep your library wish list up ‘n’ runnin’ so that those of us who can’t resist buying children’s books (who, me?) can contribute to this young lady’s literary life. Yum, books.
I love our Maclaren. I think they are actually reasonably priced when you look at what some people are willing to spend on strollers that are just super impractical *coughbugaboocough* for the average person. (Well, I take a lot of public transport that is partially why I have this opinion.) We have had ours over two years now and we use it everyday…it is still getting us where we need to go! I am not a big shopper either but I definitely drool over stuff for Felix and I think you can never have too many books. So, sorry to tempt you with something more but you’ve got to pick up Black on White and White on Black by Tana Hoban. They aren’t that expensive but Miss Leyba is at the perfect age for them right now! (Actually Felix still likes looking at these two books from time to time!)
Hey there, I meant to write a comment sooner, but then forgot! But I just wanted to tell you that I love checking out strollers (strange hobby of mine) and I think that the Maclaren is really one of the best in terms of the price you pay and what you get. Nearly everyone I know who already has kids has one of these. Plus, it’ll last for years..until she’s 4, 5, or even 6 years old (you can’t live without a good stroller like that in Paris…even with a 6 year old) and especially if you guys travel with her at some point. I just wanted to say you made a good choice/investment and I like the color on the one you bought! I know the little one has to love it!!