Popsicles and such

Summer is the season for popsicles. I bought my kids some Scooby-Doo pushups at the store the other day because I remember thinking push-up popsicles were so cool when I was a kid. What I didn't remember was the mess that children can make eating a popsicle! Katherine's face was stained red, despite much scrubbing, for an entire afternoon. And there is a red stain on the cement in the backyard. Oh, such a mess. Fingers were orange and red. They were definitely a novelty, but they won't be eating the rest of them in the house!

I remember collecting all the little plastic parts from the push-ups. I remember pretending they were umbrellas for my little dolls. Or using them as straws, or making cars if I collected enough parts. I'm not sure what I found so intriguing about the little plastic parts, but I suppose using your imagination is just part of childhood. I know that my children have random toys that have become "treasures" of sorts. They aren't actual toys, just things they have collected. Andrew made a robot dude out of a spring, an old lock from a suitcase and a couple of magnets. Sometimes I wonder why I buy the children any toys. Imagination is so much a better toy!!