Explanation needed...

Can someone PLEASE explain this to me?

I’m not sure why, but when my kids head out to the backyard (which, by the way, is equipped with a playscape that sports a slide, a climbing wall, a picnic table, a sand box, a fort, and swings…. aaaand a shed full of bats, baseballs, soccer balls, footballs, and hula hoops), they feel compelled to empty the playroom of its contents to cart it all outside, as well.

Sooo, in addition to the swings, slides, hula hoops, etc… we have now added plastic army guys, army vehicles, My Little Ponies, stuffed animals, Barbies, Barbie shoes (I hate those stupid things), Barbie cars, walkie-talkies, a metal detector, a Cabbage Patch kid with a pacifier (but no clothes!), Hot Wheels, and a toy vacuum cleaner.

And THEN they want to come in after approximately 14.5 minutes because they’re ‘bored’ or ‘hot’.

Admittedly, though, that’s not really the part that needs explanation.

What really throws me for a loop is how the very same three children can amuse themselves on the beach for 3 full days with nothing more than a bucket and a shovel. Why is that?!!

We had a blast over Labor Day weekend in Port Aransas (thank you, Sanders fam!!), hanging out at the beach, digging in the sand, building in the sand, shaking the sand out of our… um… hair.

And the kids? Well the kids couldn’t have been happier splashing in the water, flying kites, doing a little boogie-boarding (is that even a word?), searching for shells, and trying to smash each other’s sand creations (okay, so it wasn’t all peace and tranquility, peeps). All without the aid of television, DVD’s, iPods, and video games. Who knew?!

All in all, it helped me to remember that maybe… just maybe, they don’t need those 21 Webkinz. Or all those Matchbox cars and tracks. Or the ‘MEGA DELUXE SET OF SUPER LEGOES THAT WILL NEVER EVER AGAIN BE OFFERED IN STORES, SO DON’T BE A LOSER PARENT AND MISS OUT ON THESE WONDER BLOCKS OF DELIGHT!’ (actual ad type)

So maybe… just maybe, we need to scale back. And maybe we’ll have a garage sale.
Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I could use the cash.

I’ll need it to pay for the truckloads of sand I’m having dumped in the backyard. ;)