Loving the Black & Decker Toy Leaf Blower

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012

It’s fall in the ‘burbs—the comforting smell of fireplace fires wafting down the street, Saturday afternoons swallowed by soccer…and the sound of leaf-blowers whirring in my neighbors’ yards 24/7. Can you guess which of these three seasonal mainstays most captivates my 5-year-old, gizmo-loving son? Yep, the leaf blowers. Hearing the familiar roar of motors again reminded Julian of the Let’s Play Black & Decker leaf blower we’d given his friend Teddy for his birthday last year—and he began hounding me for one of his own.

I typically belong to the new-toys-are-for-Christmas-and-your-birthday camp, but when he volunteered, for the first time, to pay for the tool with his own moola, I caved. Julian painstakingly counted out $20 of the $23 of Grandma-money in his bedroom. I braced myself for eventual tears, figuring he’d get tired of the toy in an hour and want his, er, money back. Wrongo! He gets a major kick out of faux blowing our backyard. If it this thing had a real motor, our lawn would be immaculate.

I asked my resident landscaper what’s so amazing about his new toy:

So, Jules, what do you like about the leaf blower? It looks so cool I want to marry it. It makes noise and has a blade inside with all these beads, and when you turn it on, all the beads inside spin.

Was it worth the money? I don’t know, but I’ve still got a whole bunch of money, so nothing to worry about.

You missed a spot. Even if it doesn’t have air to blow, I still like it because it looks like a leaf blower and it makes a cool noise. Real gardeners blow leaves with a backpack on their back, though, so I should wear one of those, too.

Cute Kid Thursday!

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

My name is: Tyler
I’m: 2 years old
I hail from: Ballwin, MO
I can usually be found: Dancing and singing to any music that is on
Beloved toy: Diego’s rescue pack
Favorite book: “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” by Eileen Christelow
Pastime: Dancing, playing with my older sister, painting
Pet peeve: Having to take a nap
Catch phrase: While watching the Olympics, “Ready, set, go!”

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Thursday, March 18th, 2010

My name is: Lilah “Bean”
I’m: 2 1/2 years old
I hail from: Berkley, MI
I can usually be found: In disguise
Beloved toy: My kitchen
Favorite book: “The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday“ by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Pastime: Cutting with scissors, putting stuffed animals in time out, and using sheets of stickers to decorate one piece of paper
Pet peeve: Waiting…for anything
Catch phrase: “You let me have a snack?”

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Thursday, March 11th, 2010

My name is: Farrow Amelia
I’m: 1 year old
I hail from: Seattle, WA
I can usually be found: Emptying the kitchen cabinets, reading a book, banging my hands for food, and running everywhere
Beloved toy: My Bernese Mountain Dog, Big Papi
Favorite book: “One Hungry Monster” by Susan Heyboer O’Keefe
Pastime: Dancing, playing with magnets, and sticking my hands in Big Papi’s water bowl
Pet peeve: The baby gate
Catch phrase: “Dada!”

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Cute Kid Thursday

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

My Name Is: Dane
I’m: 3 years old
I hail from: Miller Place, NY
I can usually be found: Doing puzzles or playing with my train set
Beloved Toy: My fire truck pedal car I got for Christmas
Favorite Book: “T. Rex Trick-or-Treats” by Lois G. Grambling
Pastime: Visiting the firehouse with my Pop-Pop and climbing on the fire trucks
Pet Peeve: I hate wearing band-aids, and I won’t walk in the snow!
Catch Phrase: “Catch a bad guy, Daddy!”  (Daddy is a police officer.)

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Thursday, February 11th, 2010

My Name Is: Lincoln Atticus
I’m: 1 year old
I hail from: Springfield, MO
I can usually be found: Crawling everywhere and talking my little heart out
Beloved Toy: The Boppy-I love to climb on it and crawl over it
Favorite Book: “Hop on Pop” by Dr. Seuss
Pastime: Trying to put everything (the cat included) in my mouth
Pet Peeve: Having my face washed or my nose wiped, and having to sit still when I don’t want to!
Catch Phrase: “Da da da ya ya ya!”

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Cute Kid Thursday

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

My Name Is: Elijah
I’m: 3 years old
I hail from: Kansas City, KS
I can usually be found: Playing with my trains
Beloved Toy: My Thomas the Tank Engine track and trains
Favorite Book: “Thomas the Tank Engine and Other Stories” by Rev. W. Awdry
Pastime: Creating a mess
Pet Peeve: Having my face cleaned
Catch Phrase: “What’s he doing, Daddy doing?”

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Cute Kid Thursday

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

My Name Is: Gabriel
I’m: 15 months old
I hail from: New Orleans, LA
I can usually be found: In my room watching Elmo
Beloved Toy: A hat
Favorite Book: “Biscuit Finds a Friend” by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Pastime: Watching Elmo, dancing and swinging outside
Pet Peeve: I don’t like getting my diaper changed!
Catch Phrase: “Hat,” that is, I don’t talk right now, just single words

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