The Crew News. . . . . . .

My six month old grandson is growing like a weed, and it seems like every day he reaches a new milestone.  One week he was opening and closing his little hand as though he was a rusty tin man badly in need of an oiling, but the next week he was grasping a teething ring and plunging it in his mouth as if he had been doing it his whole, albeit short, life.  

I know all the baby books and websites give schedules about what babies will be doing at certain ages, but let me share with you a little secret:  babies and children follow their own schedules and couldn’t care less about statistics and well-controlled studies.  My daughter started walking when she was just seven months old, well ahead of the nine to twelve month time frame most books give.  That’s why I like to think ahead and be prepared.  For Christmas I bought my grandson several toys that I knew he wasn’t ready to play with yet, but I also know his little brain and body are developing so rapidly that it would be hard to pin point the exact moment he will be ready to graduate from shaking a rattle to putting little wooden shapes into their matching shaped holes.  The toys are ready and waiting for him to explore and play with, even if he doesn’t “do it right.” 

One of my gifts to him was the EverEarth Activity Walker.  He loves looking at the bright colors and touching the little knobs and buttons and I believe this helps his little brain to process information such as colors and shapes and also to develop hand/eye coordination, even if someone has to hold him up to it right now.

It’s often helpful to think slightly ahead of schedule for toy buying; that way children can grow into their toys.   Of course, some toys are off limits at young ages because of choking hazards or other dangers, so parents should evaluate each toy carefully and always be closely supervising.  But many toys are age-labeled as a general guideline. The great thing is that my daughter has some toys in her closet to pull out when he shows signs of needing more stimulation and activity.

Wow! See this great buy! This Melissa and Doug wooden dollhouse is completely furnished, includes dolls, built-in storage and even arrives pre-assembled! What more could you ask for? Regular price is $149.99. Special price is only $99.99 with Free Shipping. Inventory is low so quantities are limited. Hurry!, this special ends Nov. 14 at Midnight Central Time.

Deal of the Week

Maxim Enterprise has added a new line of baby, toddler and preschool toys. It is called EverEarth and is finished with water-based paints and stains. The water-based paints are lead free, kid safe and much better for the environment than the acrylics that are used by many toy companies. These toys are made from renewable forests which means for every tree used in making their toys, Maxim plants three new trees.
These engaging wooden toys come in attractive packaging made from recycled materials. You can choose from a variety of toys for different ages and skill sets including pull toys,  bead mazes, activity centers, walker, junior ramp racer, dollhouse, stable and mini work kitchen.

Six of the EverEarth toys have already won prestigious Toy Awards. The winners are; Flower Bead Fun, Mini Stable with Horses, Mini Work Kitchen, Duck and Egg Pull Toy, Activity Walker and the Junior Ramp Racer with Cars.
So, if you are looking for affordable, lead free toys that are also eco-friendly and award winning….EverEarth has a great selection.

We now have 2 grown married children, one grandson, four kiddos still at home and working alongside us in the warehouse.

Want to keep up with the family? Check out our family blog.

We will be keeping you up-to-date with breaking news about our product lines, interesting developmental and educational child and baby related news and more…right here. So stay tuned!

We are thrilled to be featured on Ideal Bite’s MamaBite tip for the day. This site shares bite-size ideas for light green living. You will find tips from Halloween decorations to organizing your closet…all with the environment and your busy life in mind.

See the cute little mini-kitchen on today’s Mama Bite? That is ours! The brand is EverEarth by Maxim. Maxim uses wood from renewable resources and only uses water based paints, stains and finishes….much better for the environment than acrylic paints. The attractive EverEarth packaging is made from recycled products.

So all this also means that the entire Maxim line of products is lead-free, non-toxic and safe for your children! Maxim and EverEarth wooden toys are powered by kids’ imaginations…no batteries needed!

Hi Everyone! We have been busy, busy, busy preparing our two new websites.

Let me tell you a little about Luxury Walking Sticks.com. We discovered these extraordinary walking sticks by Bridges and decided to offer them to the public via our Toy website even though they did not seem to ‘fit’ with our other products. We are now in our third year of selling the Bridges Walking Companions. These canes are unique, reasonably priced and very high quality. Our customers love them so much, we decided to open a separate website dedicated to these special walking sticks. Please note: We are not the manufacturer of the Bridges walking companions.

Be sure to let us know what you think!
By the way…no baby yet! But it could be any day now!

My name is Naomi, I am the second oldest, and first married of the Clanton gang. In addition, my wonderful husband, Stephen and I are expecting our first child this fall!

I am going to write about some of the things I remember from the original business days. I remember when there was no “warehouse”, when virtually everything that had to do with the business was stored in two rooms in our home! When the mail delivery man would scratch his head and wonder… “what on earth do they do with eight rolls of bubble wrap every other week!?” These are the things that made our home business fun and exciting.

The sound of tape guns screeching, paper crackling and bubble wrap bursting was once the soundtrack to myeveryday life. Oh, the memories of living with a home-based internet business! I loved working with Out of the Toy Box, packing and shipping surprise gifts from a Grandparent, to an excited birthday girl or boy! Later receiving stories of the child’s delight in opening the package to find a Pretend Food Birthday Party!

I loved to see every new product that came in, it was so exciting! Melissa & Doug shipments always had new things for our website. Some of my favorites were the Band In A Box, and several of their Puzzles! We all had a blast playing with the new products that we “tested”. Abigail was particularly intrigued by the Magic Sets, and ambushed the entire household with her “magic tricks” daily.

That’s all for now! Happy Spring!!

It seems that there is always something exciting happening here with the Crew at Out of the Toy Box. Joshua has announced that he and Julia are engaged! We are thrilled with the news! No wedding date has been set, but I will keep you posted as details unfold.

I am pleased with myself that I am posting again in such a short period of time. Maybe there is hope for me to succeed with this business of blogging.

We have recently received a nice shipment of plush toys from The Bearington Collection. The shipment included some old favorites like the Blue Bear Hugs Blanket. The Bear Hugs Collection makes a perfect baby keepsake gift. There were also many new plush toys like the Giant Tippy Toe Shoes Ballerina Bear and the Blueberries and Cream Scented Bunny Rabbit. Peter Praysmore and Patty Praysmore will be an added delight to your Easter celebrations.

We even have a pair of Bearingtons to commemorate the recent engagement of Joshua and Julia. Mr. Lovington Groom Bear and Mrs. Lovington Bride Bear are sure to be favorites among Bearington collectors.

While I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, it would seem that I am in need of making one. Tomorrow is the first day of February and it has been a good while since I took the time to write my thoughts and Crew news here. Maybe I can make a February resolution to write more frequently.

We have cleaned-out our warehouse and placed a few new shelving units to hold new toys for 2007. In the process we found and donated some slightly damaged odds and ends to a local daycare. I love the joy of giving an unexpected gift, don’t you? This lady and her daughter were very gracious and thankful recipients. We were able to clear out space in the warehouse and my children experienced the joy of giving along with me. It was a very productive week!

We have already ordered new Melissa & Doug Toys that should begin arriving soon. Be sure to watch the What’s New?! page for other interesting arrivals.

By the way, Christmas for the Crew was a huge success with lots of family, fun, old traditions and some new ones, too! Over the years we have made changes to our celebrations as the need would arise. Now that we have one married daughter, we again needed to change some things about our celebrations. Hanging on to old traditions is a good thing when possible, making the holiday season less stressful for all concerned is also very important. We found that making the needed changes was such a success that we changed some other things just because it seemed fun and exciting. So, if you are struggling with changes in your family, I say, “Don’t fret. Jump in and join the change!”. You may find that it is lots of fun! We did!

I know, I know, it seems so cliche, but where has the time gone? December will arrive in two days! This has us scrambling in more ways than one at Out of the Toy Box.

We all have a long list of very important things to accomplish before Christmas. Having so many things to command your attention in a short period of time can be very stressful. Let’s all be sure to prioritize, have plenty of relaxing time and enjoy our loved ones in the hustle and bustle as we prepare for and anticipate family gatherings and church events. It is possible to be busy, accomplish a lot and enjoy life, too!

As for the crew, we still have a few details to iron-out on our newly remodeled website. We have a few new products that we have not yet managed to get listed. The warehouse is a flurry of activity each day as we ship special gifts across the country! We do have our Christmas decorations up, but alas, the family shopping has not even begun! I was so much more organized when the children were younger. I am not sure why, but will ponder it and let you know if I reach a conclusion.

So, now I have just realized that we are very near the deadline to accept orders for our Special Order Toys. In order to keep prices as low as possible, we choose to sell but not stock some of the larger items by Maxim, Melissa and Doug, Just Ducky Tents and Tapestree Table. These toys and gifts are shipped directly from the manufacturer’s warehouses. Unfortunately, December 4th will be the last day that we accept orders for most of these items for Christmas delivery. So, if your ‘to-do’ list includes placing an order for one of these large items…procrastinate no more! The deadline is near. Remember, the internet is a wonderful late night shopping experience, no crowds, children asleep and you do not even need to ‘get dressed’ in your going-to-town clothes!

Wishing each of you a blessed and relaxing Christmas season!