Hi friends!
This will be fast & furious… but also packed. I will talk about tees first, if you aren’t interested in hearing about tees… s c r o l l on down …
First, t-shirts are restocked! A new tee design and an owl-o-ween trick-or-treat tote are in the mix… read on for sizing info on new long-sleeved options.
Paige was interested in helping me with the photos, however, she had no interest in wearing a Honey Bee tee… instead she went inside, picked out this, with headband & hairbow to match… but was still a little grumpy.
** I am waiting on long sleeved DUMP TRUCKS in bigger sizes {8, 10, 12} and on short sleeved “OFF TO THE BAY” and FLOAT PLANE. When they come in, I will restock, but I am unable to email you and tell you they are instock… so check back if you can!**
Ok, let’s talk about SIZING on these tees because several people have asked questions. I think the short sleeved tees are all true to size, but lean a little more towards the small side than the big. As I mention in the listings they aren’t a big, boxy, beefy Hanes tee. They are intended to be more streamlined. They do have a little extra length to grow with your child. If you intended to put them over a long sleeved tee in the winter, I would order up a size. My children {5, 4, & 2} are all average size {on the pediatrician’s chart}, except JM, he’s small {thin} but tall. He is wearing a size 2 long sleeved shirt above. Morgan is wearing a 6, she is 5. The long sleeved shirts run smaller than the short sleeved shirts, but it’s because they are a different style and are made of a fine baby rib knit… they are intended to fit closer to the body than the short sleeved shirts. I think the size 2 runs the smallest of all the sizes and once it is washed and dried will likely fit a 1 year-old. JM can wear it {picture above} fine, but it hasn’t been washed and dried. I imagine once it is washed and dried he will need a size 4. Morgan {age 5} can wear a size 6 and will be able to wear a 6 after it is washed and Paige will likely be able to wear a 4 once it is laundered. I suggest you don’t put these in the dryer if you want to avoid shrinkage. The long sleeved “asphalt” colored {long sleeved} tees {float plane & “old truck by bay”} are darker than the {short sleeved} “charcoal” tees. I have reordered short sleeved “old trucks” and float plane and will restock when they come in.
Next let’s talk about SHIPPING… I am learning as I go about shipping. The only way I can humanly ship out these tees is to go with FLAT RATE shipping options. Those of you who have ordered and received tees will recognize I do my best to cram as many little tees as I can into the small flat rate box {$4.95}… three is the best I can do, especially with long sleeved tees in the mix now. So shipping for 1-3 will be $4.95 and shipping for 4+ will be $10.70 {medium flat rate box}… this way you all get your tees quickly and I can ship quickly {insert: not have to weigh and measure each box and it’s flat rate anywhere in the country!!}. All tees are shipped within 24 to 48 hours of the order being received {insert: I work fast and furious!}. So… if you order a Halloween tee or tote today or tomorrow, it will be there soon… maybe Tuesday or Wednesday of next week at the latest!
Next let’s talk about RETURNS… I will gladly exchange any tee that hasn’t been washed/worn for a different size! If you aren’t happy with your tees and would like a refund… I can certainly work with you on that too!! So far, folks have been pleased and I’ve only had two exchanges for bigger sizes!
Ok, I think that sums it up… if you have questions, ask them in the comments section and I will try to make sure every one is answered!
Moving on to non-tee related business…
It was chilly this morning, this is what we eat when it’s chilly… oatmeal with cinnamon sugar, a little syrup, and this morning we were out of milk so we had organic half & half… mmmm! The kids eat it up! And Rover is very much a left handed child!
I got a new phone. I was using an old flip phone until last week… I have now entered the world of smart phones! In a nutshell, I love it… it’s convenient, fun, and takes great pictures! It’s an HTC Evo with Android for Sprint… I have an iPhone {that I was using from home with wifi} from a friend but didn’t want to pay money to get out of my contract with Sprint and dare I say this little phone can give any iPhone a run for it’s money! 🙂
These shoes were in my post at B*Spoke a couple weeks ago and lot of you asked… they are Poppy by Patagonia, I got them at TJ Maxx last year, I LOVE them but they discontinued {from what I can tell}… but if you can find them anywhere you should snatch them up! Very comfortable and cute.
I’m wearing these today {with jegs that my sister and cousin told me I needed}…
They’re from Ross and were $8.99… cute but not so comfortable… but $8.99, so I can’t have too high of expectations right!? The label says Self-Esteem… but I don’t see them on their website. Maybe they too are from last year, which wouldn’t be surprising… I’ve been known to be a year behind! 🙂
The kids have been on “Fall Break” all week… we’ve been hitting the park a lot! We have a new playground in town and it totally rocks… I am now a self-proclaimed park junkie.
At the recommendation of a friend we also headed out to our local Botanical Garden to see the scarecrows on display…
The Master Gardener’s were hands down my favorites… with their “Veggie Soup” scarecrows.
Lady Gaga & Twilight scared us a little…
Ok, folks… that wraps it up… and now, I need your advice on trains! We’d like to get Rover some trains {on a wooden track}… can all the mother’s of boys advise me on trains and train tables!? What’s good, what works together… and anything else you feel like I need to know!
Happy weekend friends!!
Melissa
October 15, 2010 at 10:34 amI LOVE the new long sleeve tees and the tote bag!! They are so cute and original.
Lydia
October 15, 2010 at 10:35 amMy in-laws bought this for my son’s birthday last December.
https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3931028
He still loves it as much (if not more) than he did the day he got it. He is 2 and will definitely ‘grow’ into it also. WE LOVE IT and it works with Thomas brand trains too. Best value for your money! Good luck!
Katie
October 15, 2010 at 10:38 amFirst, I love the tees! So precious! I have a three year old daughter, and last Christmas my mom got her a train set and table from toys r us. I think it was around $150, the brand is imaginarium. It came with every single thing that I could imagine you’d want or need. It’s extremely high quality and has held up very well. It’s also very cute! Hope this helps!
Ashley
October 15, 2010 at 10:41 amHey Darby- Don’t comment much but I have 2 boys and trains are very much a part of our life at the moment. We are huge Thomas fans. I love them and they are so durable. They are quiet pricey though. Other than gifts we have only paid for a few and those have been purchased on clearance or at those consignment sales. My husband made our train table and painted our town on the top of it. I will try to email you a picture when I have time. JM will love them
Ashley
M.
October 15, 2010 at 10:46 amTriple dog LOVE the Evo…waiting for my renewal to come up and I’m tossing this Blackberry! Lots of people say Androids are the way all phones are going, so tell Erica you’ll take your new-found alias as a compliment! Happy Weekend-ing…
Beth
October 15, 2010 at 10:47 amWe bought Jaxon a train table that also is a lego table on the other side…it is a generic one and works just the same! I believe it was $100 and Kidcraft brand (I think) – I live the aspect of it being a multipurpose table vs. only a train table!
Jocelyn
October 15, 2010 at 10:51 amDarby, this is a weird time for me to be commenting for the first time because I am not a mom and I grew up in a house with 4 girls so I know nothing about little boys. But, my sisters and I LOVED our Brio trains: https://brio.knex.com/ The wooden tracks connect so you can make whatever shape you want on the carpet or a table and all the train pieces are well made.
I love love love your blog. You have the sweetest family. Thank you for sharing!
Elizabeth
October 15, 2010 at 10:52 amWe have a melissa and doug train set that we got off Amazon. It comes with trains and I believe they sell a table as well {we just didn’t need one}. The set itself was a great deal AND it works with Thomas trains, if that’s an issue for you.
Melody
October 15, 2010 at 10:54 amHi Darby…I usually don’t comment but I am a faithful reader. i have a 3 year old (boy) and 8 month old (boy) and pregnant with my 3rd.(don’t know yet) So, we are into trains. We actually found this train table below on craigslist with the train set all for $150. It also works with Thomas wooden trains as well. It is going to be a christmas gift…I would recommend craigslist…you never know what you will find if you can look pretty regularly!
https://www.amazon.com/KidKraft-Train-Table-Trundle-Drawers/dp/B000GEE7Z4
Jocelyn
October 15, 2010 at 11:04 amDarby, I just commented 10 minutes ago and it looks like Brio trains aren’t even imported anymore! How horrible to possibly send you on a wild goose chase for something that doesn’t exist! A comparable product is the Nuchi train sets: https://www.trainsgalore.com/Nuchi-Trains-C337.aspx … I should just stick to things I know. If you have any questions about toys for little girls let me know …
Jeannette
October 15, 2010 at 11:14 amLove the shirts they are too cute!!!! My son who is now 14 LOVED Thomas the Tank Engine so when he was around 3 we started buying him the wooden trains. They really are durable and hold up well. My parents still have them at their house for all the kids to play with. As for a table, well, the coffee table was his train table. Good luck.
Sara
October 15, 2010 at 11:16 amHey Darby! I am a faithful reader…have two boys (4 &2). Our boys are construction and dirt nuts and have not fallen in love with trains. But my mother-in-law (who has four grandsons) went to our local Hallmark outlet center (I would also think you could go to wherever in your town sells trains) and asked them how much they would sell the model for, table and all. They were ready to get a new one and sold it to her for a ridiculously low price. The best part for little boys is that everything was glued down so no frustration for constantly moving tracks. Not sure if this would be a good thing as Rover grows and wants to change things? Just an idea! I find comfort in knowing it’s not just our Rovers who can seek and destroy in a matter of minutes. I am one of two girls and we talk often about the differences between boys and girls. I love your blog!
Laura Kirch
October 15, 2010 at 11:18 amI bought my 4yr old son a train table two years ago and he still loves it. I really shopped around and I’m happy w/my choice. It’s the wooden table set from Toys R Us…a little over $100 bucks gets you all the trains, tracks and cool stuff that goes with it i.e. bridge that makes noise, mountain tunnel. The wooden Thomas Trains work on the tracks as well.
Denise
October 15, 2010 at 11:18 amDarby, I am Natalie’s Mom(she sent you the Jr League Cookbook) just wondering if you do any adult sizes…we have a pumpkin patch at our farm and I try and dress for the occasion…also do you do any Christmas shirts…I would be interested for me and my 21 mo old granddaugher. Also, what is the name of the shoes that you got at TJ Maxx….they are soooooo cute.
Thanks
Denise
Denise
October 15, 2010 at 11:19 amme again, oops, just realized that you gave the name of the shoes….sorry!
Jennifer
October 15, 2010 at 11:25 amOooh Trains! I suggest going with brio. We have a mix of tracks, some brio, some Thomas, and some I’m not sure. The Thomas trains don’t stay together – the magnets aren’t strong enough and they come apart easily, which results in a frustrated little man. Train tables…we hunted and wound up with one a friend’s son never used. It’s not what I would have picked, but for free – hey. However, for Christmas this year, we’re building Little Man his own table. We’re making it roughly coffee table height, with a slight lip, and with room to push two wooden bins (on wheels, for storage) underneath.The table we were given has a drawer built in – that always gets stuck. I’ve found he could care less about the landscape underneath the tracks, so we’re going with a solid color – probably white. And, it will be a solid surface (rather than a colorful base in two parts – because let’s face it, despite being told not to, the little guy and friends have been known to climb on top of the train table, and cause the base to slide and teeter. Is that too much info? All in all – wooden tracks, brio trains, and build your own sturdy wooden table with a solid surface. 🙂
Stacy
October 15, 2010 at 11:38 amOk so Thomas the Train tracks and trains are very high quality. You can find them at Michaels and can use their 40% and 50% coupons they have in the paper. The tracks from ikea work with the Thomas trains. Also I just found a coffee table at the thrift store for five bucks. This allows him to change the tracks out as much as he wants. Some tables don’t allow the tracks to change and I like that he can change it out. (it helps develop so many great skills)
Angela
October 15, 2010 at 11:44 amIf you are looking for inexpensive then don’t buy Thomas the train brand unless you find them used. I am currently looking on Craigslist for Thomas trains for my little boy. There are several options here in Jacksonville, FL but I have looked at Dothan’s craigslist (my hometown) and it is limited. Target has several cute sets for ALOT less than the THomas brand.
Lonna
October 15, 2010 at 12:12 pmI’ll de-lurk to give my two cents on the trains! I’ve got an almost 3 year old and a 17 month old, both boys. My mom bought my son a small Thomas starter pack for $40 last Christmas (I believe it was a special they had durring the Christmas Season) and it’s held up really well. They are the wooden ones, much nicer than the plastic ones. I recently though was on the look out for a cheeper way to add to his collection and wouldn’t you know it Ikea has wooden train sets that will work with the Thomas set. The tracks from Ikea are great, the trains don’t compair to the wooden Thomas ones, but work just fine. The price difference though is AMAZING! You can even order them online I believe! Trains are a great gift!
Lane
October 15, 2010 at 12:12 pmFinally ordered a “Happy Camper” tee for my son, Camp! I ordered up so he can still wear it next summer! I’m so excited!
My son is also a lefty!! 🙂
Katie
October 15, 2010 at 12:14 pmWe love our Honey Bee tees! The fit was perfect (Jack is 18 mos, and wearing a 2….Amelia is 3 1/2 wearing a 4). The feel of the tees and the shapes are WAY BEYOND EXPECTATION! We are definitely ordering more. We were handed down a wooden train table from some friends of our, and it has been getting a lot of action! We are in the process of gluing down all the tracks (and trees, bldgs, etc.) because otherwise track pieces are finding their ways all over the house. I am sorry I can’t tell you anything else about it as far as the brand or any other advice….just commenting that it is a well-loved fixture in our play room now! If I even attempted to wear jeggings, I’d be causing traffic accidents for all the wrong reasons….
Meg
October 15, 2010 at 12:20 pmWe just bought our 2 year old the Imaginarium 2010 Classic Train Table from Toys R’Us. He LOVES it! First thing out of his mouth every morning. He even said, All aboard” in his sleep last night! So far, it’s been a great buy. Seems high quality but very affordable. (I didn’t want to go super expensive since I have no idea how long this “choo-choo” phase will last.) I also liked it because it has storage drawers. Good luck and happy choo-choo shopping!
Julia
October 15, 2010 at 12:21 pmLove the pics – especially the playground shot.
We have Brio trains and train board. We put wheels on the board and roll it under the bed.
Lady Dorothy
October 15, 2010 at 12:22 pmI LOVE that last picture! Too precious!
Lisa
October 15, 2010 at 12:26 pmEven though I tried to stay away from the whole deal, we ended up getting the wooden train set from Thomas. I found some really good deals at Home Goods, and Woot.com so it was hard to not get. I must say that I have not paid full price, and we don’t have a table. I kind of like the idea of redoing the tracks, so I would rather have more tracks and less trains. One thing I do like is that the battery trains from Thomas called Track Master will run on the wooden tracks. I think we may even retire the wooden trains for the most part and keep the tracks out. If you didn’t want to go that route the wooden trains at Ikea look nice, but I’m not sure if they will work with other brands.
Sarah @ Clover Lane
October 15, 2010 at 12:29 pmI have 5 children…the oldest 16, the youngest 2, 4 of them boys, and by far the most played with toy in this house has been our ever expanding train set. My daughter played with it just as much. I have a mixture of tracks…they all work together…I’d get those the cheapest you could find, (Melissa and Doug?) and we mostly have Thomas trains and accessories (tunnels etc.) Most everything has lasted 16 years! Start small and you will always have something to buy for birthday’s and Christmas’s…a new train or a new building, etc…
I had my Dad make a train table…I wanted it to fit into my living room as a coffee table. It looks just like one, except when you take off the “lid” it is a typical train table.
Good luck!
Jenny
October 15, 2010 at 12:31 pmMy son is 14. We bought him the Thomas the Train wooden sets when he was about 2. He played with them until he was about 7 or 8. Most of them were gifts for birthday or Christmas. I didn’t actually have to buy much at all. There are the best and we still have them. I pull them out when my nephews come over and they get hours of enjoyment out of them. They are not cheap, but will last you forever. I am saving mine for my grandson to play with one day!
Kristen {a little ditty}
October 15, 2010 at 12:31 pmGreat pics! And the tees are so cute of course. You got an EVO!! I have one too. I’m so excited for you. I feel no need or longing for an iPhone whatsoever! I mean there is not one thing our sweet phone can do that the iPhone can’t! And…we have a kickstand 🙂 Happy Friday!
Leslie
October 15, 2010 at 12:35 pmOh boy… I can talk some trains. We have a train table that I got from LejueneYardSales{dot}com – which is kind of like Craig’s List – and it has drawers on either end and room underneath for baskets. Love the drawers and baskets. I painted a river and tree tops on it and both my boys LOVE it. When they eventually grow out of it, I plan on converting it to a lego table. My boys loved the Thomas trains – it was the faces and personalities. They also have tunnels and the triple-high {yes, that’s so a technical term} bridges that are always being played with. Oh – and the Thomas trains are super durable. We have both Thomas and Melissa and Doug trains and the Thomas ones look brand spankin’ new still, while the Melissa and Doug are a little worn. Final thought – make sure your train table is sturdy b/c if your rover is anything like my two, he will stand on top of it. A lot. Hope it helps! Like I said, I can talk some trains.
Meredith
October 15, 2010 at 12:35 pmWe got my son Nathan the Imaginarium train table set from Toys R Us (https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3931028). We LOVE it. Nathan turned 2 the end of June, and this train table will definitely grow with him as he gets older. The quality is great, and it is a fraction of the cost of the Thomas sets (but Thomas trains do work on it). I can’t imagine needing to get any other parts to go with it. The only downside is that it is very large. VERY large. I don’t recommend getting a set at a yard sale unless you are certain it is a complete set; otherwise you’ll still end up buying track extensions, etc., and that can nickle and dime you to death.
Angie
October 15, 2010 at 12:38 pmCraigslist! Trains and tables get used a lot in our house and we found the easiest and cheapest way to get them was via craigslist. We got a train table with Thomas the train sets (12 trains) and tracks for only $75.
Kerry
October 15, 2010 at 12:42 pmI have 2 boys and another on the way and they LOVE Thomas. I think the track doesn’t matter as much as long as it works with the Thomas trains. There’s just something about those trains that kids like so much-maybe the happy faces and the fact that they “know” them better from watching the show. They know all their names and really don’t even play with the tracks as much as just playing with the trains themselves. I bought used and they’re still in good shape.
Jennifer B
October 15, 2010 at 12:47 pmI have 2 young boys, and we have a wooden train set (part Brio, part Target brand) with a train table. We put velcro on the tracks and village parts so that they could be stable (ie youngest could not just take off with a piece and i didn’t have to constantly put the track back together). My sister took a piece of plywood, covered with cute fabric, put some casters on the bottom, and then screwed the tracks to the wood for her boys. Both options seem to work well. But we def. like wood better than the plastic track systems.
Yevette
October 15, 2010 at 12:53 pmT-shirt question: If I wanted one of the orange owl t-shirts for *myself*, (I wear a size 4 or 6 or small/med in shirts), would the size 12 child shirt fit? or do you not know?
Thanks!
Catherine
October 15, 2010 at 1:12 pmDarby, we have the Brio trainset and the boys love it. Most of our peices have been hand-me downs. My parents have the Thomas trainset and table. We ended up giving our table away b/c the boys ended up building huge tracks on the floor. I suggest just getting a trainset and track. If he really likes it and you feel his needs a table, then get one.
Tiffany
October 15, 2010 at 1:19 pmHey Darby—Just a train comment. My son’s room was “Thomas” for 2 years, and I’ll tell you it is worth the money for the Thomas the Train stuff. Yes, the Imaginarium from Toys R Us is probably good too, but the Thomas Trains have the movies with the Characters, and it’s just funner. Our train table however, was a plain white and green one that my cousin picked up for $30.00 at Goodwill, and her boy loved it, and it was passed down to us! The Hit Entertainment Website has a plastic mat for about $40.00 that is a layout of the Island Of Sodor, so it looks like the original table that is $300.00 at Toys R Us. My boy never knew the difference. None of his trains have ever chipped or broken!!! Hope this helps!!!
Kim C
October 15, 2010 at 1:40 pmI have two boys, ages 6 and 3 and we have lots of trains! My parents actually built my boys’ train table and I bought the train table mat from Pottery Barn Kids to go on top. They built the table so it would fit the mat perfectly. 🙂 Painted it a pretty chocolate brown since it sits in our den (looks like a piece of furniture) and the boys can put trains on top. I have two huge baskets (from Target) underneath the table full of train stuff. When they want to play cars or Legos, the trains go in the baskets and the cars or Legos go on the train table.
We have Brio trains and tracks and I love that they are not commercial but my youngest LOVES Thomas so if JM loves Thomas, go with Thomas. 🙂 I haven’t bought any trains in about 3 years so I don’t know if anything new is out there now.
You definitely want wooden tracks, no plastic. Brio tracks work with Thomas, Imaginarium (from TRU) and most of them are interchangeable. Check Craigslist for trains, too. I happened to be looking at the classifieds in our local paper and saw that someone was selling 100+ pieces of Brio train stuff so I jumped on it!
Ugaolemissmom
October 15, 2010 at 1:46 pmhttps://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3931028
We just purchased this set for our almost 3 year old grandson. It is huge, has 2 full sets of tracks, many trains, trees, signals, bridges, tunnels, and it makes noise as the train goes over or under bridges. And there is storage. After searching the web and lots of stores, this was the best value we found. And he plays with it for hours!
Good luck.
Jenna
October 15, 2010 at 1:48 pmWithout taking the time to read through the comments, I have to say we love the Thomas trains – especially the wooden ones. Ikea has a train set with tracks, and their tracks and trains are (for the most part) compatible with Thomas. And I actually like Ikea’s tracks a little better. They have a bridge that doesn’t fall down. We have a Thomas bridge, but it’s in three pieces with blocks that are supposed to support it, and my 2 and 4 year old boys canNOT manage to keep it standing. I also bought a whole bunch of Thomas trains off of Ebay – they were all different – some wooden, some plastic, some metal – they don’t all fit on the wooden tracks, but my boys don’t seem to care! It’s also fun that the trains have names – my oldest loves that.
I bought a clearance train table from Target a couple of years back, so I’m no help there. But if I were be in the market right now, I’d probably be stalking Craiglist. Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick recently did a post about a train table she made: …https://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2010/09/before-and-after-party-choo-choo.html
Megan B
October 15, 2010 at 1:54 pmHi Darby,
We bought our son the Circo train table from Target two years ago, and it’s been the best $70 I’ve ever spent. If your Target carries it, it will most likely go on sale between now and Christmas. He is almost 4 and still plays with it EVERYDAY! I like that we can flip over the top and it’s just plain white, so if our baby girl isn’t interested in trains when she’s older she can use it for anything she’d like. It also has some compartments underneath for storage which is perfect for my anal retentiveness. We bought a circo train set to start him out since it came with plenty of tracks, a little mountain, an engine, some freight cars and other accessories. He now has a million thomas trains because people (mainly his grandmas) can’t resist buying them for him. We also gave him some as rewards when he was potty training. He likes the smaller metal Thomas trains the best, which is wonderful because they are also the cheapest Thomas trains. I personally do not recommend glueing down the tracks because as my son has grown he likes to create new layouts all the time. Good luck–you’re about to learn more about buffers, sidings, shunting, etc than you ever thought possible!
Melanie
October 15, 2010 at 2:06 pmRight now Costco (do you have one?) Warehouse store has an amazing train table for $109.99. I would go the wooden train route, much more durable and can withstand some rough playing 🙂
jordan
October 15, 2010 at 2:09 pmHi Darby…(first time commenter, long time stalker:)) As a mother to two boys (7 and almost 6) and one girl (3)(yes, i am pretty much the flip of your family), we went through the train phase. i would highly reccomend the Thomas trains (once they see the show and movies, they want those). You can get a lot of them for much cheaper on ebay (they add up individually). We got a used train table and painted it black. Check craigs list for that. Good luck!
Lori
October 15, 2010 at 2:09 pmWe gave the Imaginarium (toyrus) train table to our son for his 2nd b’day and we had no idea what a big hit it would be. To say he loves trains is an understatement! As several have already mentioned the Thomas the Train work on this track (they are pricey – but grandparents love to purchase. I’ve purchased a couple as they do go on sale – we gave him one for getting down going #2 for potty training 🙂 Our thomas trains have gotten a lot of use and we haven’t had any problems with the magnets and have held up well over the last 9 months. Each Thomas the Train is numbered and I feel like that is how my son learned his numbers and colors so easily because of his trains. Happy Shopping! Off to shop honey bee tees – i’m crossing my fingers on the sizes 🙂
Elizabeth
October 15, 2010 at 2:31 pmHey there! I don’t think you can go wrong with any wooden trains (I wouldn’t go with plastic) and any tracks that say they are Thomas/Brio compatable would work. I would make sure you get a table with drawers on either end or underneath somehow. My 4.5 yr old is outgrowing his trains now, but we liked Thomas bc they all had names we could call each engine. Also, we use the train table now for Playmobile or his older sister’s dollhouse and are always glad to have the drawer space.
Also, in regards to ebay, this wouldn’t have worked for you with the chairs, but you need to look into Auction Sniper. You get the first 3 uses for free and they are the computer programs that come in at the last minute and win the bid for you. Its great! Hope the suggestions are helpful! I really enjoy your blog!
stephanie
October 15, 2010 at 2:33 pmIs your oldest wearing Rainbow sandals? hilarious! She’s ready to go to an SEC school already:)
Katherine @ Grass Stains
October 15, 2010 at 2:34 pmYou are such a good mom I’m sure you’ll let JM keep the trains out all the time. I’m not that good; our Thomas trains stay in a Rubbermaid and the boys only seem to remember them when *I* get them out. But LORDY do they strew them all around the house! (That’s why they stay put away most of the time.) But in terms of quality, we’ve been pleased with our Thomas trains. It’s an easy set to add to, and the pieces are small enough that they make good stocking stuffers, and it’s easy for other gift-givers to just pick one or two to give as gifts occasionally. Good luck!
Courtnie
October 15, 2010 at 2:36 pmWe invested in Thomas. There are very few things we splurge on with the kids. I felt this would be a great item to pass down one day. As for the train table–my dad built a replica of one of the tables from pottery barn. Instead of letting the draws drag on the floor (we have hard wood) he built it a bit higher to accomodate casters. I follow a wood work blog that has AWESOME furniture plans that are easily followed. Check it out… I found the pottery barn table I was talking about. https://ana-white.com/2009/12/plan-you-asked-pottery-barn-kids.html
abby
October 15, 2010 at 2:38 pmI love the halloween tote bag. Such a cute idea.
We have the train table and wooden train set from target. Both were very reasonably priced. And they have held up well. We got ours about two years ago and have two little guys under three. I have also purchased some thomas wooden tracks at garage sales and they fit good with our target set. I have even gotten a few pieces of track, bridges, tunnels, etc. from Ikea and they fit good too. If you go the thomas route you can usually find thomas trains at target, walmart, and tj maxx for cheaper than you would at Toysrus.
I see nice train tables on craigslist periodically so that might be a good place to check. Good luck!
Laura Zarrin
October 15, 2010 at 2:45 pmWe got a basic Thomas the Train set (figure 8), a couple of battery operated engines, then added onto the set with Target & Ikea stuff. Much cheaper, just as good. We’ve had them for at least 8 years. Good stuff!!!
melissa stover
October 15, 2010 at 3:08 pmwe bought a train track one year, wooden, and spent christmas eve gluing it down on a table top for him to play with because he always played with those everywhere we went. after about 2 weeks he stopped playing with it and hasn’t touched it since. instead he loves a small thomas wooden track set that he can arrange himself. he plays with this one over and over again because he can set it up the way he likes it and move it to whatever room he’s in.
Sara
October 15, 2010 at 3:09 pmA big fist pump today…I was able to order your adorable tees!!! Yay! I changed my order last second from 2 tees to 3 but was afraid to go back and loose the 2 in my cart…I hope you are able to make that change! 🙂 Can’t wait to get them!
Sara
October 15, 2010 at 3:34 pmAfter ordering our tees I went back to read the rest of your post 😉
I highly recommend Plan Toys. They are a ‘green’ toy company and our Brady has loved his train set. We got the Road and Rail Deluxe set so he could do the train thing while playing with his cars. I researched a lot and have been super pleased with our choice. Good luck!
Tiffany Hill
October 15, 2010 at 3:54 pmMy boys have a Melissa and Doug wooden train table and track set. They absolutely love it and it is going on 2+ years. We bought a piece of plywood, spray painted it green (to look like grass) and glued the train set together with Elmer’s wood glue (that way when they outgrew the trains, they could still use the table) It is incredibly sturdy (read: they stand on top of it, even the bridges on the train) and is nice to look at, too. I would highly recommend it!
Stephanie
October 15, 2010 at 3:58 pmso, i have to give you my 2 cents about trains. i researched and thought of every pro and con about a year ago, and it turns out that we love love love the thomas the train set. i was convinced that the target brand or the ikea brand could suffice, and in my opinion, it did not. we got the target track/trains handed down to us from a dear friend of mine, and it was okay, but showed the wear. the ikea track was a MAJOR steal and helped us supplement while we built up thomas track. Ultimately though, the ikea track {which has plastic connectors} doesn’t work easily with the thomas track, and would be frustrating for my son. {and their trains don’t even compare} the thing i love about the thomas brand is that the trains have names and faces. recently my son wanted “cranky” and “alfie” and talked about them all.the.time. and my mom couldn’t resist and splurged on them as a treat. he has been going strong with the trains for a year now, i don’t see it stopping anytime soon. i am glad the thomas trains are made to last.
about the train table — we didn’t have the space for one and i was SO BUMMED OUT — but it was a big blessing in disguise. my son is way more creative not having a table, will sometimes use the coffee table, sometimes the floor, and uses different setups every time, which is part of the educational aspect of this toy.
Jennifer
October 15, 2010 at 5:10 pmi haven’t read all the other posts, but i’d say definitely thomas. and go ahead and get the train table if you have the space….it will get tons of use.
kids are growing out of thomas all the time so check craigs list and garage sales. put the word out.
it is all quite expensive new but we have gotten tons from craigs list, friends and neighbors.
good luck!
Jennifer
October 15, 2010 at 5:14 pmjust thought of one more thing…for the little ones it get’s frustrating to build the tracks. so if you are feeling crafty you can use some kind of putty glue, like for sealing toilets to hold all the tracks and bridges in place, like in the museums and toystores.
the little guy can spend so much time playing with the table this way…then when a bit older you can peel the glue off. if you get the right kind.
we never got around to this but it was recommended to us and would have been great.
Julie
October 15, 2010 at 6:04 pmI have two boys who have had a Thomas Tank Engine train since the ages of 5 and 3 and it is still a favorite toy at my house. My girls (9, 7, and 5) still play with it and often my boys (now 14 and 12) will help with the set up of the tracks when they decide to change it all around. It’s the toy I have the fondest memories of “play” in my home with, and it is the one that will get tucked away in the attic one day so that it can be brought out for the grand children to play with. 🙂
I should add that the Thomas train set has withstood very hard play, my kids are not gentle with it. The handle on Cranky the Crane broke, but that’s it. Lots of scratches but still looking good. And we have the table, tho they do move it to the floor on occasion.
Melissa (melissab74)
October 15, 2010 at 6:16 pmHi Darby! You’ve already gotten so many comments on this that you may be totally confused, but I’ll weigh in with my two cents anyway.
We are about to do our second round of trains. With Matthew, we bought the plastic Thomas sets…not good, because the tracks aren’t interchangeable, even between other Thomas plastic sets. (We were trying to save money, in case the train phase only lasted a few months.) Now we’re about to do the train thing with Luke. I think we’re going to get a wooden set of the “off” brand tracks and fill in with Thomas trains. All the other brand tracks are supposed to be compatible with Thomas trains. As far as the table, think long and hard about it. We had a really nice Thomas table that would roll under the bed, but Matthew rarely played on it. He always wanted to put all the track together and make a really big set, but the table (even though it was pretty large), wasn’t big enough to accommodate it. So I’m not sure what we are going to do as far as a table this time.
I do know that I can’t handle having them strewn all over the place, so I’ve also thought about some Thomas sets I saw advertised on TV the other day that are all put together and just fold up into a box, and you can connect the “boxed” sets together, too.
Today's Letters
October 15, 2010 at 6:48 pmRover is a southpaw. I knew I liked him. Are you homosapien the same?
Beth
October 15, 2010 at 7:00 pmWe started with an IKEA train set, then a larger set from TJMaxx.
My husband built a train table for our son for Christmas, and we picked the dimensions to fit the play mats that Pottery Barn Kids sells. Since then, we have gotten a few more pieces from ToysRus (probably Brio), like a bridge and more “tight curves” and straights.
The different brands fit together pretty well, and my 3 big kids all like playing with them. They’re 5 1/2, 4, and 2 1/2.
Sarah
October 15, 2010 at 7:12 pmSo everytime I go to order the tees for my boys their sizes are out.. I know I’ll get them eventually. Maybe today! Parks are the best these days and I love how parks are putting the stretched canvas covers for sun protection… Like?
Let’s talk trains, with two boys in our house, trains are a must. We’ve tried them all but the BEST ever are Thomas the Tank engine trains, tracks, etc. The other brands we’ve found don’t keep the trains on the track as well and don’t mix with other brands as well. Also, train tables we’ve had a few. Started with kidkraft and it feel apart (found it on craigslist for $40 bucks with the storage under) and it lasted 6 months. Then got a hand me down 4 year old Thomas the Train table and after a year with my little boys that use it to climb on, it’s still holding strong. A few of my friends have pottery barn tables and they’ve lasted almost 4 years so in the beginning you might have to shell out some $$ but it’ll be a good investment. Can’t wait to see what you decide. Happy weekend!
kayce hughes
October 15, 2010 at 7:37 pmLove your drawings!
Cheryl @ a pretty cool life.
October 15, 2010 at 7:49 pmI’m the mama of two little boys…we’ve had an Imaginarium train table for 2 yrs this Christmas and it’s held up great. It comes with a boatload of tracks and cars and is compatible with Thomas cars. Whatever you get, make sure it has plenty of drawer space…you’ll need it! 😉
Stacey
October 15, 2010 at 8:28 pmWow, my first comment! I couldn’t resist when you asked opinions on trains. I have a 3 yr old son who LOVES all things Thomas. We definitely went with the wooden sets b/c I find them much more charming and old fashion. They are rather durable with the exception of some of the engines. The paint can chip away if they are not careful and let’s be real, boys are not careful 🙂 As for a train table, I’d say scrap it. They are very limited in the track layouts that you can make so we just build them on the floor. And if you have an AC Moore craft store near you the 40% off coupons are good for Thomas purchases!
Brittan
October 15, 2010 at 8:28 pmWe did trains for years and years….Our local “wonder works” has a deal for about $200, train table and ton of trains, tracks etc…It’s Melissa and Doug but also interchangeable with Thomas. We bough the table and tracks. Nailed them all down and then for holidays etc we would buy some fancy Thomas pieces to sit on top of the table or to add into the mix….Many hours were spent playing with the train table! Get one with a drawer for easy storage. We had over 100 trains and it was nice to have it:)
Lee-Anne Fenwick
October 15, 2010 at 8:29 pmrepeat from my Fb post to you, but thought I’d share:
Anywho, not quite sure what you’d like to chat about in regards to trains and boys, but since I have experience in both- I wanted to share a site with you. http://www.woodentoy.com
These train pieces are incredible….a little pricey for our typical amount we would spend on a toy, BUT they look brand new after 5 years of play. When you call, you get THE guy who makes them- he answers from his basement while the saw is running the saw in the background. In the engine, he can carve JM’s name – pretty cool!! You can order piece by piece (ie birthdays, Christmas, etc) or start with 3 (which can also be the complete set) or you can choose to add along as you wish.
Have a great week!!! :):)
Lexie
October 15, 2010 at 9:17 pmI would totally recommend a KidKraft train table and Thomas tracks, trains, accessories. My son played with them from age 2 until age 6 and would probably still build tracks all around upstairs if they were accessible. Thomas wooden trains/tracks hold up great and we look forward to keeping them for grandchildren in the future!
Stephanie
October 15, 2010 at 9:27 pmWe love thomas but if your little guy is like mine and loves “real” trains as well this is the place for you! They have wooden replicas of real trains. Amtrak, CSX, etc. https://www.woodentrain.com/ All compatible with thomas and brio wooden track. Good Luck!
amy davis
October 15, 2010 at 10:13 pmMy boys (9 5, almost 2) have all played with train sets. It’s been my experience that the more money I fork over, the more often I expect them to play with a toy. Maybe it’s all those neglected Legos getting to me. So I got them Target’s Circo brand wooden tracks/accessories as a starter. They are compatible with Thomas stuff. There was no table but we didn’t really have room so Andy cut/sanded a giant piece of plywood, attached furniture moving discs on the bottom and a handle on the edge, and drew out some landscaping for me to paint. Custom train table for cheap and it slides right under the bed. The pieces are all wood and painted very simply, kind of like Melissa & Doug stuff, so maybe not exciting for a big boy but fine for a little Rover. Also difficult to break or eat…mine tried both. 😉
Katie
October 16, 2010 at 12:22 amwe don’t have space for a train table, but we have the IKEA train set and it is lots of fun. we had a thomas set, but it could only be put together a specific way, and my son could never get it to go together on his own. so we donated it to goodwill, got the additional pieces set from ikea, and it is plenty of fun. we never make the same set twice, and he can put the pieces together himself with no trouble. plus, the price is right!
Margie
October 16, 2010 at 7:17 amBrio. My son played for hours with his Brio. I did not buy the table. I just let him build all around the house! I can’t wait to get the basket of Brio out for my grandchildren. (First one in January!) Brio is a classic toy and I can add to it even 16 years after the first piece was bought!
Kristi
October 16, 2010 at 7:29 amok, i’m another one delurking to make a train comment! 🙂 first of all, we just recently moved to dothan. i don’t know how i happened upon your blog but i’m glad i did. we love the new park too! we desperately needed a new park around here and we’ve been having a lot of fun there. as for the trains… my son, Shep, turned two in May. He LOVES trains. Loves them and will tell you all the time, “I luh toy trains!”. We got him the Imaginarium ( i think that’s the name) table and train set from Toys R Us. I love it becasue it has two big drawers for storage. Don’t think the Thomas train table has that. Every now and then we’ll get him or he’ll get as a gift a Thomas engine. He loves it and plays with it every single day.
natalie
October 16, 2010 at 7:56 ami am loving the owl-o-ween bag! you are so creative!
have a blessed weekend!
Tina
October 16, 2010 at 11:03 amApparently, my kids are alone in being wooden train track challenged. They couldn’t keep those little trains on the tracks if their lives depended on it. So, my mother in law bought them this table: https://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1471 and it’s been a life saver! They can use it with wooden trains or matchbox cars, the vehicles never fall off the tracks, and it has a lid so they can use the table for other things too. It’s not as nice to look at, but they love it, and it keeps them from getting frustrated!
Nikie
October 16, 2010 at 11:23 amBrio is the way to go with the trains. Our trains and table are 30 years old – there are my little brothers. They are more expensive but worth the investment. I recommend buying a small circle track with a tunnel to start.
Brooke
October 16, 2010 at 12:08 pmThis is the train table we just got for our kids-Daughter 6, Son 4, and other son 21 monthshttps://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3931028
It is AWESOME!!! Makes all kinds of cool noises-bells, lights light up, train whistle, steam etc. Wooden track and comes with lot’s of trains and also accommodates all Thomas trains. Great storage drawers. Looks soooo cute in our playroom too. It has provided endless hours of fun for our family!
Allie
October 16, 2010 at 1:35 pmLove the Halloween tote! Where’d you get your jeggings? Do you or Erika recommend any brand?
Dina
October 16, 2010 at 1:54 pmI just recently bought a pair of shoes at Old Navy that look nearly identical to your gray ballerina flats, in case anyone can use a pair!
Lori
October 16, 2010 at 2:27 pmBrio…not trendy…timeless. Both my very active boys loved them and they never broke or wore out. My boys didn’t like cutesy things like Thomas. They wanted authentic looking, or not animated looking. As some other readers said, they were awesome gifts for grands and aunts and uncles. We bought very few. Just started them off with their collection. Memories..
erika (mommasissy)
October 16, 2010 at 4:23 pmpaging Agent Android
Margaret
October 16, 2010 at 5:37 pmI have to second the Brio trains. Love them. My kiddos actually have a lot of the Brio trains that my brother and I played with when we were younger (shows how well they hold up and how long they last!), as well as some newer ones that we have gotten them. They also have a few Thomas trains, but they don’t really watch television and honestly don’t know who Thomas is, so as long as it’s a train and it “sticks” to another train they are happy–they don’t care what brand it is or what it looks like. 🙂 We have a variety of wooden tracks—some Melissa and Doug, some Thomas, some Target brand, and they all work together and I can’t tell a difference between them, so I’d recommend just going with whichever ones cost the least. Don’t splurge on Thomas tracks if you can find other wooden tracks at half the price.
We have a train table that I found at a consignment sale for $40 and I’m not sure of the brand—it’s white with a green top and has a drawer to store tracks and trains (I think it’s Imaginarium, though). What I love about it is that it’s square and not rectangular like a lot of the train tables I’ve seen. I doesn’t take up a ton of space, which is good because half the time my kiddos end up building their tracks on the floor anyway.
Just got my email that our shirts have been mailed—my five year old is going to be thrilled about his new shirts!! Thank you so much! 🙂
Mary Perrigo
October 16, 2010 at 8:45 pmWhatever brand you decided to get, make sure to check craigslist first. We got our train table (like new) from there for $30 (We live in Seattle too and things are expensive here). We also get all our LEGO sets from there.
Thanks for blogging. I check it everyday.
Michelle
October 16, 2010 at 8:54 pmI love reading your blog. Your children are SO precious and I love seeing the pictures from your parent’s farm. Born and raised in Illinois (but living in Tennessee for the last 14 years), I love the peaceful feeling you capture in your photos. My son is now 17 and LOVED his Brio train set. My father built a replica table but it only contained the clutter, he would build miles of track through every room. So a table might not be useful for long. Good luck with your decision.
Cat from iBlog
October 16, 2010 at 10:48 pmDon’t know if anyone else has mentioned, but we got Jack the Imaginarium set from Toys-R-Us. It’s GREAT! And, what I love most about it is that it’s neutral and doesn’t have the Thomas characters all around the sides of it, it’s just wood. It comes with wooden tracks and trains and city parts and men and it’s way less $$$ than the “thomas” brand train set. The thomas one you have to buy the table, then the tracks, then the city parts and it’s like 3x as much as the one we got. Oh, and the best part is that all the Thomas trains work with this set, too. It wins by a land slide in my book.:) good luck! Email me if you want a link to it!
LeAnn
October 17, 2010 at 8:16 amMy husband and I both have HTC Hero (step down from evo) and we LOVE it!! My sisters have an iPhone and they dont love it so much. Hope you enjoy your Evo as much as we love our heros!
mama walker
October 17, 2010 at 9:08 amHi. I am so glad my train knowledge is finally getting to be used. We have been into trains for the last 5 years AT LEAST! By we I mean my 7 and 4 year old boys. We have loved the THOMAS wooden trains. You can get them at lots of different places including Michael’s craft store and The Learning Post educational store. As for the table… MAKE IT!! I made mine and it was the best thing ever. Make sure to have some sort of small rim around the edge. I built the frame and then laid cheap MDF down on the inside. You can even cover it with fabric that you can paint to make the ground look fun. You know with ponds and grassy areas etc. One of my best friends (also mother of 2 boys) gave me the tip to put velcro down under the track. I would definitely put something down under it to keep it from sliding around unless you make the track touch all sides of the table so that it keeps itself in place. Anywhooo, that’s what i know. btw, totally so proud of you for rockin out the t’s and learning as you go. “I’m always doing things I can’t do. That’s how i get them done.” Is a phrase I found and it fits me ( and you) perfectly. LOVE THAT!
Stacy
October 17, 2010 at 11:31 amHi – Go with the Thomas Wooden set. They are well made and attractive. Obviously, there is the show, but there are also wonderful books that go along. So each train has a story!! We bought a table last year at Toys R Us…there are several different ones you can chose from. We did not get the Thomas one, but a pale wooden one.
Laura N.
October 17, 2010 at 2:03 pmBrio trains are the best! It is really easy to find inexpensive trains/tracks that fit with the brio. They are a heck of a lot cuter/more traditional looking than the Thomas trains. Just make sure to get some wooden tracks, not the plastic. I’ve found trains in giftshops that fit with the brio trains, I’ve found hand-carved train cars that fit, and some very very good deals on ebay for the cars. Thomas you are looking at $10+ per car… I’m not sure on the actual “Brio” brand, but any that fit with it you can find for some good bargains. I think they are good quality too.
As far as a train table, I found one that has lego on the other side of the train table… consequently, the table serves as storage for the trains, but he mostly uses the table for legos.
Amanda
October 17, 2010 at 3:50 pmWe have done Thomas wooden trains as well as Imaginex and some of the plastic Thomas trains…Wooden Thomas ROCKS…we ordered a train table with two rolling drawers that slide underneath from Pottery Barn…it was a little pricey but was worth every cent! We ordered a wooden train board and glued all the buildings and track to the board…that way we didn’t have as big a mess from the track…hope this helps!!! Have FUN!!!
Katie
October 17, 2010 at 6:16 pmHey Darby! I haven’t commented in quite a bit, but I do have a train fan(almost 4 yrs.) at our house. Actually, even our girls (6 & 2) love the trains too. We bought an Imaginarium train table from Toys R’ Us about two years ago after doing tons of research and have found it to be a great bang for your buck. I actually ordered a KidCraft, boxed it up, and sent the whole shabang back because it wasn’t near the value. The Imaginarium has huge storage drawers on each side of the table, cost about $120 , and came with TONS of trucks, trains, and helicopters. It even has pieces for the crane to lift and working lights and sounds. Works with all the Thomas wooden engines as well since we have lots of those too. We have tons of Thomas stuff and love it, but it’s a little pricey and while they might grow out of “Thomas” himself, the “train” idea lasts a bit longer and then you’re not stuck with some huge expensive Thomas table that they no longer dig.
Hope that helps. We have a cute little wooden circus train from Target’s Parents Choice toys too. Sweet, moving pieces and great for little hands, but a small set. Have fun.
Autumn
October 17, 2010 at 8:24 pmIkea. They have wooden trains on a wooden track and are SO cheap..I bought my daughter the set and spent about $25 total..that was on the trains/tracks and extra tracks.
brandi
October 17, 2010 at 10:19 pmChoo Choo! Why has it taken the mention of TRAINS to get me to post how refreshing and inspiring you are through your window…love your transparency:)
Oh, yea, because I have 2 adorable boys who melt my heart and love trains! My REC is for a longer term investment…My 4 yo loves to go home and play with his daddy’s old wooden train sets and I can only hope our boys boys;) will want to come HOME one day too.
This is important to know when purchasing trains…they need to fit the track and the following systems work/connect together beautifully:
Thomas Wooden Railway Sets and Thomas WOODEN trains (not the metal ones)
Brio Trains
and
PLAN CITY…all connect to Thomas.
We have a Melissa & Doug Table…I’m the only one that uses it for displaying pretty train sets when we have company (pretending I didn’t break a sweat as I ran around the house picking them up at rocket speed.)
There is nothing like watching them build long train tracks as you drink your coffee:)
Mrs. B.
October 17, 2010 at 10:29 pmSuch cute babies you have.
And when it comes to trains you can not get ANY better than Brio. Period. 🙂
Lisa @ lists in my pocket
October 18, 2010 at 8:17 amHi Darby! I need to agree with many other commenters. I’m not a mom, but my little brother had Brio trains almost 20 years ago and they are still in amazing condition. You cannot do better than them!
kristen
October 18, 2010 at 9:48 amthe t’s are just amazing. amazing! and the scarecrows are hilarious!! i love that!!! happy fall yall!
Kelly
October 18, 2010 at 2:15 pmWe got our son the Toys R Us Imaginarium train table that comes with some wooden trains–about $150. At the time, he wasn’t really into Thomas—so those worked well. As he has gotten more “into” Thomas, he gets some of the Thomas trains—which work great on the Imaginarium table—for birthdays, etc. Has worked great and been worth the $. I will say, if you aren’t in a hurry, Toys R Us puts this table on sale a decent amt–so wait for that, or at least a $10 off or 20% off coupon before purchasing. We could not be more pleased with this purchase.
Cazra
October 18, 2010 at 3:40 pmDid you make the red gingham shorts on Rover? If so, can you tell me what pattern you used?
Thanks!
Jennifer Key
October 18, 2010 at 8:47 pmWow! I am in awe of the train comments! My oldest son, Baxter was never a “trainee” and our youngest son, Ben only plays with his vintage Fisher Price train from an antique store. However, it’s nice to know the wealth of information if I needed it!
I’m thinking of a granola themed Christmas gift?
Love the Patagonia shoes sooooooo much and love the finds at TJ Maxx even more!
Love the new tshirts – will be ordering soon! We just came back from vacation where our friend and my daughter wore their pink owl shirts all over Kiawah Island.
Making oatmeal in the a.m. Craving oats and syrup now.
The playground looks amazing. Is it Gametime/Playcore? I have a friend that works there and I’m always checking out the brands of playgrounds!
Sanna
October 18, 2010 at 9:51 pmDarby, we have had the costco train set that usually is in every christmas. It verys slightly from year to year (several friends have bought it), but basically the same. I think my parents paid about $150 for the table, tracks, and trains. It has lasted 5years and 3 children (2boys)and is still currently being used. I did glue my tracks down after the first 6months with my 1st child. Then when we moved, I took them off, stored them below in one of the drawers. My kids used the table top to set up army men, princesses and everything in between. Now that my youngest is of age and ready to play with the trains agian, i took them out and set it back up. He loves it. For what its worth:)
Stacey
October 19, 2010 at 7:53 amYour owl-o-ween t-shirt and bag brought back great memories of college! I was Chi O at Samford and we had an Owl-o-ween party every year. One of our party shirts was incredibly similar to your design. Side note…we love Thomas at our house. They last, they correspond with the Thomas movies, and they are easy to find and purchase.
Kelly C.
October 19, 2010 at 7:51 pmMy son was Rover’s age when we first got into trains. The little guy new all of their names and remembered them too. Of course we thought he was a child prodigy (read – only child, granchild, nephew). anyway – he latched on to “Molly” as his favorite and loved that train until the one fateful day when we were potty training and he accidently dropped Molly in the potty with unmentionables. The HORROR. Life as we knew it was over….. No amount of scrubbing, ODO ban, bribing etc. could ever bring him to love Molly as much. Poor thing she was banned to poopy land. (Mommy kept him safe so when he is a grown man I can remind him of it). Needless to say we bought a replacement Molly but things just weren’t the same between the two of them. RIP Molly.
NatalieJean
October 19, 2010 at 11:24 pmYour little owlie illustrations are oh so cute!!! If I had a little one I’d snatch one up in a hurry!
Stefanie
October 27, 2010 at 2:09 pmLOVE the tees! I think I”m going to order one for my son.
And speaking of my son, he’s a HUGE train fan. Could play with them for hours. We got him a set from Toys’R’Us for his birthday this year…it’s made by Imaginarium, which I believe is a Toys’R’Us brand, and has held up really well. He also got a bunch of Thomas trains for his birthday, and they’re compatible with the Imaginarium tracks.
This is the set we have–the bonus is that it comes in it’s own storage box! Perfect for putting away neatly or to take anywhere. We have a summer home and the train set has gone back and forth with us all summer!
https://milo.com/imaginarium-road-rail-train-set
Cat Woman
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