2nd Birthday Party Invite... You Forgot Bubblewrap and Purell...

[HelenePA]

The bolded part is what's interesting to me. All these stipulations for a second-hand table? And, no, I'm not knocking second hand items at all, some of my most treasured items are hand me downs.

I say get him a $10 gift card to Toys R Us and let him go crazy.

10$ for thomas stuff Now that's funny!

 

[Redpepperflakes14]

10$ for thomas stuff Now that's funny!

You can tell I don't have kids . Stories like the OPs invitation make me worry about what kind of parent I'd be and what kind of parents I'll encounter!

 

[HelenePA]

You can tell I don't have kids . Stories like the OPs invitation make me worry about what kind of parent I'd be and what kind of parents I'll encounter!

Single engine trains (thomas, lady, percy, toby) start at about 12.99$ each engine with tender (james, gordon, spencer) start at about 15.99 and then they go up from there!! The track set prices are insane!

 

[LisaNJ25]

Single engine trains (thomas, lady, percy, toby) start at about 12.99$ each engine with tender (james, gordon, spencer) start at about 15.99 and then they go up from there!! The track set prices are insane!

yep.. they are scary. We get ours at AC Moore or Michaels with the 40% off coupons

 

[Deb in IA]

Oh, heck.

Just give the kid money. Preferably some really grimy, dirty bills.

 

[dogluva]

The bolded part is what's interesting to me. All these stipulations for a second-hand table? And, no, I'm not knocking second hand items at all, some of my most treasured items are hand me downs.

I say get him a $10 gift card to Toys R Us and let him go crazy.

I did this. A mother called to invite my son to a party she was having last minute. After getting all the information (time, etc.) I tried to hang up. She then said "Oh wait" and told me not to get him anything but a Walmart gift card (for WII stuff). Walmart is 30 minutes out of my way-this was last minute, I had no plans to go to Walmart and I work full time. I had my friend pick up a ten dollar gift card. I was so offended, that is why I did it. My kids love to pick out gifts and I would have let my son do that at the Target down the street. I would have also spent way more that ten dollars.

A month later she got my son's birthday invite and called to ask what he liked. I said anything would do, all gifts are appreciated (normally I would have been more specific but I was trying to prove a point).

It is different when you are asked, if not, accept the gift and be grateful.

 

[Becky2005]

Apparently she didn't do her research , Diesel is the real ******* of the group.

James is just a youngster trying to keep up with the big older trains.

Get it straight Mom!!

Isn't it actually Diesel 10 who is REALLY bad? I read that and thought "huh? James is mean?" Apparently I didn't catch that.

Just go get him "Lady" -- no one really even knows about that train because she's hidden in a mountain.

My youngest was the only one who watched Thomas and I still don't know ALL the trains.

 

[clh2]

Play doh, isn't that non toxic.and snowflake can rub it all into the carpet.

LOTS of playdoh. In EVERY color!!!

 

[englishteacha]

Get him a nice metal pot and a wooden spoon.

 

[FayeW]

Sadly, my son hasn't played with Thomas in about 7 years, but we were definitely experts back in the day. I remember clearly Mr Conductor telling us that Toby "didn't know that James is boastful, and doesn't always tell the truth"...but that certainly doesn't make him mean! James was one of our favourites.

Now, those Troublesome Trucks, on the other hand...

Seriously, we still quote the Thomas videos around here. For example, rather than tell our 13 yr old son that he smells bad and needs a shower, we might say "All trains must wash down daily!"

If we are trying to manouever something in a tight space, we might quote Duncan and say "Tunnels shoud be tunnels, and not rabbit holes!"

We really watched waaaayyyy too much Thomas!

 

[HelenePA]

yep.. they are scary. We get ours at AC Moore or Michaels with the 40% off coupons

I got insanely lucky one year at target! I got a whole wooden (not thomas but who cares!) mega train track in its own toy box that has a padded top to use as a chair for under $5 my best find at target EVER..

My 1 yr old just got into Thomas so we have been watching it a lot again..

Ya know whole invite thing could have been worded so much better and gotten the results she wanted.. she just did it in a VERY VERY bad way!

 

[buckler]

How does she know that James is the "Mean Train"? And how would the kid know that James is the "Mean Train"? Maybe James is just misunderstood...

Give the kid a plain wooden block wrapped in plain brown paper..


And then stand back and watch him bash someone's thumb with it .

agnes!

When I was little another kid threw a cylinder shaped block (the size of a can of food) at me and gave me a black eye. It hurt but after a few days my eye was all kinds of cool colors .

 

[AKL_Megs]

So is there a Birthday Registry for this kid? How will Helicopter Mom make sure that there are no duplicates of the same trains being given?

Awesome!

Oh, heck.

Just give the kid money. Preferably some really grimy, dirty bills.

No matter what I end up getting, he's SO getting two of the ugliest bills I can find!

 

[luvmy3]

OP, you should really remind the helicopter mom that wooden Thomas train toys are not recommended for children under 3. They contain small parts that may be choking hazards, what kind of mother would tell people to get her 2 year old those kinds of toys. I'm sure helicopter mom would appreciate your concern

 

[PaulaSB12]

How about these all wood after all
http://www.amazon.com/Schylling-Woo...=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1273939519&sr=8-11
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-488-Band-Box/dp/B00005RF5C/ref=pd_sim_t_6
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-...e=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1273939615&sr=1-4

Then tell the child that mummy and daddy will really like being woken up in the morning with a little music.

 

[MulanUSAF]

Heck, I would get that kid a Thomas book, the kind with all the annoying sounds to press next to the pages and don't forget to replace the original battery with an extra long life lithium one!

 

[Mickey's Minion]

You would be breaking the rules with this toy as it is plastic,

but SO worth it:

http://videosift.com/video/The-most-annoying-toy-in-the-world

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Wow. I feel really sorry for that kid.

You may want to tell her that several years ago there was recall on the wooden Thomas the Tank toys. It's not the plastic, it's the paint that contains lead. So any painted toy could be a problem, not just the plastic ones!

And if they don't watch the show, how do they know that James is mean. He's got a smile on his face, so you wouldn't know by looking at him!

No Sesame Street? How is he gonna learn who the people in his neighborhood are?

I think I would buy him a plastic squirt gun!!

Yes, we had a few that were recalled, I always tried to send them back, but kept forgetting, when I put all our thomas things in the attic, I just threw away the recalled ones...if I remember correctly it seemed to be most of the red items.

Apparently she didn't do her research , Diesel is the real ******* of the group.

James is just a youngster trying to keep up with the big older trains.

Get it straight Mom!!

hahahahaha

I am sorry, I try not to nit pick at parents decisions, but if you don't want your child to watch TV, ok, whatever, but Sesame St, Thomas, etc these are all books too, very educational as well. DD watched Sesame and was counting to 20 by the time she was 2. I am a big fan of Sesame...sorry haha.

I think on spite I would get the child a sesame st. board book...really, what is wrong with Big Bird!?!?
ArGh!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Sadly, my son hasn't played with Thomas in about 7 years, but we were definitely experts back in the day. I remember clearly Mr Conductor telling us that Toby "didn't know that James is boastful, and doesn't always tell the truth"...but that certainly doesn't make him mean! James was one of our favourites.

Now, those Troublesome Trucks, on the other hand...

Seriously, we still quote the Thomas videos around here. For example, rather than tell our 13 yr old son that he smells bad and needs a shower, we might say "All trains must wash down daily!"

If we are trying to manouever something in a tight space, we might quote Duncan and say "Tunnels shoud be tunnels, and not rabbit holes!"

We really watched waaaayyyy too much Thomas!

hahaha,
we still say "he was very cross", they never said mad, it was always cross!
Actually, I think I would just get the kid a Thomas DVD, he'll grow verbally

 

[Becky2005]

hahaha,
we still say "he was very cross", they never said mad, it was always cross!
Actually, I think I would just get the kid a Thomas DVD, he'll grow verbally

That's hysterical! We still say the "you are causing confusion and delay" when things are not going well. Then again, whenever we go near the train tracks, if a passanger train is going by it's Gordon and if it's a freight train on the tracks it's James. I'm pretty sure my kids will be 30 and we will still be saying "there goes Gordon"!!! It has just stuck.