Toys with staying power (aka: what you should really spend your $$ on)

Forget self-deprecating talk about how "your mileage may vary", "in my opinion", or "trust your own judgment" -- after 11 1/2 years and untold (and uncalculated for the sake of blessed denial) $$ spent on toys for our kids, I feel quite thoroughly confident that I can write this:

10 (11) toys you should buy for your kids because they won't end up in a pile of broken, forgotten parts before January 1 (and they won't annoy the crap out of you)

The LPA's - That's Little Plastic Animals. We have tons of them. To the tune of about $40 total. They have been played with and adored. They have been teething toys, sister whackers, residents of fantastic make-believe worlds, and stars of dioramas at school. We've loved the cheap ones bought by the "tube" at discount stores and we've loved slightly less cheap ones (and super realistic ones) bought from the wooden display rack at Jax Outdoor Gear. There is no doubt in my mind that LPAs have the absolute best amortization profile of our entire collection of toys. Honorable mention goes to Hot Wheels cars. The tracks we can do without but it's great to have a few cars around.

Legos - Not advised for the very young but they are and have always been the world's greatest toy. Period. (Dis) Honorable mention goes to Duplos - they're just not anywhere as much fun.

Balls - We had tons of hollow plastic balls (the kind that populate the nasty ball pit at your local kids amusement center) for a long time. They were loved, used, and subsequently destroyed but they did their thing and provided many a giggle-fest (and they aren't heavy or fast enough to draw blood). We also love inflatable beach balls as well as standard sports balls (although I'm not a big fan of Nerf balls because Poppy shreds them and they float into every corner of the house).

Dress-up stuff - Great for sons and daughters. Make sure there's at least one black cape (bad guy) and at least one badge (good guy). Pink and sparkly stuff is pretty important for that inevitable 'damsel in distress' phase (although A's was more of a "black cape in sparkly pink clothing" kind of phase). Target after Halloween sales were my very good friend for a lot of years.

Pop-up house, pup tent, tipi - Heck, it could just be a refrigerator box and a box of markers. The kiddos don't care what it looks like or how much it costs. They just care that it's theirs and when they're in there you can't see what they're doing. Be sure to do a periodic sweep for highly perishable food items or you might be in the market for a replacement.

Stuffed animals - I kind of cringe when I say this because there was a time when I got a little itchy everytime someone showed up with another stuffed animal. I swore I could make a couch out of all the stuffing and fur crammed into the playroom. It is, however, true that the kids picked their favorites of those dozens of demonstrations of affection and they have been through a lot with us. They've been willing actors, patients, babies, and basketballs. Some of the less-favored are now chew toys for the pooch. We were never a big doll family but we did get some fun out of Groovy Girls.

Musical instruments - drums, horns, jangly things, and eventually, a piano. They were great (and noisy) fun for many years and now they provide the entire family with real, actual music. I've never regretted a dime spent on a quality instrument.

Cash register and fake money - excellent for playing store and great for reinforcing math skills. We have this one and it's been going strong for about 8 years. It's also worth keeping some of that excess food packaging, taping it closed, and using it to set up your own store.

Bicycles (and various precursors) - Ah, the freedom! We've had trikes, tagalongs, scooters, and actual bikes. Due to a lesser known clause in our marriage vows, our kids have always had Trek bikes as opposed to anything purchased at Wal-Mart (which, as far as I can tell, would have been just as good for the smaller bikes which are an important step in learning but don't have a particularly long life span).

Art supplies - Lots of fun. I prefer bulk supplies (paper, paint, markers, tape, glue, crayons, stickers, occasional air-dry clay, pipe cleaners, yarn, etc.) to clever little kits for both $ as well as creativity's sake.

Oops! Can't make it in 10.

The Wii. I didn't want to love it but I do. I've never actually played Wii but the kids have a great ol' time (and they have to do chores or homework to earn Wii time so it's had other benefits as well)

So, go return something you spent too much money on... something that eats batteries for breakfast. Buy yourself a big, overpriced latte on the way to buy a big roll of Kraft paper and some scissors with wiggly edges. You won't regret it.