Thursday, September 27, 2012

Too Many Toys






Above is a pic of my kids' playroom...on a GOOD day!!  How this clutter and toy overload happened, I honestly don't know.  I can literally count, on one hand, the amount of toys my husband and I purchased for our kids.  It's not that we had set out to have a toy-free home, but we were amazed at how many toys had been collected after one year of birthdays, holidays or hand-me-downs from friends.

My aversion to toys did not begin because of the clutter but rather because my daughter rarely played with them.  My daughter was more the type of child who enjoyed playing with the pots and pans in the kitchen drawer.  She loved using my wooden cooking spoon to bang on plastic containers.  Her favourite mobile toy was her old diaper box that we attached a belt to and pulled her around in.  She loved colouring, so crayons and colouring books were always a big hit.  Because of this, I had extreme guilt for those who had purchased gifts that my daughter rarely played with.  I often felt as though friends and family were wasting their money (quick search on Google revealed that the average cost spent on a gift for children under 10 is $25.00.  Multiply that by the amount guests and it's amazing to think how much money is spent on a child!!).

So by my daughter's second birthday, I attempted the "no-gift" party and it totally backfired.  My friends and family are extremely generous and enjoy showering children.  When I requested "no-gifts", they basically laughed and told me they'd be buying something anyway.  That's when we decided to reveal the purchase of a swingset and I was surprised by how many guests requested to contribute towards it.  2 years later, my kids, friends' kids, cousins and neighbours have been playing and enjoying the swingset tremendously and the contributions made towards the swingset have definitely been put to good use. 

Wishgift.ca was designed to make gift-giving simpler for both the gift giver and recipient.  It allows for an item to be communicated while providing guests with an option they can choose to contribute towards.  It is not limiting to a store's inventory or selection, and therefore the gift possibilities are endless.  It's all about taking in to account the child's biggest passion at the time and for my 2-year-old, that was outdoor play.











Saturday, September 22, 2012

"A Perfect Partnershp"

"As co-founder of the "WishGift" venture, I've often been asked "What attracted you to the whole idea?".  Well let me share with you a little of our background....
Rheanna & I first met through mutual friends but we really connected when we walked in the Weekend to End Breast Cancer, both in memory of lost love ones.  Even back then we worked really well as a team, so of course I was thrilled to join her on this new and exciting adventure.  Both on maternity leave for our second children and overwhelmed with the growing abundance of toys and the oh so often asked “what does she need?”, Rheanna had the idea of a website to make gift-giving effortless.  Wow…fantastic…I loved it!  Of course starting a business can be a daunting task but as a team, it just seemed tangible.  The adventure then began.  We’ve come a long way and learned many new things and looking back on the past year and what we’ve achieved I can honestly smile and say “Wish It, Get It” ;). "

Posted by: Tracy

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