I’ll leave you with a final note: get out to the pitch, have fun keeping in shape and enjoy the Beautiful Game!

(P.S. If you see me glued to the opposing computer screen in the shop I am watching the World Cup, but feel free to interrupt me and ask for any assistance you need!! I can also fill you in on who is playing and what the score is too if you are interested!)

Seems a bit counter-intuitive to introduce myself just as I leave, but I’ve never been one to do what seems normal (I wouldn’t work at a toy store if I did!) and I figured better late than never.

My name is Leigh and I grew up right here in Kerrisdale. After nearly seven years of living away from home, I moved back to Vancouver last fall and promptly got a job here at Cowboys and Angels. Everything I’ve written on this blog is true: I have an adorable niece who happens to be part of the gallery on the website, Find It! was the biggest staff craze of the past several months, and I do have an unabashed crush on Kevin Bieksa of the Vancouver Canucks. I have also truly enjoyed my time here at Cowboys and Angels. I’ve met so many wonderful families and kids and seen so many old friends and parents of those friends shopping for grandkid gifts… it’s been truly wonderful.

Thank you to my co-workers for their friendship, thank you to Philip and Polly for their generosity and kindness, and thank you to you for reading and contributing! Have an incredible summer and go play!

Now, keeping in mind I haven’t yet had my tea for the day, this post (the second to last in my “week” long series) is going to be brief… but seriously, how cute is this tea set!? And eco-friendly too! Long live Sprig!

Why not take a trip to the jungles of the Amazon from the comfort of your very own basement? Our collection of Wild Republic snakes and monkeys will set the stage a wild adventure!

Or what about a journey through the wild west? Our Creative Education cowboy costumes and Melissa and Doug Rock and Trot horse and Gallop n Go Pony will have young cowboys and cowgirls riding bad guys out of town in no time!

But why stick around earth when you can go all the way to space!? Our Creativity for Kids Create A Solar System Mobile is the perfect launch pad for young astronauts.

Hey, if you can’t go to Italy like seemingly ALL my friends are doing these days, at least you can have an imaginary adventure (and lots of fun!)

Danny has severe Autism, ADHD and Tourettes. He lives in a world that is nearly impossible for most of us to even comprehend and his daily life is fraught with challenges that simply don’t exist outside his mind. Over the four weeks I worked with Danny I made only a very little bit of progress – possibly not even observable to onlookers – but for him and for his family, it was an enormous victory. Learning to speak with Danny was like learning a new language (when I first started communicating through the characters in the films he loved, I felt like I was speaking Greek. But like all immersion language situations, fluency comes quickly) and once I’d figured out how to effectively communicate with him, life became worlds easier for both of us. Having worked for seven years with people with disabilities in a number of different capacities ranging from care-giver to teacher to friend, I can personally attest to the importance of adaptability and finding the right tools for the right situation.

Part of the reason we have this blog is to keep you updated on what we think the coolest, most interesting, most worthwhile toys are. Sometimes this means we talk about the trends and what we think are going to be hot sellers, sometimes it means focusing on the perfect thing for the changing seasons, sometimes it means highlighting something that can be an amazing tool for helping your child navigate the veritable mine-fields of early life (learning how to socialize and make friends, the importance of sharing, dealing with new responsibilities like school work and after-school activities).

Yesterday I was on our Twitter account and I came across a Tweet from @urbanmomsdiy that was asking for support for her part in the Autism Walk taking place in Toronto on Sunday, June 20th and it inspired me to write today’s post. For the last couple of years of high school and throughout my University career, I worked very closely with people with disabilities and even ended up as the campus co-ordinator for McGill’s chapter of Best Buddies Canada . Not only did I make a life-long friend out of my match (even though we are no longer living in the same city, Alan and I still talk on the phone regularly) but I learned a lot about the ways we understand and work with developmental disabilities of all types. Autism is a broad and far-reaching diagnosis that is poorly understood and as a result, difficult for many to work with (not to mention to live with). Supporting organizations like Best Buddies and Walk Now for Autism Speaks is a great way to increase public understanding for widely misunderstood disabilities.

I’ll leave you with one final note today. When we first unpacked the boxes way back in December, I noticed a couple of toys by Melissa and Doug that would’ve have been a dream to have during my summers as a support worker and that I know would be an incredibly useful tool for many teachers, parents and care-givers. One of them in particular – the magnetic responsibility chart – struck me as ideally suited for someone living with a disability since it helps to clearly outline and structure the daily tasks that must be done. It’s clear, easy to use and covers a wide range of responsibilities. And the best part is, it wasn’t designed with people with disabilities in mind. It’s a useful tool for all kids. In the end, our differences are what make us alike.

Part of why I like working in a Toy Store (and for years now have enjoyed working at a summer camp) is that kids remind you of how easy and fun everything can be, if you let it. There’s this really great photo Philip took recently of his youngest son Charlie with a friend. They are both dressed up as knights and playing around, and the look on Charlie’s face says it all: he knows he looks silly and he knows he’s being silly, but he also knows that there’s nothing better than that!

Lately I’ve been trying to re-teach myself how to let go and just have fun. Shane (my friend with the adorable nephew) can attest to my limited success thus far. It’s not easy. As adults we spend so much time focusing on “real” matters and issues and we forget how to just laugh at nothing. Remember when peek-a-boo was the greatest game ever? Probably not. But how much sweeter would life be if something that silly brought you seemingly endless joy?

Paint-Your-Own-Ceramics Summer Camps at Cowboys and Angels!

If your little one loves painting, drawing, or is just creative, our unique ceramics painting is a perfect activity for the summer! Every week your child will produce a cereal bowl, plate and mug plus one extra themed piece, which they paint and decorate themselves. Camp-goers will be shown ceramic painting techniques, play some fun games, and on the last day of each week there will be a Pizza Party and a movie on our BIG screen that reflects the theme of the week. Camps run from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm and are for children aged 6 and up.

JUNE 28 – JULY 5  Princesses and Pirates
JULY 5 – 9 In the Garden – Bugs and Fairies
JULY 12 – 16 Under The Sea
JULY 19 – 23  Horses and Sports
JULY 26 – 30 My Pets