Everybody loves getting gifts, right? We're conditioned from a very young age to believe receiving the perfect object will bring us a lifetime of joy, and that receiving a mountain of gifts on a special occasion somehow proves that we are dearly loved. Well, actually... research shows that people who receive experiences rather than material items were happier in the long run. The thrill of stuff quickly fades as we covet the next best thing, the newest toy, or electronic device but the joy derived from experiences, big and small, can last a lifetime. So how do we shift the paradigm? I propose a shift in the way we gift, starting with our kids. Let's teach them to love doing things i
Recently I have had several clients and workshop attendees ask me about organizing Legos. I tend toward the belief that you can sort these little bricks and toys by color, size, shape, type or usage but you can never achieve Lego organization since the act of separating Legos renders each set, disorganized. Organizing by set is tempting but imposes a more complicated system of clean-up on young creative minds and ends playtime with a significant chore. There are numerous products on the market that you can use to separate and store Lego. Both Staples and Ikea have drawer systems with which you can build both an organizing area and a play area. The Trofast system from Ikea is nifty, with
