I often see something cool or neat and might play with it at the store if it si a toy, or I might just oooh and aww if it is s knicknack or painting, or fancy pretty thing a majig.

But usually I do not buy it. The reason...I do not live in a museum. I live in a house. My kitchen doesn't have pretty nicknacks..it has cooking pots and frequently used appliances.

My living room is NOT a sitting room...yeah we sit in it, but we also 'live' in it...my kids bounce, jump (we hae a step..like the kind for people to work out, solely so on rainy days the kids can jump...) play, goof off, build castles and contraptions. It is a well used room. If I had to worry about them breaking some valuable china or glass pretty thing all the time, when would they play? Besides I am klutzier than they are.

No room in my house is safe from klutzy, bouncy, curious kids..or mom. So no room is cluttered with knicknacks.

On the other hand I like to go to the science center to play with odd ball expensive toys that take up tons of room (build an arch out of blocks bigger than the kid? or a water pipe maze?) and museums to look. That is where the fancy art vase belongs (make sure you pronounce that all hoity toity!) My house is not. Sorry.

Not that I wouldn't mind some nicer walls..so long as they are out of reach of the kids . I just see no reason to buy twenty million pretty things...not when the art over my desk is totally kid made, no rembrant could ever make me as happy as the adorable pirate ship with pirates taller than the main mast. or the pretty princess with three fingers, or the scribble by UE - with echos of his "I did that, I cribbled!"

I guess that means I cheat on the low spending front..the paper is usually scratch paper, the crayons were gifts. and the tape is pretty cheap. Someday when I paint or paper the living room I will have to invest in some sticky tack or something to save the paint.