Favorite Things Thursday: Criss-Cross-Crash

I've noticed that lots of blogs create patterns for their postings (things like Wordless Wednesday or Works-for-Me Wednesday, etc.). I've often wanted to jump into this pool of fun, but am somewhat squeamish about the water. (Indeed, I really can't put my face into water - I think perhaps I suffered some sort of early trauma - fell into the tub at age 3 months, or something? - so when I swim laps, I always keep my head above the water - a wuss, I know!)

At Christmas time, I was toying with the idea of sharing some of my favorite decorations and the stories behind them (because so many of the things that I value are valued for their stories and not for their tangible natures). Alas, I didn't even get around to listing one. However, I still feel that it would do my heart and soul some good to document some of my favorite (or should I say, favourite) things. (After all, I loved seeing BritGal Sarah's purse collection!) Can you hear the song from the Sound of Music? When I'm feeling sad, perhaps if I think of my favorite things, I won't feel so bad.

For my first Favorite Things Thursday, I want to show you a garage sale purchase which has been worth its weight in gold. I purchased a Hot Wheels Criss-Cross-Crash for one dollar, back when my ES was around 5 years old. It was one of those purchases that I immediately regretted when I arrived home. My husband is very skeptical with Hot Wheels products, because so many of them just don't work as smoothly as you are led to believe. So, I know he was thinking that a second-hand Hot Wheels product would really fail us.

The day after I purchased it, my ES and I sat down to begin to put the thing together. Alas, we quickly discovered that the set was missing one piece - a small, black, curved track piece. Remembering where I had purchased it, I headed back to this house to ask if they wouldn't mind looking for the missing piece. They were very kind about it, but ... couldn't find the missing piece. I returned home and determined to get the thing to work without the missing piece. We rigged up the track pieces with tape to cover a slight gap and it worked fine.



Despite its missing piece, ES spent quite a bit of time playing with this toy. Now, MS and YS are both enjoying it as well. YS loves to put a still car at the intersection, in order to create a crash. MS loves to keep the cars moving consistently through the loops. As with video games, he often gets too excited to contain his various body parts and facial expressions.

I should note that when I looked on-line, I discovered that Mattel still makes this toy. However, many of the reviews say that it was a disappointment. One review mentioned having the older version (which is what ours is) and the newer one is simply a let down compared to the older, sturdier tracks.

We'll hang on to our old-school Criss-Cross-Crash until the little boys outgrow it. Then, I'll try to sell it for a dollar. Who knows maybe it will turn out to be free fun, after all those years of good use! And when I'm sad, I'll remember my boys enjoying one of their favorite things.