Okay, I could start out by blaming it on my kids. I mean, that's how it started."Mom, can you go an my account and get me enough Kinz Cash to buy a bathtub? Mom, can you get on my account and win me enough Kinz Cash for the Pink Fairy Bed?"Like all addictions, this one started quite innocently. Then the kids decided I should have a Webkinz, so I could come over to visit their homes. Already, Eldest had the pink pony and some other pets I can't recall, and Princess had gotten a Panda Bear. With my help, they were busily playing games to win Kinz Cash, in order to furnish rooms for their pets, and add bathrooms, etc.
the next time we were all at Purple Cow, picking out their latest allowance Webkinz, I picked up the Pug. Just one, little, innocuous-looking Pug. With Eldest's help, I logged on, went to the adoption center, and my account was born.And like a good pusher, the people at Webkinz know how to do things to suck you in. Not only are their games fun and challenging for all ages (I like Word Challenge and Goober's Lab (a version of Bejeweled) the best), but you have to log on every day. Not because your pet will die if you don't--Webkinz are much heartier than their Neopets counterparts--but so you can spin the Wheel of Wow and win everything from free Kinz Cash to frog-themed sofas, then get your gem of the day at the mines, either to sell or keep for a larger prize, or to take your five free turns at the Wishing Well, a kind of cuted-up slot machine game that can net you up to 3000 points if you're very lucky.
So now, not only was I raising funds to "Kinz Mail" my kids' items of their dreams, but I was also now obsessed with outfitting Olivia (yes, that's the Pug's name) in style. I chose the celestial theme, which had a bunch of expensive pieces, including an operating TV (which shows cooking shows and other such fare) that cost over 1100 points.
Then, Chubby the bull frog came, and of course, not only did he need a room, but, being a frog, he needed water.Well, you could only put the swimming pool into a garden area, so now I had three rooms.
Lest you think virtual pets don't need a bathroom, guess again. This one has the same scheme as ours at home.
But for three weeks, for some reason, it wouldn't load, so I put in a second one. Yes, they can brush their teeth, take baths, and even use the toilet (Little Man thinks this is hysterical).
Oh, and they need to eat. For this reason, not only do you have to earn points to purchase food, but they need a kitchen. You want your pet living in a tenement? I think not.
Next came a big package from Nonna, in which Eldest got two, Princess got two, and I got two: Rocky, 
and Lillie. 
Then, Eldest told me about a hedge maze that someone had made. I had to have one. 
The herd was joined soon by Noah, 
and Chip.
Once you have a room for everyone, now it's time to get creative with spare rooms. We needed a game room,
and a garage, 
as well as a dorm (in case you want to put your Webkinz to bed in a hurry--they have to be asleep before you log out), 
and, of course, a classroom, because we want well-educated stuffed animals.
It's at this point, you may be saying to yourself, "Yeah. She's gone." But I'm not alone. I have two friends who love the games and are always getting points for their kids. But let's face it, your kids will never decorate the way YOU want to, so why not bypass them as the little designers and do it your way? Princess doesn't even want to put all of her little clothes away, so I got my own storage room.
Where else can parents and kids agree to keep their spaces exactly as they want, without argument?Needless to say, my cross-stitching has gone to Hell.
