Thank You, Edwin Binney!

In the year 1903:

Noticing a need for safe, quality, affordable wax crayons, the company produces the first box of eight Crayola(r) crayons, selling for a nickel. The Crayola name, coined by Edwin Binney's wife Alice, comes from "craie," the French word for chalk, and "ola," from "oleaginous."

Crayons, or as we like to call them 'insta-happies', are a necessity in this house. They seem to have magical powers, and for that reason I never begrudge the $1.25 I pay for a fresh box of these 24-assorted-color wonders.

I've watched with pride as my 3 and (almost) 5-year old learn their alphabet and practice diligently to perfect their skills. Scraps of paper, slabs of cement, and a few freshly painted walls have all received their share of attention. No reasonably flat, solid-colored surface is immune to Adeline's well-formed "H" or Guthrie's endearing family portraits.

Today in church I found a new reason to love Crayons (or crayolitas as they're affectionately called in spanish). I have 1 and a half words for you : Non-toxic! The most recently discovered use for the waxy wonders is evident by Sullivan's many-colored smile. They magically (and instantly) transform my tired, clingy bub into a smiley, bundle of rainbow fun! I'm quite certain that he ingested 2 or 3 during his hour-long stay in our makeshift nursery. I watched in amusement as our bishop's wife panicked each time he bit off a savory morsel. (Don't judge her, she's a new mom.)

While I do have concerns about funding and managing my own study regarding the consequences of longterm, internal exposure to wax and whatever substance they use to tint it with - ultimately my concern fades to a fatalistic shrug when faced with the alternative (scream or tantrum.) You may call it permissive, you may call it dangerous, or maybe you'll just call CPS. Just remember : They're non-toxic ;)

I'm also starting a chain-e-mail campaign to encourage Crayola to add assorted vitamins (maybe even some calcium) to their products.

That's all for my ode to Crayons. Next week we'll be high-lighting my love-affair with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers!