Hello! My name is Michelle. I am a "stay at home" mom. I quit the police department to be a stay at home mom - I think that is every mom's dream.

I have learned to live without a lot of luxuries I was accustomed to, for the sake of my kids. I miss my career, but I know I would have missed my kids more. The economy took a toll on us like everyone else, and the possibility of going back to work was getting closer. I wasn't happy - I knew I couldn't go back into law enforcement, as my heart was with my children.

So, I prayed and this is how Toy Swap was born:

As I sat at the chiropractor's office (laundry baskets get heavy), I saw a little boy playing with some Lego Bionicles. I asked him their names. His mom cringed and said, "Now he'll give you the names of every Bionicle!" I told him my son had 3 of those Bionicles, but never played with them. He looked bewildered and asked, "What does he play with then?" I said, "He loves Godzilla!!" He said, "I have Godzilla at home; I never play with him. He roars, too!" I said to the mom, "Do you want to swap toys?" She thought it was a great idea. The next week I came home with Godzilla, my son went nuts! I told him I traded his Bionicles for this, and he said that it was fine because he didn't play with the Bionicles anyway....VICTORY!

I thought if we could do this with such exciting results for our children, why not on a bigger scale, with more choices? Even more, I thought of all the toys my kids have that they don't play with anymore, and how they are always wanting something new. Not to mention the cost of new toys are outrageous!

I see the toys they get for birthdays and Christmas... play with the toy one time and then throw it in the bucket.

Toy Swap empties that bucket of toys and replaces it with the toys they are asking for at a fraction of the cost!

I hope Toy Swap makes a whole lot of kids happy and even happier moms and dads. Out with the old, and in with the new, with very little money spent.

After the ball for Toy Swap began rolling, I immediately knew I would have to create a donation section. Since my children have been 3 years old, we have created a "needy kids toy bucket" every year. My children have learned the value of helping others as early as I could teach them. Every year they go through only good, not broken toys, and we donate them to different facilities. When Toy Swap was born, we immediately created a donation section without hesitation. There are plenty of children that will not have a toy to swap or buy--- that's ok we all will have an opportunity to provide one for them. I also want to develop the special needs toy section. I have a friend with an autistic son, and we never know what to buy for him. She has expressed so many times how many toys she had to return because they were not suitable for him. I want to extend suggestions for all family and friends of special needs children, so that these children can receive toys that are appropriate for them. There are no better experts than parents of special needs children. We will continue to seek ways and ideas to reach out to all children. This is my dream.

If Toy Swap allows me to stay home, I will forever be grateful, for everything I have done is for my kids!