(If you are new to the God Centered Mom…there was a time when I wrote a weekly post about my favorite things–recipes, products, activities. But for several reasons it was discontinued. Today, I’m sharing a new favorite because it would be mean NOT to. Oh, and I did not receive anything in exchange for writing this post. )

In our house 3 out of the 4 boys have officially begun their summer vacation. “Yay” and “uh-oh”, simultaneously leave my mouth.

Given the ridiculous Texas heat during the summer AND not wanting my boys to spend 8 hours a day in front of a screen AND a need for quiet between 1 and 3 in the afternoon (toddler napping), I’ve discovered my new summer sanity saver.

Pley (formerly known as “Pleygo”)!

What is “Pley”?

Basically, it’s a Lego rental company–imagine Legos, Netflix style.

You pay a flat fee each month (from $15-fan to $35-mega fan). Then on the site, Pley.com ,  you scroll through the hundreds of Lego set options and create a Pleylist. After selecting your sets (I have 27 sets waiting on our list) you just wait and magically a box filled with Legos appears at your front door.

And then you win the award for “mom of the year”.

Which sets you select is dependent on how much you pay each month (FYI…in the mega fan category ($35/month), you can choose the Death Star as one of your sets. The DEATH STAR, people!).

Reasons we LOVE Pley:

1. Build it and Ship it back–No more adding to the Lego pile

Every mom knows once a child builds a Lego set it is not long before it starts to fall apart. Then gets mixed in with the other sets. AND THEN you just have piles of Legos no one is playing with (well, except for that one child who is more creative than the rest. . .building unique structures daily. aka “future engineer”). I’m all for less stuff and having toys they actually play with…simp.li.fy.

2. Mystery of each box

You can control which sets you get. Since I went online and chose all sets (ones we didn’t have but I knew the boys would love…including “Lego Movie “sets), each box is a surprise for the boys.  Novelty is the name of the game. “New” and “different” without adding to our clutter.

3. Environmentally friendly

Why add to the global plastic epidemic by purchasing more Lego sets? My boys already own plenty of Legos. AND they also have a special trade-in program that for every pound of Legos you donate you get $10 pley credit! Amen.

4. Simple system

I found the website super easy to figure out. I filled out the form on a Thursday and our set arrived by Saturday (perfect timing while my oldest son and hubby were at a camp out). The set arrived in the box pictured above. The Legos and instruction manual were inside a mess bag (they recommended pouring the Legos directly into the box to keep the set together). 

The new shipping label was inside the box as well. They recommend immediately sticking it to the front of the box so you don’t lose it (great idea).

And take a picture once the set is built before you disassemble and send the pieces back. (They then sanitize the sets before sending them on to the next family).

I’m sure you’re wondering…

What if we lose a piece?

They allow you to lose up to 15 pieces. There is a system to take care of that situation. Our set came with all the pieces and (crossing fingers). So far we’ve kept the set separate from the rest of our Legos.

I think the key is to build it in the box or in a specified tray. And to build it in a room separate from your playroom or other Lego sets.

How do you keep boys from fighting over who builds the set?

Luckily they decided to take turns. . .one builds one page, then the other builds the next page. And big bro finished it when he got home. I have a friend who said they trade off who builds and who breaks.

All-in-all we think it’s the bee’s knees. And hope it helps make your Summer super fun.

If you do end up signing up, another benefit is their friend referral program. By clicking this link I actually get credit to my account (you can do the same when you tell your friends about it).

OH! And you can try out one Lego set FREE and see if it’s a fit for your family. How fab is that? And why didn’t I think of this?

What do you think? Pretty fabulous, huh? Any questions I can answer?

(here is pley’s FAQ page).