I seem to have a hard time knowing when enough is enough. Putting it as kindly as possible, I just don't know when to quit.

After our son and daughter-in-law moved from Berkeley to Seattle, where we'll be able to see our 2-year-old grandson often, I got carried away. I finessed my eBay bidding, sitting at the computer with my fingers poised on the keys so I could swoop in when there was less than a minute left on the auction, and wouldn't be out-bid. What I couldn't find on eBay, Craigslist or yard sales was readily available at Toys R Us or my favorite website, Fisher-Price for Grandmas. The backyard looks like an upscale day care center, and they haven't even made their first visit to Yakima yet.

It's really not my fault, it's the vendors'. They shouldn't put such good prices on such cute stuff. Who could resist the child-size Cherry Blossom Market, with its grocery cart, cash register and all that pretend food?

When you can get a toddler's first ride-on, battery-operated police car with siren and flashing lights for $35 and free shipping, wouldn't it be just plain silly not to buy it?

And that yard sale little table and chairs set that just needed a simple refinishing job ... don't tell me I'm the only grandma who would throw her body across the table and grab both chairs in a death grip to make sure somebody else didn't get it.

My personality is just as flawed in the sewing room. I was going to sew Jasper a couple of pairs of cotton shorts for summer play ... just a couple. But when I saw how little fabric a pair of size 2 shorts requires, and what colorful remnants I had stashed away, well, darn it! I ended up with 11 pairs. I soothe my conscience by telling myself that since they're potty-training Jasper, he'll probably go though three or four pairs a day, easy.

I finally got the quiet activity book done. Unfortunately, I kept thinking of things to add to the basic pattern. When we play with his Happy Sounds House, Jasper's favorite thing is taking pretend clothes out of the dryer and folding them. So I made a page that has a laundry basket for clothes, and a dryer with a door that opens so he can put the clothes in it. Then, of course, there had to be clothes. So I ironed on Pellon to make the fabric stiff enough to last awhile, and made jeans, shorts, shirts and pajamas in miniature Daddy, Mommy and Jasper sizes. He'll love it.

However, when I got to the last stage of the project -- sewing all the pages and the cover together down the middle seam -- I made a shocking discovery: too many pages. It was too thick for my sewing machine. It was also too thick for a shoe repairman's machine. When I carried it into the saddle and tack repair shop, I got some funny looks, but his machine did the trick. That book is bound to stay bound!

I learned that I also bite off more than Grandpa and I can chew when I plan activities. We took Jasper to the zoo in Seattle while his parents unpacked, and both of us ended the day so exhausted we barely made it to the comfort of the car in the parking lot. We should have spread it over several days. They don't make zoos like they used to, with cruel cages clustered together. The animals, of course, are much happier to have an African Savannah, an Asian Tropical Forest, a North American Woodland. But there was so much walking that by the end of the day I was envying people trapped in wheelchairs. And it wasn't just walking, it was running. At the first hint of a coming attraction, Jasper bailed out of his stroller with no warning and took off at warp speed, with us following. He never ran out of energy.

It was the same at the Seattle Children's Museum. Jasper hit the ground running and never slowed down. There were enough attractions to keep him on the go for three hours, and once again we barely made it to the car afterward.

So I'm going to change my ways. Less is more. A kid enjoys playing in the empty box as much as the toy that came in it. Rome wasn't built in a day. Surely a tech can figure out a way to lock me out of eBay. Six double pages is definitely enough for a quiet book, and it doesn't require binding at a saddle and tack shop. Slow and easy wins the day.

OK, so I made up most of those adages. Adages are wisdom, and you can't overdo on wisdom!

* Donna Scofield is a freelance writer whose articles, columns and short fiction stories have appeared in numerous national and regional magazines. The longtime Yakima resident is retired after working as a secretary and office manager in Yakima School District elementary schools. She has raised two sons and two daughters.