Either my step daughters are acting it so that they get more stuff, or they still believe in Santa. Given that they are now 9 and 11 I suspect it's the former BUT they are both still very child-like in a lot of ways, so really I'm having a hard time telling.

On top of all the usual crazy-expensive tech that kids want (arg!) they both still want dollies and all sorts of toys that I would have dismissed as baby stuff when I was their age! They are a conundrum, that's for sure.

You might be pleasantly surprised. My step daughters are distressingly pink and fluffy and lipgloss obsessed - we got them a Beano subscription (thinking perhaps that they thought they were too grown up for it, or that they'd turn their noses up because it didn't come with fuzzy-bunny-related free gifts) and I swear they were forlorn when it ran out!

I've never really thought about it but now you mention it - we hardly use our microwave these days. Just to defrost bread and take the chill off the kiddo's milk at night/cereal in the morning. I already do scrambled eggs/beans etc in a pot... if this one ever blows up I might not bother getting a new one.