Both of our girls enjoy playing make believe. Jazz prefers to immerse herself in Lego creations that involve secret rooms, worlds, and incredibly complex story lines. Irish Jig prefers the menagerie of hand-me-down Littlest Pet Shop friends. They can pass hours with these toys, working alongside one another and yet totally oblivious to each other's presence. A blessing and a curse, I sometimes believe.
The negative of these manipulative toys, for me, was their constant visual clutter. I worked hard to paint, organize, and decorate their room, and yet these toys (and various clothing articles if we're being honest) were always out and looking messy. I was tired of hounding the girls to clean and hearing: "but I don't want to break down this creation/ set up/ etc...."
Enter my awesomely handy-man husband and my early Christmas gift. During November, he created two matching shallow "drawers," calling into existence the vision I'd had in my mind and described with large hand movements and grand words. Basically a thin plywood base edged in corner round molding, these drawers are about 4' long by 3.5' wide. The front of each drawer is a 2x2 strip with two small drawer pulls attached. With patches of furniture felt on the bottom of the drawers, they slide under the girls' beds with ease.
Now, putting away toys after an afternoon's fun is as simple as throwing all the random pieces and animals on the drawer and sliding it under the bed. Mama doesn't care if things are messy on that drawer because it's OUT OF SIGHT!
Ahh, so calming.
Today's blog post title from Carole King's Simple Things.
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I thank you for visiting with me and for sharing your thoughts. I hope your day is fabulous and that you make some time for music - no matter what kind!