Somebody come and play

Sorry if that song is in your head all day now. It stays in mine for a good 24 hours every time I hear it.

I really should have taken a "real life" picture of the playroom so nobody thinks it is ever actually this tidy.

Yes, I let them climb on the playroom windowsill. It is the playroom after all and having that specific freedom makes it easier for them to remember not to climb on other windowsills. They're only supposed to sit, though, not stand...

Oh and here are the lovely mirrored closets. Phoebe sent me a cute idea for covering them with felt (a gigantic flannelboard!). I think I may try it. Except I admit--I do enjoy the illusion of extra space.

Most of the toys are here. A few more toys are stashed in one of the closets along with some random storage, and the other closet holds a changing table and dress-up clothes. Along with some more random storage.

If ever I need to distract Ida for a few minutes while I get something else done, I can use one of two tactics: "Want to play with your dollhouse?" Or, "Want to play with puzzles?" I enjoy about 50% success with the puzzle tactic and closer to 90% with the dollhouse.

My grandma made this cute little doll for Ida. I used to let Ida play with her until her hair started unraveling. So now she is up on a high shelf along with a couple of my favorite old, tiny little books (My Friend the Cow, Pierre, and This Room Is Mine).

The only reason for this picture is the clock. It was like $7 or something at Target and looks much sturdier than it is. And, I think it's cute.

I also love Jan Pienkowski's pop-up books. and, I don't love those random Lego parts but, while Theo is old enough for Legos, Ida is not quite there yet. So I find tiny pieces in odd corners here and there and then put them up high. I might go a little bit crazy once we're in full-blown Lego mode.

I love this tiny kitchen. Still need to clean it, well mostly just get a razor to scrape off old stickers.

There you have it, folks. My kids have more toys than they should. I try not to go overboard. I think I'm doing an OK job so far. Most of their toys and books are from thrift stores, so I justify it that way. And actually, I enjoy the toys and books almost as much as they do. We spend most of the day in here, or in the backyard until the mosquitoes drive us back in. Hooray for summer...nothing better than realizing in the middle of the afternoon that you have no idea what day it is.