Playhouse

Every so often, my parents get a really big box at the warehouse. They're kind enough to save these and give them to us for use as playhouses for A. They last a few months -- long enough for another box to arrive.

We got a box about a month ago, but A. wasn't too into going inside things. So we left it out, tilted on its side, and she and the cats would explore it occasionally. Gradually she got more and more interested in going inside, so we decided to commit to cutting it up.

I added a door, window, cat door (to prevent the trapped-cat problem we've had in the past -- it took weeks for A. to get near Chaos again), and roof. She loved to play in it, but it was a bit blah.

I was struck by inspiration when we were coloring in the playroom. I told A. that she was free to color on the box, and she took to that immediately. It looked like so much fun, I got in on the action. We had such a blast, bath time got pushed back to 7:30.

Here's the box. There's a half-door she can swing and the flaps are stood up so that there's standing height inside.

The front door. A lucky horseshoe over the door, her house number (0504 -- her birthday), a doorbell, and a mail slot. A. decided the house number needed to be emphasized more.

The side has various flowers, scribbles, and a lizard stuck to the side of the house.

A view through the window. TedDee is over for a visit, and her favorite household item, a phone, is ready for use.

The back wall has her computer desk. Look, she's working on a Python script! Hello, world!

Looking in the front door at the window wall. A family picture, clock, and cat snoozing in the sun. Every time A. sees the cat, she signs "cat" then lays down and pretends to snore.

We had a really good time decorating this. I can't wait until this one wears out and we can take on another!