Indoor fun on a cold day

It's always interesting to see the way a toy can become new again with the slightest addition of novelty. Sister's dollhouse (mine from childhood- handed down) has been sitting in the corner of the family room for over three weeks, untouched. Both she and Brother walk past it a hundred times each day and if I suggest playing with it, they dismiss me and sneer at it the next time they pass by.

So, in a fit of cleaning for a visit from my mother-in-law, I slid it across the room and put it beside the couch.

Did you know that a dollhouse placed beside a couch becomes the most fascinating thing in the world? They have played with it for hours since.

At one point, Sister had great fun placing the dolls in the window so they could "see the new house." Then she decided that they should be photographed.

This is her new thing. She'll be busy playing and will suddenly decide that her play is worthy of photo documentation. "Mama- take a picture of this!" she will call. I think the instant gratification of the digital camera really appeals to her.

The other game that was really fun could be titled "Let's cram as much crapola as possible into the dollhouse." This game, happily, was fun for both Sister and Brother. She was able to use her furniture arranging skills and he was able to use his hunting dog "fetch and carry" skills. I sat in Sister's room and handed Brother little toys to take to Sister. He would run as fast as he could to her out in the den, at which point she would say very prettily, "Thank you Brother!" Then he would race back to me for the next item. We spent a good 30 minutes this way, and Brother burned some energy- always a good thing.

So, if you are trapped indoors and you have a dollhouse, try moving it to an unexpected spot or decorating it with unconventional things. It might help you through a long afternoon.

PS- Ariel's Grotto still under construction.