3 Things I Would Love to Do When We Move

First of all, I would like to clarify that we are not moving.  Despite the fact that we are upside-down on a mortgage for a home that is way too small for a family of five, sometimes I like to think towards the distant future when we will be able to move to a larger home with a big fenced-in backyard.  Aside from the typical things that I would want for my family, such as each child having his or her own bedroom and having a separate playroom, I have a few things that are on my own personal wishlist . . .

1.  Adopt two dogs-  I miss having dogs so much.  Our house is too crowded right now to own dogs, especially since my husband has his heart set on owning ones from some of the larger breeds.

2.  Have a craft/sewing room- Right now, I have craft supplies tucked into nooks and crannies of every closet in the house almost.  I constantly worry that the children will tamper with the supplies I have sitting out for a project I am planning.  I also keep thinking that maybe I would sew more if my sewing machine was already set up at a table ready for me to use at anytime.  Right now, it is zipped up in its case and in the back of our closet.

3.  Build a really cool playhouse in the backyard- I know my husband is probably hoping for a large play structure, a trampoline, or a tree fort, but I would love to have a beautiful playhouse that all three of our children could enjoy.  If we had the space and the money, I would really like to build a small playhouse for each of the children . . . each one a different style to match the child's personality.  Can you just see it now? . . . a mini neighborhood of whimsical playhouses!  It would be such a fun family project to build, paint, and decorate the playhouses inside and out.  I bet our daughter would want hers to be pink.

I also thought about adding my own office to the list.  Right now, my desk is adjacent to my husband's and I rather enjoy that.  (Not sure if my husband feels the same way or not though.)  After having my desk next to his, I think I would feel lonely working in my own office.

What's on your wishlist for the future?

Living Green With Jerinda: Cascade's Eco-Friendly Cardboard Playhouse

You may remember that last year at Christmastime I received a cardboard Christmas tree from Cascades Boutique. This year, Cascades offered me another review, but this time for a playhouse for the children I watch in my home daycare. Because the Christmas tree was such an amazing and unique product, I couldn’t say no.

We received the Children’s Cardboard Playhouse and, like the tree last year, it didn’t disappoint me. Cascades uses lightweight, but very strong, corrugated cardboard so it is very sturdy and doesn’t break down easily. Plus, it’s made from biodegradable and recycled cardboard, so it’s a very eco-friendly way to play.

The children loved this playhouse as soon as I took it out of the box. They loved helping me use the simple instructions to assemble it and had a blast unleashing their creativity to decorate it. It is very amply sized, so it was more than accommodating for several of them to play at once. They loved the windows, skylights, chimney and working doors that made this playhouse more realistic than anything they’ve ever done before. I love that, to store it away, I just disassemble it and it stores flat. My Christmas tree from last year is still usable one year later, so I know this playhouse will last for a good, long while.

You can purchase this and all Cascades Boutique’s amazing products on their website, boutique.cascades.com. This playhouse retails for $49.99 and would make an excellent gift for any child in your life.  Through December 30th, 2011 you can receive 25% off any Cascade's children's furniture when you checkout with Code:  3GARNETS.

Thank you to Cascade's for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Silly Monkey Stories: Panic Room

I was not even in the room when this happened and I thought this was hilarious. I actually heard all this going on while I was upstairs working at my desk and my husband was the P.O.D. (Parent on Duty).

Our 6 year old son just loves his cardboard rocket playhouse, which he worked very hard on decorating by the way. He has not gotten tired of playing with it yet, nor have our 3 year old twins. So I was listening to the sounds of my children playing, which was nothing unusual. Then I heard our oldest yell, "Panic room!" Then I heard him going insane and screaming a bit.

It turns out that he ran inside the rocket and proceeded to . . . panic.

I have not heard my husband laugh so loud in a very long time. When he could catch his breath, he had to explain that a "panic room" was a room in the house where you could go to be safe and not a room that was built especially for panicking.

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