New Kitchen Appliances!

We've had a string of tough days lately.  Nothing dramatic, just the convergence of two two-year-olds fully embracing the Terrible Terrific Twos, a three-year-old learning about honesty, and a baby who's cutting teeth and climbing stairs.  And some days it just amazes me how much of my day involves poop.  Seriously, people.  It's the stuff of nightmares.

Anyway, despite the fact that I had two three-foot high piles of laundry to fold and probably needed to mop the floor or something,  I spent one day last week making this:

It used to be a giant cardboard box and now it's a kitchen set! It's only temporary until I can get Billy to make one out of wood when he has time.  (I've seen several online made out of old nightstands and entertainment centers.)  It's far, far from perfect (curtains aren't hemmed, doors don't always stay closed, etc.) but it didn't cost me one penny to make and the kids love it.  And that's what works for us!

The sink is a bucket, the stove burners are CDs, the stove knobs are baby food jar lids, and the "glass" door on the oven is a sheet protector.  I attempted to paint a design on the cabinet door and let's just say it's a good thing you can't see it in the pictures.  I still need to add a faucet and "hot" and "cold" labels to the sink. 

So far Joe's favorite is baking cupcakes, Mikea loves washing dishes in the sink, and Daniel likes crawling into the oven.  As much as the kids love it, the best part was how much fun I had making it.  I've got a big jumble of boxes in the garage and am waiting to be inspired to make something else...I'll let you know when it happens!