There's Another Playhouse In The Playroom

The kids already have a three-in-one playhouse in their playroom.  It's a great place to get away from a sibling, a fun little hideaway to dash into during a game of chase, and hysterically, the kids think it looks an awful lot like an elevator at times.  You should see them pressing the doorbell button and saying "Ding!" as they wheel the baby stroller in and turn around just like I do on a real elevator.  But now, thanks to our sweet neighbor Pat, they have second playhouse for the playroom.

Pat recently had a new AC unit installed, and thoughtfully asked to save the box for our little cherubs.  She lugged it over and it sat in the garage for a few days as I thought about what to do with it.  If the kids were older I'd have just handed it over and let them do the design and construction.  If they were a little less inclined toward deconstruction, I'd have tricked it out with all sorts of fun decorations.  But alas.  They're two.  So I cut a front door and a back door.  Added random windows to the other two sides (which was as much for letting light in as for my being able to see what they were doing in there from every angle).  And then trimmed a little extra out of both doorways to help avoid pinched fingers.  At the last minute I decided to glue on some old bottle tops for door handles.  That is really the only "extra" I added, and I'm glad I did.  The doors are much easier to open and I didn't have to cut any more ; ) to add "pinch free" hand holds.  The only downside?  The box measures 33"+ on its skinniest side.  And there are only two doors in our house big enough to accommodate that width, thankfully one led into the garage and the other was the front door which led straight into the playroom.  (Oh, and by "accommodate" I mean, with a little huffing, puffing and semi-squashing of my pristine box I managed to squeeze it inside with a few more wrinkles than I'd hoped...  while letting all our AC out into the yard.  This operation was neither quick nor easy, but darn it the kids were getting their playhouse!)  Take a look at the kids as they played for the first time...

I think we'll eventually allow the kids to paint it outside.  That is, when the weather cools a bit.  For now, it's hanging out in our playroom as is.  Goodness knows I'm not trying to get it out the front door any time soon...