Speakabooboo's Profile

I wish there were more shots, because based on this one view, I think it might be my old apartment lol.

We have a retired nosy guy next door who serves as neighborhood watch for the entire street. He once came over to tell me my ex-husband had been poking around the house one day while I was at work. Weird and scary. =/ The neighbors on the other side have two hunting dogs that live in an outdoor kennel, so being sandwiched between these two homes is the best security system I could hope for. ;)

Granted, it means nosy neighbor coming over to tell us we're mowing the lawn wrong from time-to-time, or hunting neighbors doing target practice in the back yard (yikes?)...but still....excellent security. ;)

My church used to keep a huge play table of this when I was young - some 30 odd years ago. Nobody died. Nobody starved. ;) Haha. Point being it's not a new concept, and I remember even back then loving the feeling of the rice pouring through my hands. And it was great for the parents, who didn't show up after church to scoop up their kids with muddy fingers, as the rice was fairly mess-free. I do remember volunteering as a teenager, and HATING sweeping up the rice at the end of the day, though. =P

PI, the disguise is the trim that's hiding the cord. Pretty good idea, too. Better than the super obvious paintable cord cover that most people are stuck with.

Bed rest means she's stuck in her home for an extended period of time, so maybe that's how this ended up being covered as a topic. Send the child a Billy bookcase and an allan key. That should keep him out of mom's hair for a bit. ;)

I've actually seen a new build where somebody did this on purpose. Weirdest design, ever. Anyway they did it with the intention of creating a super casual lounge area, as others have mentioned, complete with cushions and random musical instruments for impromptu jam sessions.

I still thought it was weird, though. If budget allowed, I'd say level it all out and make it look "normal." But it's certainly workable if you have no other choice!

We had no intention of buying one, as we were promised a brand new playground within walking distance, by the housing developers that completely ravaged the forest that used to surround our house. After a couple of years with the promised playground nowhere in sight, we decided to buy a play structure for the kids so they'd have somewhere safe to play.

We dropped about $1200 on a good sized one from Costo, with the same fears that they'd grow tired of it after a few months and it would become a bug nest in the back yard. They surprised us, and are still using it actively two years later, even in the winter. it has a closed off lower portion with a door, and a loft-style upper portion. Depending on the game, it can become anything from an army fort, to a castle, to a house. They get tons of use out of it, and we usually have a few neighbor kids back there, as well.

We debated de-sodding and laying down rubber mulch or pea gravel, but left it with grass and it's holding up alright so far. The grass get a little worn under the swings, but my husband has never complained about mowing around it so it can't be that hard. We plan on power washing it and staining it this year to keep it in good shape. It's cedar, and has held up well in a completely un-shaded back yard. A good investment for anyone with kids!

I am actually nursing a sleeping baby as I type this! Lay like the woman in the photo above. I am currently on the sofa. Place laptop beside you. One arm under baby's head, one arm over baby's belly. Type. My only issue is with the laptop getting pretty warm, as it's sitting right on the leather sofa. I've also been on the look-out for a low stand that I can set the laptop on, right on the sofa beside me, but still comfortably type. I've seen a few at Best Buy that would work, but need to detach the baby to go shopping. ;)