Kid Mansion

I've been trying to take Annelise to the park at least once a week this summer.  I've noticed that she really, really enjoys going down slides.  She also likes the swings.  I started hunting for a slide for the backyard for her.  I'd like to have the option to take her in the yard to play if we're limited on time.  But, whenever I take her back there to play, she always just wants to climb on the deck stairs. I'm not a fan of that activity.

So, I began searching the internet for something to entertain her.  I first thought about just buying a new slide.  But, I knew that I wanted to get a decent sized slide so that we could enjoy it for longer than a week before she got bored with it.  The one that I found was around $100.  Not too shabby, but I felt like I could do better.

Then, I started looking at the outdoor playhouse type toys.  They were bigger, and definitely fit my requirement that they would keep her entertained for longer, but, of course, they also came at a price.  Those ran anywhere from $200-600, depending on the size and features.  I didn't really want to go that crazy either.

So, I took to Facebook to see if anyone was selling a slide.  No one was, but my aunt did suggest that I check out Craig's List.  I swear, I really do hope that one day I get my brain back, because I miss it.  I never even thought to look there.

I searched CL for a couple of days and found one that I liked.  I was able to talk the lady down in price a little bit, and we went and picked it up tonight.  As soon as we got home, we Drew assembled it.  Annelise could hardly wait for us to finish.

Behold, her new kid mansion!

It's a little faded from being out in the sun, but it's still in great shape!  I'm just going to let her play on it like this for the rest of this year, and then maybe fix it up and spray paint it some better colors next spring.

She had such a great time playing on it tonight!  I just love seeing the excitement on her face as she explores a new toy.  I'm excited to take her out there next time and see her face light up when she sees it again.  There really is nothing better than watching the world through the eyes of a child.