Simplicity

It seems that every kid these days has an elaborate play kitchen. Have you seen the kitchens they sell for kids? Some of them are actually nicer than my real kitchen, and cost about half as much. And yet, since Marie was itty bitty, I've been eagerly awaiting the time she would be old enough to play with one. I knew early on that I wasn't going to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a fancy play kitchen, so I turned to Pinterest and the world of DIY and decided that when the time came, I would make an adorable one myself.

The kind you can buy on Amazon.

The kind you can supposedly make from Pinterest. 

But then the time sort of snuck up on me...

We were over at our friends' house, who have one of the really nice non-DIY kitchens, and Marie was playing with it non-stop. She loved it. She opened all the doors and turned all the knobs and took the sink in and out. And I realized that it was time. Unfortunately, her birthday had passed and Christmas was far in the distance, so the thought of either spending money or putting a bunch of time into making a kitchen didn't seem quite right. Didn't it need to be a big present for a big occasion?

A few days later, my mom bought Marie a set of stainless steel pots and pans (her size) and she immediately loved them. I put her up by me at the counter and she helped "make dinner" with them. It was so fun and cute, and it made clear that the time was right. In six months she might not be interested anymore--I couldn't miss the kitchen window!

And so, I scrounged around the house for something to make a temporary play kitchen out of.  I found a shoe rack, some cardboard, construction paper and duct tape and went to work.  "This will just be very temporary," I thought.  "I will look for a night stand at garage sales next weekend in order to make her real kitchen."

After a bit of work, I finished my very simple kitchen, put it down on the floor, stocked it with "spices" utensils, bowls and her pots and pans, and sat down by it to show her how to use it--just like Mommy's! It was small, and not very exciting. Nothing turned or made a noise. The oven door didn't latch.  The handle kept coming off.

And you know what? She loved it!

She has played more with this little kitchen than anything else. Ever. Every single day, many times a day, she returns to her kitchen and comes up with new ways to play there. She "presses" the buttons, makes the beeping noises (she always says "nine nine nine" when she pushes the buttons), opens and closes the oven and puts her things away on the shelves. She loves playing there, and it is so amazingly fun to watch her creativity and imagination shine as she plays with a toy that doesn't do anything on its own.

For many weeks I planned on making a nice, cute, real play kitchen still.  After all, that would be better. But then I realized that it might only be better for me. I would like it because it would be more crafty and cuter and probably involve some pretty color of paint and a lovely curtain. But Marie might not like it as much as her simple kitchen, and I certainly can't imagine her playing with it more. I might still do it eventually, but I've come to love the little one as much as she has, and it's been a very valuable reminder that sometimes simpler is better. In fact, most of the time simpler is better.

It has reminded me that, not only do I not need fancy toys and things for Marie, but I don't need them for myself either. Sometimes the simple things are a better fit.

Setting the timer: "Nine nine nine nine"

She's big on seasoning.

She uses a coozy as a hot pad and sticks her hand all the way through it.
It's one of the cutest things she's ever done.