No matter how you do it, a sandbox is always a good time. It is a place in childhood where it is always acceptable to get messy, dig, explore and imagine. When my parents bought a small glorified fishing shack years ago, I was young and could not imagine what an impact that cottage would have on my life. Not only did we do the typical lake activities, but it was a place to bring friends and reconnect with family. It is where I got to know my now husband (then good friend of my older brothers), long before we had any romantic interest in one another. Then it became our weekend getaway and eventually provided a "vacation" with our little ones. Shortly after the arrival of their 4th grandchild, my parents quickly realized the small fishing shack was becoming to crowded and purchased a larger home on the same chain of lakes. This provided an opportunity for our family to continue to grow and for my siblings and I to offer the same friends and family opportunities to our children while enjoying the pleasures of lake life! For my husband and I, it has allowed us to disconnect from all the tasks at home and reconnect in a more focused way to our children on the weekends. While it has been a work in progress updating the new house (think orange shag carpet and LOTS and LOTS of big loud wallpaper) and uncovering the overgrown, but beautiful, yard, this summer has felt like the first of the last 4 where the work is beginning to turn into more of what do we WANT to do and less of what do we HAVE to do. The first kid focused project of the summer was our lemonade stand and this past weekend my dad and hubby built the kids a HUGE sandbox! The goal was for all 7 grand kids (and lets be honest, Papa too) to fit inside and have room to play together. I think they did a wonderful job!
This project was an inexpensive way to create an environment where my kids can just be kids. They can get dirty, imagine, create and explore. I thoroughly enjoyed my time watching them from my lawn chair as I soaked up a little sun and sipped my ice tea. This project was a win win for both the kids in the family as well as the adults!