super girl fort kit

Each age of childhood has its special blessings.
The tender age of three is no exception.
While there are many things that make me smile (and a few that make me cringe!) about this age, the best is surely the advent of pretending.

She pretended before, but it always came on the heels of lots of prompting by myself or J.
Now, she's doing it all on her own.
I catch her in her bedroom giving voices to her stuffed animals, arranging tea cups just so and singing her heart out to lyrics that are all her own.

I had mentioned that Peach got this Super Girl Fort Kit as a Christmas gift from my aunt.  But I didn't say much more than that because a gift like this deserves a post all by itself.  

It is absolutely perfect for this season in our home.

Now, tell me...what girl doesn't want her very own fort kit?

And this Christmas gift has been pulled out over and over in the past few weeks.  The best part is that its a new gift every time.

Sometimes it is a castle with steep walls.  Other times a cave with a flat roof.  Sometimes ferocious animals growl inside.  And other times it is a quiet haven for sleeping babies.

Most of the time it is a "no-big-people-allowed" fort.

But I don't mind because it lets me get a few things done while Peach pretends her heart away.

And that is good for us both.

She practices her mommy skills and floats away to that magical place where every little girl really does believe that she's a princess.

Where stuffed animals have lively conversations,

money doesn't matter,

all chores are fun

and nothing is impossible.

every once in a while, J, Tulip or some other visitor is welcome to join Peach in her pretending adventures

and when we were home for Christmas, even Grandma got to spend a little time under the dining room table....

ahem...princess fort...

with Peach :)

Any gift that is home made surely wins my heart
And when it encourages imagination and creativity to boot?
Well, it doesn't get much better than that.

If you want to give one to a little that you love, all you need are a few old sheets, some tagboard and a flashlight.

Sew strong string/ribbons on various places in the sheet so you can tie it to things like chair backs, fan blades and window sills.

Include clamps (strong chip clips work) so you can clamp onto blinds, couch cushions or any other clampable surface.

Throw in some glow-in-the-dark bracelets or necklaces just for fun.

Happy pretending!