When the kids are away...

The mom will play....

Yes, Miss A is getting a big-girl room upgrade—but she's still NINE and I want her to enjoy and cherish that time playing and dreaming. I've had this dollhouse bookcase since she was a baby. I think I originally picked it up at Big Lots for $35 or something, but we've never used it as a dollhouse. It's been used to hold books, bins and containers of toys, Breyer horses and more, but never as a dollhouse—until now.

I LOVED my Barbies when I was little! I may have been a little obsessed. A good chunk of Miss A's Barbie stash may come from me. That may be a vintage Barbie Dream Kitchen from the '80s. There may be an '80s Dream House around the corner and a coordinating '80s Barbie Motorhome (over 3-feet long!) nearby. Barbie may also have an old but reliable Barbie pickup truck and horse trailer in the garage (aka - the closet) waiting to haul all those pretty horses to horse shows and rodeos.

I texted this picture to my oldest childhood friend and her response was not that I was a nut, but that it brought back so many memories for her, too! We spent a lot of hours creating memories with my Barbie dolls! I want Miss A to have those same memories, and so far it's working. Putting all the dolls out and accessible in Miss A's new room where they don't have to be put away and look like they are ready for play at a moment's notice has spawned a huge spike in doll play, from both Miss A and both the boys, too. Mr. T (age 5) may occasionally sneak in when he thinks do one is looking and pretend the dolls are evil robots that must be battled by his Avengers figurines.

I know the dolls won't hold her interest forever, but I'm glad we incorporated this into her new room to cherish those childhood moments as long as we can.