When I was young I had this vision of my future self, married with kids. In my spectacularly clueless vision I was dressed in one of those flowy white sundresses and running through a field (tall, blowing grass of course) with a long line of blonde children and a gorgeous husband. No one was fighting over who was holding whose hand or rolling in every speck of dirt or saying Moommmmmmm, of course.
Fast forward one teen pregnancy and then marriage, four more children (only one blonde) and the only thing I daydream of is peeing alone. (You know the book is available right?)
A few weeks ago we found a restored farm house with acreage for sale. As we looked at the home and the yard I had to try really hard not to say “this is the house with the field and the white sundress and the kids and we will all be skipping hand in hand singing Zippity Doo Da this summer!” for fear my husband might start counting the prescriptions in our medicine cabinet.
As we loaded up the kids to leave my dream house, an accidental kick to the stomach with a muddy, snowy boot knocked me back to reality. My day dream was interrupted by the fact that a white sundress doesn’t last past 7 am without an unknown substance on the front and the only running I do is chasing a rogue kid down the freezer aisle at Kroger.
And who knew that to get that farmhouse and sprawling land I would have to lock myself in the laundry room to finish a phone call with our lender while ear-piercing fights ensue on the other side of the door? And that trying to buy a house was that one more thing that I couldn’t juggle so I would be dropping balls everywhere? And that in desperation to keep everyone occupied so I could fill out paperwork I would make them all their own play dough only to find them crafting in the nude moments later and ultimately have to remove a piece of purple dough from the butt cheeks of someone who sat on the chair collecting the discarded dough pile?
I certainly knew none of this.
And that girl dreaming of flowing dressing and mindless skipping had no clue what she was in for, the good, the bad and the better than she could have ever imagined.
Just in case you want it, here’s my favorite, softest, best smelling play dough recipe (my son does not recommend sitting on it naked).
-1 cup of flour
-1 cup of water
-1/4 cup of salt
-1 tbsp of vegetable oil
-2 tsp of cream of tartar
-1 packet of Kool-aid
1. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.
2. Stir over medium-low heat until the dough forms a ball in the center of the pan.
3. Transfer to a baking sheet and knead until cool then hand it over to the kids.
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I hope that you get the house and field of your dreams! xo
It is so funny how real life doesn’t match our adolescent visions of how it should be. I know this whole real life thing totally threw me off because why is my house so messy and my child crazy and what in the world happened to my body and um, this is not how I pictured this at all. But it’s beautifully lovely. And I adore homemade playdough. 🙂
I’ve used this recipe, but I’ve never heard of adding Kool-Aid to it. That sounds much easier than adding food coloring which is what we normally do. Can’t wait to try it! Easter break will be the perfect opportunity.
Good luck on the house. I was lucky enough to get to move into a house I adore a few years ago, and there is nothing like waking up every day in a space that makes you happy. I hope you get that, too.
They can still run around your yard and sing zippity do da! 🙂 And I’m not even going to ask why he would no not to recommend sitting on it while naked!
Good luck with the house!
I’m impressed you make playdoh. I should try it sometime.
O.o… farmhouse –sounds very adventureous. I hope you get what you are hoping for –best wishes, good lucks and all that other jazz.
I just happen to have all the ingredients for the playdough and the kids to play with it… sounds super simple to make –thanks for sharing.
O.o… farmhouse –sounds very adventureous.
I just happen to have all those ingredients for play dough making, AND the kids to play with it –thank you for sharing, AND it sounds super simple to make.
I hope you get what you are hoping for…. best wishes, good lucks and all that jazz!
As long as you toss the white dress into a load with bleach, you’re all good 🙂 I’m excited to hear more about the house!
So you made an offer on the house! Yay! It may be nothing like your girlhood dreams, but what is? You’ll love it anyway.
I have dreamed that dream of flowing white sundresses. Good point about the unknown substance down the front by 7 am. Maybe I should substitute a patterned sundress instead? Reality allows for more practicality. (Also, the play dough looks very soft – love squishing play dough!)
Oh, the butt cheek incident! So funny! Not for you, of course, but for our amusement, yes!
Love this, but the farm house? Yes? No?
We’re still waiting on the appraisal and crossing our fingers.