Disney's in the Desert

Mom Hack Monday: DIY Playhouse + Car

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Another long time in the making post I know I am overdue to share on!!! Thanks for your patience, friends!

How It Started

My mom got this little “firehouse”/”store” playhouse for Conner in October 2014 when we bought our home we’re currently at. He was not yet two but was soon to be an older brother, and my mom surprised him with it for as an early Christmas gift. Our backyard was much different at the time – pretty much full of rocks and dirt so it was a blessing for him to have as it wasn’t much of a great place for a toddler to play.

For Christmas that year he also got a coordinating play car and thought it was the best thing ever. We put pavers down that next spring and we enjoyed plenty of time outside in between the hot months playing with the house and riding in the car. Once Cole was walking toward the end of that year, he joined in the fun with these things, too.

Both toys received a lot of love from 2014-2018. Around 2020, the boys had definitely outgrown them and Honey had taken an interest. I had seen some playhouse transformations on Pinterest and thought it was totally something we (C, haha) could get done for us. Of course between bringing a new baby home in January 2021 who had a lot of struggles in the very beginning with feeding and reflux, it wasn’t something that we checked off our list until the end of the year. Such is life, but it was SO worth the wait and outcome.

Prepping + Clean Off

The first thing we did was hose them down and clean off the excess dirt, bird poop, and other grime. Our sun in Arizona is extremely intense, so the stickers that we had put on both (that came with it) had been really warped and essentially plastered/painted on it at this point. We used essential oils and a Thieves all purpose cleaner to attempt scrubbing these off. This part was really difficult, I won’t sugarcoat it. Lots of elbow grease involved. The car DOES have some sticker parts that we just couldn’t get off no matter what, so it kind of is what it is.

Supplies

You definitely want to make sure you lay down some sort of paint tarp or plastic before spray painting. We recently had put down turf and we did not want to damage it. A lot of tutorials I had seen on Pinterest suggest taking the car/house apart, but we did not want to go that route.

C is also a pretty clean artist/worker so he managed to skip this part of the process, and it worked to our advantage because we didn’t need to wait for things to dry and then flip over and paint the other side. It still took about a month because of our schedules to fully complete (mostly working on weekends, which are still really busy for us – so some weekends it got worked on, and some it didn’t.) it probably wouldn’t take that long for you if you stick to working on it every couple days or so.

We did make sure to do at least 2 coats. We did not use a primer or sealant, so that might be something you want to do. It’s been a couple of months now and they’re looking pretty good still but only time will tell (I expect the paint to fade and perhaps even chip a bit during summer with our sun/heat here). My thought process in not is that it is an outdoor toy, and the elements can be a bit brutal no matter what. If it matters a lot to you, you can consider doing these steps or researching it.

Since revamping it, all of the kids (boys included) have taken an interest in these items again (of course…kids….am I right?! ;)) so they’re being played with more and more. They’re kids, they’re going to be a little tough on these things and I can’t babysit what happens to the PLAY house and car, and kind of take it for what it is. They’re meant to be played with and things will happen, so if you keep that in mind and don’t expect it to look in tip top shape at all times, it will be easier to live with the little chips (if that even happens). Just my perspective/two cents – coming from someone who is pretty particular about their things 😉 Don’t expect perfection.

Here’s the 3 colors we used – purchased on Amazon and Lowe’s (there’s a shortage of these too so that’s why we shopped both places). I think we used 1 can for the door, 3 cans for the roof, and probably 7 or 8 cans for the body.

Extra Touches

I found this cute rainbow doormat for it along with the house number (mine and C’s birthdays are 9/9 and 12/9, and sweet Honey Girl is 7/9 so “9” is kind of our family number why we went with that!). I’ve also seen some people get a little hanging doorbell which is super fun, too!

I’m excited to watch our girls (and even now, our boys again! haha) enjoy these and that they’re getting a second chance at life! We received them in 2014 and now 8 years later they’re still going strong, just with a little facelift! I expect the girls to continue to play with them for the next several years, and who knows… Maybe it will be passed onto their own kids one day!! Wouldn’t that be special? 🙂

The boys in 2016
The girls in 2022

Mom Fave Monday: Dreamland Baby Co.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. 

Last summer I shared this awesome small business when Colly was moving to her crib in her nursery from the mini crib in our bedroom. Their weighted sleep sacks are a game changer and made the transition SO much smoother and we’ve been big fans of this company ever since!

We recently received one of their toddler weighted blankets for Honey, which are for toddlers and kids ages 3+/30 lbs+. Hun is our night owl, always-last-to-fall-asleep child, and having this blanket with her at night is changing this for her! Its 4 lb weight provides deep pressure stimulation to help naturally reduce anxiety, alleviate sensory overload and promote healthy sleep patterns. We can already see this difference in using it vs. not, as she’s so much more relaxed in her bed. It’s also been nice for us to not have to re-tuck her in a handful of times once she goes to bed since using her Dreamland weighted blanket too!

We (of course!) love the design – Honey’s fave color and the stars are so sweet too! It also comes in a gray colorway as well. It has 2 different fabrics: a cozy micro-fleece on one side, and Minky cooling material on the other, making it perfect for use while sleeping, napping, or just lounging around!

Right now Dreamland Baby is hosting a semi annual sale – 20% off sitewide! You can use my link and the code DISNEYS to receive the discount from March 7-13th! If you have an infant (or even toddler!!) I highly recommend checking out their weighted sleep sacks, swaddles, and jammies! For the older kiddos these weighted blankets are great for a little security and comfort!

Since Honey turned 4, I’m no longer laying her down for naps – but this blanket has helped her relax during her time at home/when she’s not at preschool. She will voluntarily just lay on top or under it and get comfy and pass out on her own. Even though she’s no longer a toddler, it’s still important for her to catch up on some rest when her body is telling her it’s necessary. With the Dreamland Baby weighted blanket, she’s able to do that when she needs (which is also a nice break for Mama 😉 )

Home Extras: Organized Tiny Closet

Right off of our loft, which is in between our bedroom and the kids’ bedrooms, is a tiny little linen closet. It only has a couple of shelves, and is not very deep, but I thought I’d show you how we use it (and not just for linen!) to better serve our family. We keep a lot of our ‘extras’ here!

Bathroom Extras

Here’s the fact: it is organized – but even above that, it is functional for US! We keep overstock/overflow from our two upstairs bathrooms so that when we run out of shampoo, bath products, toilet paper, etc, we don’t have to rush downstairs (or even to the store) for more.

Quick Clean Up Help

I like to keep extra cleaning products in this space too. All purpose spray, bathroom cleaner, and carpet cleaner because kids but really because you never know when a mess might happen. It’s come in handy especially in the middle of the night if someone gets sick, has an accident, or something else unexpectedly happens. I also keep a small hand vacuum in here (with the charger!) in here too for a quick clean up situation. I’ve always kept these products on a shelf that’s higher so that a baby/toddler who can open a door can’t have access to it. Our 3 bigger kiddos are now old enough that they know better to “accidentally” get into anything in here they shouldn’t and actually can grab something for us if we need them to.

Linens (of course!)

Of course, extra towels, throw blankets, and pillows are stored in here too. We do have a couch and TV in our loft so it’s nice to have easy access to these things for a movie night or just getting comfy and relaxing. I use these deeper baskets from Target to hide them and depending on the size of the throw, I can get 2 in each.

I highly recommend a system like this if you have the space – it doesn’t need to be a big space, even if it’s just a corner or a shelf somewhere off of your main living space.

I’ve linked the baskets and bins I’ve used on this post. I hope this inspires you give the ‘extras’ in your home a little space and in reach for easy accessibility!

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