Living in the Barbie Dream house.

Elle-Girl's big Christmas item this year is her Melissa and Doug play kitchen. I must say I'm just as excited about this as she will be, if not more because I know the joy and endless hours of fun a play kitchen offers. When I was in Mrs. Holderfield's Kindergarten class she had a small play kitchen area with real pots and pans and empty food boxes she had saved from home, there were assorted red, blue, and green dishes, and miniature salt and pepper shakers. I still remember how the wooden cabinets smelled and the sound of the kitchen timer over the stove.

Dramatic play is an important part of Child Development. They are able to mimic what they see grown ups do and are better able to understand the world around them.

Elle-Girl closely watches me around the house and loves to do everything that I am doing, from folding laundry, to loading the dishwasher, to sweeping and moping the floor, but especially cooking in the kitchen. Every night is a battle to keep her out from under my toes. I keep saying if she's still as interested in cooking when she gets a little bigger that I'm just going to put her to work!

There are some days as a stay at home mom and wife that doing things such as folding laundry and washing dishes, defiantly seem like more of a chore than something I enjoy doing. (Although, I must confess, I do truly enjoy folding clothes) However, Elle-Girl just LOVES pretending to be mommy. She can't wait until I dump out that basket of laundry to quickly begin sorting through the fresh scented heap. As daunting as it always seems she never tires of getting to unload the spoons left just for her from the dishwasher, or sitting beside the pots and pans in the bottom cabinet. To her these grown up "chores" are the best ideas around, to her, I am living the dream.

I don't stop and think how exciting it is to hang up clothes, or figure out what to cook for dinner, but in her eyes, I have an extremely interesting job.

I don't stop and think how opening up bills, sorting magazines, or cleaning out a purse is all that thrilling, but in her eyes, I'm the coolest for even owning a purse!

I had forgotten how when I was little girl all I wanted to do was pretend to be a mommy to babies, and cook up dinner for my teddy bears, how I loved to pretend to run errands and hurry here and there on imaginary tasks. All I wanted was to get to grow up and really do those things.

Somewhere in the busyness of life I had forgotten that I AM living that little girl dream! I AM keeper of Barbie's Dream house.

I AM THE ENVY OF LITTLE GIRL'S EVERYWHERE! How cool is that?