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Our version of a "train table" -- one that blends in with the decor,
even if the decor includes a giant ugly gate around the television. |
At Christmas, my parents wanted to buy the twins a bigger gift, like a train table. It was a good idea, but I decided to look for a table that is more versatile than a train table -- something that would be used longer than just the train stage. Plus I was concerned about space -- train tables can be pretty large, and I could put it in our downstairs playroom, but right now we spend a lot of time in a living room/kitchen area, and the twins could use a table to play. Did I want a brightly colored train table in the middle of my small living room? Not exactly. And Buddy Twin was obsessed with Lego Duplo blocks, so I knew I needed storage too.
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| Lots of storage! |
After many trips to toy stores and a lot of flip-flopping in my head, a search online turned up the
KidsPad Activity Table and I put in my request to my parents. (They ordered it from Costco, where they are members and found it online at a decent price. Lesson: Search around!) This table is really great, and it's now our "coffee table" replacement. It's low to the ground, which makes it easy for playing on, and it has a rolling trundle divided into two parts for storage. (I have yet to make little labels for each side of the drawer.) We mostly store the Legos in here, but there are some cars and Potato Head pieces. The two sides of the storage trundle are large, so I divided them up with fabric boxes. Yes, the fabric boxes get lifted out and dumped occassionally, and the twins can be found sitting in the drawer occassionally, but for the most part, it works. The dark color hides messes, but it does show knicks -- but nothing that a Sharpie couldn't fix. And we did put this little braided rug on top to pretect it as much as we can.
It's definitely a great solution for fitting into decor without making a living room feel overrun with toys. It can be used for trains -- which we do sometimes -- but it's not bright and gaudy looking either. You could put train pieces in the trundle, but instead we keep our train pieces in a basket in the corner of the room.
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| The train basket |
And we still use the small, trusty Lego Duplo table that is a Big Girl hand-me-down. It doubles as an extra space to play upon, which multiple mamas know can be very helpful in certain situations.
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| The twins actually use this way more than Big Girl ever did. |
Not sure if they make this one anymore, but it's great and I'm so glad we kept it. Except when Buddy Twin uses it as a step stool to pull salt shakers off the counter and sprinkle salt all over the living room. Ah, life with twins.
To find other
products which have saved my sanity
as a MoM (mom
of multiples),
Hey Kellie! I wasn't able to respond to your comment directly but I was able to link to your blog! I love it, btw! :) Ok so that owl lamp from Target? You can only get it at Target online. Wanted to make sure you didn't search your local Target's high and low to no avail. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the nice comment you left. As a a fellow blogger, you know how much those mean.
Hugs. :)