What a Mom Wants

This spring, two of my friends had birthday parties for their boys at the local Rainbow dealership. The last party was Sunday. Hubby and I were discussing the party beforehand. He asked if Rainbow charged for these parties, as they were essentially free advertising for them, when all the guests come and play and want to then buy Rainbow playsystems. I agreed with him, but said they do charge for them. I didn't want to ask the hosts how much they charge, nor did I want to inquire at Rainbow, because I don't want to have a party there...yet.

After playing at the Rainbow place for the second time, my appetite was whetted for a really expensive playsystem . The first time just planted the seed, I think. From Sunday night on, I've been looking at the Rainbow catalog longingly, though realistically. No, we can't afford to spend at least $1500 on a swing set (though that's cheaper than two Aeron chairs...). I've looked at Craig's List, considered just buying a cheap metal swing set, looked at various other non-Rainbow websites, etc.

After all of my research, I've decided THIS is what I want. If you buy it at Costco, and don't have it delivered, it's cheaper. Now I just have to broach the subject with Hubby. And it's not just for the boys. If they have this playsystem, it will be 100 times easier to keep them contained when we're outside. Now, when we're outside, I'm constantly circling the house, trying to move them both into one play area. "Please, come play in the sandbox! No, don't color on the front door with chalk. Just on the sidewalk. Please don't trample my plants..." You get the idea. Yes, I'm looking for justification for NEEDING this expensive playsystem, but really -- I NEED it. (That or a really good herding dog.)

Of course, even if I can convince Hubby to buy this, there's the whole issue of getting it home and set up. We no longer own a pick-up truck, and Hubby can barely muster the energy to mow the lawn, let alone spend hours assembling this thing. I've decided I will hire a handy man to do this. (Craig's List, again.)

On to the second issue: where in our overgrown yard to put this thing? We have very little lawn (so why is it so hard for Hubby to mow it?), but we have almost an acre of land. Most of it is woody shrubs and weeds. There's a perfect section for a playsystem, though, overgrown as it is. And of course, I have the perfect solution: a GOAT! Yes, if we could get a goat in that area, he or she'd chew that stuff down in no time. Strangely enough, though, there are no rental goat places around here that I can find, and since I've never owned a goat before, I don't really think Hubby will go for that. And yes, rental goat places do exist. My stepmother rented some goats last year to clean up a big area of land at her house.

So, you see, I dream big. But really, a goat and a play system. Is that so much to ask for? I'm not asking for a new car or diamonds here!