The Sandbox

Right after we moved into our house, we put a sandbox in. Every day since that day I've had a love / hate relationship with the sandbox. Why? It's so much fun and keeps the girls entertained for hours at a time. It also keeps them out of my way while mowing the lawn. However, it is such a mess. When it's wet, it stains clothes and I can't get it out. Also, no matter how many times I ask the girls not to throw sand, it still happens and their hair and scalps are covered in it. It also gets caught in their clothing and tracked all over the house and I can't stand sand on tile. Let's not forget that every cat in the neighborhood is attracted to it, so I'm always having to make sure it's covered and I haven't found a very good method. I've been using tarps, but they disintegrate and it gets costly to keep replacing them. Oh yes, and babies love to eat it. I don't know if you can tell from this view, but Emma was eating the sand and had it all around the corners of her mouth. It makes for fun diapers.