The Playdoh Chronicles

Dear Sister-in-Law,
Thank you for the lovely gift. Little Robert loved it. No, we haven't had Playdoh before - I guess I always thought they were too young to appreciate it. But I must admit: I was wrong. They've been having such fun with it, all the wonderful colours and those cute little cutting and shaping tools! I especially love the little pizza-making set! What fun!
Thanks again and hope to see you soon,
Ginger xxx

Dear Sister-in-Law,
Yes, they're still having fun with the Playdoh. You're right: it really does foster imaginative play. Like pretending we're at a restaurant - which is what we have been doing since we got it. Every time my husband or I sit down, we get a plastic plate of Playdoh pizza shoved under our nose and we have to pretend to eat it. Such a laugh. Especially when Robert tries to actually eat it, or stealthily gets us to eat it by smuggling green pea-sized balls of the stuff onto our plates. I've tasted worse, mind you, but I'd rather my pizza dough hadn't been squished in the grubby hands of a three-year-old beforehand! :-D
Love to all,
Ginger

Dear Sister-in-Law,
Yes, they still have a bunch of different colours. Why? Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? When they're finished with it, they just put it back in the appropriate pot. Or am I missing something here?
Ginger

Dear Sister-in-Law,
Now I understand.
Yes, today was the day they discovered you can lump all of the colours together and make one big gigantic ball of Playdoh ! What excitement! And guess what - when you mash a bunch of beautiful, vivid Playdoh colours all together, do you know what you get? Something that resembles a giant turd, that's what! Apparently, this is the primal scream of colour theory: squished together, all colours just band together to become the ugliest colour there is. Fascinating, but educational at the same time.
This is a gift that just keeps giving.
Thanks again,
Ginger

Dear Sister-in-Law,
Did you know that Playdoh hardens when it's not returned into its cute little colour-coded pots? Now that we only have one colour (Turd), it can't go back into the appropriate pot - according to the logic of my three-year-old - so it has to STAY OUTSIDE. Interestingly, it has not only hardened, but separated into a large number of smaller little balls. I think the colours are trying to regroup. In any case, the little balls have also taken flight and they're everywhere - under the bed, on the carpet, I even found one in my bra. It's like living with a herd of grazing sheep that are leaving their droppings everywhere. Goodness, it's hard to clean up, that stuff. But, anyway, this is the price we pay when we encourage our children to play creatively, isn't it?
Mustn't grumble, chin up! (Well, not too far up or I won't see what I'm treading into the carpet.)
Ginger

Dear Sister-in-Law,
The flipping Playdoh is everywhere. Does it multiply or expand or join forces with other crap to make baby Playdohs? Does it just look bigger because it's sucked up every bit of fluff and dust on its travels across the floor and under the sofa? Seriously, this stuff should come with a warning.
I'm off to pick it out of the bed linen.
Ginger

Dear Sister-in-Law,
Why do you hate me? Why? What did I ever do to you?
You know what your children are getting for Christmas, don't you?
G.

Sister-in-Law:
Evil wench.
G.