There is a big TV box in our living room. One side has been cut so that it falls open - rather like a hatch. A red string on a popsicle stick has been fed through a hole so you can sit in the box and close the hatch. Once inside, like magic, you can travel anywhere you want in our cardboard spaceship.
The kids go to the moon alot these days - or Mars. On the weekend they travelled the whole solar system.
Today was all about the blast off. The latest addition to the spaceship is Liam's old booster seat. The seat is on its back because that is how the astronauts sit for take off in the Saturn V. Have I mentioned that Liam knows more about the Apollo moon missions than all the info contained in the latest IMAX film on the same topic? At one point I just had to get the video camera out because Liam picked Zoe up and stuffed her into the tiny space left over behind the seat. He picked her up. Strong kid that one. And nobody stuffs Zoe anywhere she doesn't want to be. She usually wants to go with Liam in the spaceship though. But it was really the following explanation that inspired me, I only wish I had got it on tape;
"Don't worry Zo - I know it's a little cramped but it won't be for long.
It will be really loud for a while and then there will be a HUGE explosion, but then it will be quiet.
Really quiet.
And then you can get out and move around..."
Yeah, he's got the moon mission stuff down.
The spaceship is also part of Liam's new method of dealing with his temper and frustration - a sort of self imposed time-out; "I'M GOING INTO THE SPACE SHIP AND I'LL NEVER SEE/PLAY WITH YOU/ AGAIN!!!!"
Zoe thinks this is just grand. Now whenever Liam gets mad she tells him; "Liam, you gotta go in your space ship!"
That tends to go over much better than when she says "Liam, you need a Time Out"- something she says when she is mad at him. It will invariably reduce him to tears, even though everytime I patiently explain to Liam that Zoe can't actually give him a time out, that's my job.
The spaceship has survived two recycling days so far. I'm not sure how long I want to have a huge cardboard box sitting in the living room but as long as it is shuttling Baby Cat and Monkey Boy from here to the moon I'm guessing we're stuck with it.
