Mud Pies & Minivans: The IKEA Experience

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time then you are probably more than aware by now that I am a big fan of IKEA! Everything from school storage, toy shelves, big elephant dolls for the ladies' beds, potty chairs, & so forth. Well, I had not enjoyed the "IKEA experience" with my lil' girls tagging along since I think Aidy was born so I decided that the time had finally come!

Of all the days I could have possibly selected, I chose the day that all 4 of my lil' munchkins also got to go & receive multiple shots from their doctor. They actually all took it like champs! I think the combination of sparkly band-aids & a more than WONDERFUL family doctor helped out a lot. After all 4 children had been gently kissed by the needle, we were off on our long (BUT SO WORTH IT) trip to Ikea Land.

As soon as we arrived, their lil' eyes starting popping out of their lil' sockets. Something about that big eye catching "IKEA" sign immediately sparked their interest along with the fabulous & bright blue & yellow hues of the 2 story building (still does that to me too, lol). When parking our soccer mom minivan, the girls were so amazed to see that we received some major V.I.P. treatment from the get go by getting to park in the special designated area for the "Family Friendly" (yet another of the billions of reasons I love IKEA...& Fresh & Easy for that matter).

After unloading our tribe from the van, we immediately headed inside. Almost as soon as we stepped foot into the fantastic furniture emporium, all 3 girls immediately decided they need to use the bathroom. I do try my best to avoid public restrooms, but in this case I just had to take 1 for the team & we headed towards the bathroom. Now, I never really thought a bathroom could really "wow" a person (unless you have ever ventured inside the one at "Planet Hollywood"), until the girls walked into the IKEA restroom. Now to me, it was just a bathroom, but through the eyes of toddlers for some reason they were absolutely amazed! At IKEA, upon entering their family friendly downstairs bathroom you first walk into this tiny room with a child sized sink, an IKEA changing table, a lil' couch, & some pictures on the wall. Then right next store there is the actual bathroom. Again, to me it was not really something to phone home about, but that is the wonderful thing about kids. They appreciate the most odd & lil' things that adults often take for granted & overlook. :)

Once all 3 lil' ladies had gone to the restroom & were all washed up, it was time to continue our lil' adventure by 1st grabbing some IKEA food. Before reaching the food area, you have to get on the huge elevator. The girls loved this thing. It seemed like the ride was taking forever, but after 2 or 3 minutes had passed, we realized that no 1 had pushed the button to go up yet-lol.

After getting off the spaceship like elevator, we found a nice long table that could accommodate our tribe. I guess shots make toddlers super hungry or something because even though we had just had breakfast, their tummies were growling louder than a pack of coyotes who had not been fed in about a week!!! Now on to another 1 of the gazillions of reasons I adore IKEA, kids eat free on Tuesdays! While the girls patiently awaited their meals, they were completely amused by the huge windows that allowed them to gaze out at the bustling parking lot below. I guess looking down on humans trying to lug huge pieces of furniture to their cars & try to strategically fit them inside their vehicles can be pretty funny. I recall 1 IKEA trip in the past with a baby Aidann where I went a lil' IKEA crazy & decided to purchase an entire playroom & did not recall that we had driven there in our tiny Volkswagen Beetle with a baby car seat squished in the back until it was a lil' too late. Now that was a funny sight. We made it all fit, but did NOT look cute doing it! lol.

Once the food had arrived & been completely inhaled, it was time to really get the party started. Think how odd of a place it must be from a child's perspective to be in the huge building with tons of mock mini houses inside of it that you can just go in & look around at! They loved going into the kitchens, bathrooms, & bedrooms & exploring. The kids' section was an absolute dream & they just could not believe there was a special door that was just their size! It was almost better than Cabelas...Not quite, but almost (The Cabela Experience). After exploring for over an hour, it was time to go home. 1 kid even asked me if she could come back for her birthday?!?! Lol... Another 1 asked if she could get an interesting heart arm pillow (that personally freaks me out) & a kitchen if she saves up her money long enough! Good times!

Am I the only 1 a tad freaked out by this?

Well, it was definitely a wonderful adventure that we will soon embark on again (about to remodel the school room very soon). Until next time, I <3 you IKEA-lol. And apparently it runs in the family! :)

-M&M Momma