So, I'm not sure how I feel about the word "hack," generally, to refer to a clever method of improving upon something, but for these purposes, that's what I mean. You all know how much Lou loves her kitchen, as well as Sweet Lou's, the thriving restaurant and market attached to it. One of the reasons she loves it so, in my own humble opinion, is because we're always improving upon it, and adapting it a bit so Lou can mimic our reality. But that doesn't mean just buying up new toys all the time - I'm pretty sure Melissa & Doug could retire on the amount we've already sent them - you know we like to be creative around here. And failing that, cheap.

So over the summer, when I drink everything on ice, it became clear that Sweet Lou's, too, needed some ice. How else would Lou provide her customers with large, iced, half-caf, soy lattes?

She couldn't, obviously, so we remedied that. I bought an ice cube try from the dollar store and gave her the fake ice cubes that came with a travel cup I bought for $5 at TJ Maxx. I may or may not have purchased the travel cup solely for the ice cubes, but you don't need to do that; I just saw them on our cousin's wedding registry at Bed, Bath & Beyond, so I know they have them there really cheap. (They also have really cute ones, like star shapes, but we're going for realism here).

Another dollar store find we've really appreciated: a pack of plastic disposable plates made to look like porcelain - a ripoff of the Chinet ones. These are a much more appropriate size for the play meals Lou makes than the tiny play plastic things we had - see spaghetti, above, as exhibit A - and the pack cost a dollar, so I think it's for the win.

Similarly, we are avid fans of salt in my family - I get it from both sides, and it's just the way it is - so sprinkling on salt and pepper is something that figures prominently in our meals. Something was missing from the eggs Sweet Lou made us without salt and pepper. That was remedied with another dollar for these plastic salt and pepper shakers. Lou and I added black beans and rice to mimic salt and pepper, and I (should have) squeezed a thin bead of super glue around the top before screwing the lids back on. (That's an important step. We learned the hard way).

That little dish drying rack is not from the dollar store - I got it for $4.50 at Target on clearance. It's from their dorm-directed line this fall, which is why it's so wee, and I just couldn't resist. It also came with one of those microfiber drying mats that now serves as a changing pad for Lou's dolls' many diaper changes, so I'd say we got our money's worth. (Oh, and the tiny Mrs. Meyer's dish soap is from the $1 section at Target, I think; I got it for traveling, to wash out sippy cups and the like. But it's what I use in our kitchen, so Lou delights in having one that's a perfect size for her).

Still, you might be asking yourself if all this is really necessary. The short answer is of course not. But it's really fun to see how into it Lou gets when her reality starts to mimic our family's. I can hear her shaking her salt and pepper shakers and clanging away on her pots and pans right now (really) and she loves to "wash" her dishes after we eat a meal together. That'll pass, I'm sure. But for almost no effort and very little money, I enjoy making this a real zone for Lou. We're fans of building upon toys we already have, rather than having a bunch of crazy disparate activities, and the dollar store is one of the ways we do that. Do you guys turn to cheaper adult versions of things rather than pricey play items? How do you feel about the word "hack?"