Tame a kiddie tent with a pant hanger

Mary of Owlhaven gives us an action-packed play-by-play:

Got one of those pop-up kiddie tents? You know, the kind that practically sets itself up, but incites all sorts of murderous thoughts in you as you try to wrestle it down and get it stowed away again? When you do get it flattened out, don't let go, or it'll spring open again. And even if you actually get it put away, if your little kids are like mine they'll feel the vacuum that the put-away tent created and immediately hunt it down and pull the thing out again.

The other day I was cleaning my 3 and 5 year-old daughters' bedroom. For the third time in three days I faced my nemesis, the Disney Princess play tent. I sweated and rassled and tried not to cuss. When I finally battled my way to a victory over the thing, I looked around the room for something to hold it shut in the closet. A bag maybe, or a Goliath-sized paper clip. That was when I spotted an old-fashioned pants hanger on the floor. Perfect. I closed it over the edge of the tent and was delighted to discover that it was plenty sturdy enough to hold the edges of the tent securely together.

As I was crowing over my capture, I had an even more exciting realization. Now I could simply HANG the tent UP in the closet. Away. High. Out of sight. It was a thing of beauty indeed.

Related: Play tent helps kids get to sleep in unfamiliar places

Comments

[Amy]

BRILLIANT!!

We have four of those pop up things, plus three tubes, and they take up a ton of space, even when folded. LOVE this idea. Thank you!!!

[Brandy]

Fantastic ^-^ We've got a couple, a game or two and a tent built that way.

[Megan (FriedOkra)]

Now THAT is just smart, Mary. You should write a book. OH WAIT! You already have. My bad.

M