to NOT buy some new sand for the sandpit as it drives me insane, but the girls love it?

[Oliveoil]

have small sandpit

girls love it

need to replace festering sand from last year which they have been playing with for the last few (sunny) days

HOWEVER:

it gets everywhere
the garden is left looking like a beach
it gets everywhere
they need baths after playing outside
it gets everywhere
I hate it

so, AIBU to just put water in the sandpit and leave out the sand?

dd2 threw it around the garden and I got cross and said NO MORE SAND but may relent on the wisdom (or otherwise) of MN

I think sand (a bit) is meant to ge good for your lawn isn't is (drainage or summat). I move our pit about regularly so all the lawn gets a regular dusting. Sometimes I do a bit of forking to get it in a bit further.

We dont have a sandpit for those reasons. they have a water tray/table instead.

And a trampolene, slide, playhouse x2, scooters, little cars, swings etc. They are not missing out. plus the farm we belong too has 2 huge fab sandpits and we go there A LOT!!!

My friend puts hers on their decking so all the sand just falls through the gaps.

we don't have any grass

so I sweep, sweep, sweep [noose]

i steal it from the beach across the road

I think water is more of a pita than sand. Sand you can remove with shaking, hand rubing, feet shimmying. Water (an excess of) requires clothes being changed.....or nudity....and then you have to fart arse about with sun screen.

sweeping is good for bingo wing prevention.

have just done this with our sand table - changed to water, I mean. do it!! You'll be happy and so will they

Can't you bribe them with something else? A paddling pool?

bingo wings? yer cheeky mare

Had similar argument with DH today.

he wanted to go to garden centre and get new sand for sandpit.

I mouthed to him (in from of DCs) that I was hoping to get rid of sandpit this year (grumpy emotion)

He said (loudly and clearly) 'Oh, you can't get rid of the sandpit'

DCs took his side (obviously) - I looked like grumpy mum!

No sand yet (garden centre closed) - but I bet we end up with it for another year.

The fun they get from it is worth the mess.

oh it is crap isn't it?

and then they want to go and play in it when it is my work day, so go out at 5pm as "Daddy says it is ok"

yes, but daddy doesn't have to do the extra bath duty or sweep up does he?

rant

am not going to replace it and see if I have a mutiny

NOTHING is worth the mess

We have a lawn, sand still gets fecking everywhere, the last straw was waking up one morning with sand stuck to my cheek I negotiated a swop with dd1, freecycled the sand table and bought a playhouse instead.

Could you buy a ginormous tarp from B&Q, stick it beneath the pit and then post sand strewing fold it in half and effortlessly slide the sand back into the pit? If you are short armed (regardless of tone) you might need a step ladder.

I think you get more mileage out of sand than water. Aftr all they get water in the bath, so water outside if, you know, wetness to be poured onto other stuff. Sand is better for making (and hence allows you longer to sit in deckchair sipping at non-alcoholic coctail reading the paper.

oh I am feeling a gavel moment coming on

[ignores AbbeyA and Tatter]

tarp good idea I suppose

but dd2 likes to throw it at the wall or over her head

a tarp would look ugly though...

tatter beat me to it, but I second the tarpaulin idea.

garden is pig ugly anyway, hahahahahha

dh wants the computer to hunt for Man United win gloating [yawn], I will be back when he has finished being a Boy

They could PAINT the tarp [homespun crafty type emoticon]

But it would just get blown off the tarp and walked in everywhere just the same. trying olive!]]

that was not a link btw. used the same link brackets!!

it only lasts a few years, i end up eating it