My sister Caitie recently hosted a super fun birthday party at her house for her son Danny. Despite a bounce house, cupcakes, toys galore and kids everywhere, little Vivian spent the entire party playing at a water table.  It was filled with little rubber duckies that kept her laughing, and by the end of the party she was soaked and happy.  I didn’t have a change of clothes on-hand, so Vivian wore nothing but her Terra Baby cloth diaper for the drive home!

After the party, I shopped on-line for a new water table for Vivian.  But, they were $40 – more than I wanted to spend.  Plus, the last thing the world needs is another giant piece of plastic floating around.  I set out on the hunt for a used water table that would keep my little angel cool all summer while saving me some cash and helping out the planet at the same time.

I searched Craiglist and immediately found a used water table for sale in a nearby neighborhood.  I contacted the seller and closed the deal: just $12 for the table and a few toys to go along with it!

We picked it up a few days later and set it up on our roof deck.  Sure enough, the used water table is a huge hit!  Vivian wants to play with it every day.  And, why not: the sunshine is warm, the city sounds are four floors below and the blue sky reaches wide in every direction.  Hooray for summer!

It didn’t take long for Mack to join in the fun.  Vivian definitely took ownership of this new toy, but she is very kind to share with her big brother.

Let’s hope this is only the beginning of another wonderful Chicago summer!