Who’d have thought the Barbie Dreamhouse would be that difficult to put together?
But that’s how It all started with a simple wish for a Barbie Dreamhouse…
Yes, it all started so simple and innocently with a request to Santa for a Barbie Dreamhouse. See last month, my husband went through the DVDs in our house. He ended up selling most of them back to amazon.com. In return, we received a $90 credit to use on their website to buy anything we wanted. Therefore, he decided to use it for the Barbie Dreamhouse on Amazon that our older daughter asked Santa for last week. If you missed that one, read it here.
When he placed the order, we signed up for a month of free Amazon Prime Shipping. This meant we didn’t have to incur a $30 shipping fee on this one. Yes crazy that it is $30 to ship Barbie’s Magnificent Dreamhouse! When this huge box arrived two days later right on the label it stated that it contained over 55 pieces. Seriously, I thought immediately that this could have the potential of turning quite ugly. Ok secretly, I hoped to have a fun blog article out of this one. I mean doesn’t everyone think in terms of writing when they see something like this!
What happens when putting together the Barbie Dreamhouse…
Last night, my husband finally decided to try to tackle this one. He began to put it together once the girls went to sleep. OK, this is what we do for fun, so sad! He asked me to look up online more information for help in putting this dreamhouse together. I honestly was busy writing and dismissed his requests. OK, I am a bad wife!
A little while later though, I entered our living room and the dreamhouse was starting to take shape. But he was having trouble with the elevator. Yes, apparently Barbie is worthy of an elevator!
So, he had the directions sprawled out on our coffee table and believe it or not, he was trying to read and decipher them. I know a shock to me.
Why? Because he usually is like many men-hating to read, ask or take directions. At this point, I kept playing the line from Back to The Future over and over, “Roads where we are going, we don’t need roads” or in this case directions.
Houston, we may have a problem…
When he was hitting a brick wall in getting this elevator up and running, he asked me to hit up Google. He wanted to see if anyone had similar issues and any advice I could find. Now, I was in more shock that he was willing to take someone else’s advice! Believe it or not, I didn’t find all that much except to make sure the fireplace (the girl even gets her very own fireplace!) is in position on one site. See apparently that would help to put in the elevator correctly. Plus it was pretty boring and not very good graphics either. Therefore, not worthy of getting an inclusion here.
But then, I also found the below YouTube video to help him. And if you, too, bought this monstrosity dreamhouse and would like more information, check it out. But I will say this, apparently, he was doing the right thing by putting together the dreamhouse ahead of time before Christmas morning.
All Is well that ended well, thanks in part to YouTube…
About an hour later, the dreamhouse was all put together. It just needed to be put back in our garage hidden out of sight until Christmas morning. All-in-all, it wasn’t as good of a show as I’d hoped for. But still had its moments. Including my husband’s attempt at being funny in the end telling me, “You thought you’d have a good blog article out of this, but you didn’t so suck it!” This was his retort when he got the elevator completed!
So I eat my words, he got the Barbie Dreamhouse put together with very little cursing or even many problems. But now the real fun begins, when they have to play with it. Will this thing hold up to his construction? Time will only tell! Oh and by the way I got my blog article! Thanks to my darling husband and some good old fashioned Google searches.
Now, I am still humming Barbie Girl!
A bit more YouTube help…
In case you are here looking for even more help on putting the Barbie Dreamhouse together, check out another video from YouTube. It also shows you more step-by-step directions on how to do this:
Bill says
Oh God I don't miss those days of putting stuff together for my son, and yes, there was a lot of cursing when I did it. 🙂 Way to go, Kevin!
JanineHuldie says
Bill, I have to tell you I was very impressed by Kevin and how he did this with very little issue (except for the elevator). He would do anything for our girls, but he isn't always the most handy, but i am impressed he is getting better in his old age, lol!!
Cyndi says
Glad Kevin got all that sorted out, hehe. Golly if there's ever a question, just "google" it, lol. Your girls are going to be so happy and I'm glad you got a blog post from all that. LOL.
JanineHuldie says
Lol, Cyndi. I agree about Google and so interesting what you can find on there!! That said this doll house s all Emma has spoken about. Even yesterday, she was pretend writing her list to Santa and kept saying, "She was a good girl and wanted Barbie's Dollhouse and The Easy Bake Oven." Kind of excited to see her face on Christmas morning now 🙂
JanineHuldie says
Steph, Kevin was so much like this, but will say because it is for the girls, he will try his best and I am thankful for small favors. That said I was secretly hoping for a funny post out of this, but oh well, lol!!
JanineHuldie says
Lol, Richard. He seriously was so proud of himself and hope when he does read, he will see I was kind and gave him a nice shout out here as for his fatherly deed 🙂
Kelly says
Awww what a nice dad! I hope if we ever have a girl, my hubs can effortlessly put together a Barbie house.
JanineHuldie says
Thanks Kelly and if your hubs ever needs some advice or tips on this, I am sure we can help after this 🙂 🙂
Emily says
Believe it or not, I am often the one who assembles toys with 5 million steps to put together…like those lego sets with thousands of pieces — aahh! Kevin sounds like he rose to the occasion and did a stellar job, but don't worry I'm sure you'll get another blog post out of him soon.:)
JanineHuldie says
Thanks Emily and he read this one before and the first thing he said was, "It is about time I get a blog post again", lol!! Seriously, he loves when I write about him and gets all proud of whatever it is 🙂 🙂 By the way, I was the one that used to put stuff together, like the bouncers and activity centers when they were smaller, too!!
JanineHuldie says
Thanks Amy and I am sure they are going to love this one, because Emma literally talks about this house everyday now multiple times. I feel for Dave though having to put this together on the spot, because I saw just how complicated it was first hand. My hat goes off to him 🙂
Dani Ryan says
OMG!!!! That's so cool! I can't wait to do these things. Your girls are going to be so happy on Christmas!!!!
Oh, and I can just picture my husband putting this together and swearing about it. 🙂
JanineHuldie says
Thanks Dani and this is why I love you, because you just get it and your house sounds so similar to ours!! Seriously, the only reason Kevin did it beforehand was that he didn't want the kids hearing him curse, lol!!
Rachel Harper says
You're going to have some very pumped little girls on Christmas morning!! Love it!
JanineHuldie says
Thanks Rachel and I truly hope so. Emma has really been talking about this doll house non-stop and cannot wait to see the look on her face when she lays her eyes on it 🙂
Meredith says
Ugh! Sounds like a beast to put together, but I can only imagine how excited your little girls will be on Christmas morning! Take loads of video and pictures–we want to see them. And that elevator? The coolest! 🙂
JanineHuldie says
Thanks Meredith. I will do my best to get video of them and know it is probably going to be a world wind here, because I they are already so excited and just can't wait. The elevator after put together really was pretty awesome and wish I had one of those, lol 🙂
JanineHuldie says
Lol, Melanie. I am sure they will love it and will probably be obsessed with it at first and totally agree with them having such awesome toys!!!
Kenya Johnson says
I had a barbie dream house that I think my mom wanted me to have more that I wanted it. I wasn't that into dolls I just enjoyed doing their hair. Anyway my husband will read instructions to DEATH. I am the one that will try to figure it and and then put a piece on in the wrong place then break it while righting my wrong. SMH.
Janine Huldie says
Lol, Kenya usually I am pretty good at reading directions, but this dollhouse was so not getting put together by me. Thank god Kevin got it done and right. We recently bought them Barbie MegaBlocks sets. If I thought this was bad, that was the absolute worst. I did about 5 minutes worth before calling in for reinforcements in the form of Kevin and my brother, too lol!!
Debbie McCormick says
I remember a couple Christmases ago, we ( my husband and I) stayed up until 3 AM putting a silly kitchen together. We went from cordial, to snippy, to arguing, to laughing, to being total goof balls. Some instructions are horrible. (Talu)
Janine Huldie says
That was us this past Christmas. Even though Kevin put this house together before, I had to put the stickers on that night, while he was finishing putting the craft table together. Omg, with the amount of curses that night and then ended in laughter, too 🙂 Thanks Debbie!!
Christine (in the co says
Not only do I think in terms of "this could be a post" but my family does, too. You just can't help it.
The house looked great. Did the thing stay together after the kids got hold of it?
Janine Huldie says
Oh so true Christina and my husband now jokes that anything the girls or he does will turn out to be my next post. I always joke back that he will need to keep posted and check my site, lol!! As for the doll house it did stay together and they still play with it!! Amazing 🙂
Chris HyeThymeCafe says
Just shows what nice parents you are … I'm still having nightmares of assembling my own when I was a kid LOL. Truth be told, I was more interested in building furniture for it and sewing clothes for her than the house itself, so maybe it's just as well – The elevator was pretty cool though. 🙂
Janine Huldie says
Oh thanks Chris and I never did have on of these as a child, because there is no way my dad would have built this for me, because he just didn't have the patience!! That elevator is pretty damn cool though and seeing it in action now understand why kids want this house!! 🙂
Anne Kimball says
Janine, what a nightmare! Glad it turned out OK. I am so glad my kids are beyond the toy assembly stage!
Thanks for linking this up with the TALU!
Janine Huldie says
Thanks Anne and just happy to link up as always with you. And the toy assembly is truly the pits, lol!!
Kristi Campbell says
hahah that he told you to suck it because you thought you'd have a good blog article out of it. And look at you – you did anyway! Awesome 🙂 All toy assembly sucks. Even the getting the stuff out of the box part. Why oh why does that have to be SO hard??
Linking up here from TALU today.
Janine Huldie says
Oh thanks Kristi. I just so couldn't resist and really kept thinking this is so going to be a blog article (just couldn't shake that feeling, lol!!) And I know the getting the parts out of the box and even toys themselves sometimes they make it way too difficult to get out of the damned box!! 🙂
Nellie @ Brooklyn Active Mama says
Wowza!! You are better than me because I would have saw 55 pieces and given up right away!! Thank goodness for Google! And I know exactly what you mean about the stickers, smart move putting them on before the girls got to them!
Dianna Mendez says
It is an interesting and enjoyable read. I remember those days of trying to assemble toys. 🙂
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
Aw, thanks Dianna and so far this year nothing as complex, but I will never forget my husband putting the dreamhous together ever 😉
Ashley Gunn says
I still want that!
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
They still have it and you could come play with them, LOL!! 😉
Ashley Gunn says
It’s a play date!!!
Kathy Radigan says
We bought one for Lizzy when she was 3, I am still recovering from putting it together!! She is almost 14!!
Confessions of A Mommyaholic says
I know still after so many years here, too!! 😉
eli@coachdaddy says
In part of the evolution of humankind, the struggle that once was between man and sabre-toothed tiger has morphed into man and assembly of kids’ Christmas toys. Only sometimes are prehistoric cats the more daunting of the two.
Janine says
I think toys win hands down for the most part, too 😉