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Sasha And Malia Get Surprise Swing Set
Filed under: Celeb Kids, Celeb Parents
The adorable first daughters had a nice surprise when they got home from school yesterday. Not the puppy (not yet, anyway), but something almost as good -- a brand new wooden swing set.They squealed with delight upon seeing it, said a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama. "They ran right for it. They were really, really excited. All four of them."
Not just any swing set. This one is made from 100 percent cedar and North American Redwood and has "four swings, a slide, a fort and a climbing wall."
The only feature that probably will not make it into the lawns of American families nationwide is "a picnic table with brass plates etched with the names of all 44 presidents." Nice touch, as is the location: within sight of the oval office. I imagine the Prez will be able to peek out at the girls getting some fresh air.
For the record, this isn't the first swing set at the White House. Caroline Kennedy used to say "Push higher!" right on the White House lawn, and Jimmy "Paul Bunyan" Carter built daughter Amy a treehouse (okay, he had help). "Many first families have made these sorts of changes to make the White House feel like home," said the spokeswoman. "This one is like their little mark."
No idea what Chelsea Clinton got when she moved in; Bill and Hillary mostly kept her under wraps during Bill's eight years in office. And the Bush girls were already in college, so a swing set would've been a little weird.
Also worth noting is that this isn't the most expensive set money can buy. According to the Chicago Tribune, the cost for a set like this is $3,500, although the company, Rainbow Play Systems Inc., is not releasing what the Obamas paid. I say "what the Obamas paid" because they paid for it themselves, according to Rainbow spokesperson Joanie Barrus, who called it a "very conservative choice." (No pun intended, I'm sure.)
One of the things I've grown to like about the First Family is how much I feel like I can relate to them as a family. I don't think this has anything to do with politics; more likely it's because my children are fairly close in age to Sasha and Malia, combined with the fact that Michelle and Barack appear to be involved in their children's lives.
Whether it's the new puppy, Barack betting Malia that she will "freak" when she meets Nick Jonas or this new swing set, there's something genuinely warm about these folks. I'm usually inclined towards cynicism, but I find myself getting all mushy whenever I read stories like this. Does this have anything to do with the problems facing the world today? No. Is it nice to hear pleasant stories about the family of the most powerful man on Earth? Sure. Why not?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-05-2009 @ 4:56PM
Katie said...I hope the Obama's continue to marry the hardest job in the world (raising kids) with the hardest job in the nation (being President!) I love how family is always top of mind!
Reply
3-06-2009 @ 10:12AM
Jack said...That's lovely, but there's no mulch under it. It'll be a shame when one of the first kids takes a header off a swing and ends up with brain damage or a broken neck.
Reply
3-06-2009 @ 11:14AM
Karen said...I think a nice soft yard is far preferable to hard, cutting, mulch.
3-06-2009 @ 11:19AM
Uly said...How often does that happen, realistically?
3-06-2009 @ 9:44AM
LS said...Was this a typo?... "They squealed with delight upon seeing it, said a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama. "They ran right for it. They were really, really excited. All four of them." "
All FOUR of them? All four of whom? Sasha, Malia.... and who?
Also, you're right, it IS nice to "hear pleasant stories about the family of the most powerful man on Earth" (getting REALLY sick of it, though). It could have been going on throughout the last eight years, as well, but, alas, it didn't. Wonder why? (no sarcasm intended. really.)
Reply
3-06-2009 @ 11:19AM
Uly said...Because he didn't have young kids.
3-29-2009 @ 2:03PM
kelsey said...four of them meaning: malia, sasha, michelle and barack.
it confused me for a minute, too. but this is what i assume it means.
3-06-2009 @ 9:49AM
Pavlina said...I think the first family has four people in in. The President, the First lady, Sasha and Malia
Reply
3-06-2009 @ 9:53AM
LS said...Yeah, but if the President and First Lady *bought* the swing set, they should know that it was being set up, and therefore, wouldn't be surprised. It was just a weird sentence. I was thinking, perhaps, that Malia and Sasha had friends with them, or something.
Reply
3-06-2009 @ 12:07PM
LS said...A bit of trivia... from an AP article I found (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5izmwwif2V4nx8I5aPscRWAAPvmdgD96NHKJ00):
"Presidents throughout the years have altered the landscape of the White House grounds to suit their recreational needs, or their children's.
James Buchanan added the first greenhouse in 1857, and Theodore Roosevelt followed with a tennis court in 1903.
Historical photos show two of Franklin D. Roosevelt's grandchildren playing on a slide near a jungle gym on the South Lawn, and much later Caroline Kennedy pushing younger brother John F. Kennedy Jr. on a swing set, also on the South Lawn.
Gerald Ford added an outdoor swimming pool, and Jimmy Carter's daughter, Amy, had a treehouse. George H.W. Bush had tree-mounted swings installed for granddaughters Jenna and Barbara, and Bill Clinton, a jogger, installed a running track."
Reply
3-19-2009 @ 8:02PM
143IQWIFE&MOMMA said...PRESIDENTS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR ADJUSTING THE WHITEHOUSE TO SUIT THEIR NEEDS OR THEIR FAMILIES:
DWIGHT D EISENHOWER HAD A PUTTING GREEN INSTALLED ON THE WHITEHOUSE LAWN FOR HIS ENJOYMENT.
CALVIN COOLIDGE HAD AN ELECTRONIC HORSE INSTALLED AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
ZACHARY TAYLOR ALLOWED HIS HORSE TO GRAZE ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN, OLD WHITEY.
WILLIAM TAFT HAD TO HAVE A SECIAL BATH TUB INSTALLED IN THE WHITE HOUSE DUE TO HIS HEIGHT/WEIGHT.
WHEN JOHN F KENNEDY ALLOWED CAROLINE'S HORSE MACARONI TO TROMP ON THE WHITE HOUSE PORCH AND EVEN WEAR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN
WITH THE JOB COMES THE PERKS.....IT'S GOOD TO BE PRESSIDENT/OR KING!! AND THEIR OFF SPRING
3-19-2009 @ 4:09PM
Wang said...Speaking of Chelsea Clinton:
There is bad news about her father.
It is opined that Bill Clinton committed racist hate crimes, and I am not free to say anything further about it.
Respectfully Submitted by Andrew Y. Wang, J.D. Candidate
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
(I can type 90 words per minute, and there are probably thousands of copies on the Internet indicating the content of this post. Moreover, there are innumerable copies in very many countries around the world.)
_________________
“If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memories so they never got stale and faded.” Off the top of my head—it came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.
Reply
3-19-2009 @ 8:17PM
143IQWIFE&MOMMA said...I noticed that the jungle gym was a modest one. They could have gotten a very outlandish one being the 1st family. The swing set is very common and ordinary. That is the least they could allow for those 2 children. That is a very normal family swing set. With the budget that the president and White House have, they could have really went all out. I think that it is admirable that the Obamas realize that America is in a pinch and didn't go over the top. I find it refreshing that they aren't making these children spoiled brats. That is a very ordinary, nice swing set. You can see that in anyone's back yard in any neighborhood.
What are they supposed to play with? They have to have some sort of normal activities to do, this is their HOUSE!! A child likes to play outside! This is not extravagance it is a normal family trying to have a life under a microscope. GOOD FOR THEM!!
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