Play Dough Should be Banned

Every parent has had this thought after a run in with play dough. We have buyer's remorse in spite of how much our little beasties seem to enjoy this sticky mess. Really, not much separates play dough from chewing gum when you are a. trying to get it out of your carpet or b. scraping it off your shoes.
Our three year old got a ginormous play dough set for Christmas. We're talking ice scream maker, refrigerator with stuff to make little dough broccoli, Popsicle maker (thanks again, Santa). A day doesn't go by that she hasn't asked to play with her new play dough. I have taken to hiding it on the top shelf of the closet, but she spies it up there. I would honestly rather let her crack eggs in the kitchen than clean up after those dried bits of day-glo colored dough. It is right up there with glitter as the most annoying clean up project. You'll be finding pieces of dough in every room and on the bottom of every shoe and ground into every kid's socks and pants.
I move to make play dough an outdoor activity along with virtually all games played with a ball and nearly all meals. These other kid related activities should also be reserved for outdoors (or the neighbor's house):

• Popsicles
• juice pouches (just another word for squirt gun)
• glitter and paint projects (we're talking outdoor easel, folks)
• birthday parties
• tackle football (though we did play it indoors when I was a kid)
• any game that involves 100 pieces
• pogo stick (also not recommended for Christmas gift in December)

In case you can't tell, Spring cannot come soon enough around here. We're on our second snow day today!! Yippee! I've hidden the play-dough!