Once Upon a Time

We are avid book reading family, but I've found that the more children I accumulate, the less and less time I can just sit and read to the children. I'm trying to reclaim more of this precious time though, especially before naps and bedtime. Lately though, instead of reading books, I'll tell my three year old a story instead. All the stories are about Princess Sienna and her many adventures. I think this is a HUGE creativity builder and encourages the use of their young imaginations. A recent fairy tale went something like this:

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Sienna. One day she decided to go to the zoo , so she hopped in her pink mini-van and drove away from the castle. She saw lots o f animals there, like lions, giraffes, and tigers. She saw elephants with looong trunks. She had lots of fun there. She drove her pink mini-van home and had a very lovely nap. Princess Sienna was tired from her long day at the zoo. The End.

Do you ever make up stories for your children? Do they use the same characters/storyline?