The first thing I needed to do was kill all the grass and weeds growing under the playset to prepare for the mulch we'll be putting down. I used Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer to attack the problem-it is rain safe in as little as 15 minutes (a great bonus in the rainy springtime!) and you can start to see results in as little as 3 hours. This kills anything it touches so it's a great option for clearing areas like under the playset or preparing walkways or patio areas.
So now the plan is to allow the Spectracide to continue to work and then cover the area with mulch this weekend as well as any final landscaping of the area. I'll be posting the "after" pictures of the project in just a couple of weeks!