Play
Lately, I've gone on a bit of a (modest) redecorating spree. Sure, we've only lived in our precious abode for 3 years and change, but a family is a dynamic, quirky entity whose needs shift and change. Ya know?
Three household areas have been weaked or overhauled (which is good, because I've had nada to write about these past weeks): (1) guest bedroom, (2) office, and (3) sitting area of the master bedroom.
Although these three spruce-ups have been a lot of work, I've had SO much fun using the part of my brain that delights in selecting colors and textures and fabrics and pretty details. And spending some quality time with my Benjamin Moore paint wheel doesn't hurt either. Really, I had forgotten how much I love making things pretty, or just making them pretty in a new, different way. I've always said that our house is a perpetual work in progress. It will never be finished---something that truly thrills me. At some point, however, I might need to consult the dude at the local hardware store and determine how many coats of paint drywall can actually sustain.
My first project: Converting a guest bedroom to a playroom. Our upstairs had two guest bedrooms--the main one, which has its own private bathroom and is therefore the guest favorite, even if it is smaller than the other rooms, and the "green room," which started as a craft room (not that I did much craftiness, though I did wrap about 5,000 gifts in there) and then became the second guest room, once Lorelei's room became a nursery.
See, we always believed we needed two guest bedrooms, because a Hofmann Family Thanksgiving or an Opp Family Christmas require a LOT of sleeping space, seeing as how no family members live within 2,000 miles of us. And it's not like we just need to find space for a day or two. No, if folks travel across the country to see us, they're staying for a good week, so it is only right that we make their stay comfortable. This means guests should have their own space and a comfy bed. So, our set-up worked well for a time, and we got through many family get-togethers with ample space for everyone.
But with two kids and all the crap they require, it was taking me too long to bring the family room--our main room--back to order each night. And even when I did, there was JUST SO MUCH STUFF.
So, I sold Lorelei's swing via consignment, which freed up some space and helped me breathe easier, and I also sold her bouncer. This helped. But still, the exer-saucer, play kitchen, plastic table and chairs, and toys, toys, toys. The clutter was too much for me.
I floated the idea of turning guest bedroom #2 into a playroom. Chris, as it is in his DNA to do, immediately started questioning my plan. "What about when our families come? Where will they sleep?"
"I don't think we have huge housefuls of Hofmanns or Opps coming any time soon," I said. (We don't, though of course they're welcome.) "Maybe your folks or my folks will visit in the next year or so, but not oodles of people. Do we really want to use that room only once every 2 years?"
"Well, what about when we need an extra bed?" Chris asked.
"By then, Lorelei will be in a big-girl bed," I said. "Lorelei can sleep with Charlotte, freeing up Lorelei's bed and room [which would be the queen-sized one we just hauled to the basement] for guests."
Chris saw the logic and brilliance of my plan and finally agreed. After all, he was tired of looking at all the kids' crap, too. So, we very clumsily and painfully removed the bed, brought up toys, and made a few other tweaks.
I decided to keep the paint color its pretty shade of olive green. For starters, I loooooove olive green. Second, I thought olive plus pale pink would give the room sort of an old-fashioned, girly feel. Third, the color combination was, to my knowledge, unusual. It wouldn't look like a preschool classroom, nor be a cliched sunny yellow or apple green playroom. Finally, as much as I adore selecting paint colors, I detest actually painting. I didn't mind dodging the need to repaint.
From Target, I ordered a pretty (and cheap!) pink shelving unit. Stealing the clever idea of one of its reviewers online, I glued 12" x 12" scrapbook paper on the five backs (which would otherwise just be pink). I found some gold-embossed paper to use, which I thought gave the shelving unit a little something special and helped tie the room a bit more to a Victorian look (okay, Victorian nurseries didn't have Elmo grinning at them from every direction, nor did they have Fisher Price plastic everywhere, but you get what I'm saying, right?).
Three household areas have been weaked or overhauled (which is good, because I've had nada to write about these past weeks): (1) guest bedroom, (2) office, and (3) sitting area of the master bedroom.
Although these three spruce-ups have been a lot of work, I've had SO much fun using the part of my brain that delights in selecting colors and textures and fabrics and pretty details. And spending some quality time with my Benjamin Moore paint wheel doesn't hurt either. Really, I had forgotten how much I love making things pretty, or just making them pretty in a new, different way. I've always said that our house is a perpetual work in progress. It will never be finished---something that truly thrills me. At some point, however, I might need to consult the dude at the local hardware store and determine how many coats of paint drywall can actually sustain.
My first project: Converting a guest bedroom to a playroom. Our upstairs had two guest bedrooms--the main one, which has its own private bathroom and is therefore the guest favorite, even if it is smaller than the other rooms, and the "green room," which started as a craft room (not that I did much craftiness, though I did wrap about 5,000 gifts in there) and then became the second guest room, once Lorelei's room became a nursery.
See, we always believed we needed two guest bedrooms, because a Hofmann Family Thanksgiving or an Opp Family Christmas require a LOT of sleeping space, seeing as how no family members live within 2,000 miles of us. And it's not like we just need to find space for a day or two. No, if folks travel across the country to see us, they're staying for a good week, so it is only right that we make their stay comfortable. This means guests should have their own space and a comfy bed. So, our set-up worked well for a time, and we got through many family get-togethers with ample space for everyone.
But with two kids and all the crap they require, it was taking me too long to bring the family room--our main room--back to order each night. And even when I did, there was JUST SO MUCH STUFF.
So, I sold Lorelei's swing via consignment, which freed up some space and helped me breathe easier, and I also sold her bouncer. This helped. But still, the exer-saucer, play kitchen, plastic table and chairs, and toys, toys, toys. The clutter was too much for me.
I floated the idea of turning guest bedroom #2 into a playroom. Chris, as it is in his DNA to do, immediately started questioning my plan. "What about when our families come? Where will they sleep?"
"I don't think we have huge housefuls of Hofmanns or Opps coming any time soon," I said. (We don't, though of course they're welcome.) "Maybe your folks or my folks will visit in the next year or so, but not oodles of people. Do we really want to use that room only once every 2 years?"
"Well, what about when we need an extra bed?" Chris asked.
"By then, Lorelei will be in a big-girl bed," I said. "Lorelei can sleep with Charlotte, freeing up Lorelei's bed and room [which would be the queen-sized one we just hauled to the basement] for guests."
Chris saw the logic and brilliance of my plan and finally agreed. After all, he was tired of looking at all the kids' crap, too. So, we very clumsily and painfully removed the bed, brought up toys, and made a few other tweaks.
I decided to keep the paint color its pretty shade of olive green. For starters, I loooooove olive green. Second, I thought olive plus pale pink would give the room sort of an old-fashioned, girly feel. Third, the color combination was, to my knowledge, unusual. It wouldn't look like a preschool classroom, nor be a cliched sunny yellow or apple green playroom. Finally, as much as I adore selecting paint colors, I detest actually painting. I didn't mind dodging the need to repaint.
From Target, I ordered a pretty (and cheap!) pink shelving unit. Stealing the clever idea of one of its reviewers online, I glued 12" x 12" scrapbook paper on the five backs (which would otherwise just be pink). I found some gold-embossed paper to use, which I thought gave the shelving unit a little something special and helped tie the room a bit more to a Victorian look (okay, Victorian nurseries didn't have Elmo grinning at them from every direction, nor did they have Fisher Price plastic everywhere, but you get what I'm saying, right?).
In the midst of all this, a consignment store advertised on Facebook a SUPER cute dollhouse (plus accessories!) that had just come in that morning. It was located at their far-away location, but what the heck. I called and bought it over the phone, staking my claim. "Isn't it cute?" the store owner said.
"I have two little girls, and this will rock their world," I said.
"Oh, I'm so glad," the lady said. "The woman who brought it in this morning hated to part with it, but her two daughters had simply outgrown it. She said, 'I just want it to go to a good home!'"
I felt very pleased with myself for securing this pretty dollhouse for a freaking bargain ($60!), when similar dollhouses sell for well over twice that when brand new. Of course, it took me over an hour to get to the store to pick it up, and I had grossly underestimated its size and had to remove car seats and lower seats in 100-degree heat--by myself--to load this sucker up, but it was worth it. I loved how the dollhouse gave the room much more of a playroom feel.
Finally, we moved a shelf from the office (remember, we're redoing the office) to the playroom, which is temporary. Once Lorelei outgrows her changing table, we'll put the espresso shelf into her room. Until then, it holds more toys.
Finally, I considered the playroom finished. Sure, I hope to add some artwork or something to the walls at some point, but I don't really know what I want yet.
In the meantime, the playroom has improved our daily lives. Play is, of course, the main work of young children. And yes, I wanted the STUFF out of the family room, but I really wanted my girls to have a space where they could be imaginative and creative and play, play, play.
With both girls at school each day, I'm confident that they spend lots of time in "free play" as well as structured play (okay, ALL of Lorelei's play is free play). Charlotte plays with other friends a lot, but she also has no problem breaking off from her girl posse and doing her own thing. I'm also confident that the girls don't watch too much TV, because they're at school throughout the day. For this reason, Chris and I feel no guilt letting Charlotte watch three back-to-back episodes of Dora the Explorer on Saturday mornings, or 20 minutes of Octonauts on weekday mornings before school.
The thing is, playing in the playroom is starting to take the place of some of even these rare TV times. Charlotte prefers to play in the playroom--with her sister--while Chris and I finish getting ready in the morning, whether for work or church or weekend errands. They are occupied and close by. It's just working.
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