Have I mentioned before that my home is SMALL SMALL? Well, I don't think I've ever shown pictures of just how small my living space is.
I'm going to be brave and show you 2 pictures of my living room and dining room (as is). Unorganized and a bit cluttered.
Ok, this is a picture from the couch that's on the wall next to the front door. Looking into the dining room you see my cluttered dinning table that never gets used and a dishwasher I bought on craigslist that I've decided I'm not going to use. Why? Because it's sitting in my dining room and that's the only place it will fit. In the living room you'll see 2 blue tubs. One is full of winter coats that I need to put in the storage shed and the other is Aaron's temporary toy box. To the right of those is my "reading nook" that is covered up with craft stuff. On the other side of that wall is my kitchen and it is the size of that wall. LITERALLY!
To the left of this picture is the 2 SMALL TINY bedrooms and spare bath.
Here is the entertainment center that you almost run into as you come in the door. Also in the bottom right corner you'll see the cluttered corner of my hubby's old desk that is a catch all of JUNK. I'm giving it to my cousin, he just hasn't come to get it yet. And the door to the left of the entertainment center is the master bedroom.
Here's my plan. Declutter of course. I won't be able to do ANYTHING until I declutter this entire space.
I will be selling the dishwasher back on Craigslist, putting the dinning table and chairs in storage and moving that bakers rack to the master bathroom for open storage.
I will be turning our dining room into Aaron's play room complete with a large play pen, like this...
and some little boy friendly fabric covered boxes to store and organize his toys. I think I'll actually get the extension gates for this play pen also so Aaron doesn't feel like he's in a prison. This way, he'll be able to play and I can still fix dinner or bake my cupcakes without have to worry about him.
I'm sure that once Aaron is past the age of needing this we'll have the other spare room available to transform into his playroom and then turn the dining room back into... well, the dining room.
I'm so looking forward to doing this. I know some people are probably thinking that I'm crazy for getting rid of my dining room table. Where will we eat dinner together at? Well, the way our life works right now, we don't get to eat dinner together very often. I get home at 5:30-6pm and Aaron is ready for dinner THEN. I feed him, spend time with him, bath time, then it's bed time. David is managing the restaurant right now and he gets home before I do but he has to leave again at 8 to do shift change. If I fix him anything to eat it's usually something fast and he eats it right before he leaves. That is if he eats at all. Sometimes he just grabs something at the restaurant. Sometimes I don't even eat dinner. My kitchen is so close to Aaron's bedroom, if I were to make any racket with a pot or pan, or washing the dishes it would wake him up.
It's a struggle I'm tired of!
So, with me transforming the dining room into a play room, Aaron will get to play and I can still talk to him, watch him and cook/bake and in between get some "lovins" in while he's right there and I won't have to walk away from the kitchen. David will have a healthy meal, that we can eat together (in the living room at the coffee table but AT LEAST together) before he has to leave for work again.
2 comments:
I know exactly how you feel. It's sounds like you just want to find ways to make things work. Babies need so much attention but they also want to feel independent. It also will allow you to have a little time for yourself where you won't worry every second of what he's up to. Been there, done that! my kids are 7 and 10, it does get easier once they are about six or seven. They start doing more things on their own, like getting dressed on their own and picking up their own toys. Can't wait to see the after pics.
I know it can definitely be overwhelming. I get in moods where I just pull out everything in a closet and throw a bunch of stuff away (recycling as much as possible) and then put everything back in a semi-neat order. The problem with that is, I've done the same closet a bunch of times! It's just an easy go-to when I need to de-clutter something. I really, really want to remove as much stuff that I don't use from my life as possible. The problem is finding the energy to actually get it done. After keeping up with a toddler and trying to straighten up everything behind her (and my husband), it's so hard to find the energy to do anything else, especially while being pregnant. So, I most certainly understand your frustrating with wanting more space and less clutter and a more organized living space. I wish you the best of luck in getting it to the condition you want it! When I move back to Athens, I'll come help! :)
Post a Comment