The front room in our house is constantly evolving. Five years ago when we moved in, it was a lonely sitting room with a bookshelf, a sofa, two chairs & a piano.
When my gig as a Nascar Nanny ended, I started teaching piano lessons & tutoring, so we bought a desk. Then I gave birth and suddenly the room was filled with a bookshelf, a sofa, two chairs, a piano, a desk, burpcloths, a swing, the bouncy-seat, and often times a Pack-n-Play or the Exersaucer. It was seriously crammed, yet tidy.
Then the said birthed baby became mobile and crazy crap like this happened:
So we started moving furniture. The bookshelf & sofa found a new home in the family room — and other furniture found its way to campus. Determined to have a tidy home again, I tried this:
And it was lovely and inspiring and I rarely sat at the desk except to tutor. The palm tree died before I ever cut its tag off and as for the little birds on the desk, well they became projectiles once *someone* learned to climb. So, from deep inside a pile of Fisher Price stackable rings, I raised my hand, waved the flag, and surrendered.
Without changing any fabric or colors, we headed to Ikea to purchase shelves for toy storage.
We bought two — one for each side of the window. Total cost: $140.00
On Monday, something came over me — I was like a possessed HGTV Design Star. I tore at the old fabric frames, took down the photos hanging over the piano, and took out a lamp. Once the room was cleared, I grabbed my bolts of fabric, my trusty staple gun, and the empty frames and headed to my workshop (the front porch).
Side note: Funny story about the pillow on the window seat — I sewed it the day that I found out I was pregnant. I was so excited thinking about a baby that I sewed a wrong side to the right side instead of right sides together. Now I’ll never forget what I did that day in January!
Please forgive the photo quality — they were taken yesterday when Cakes made her first escape.
Speaking of escape…
As you could see by yesterday’s video, escaping the crib has become a game, a challenge, a big ol’ problem. In desperation, I strapped that kid in her stroller around 4 o’clock and took the shoelace express two miles into football practice. She sang herself to sleep within 2/10 of a mile, but I figured that my backside could use the exercise so we kept going.
Last night didn’t go so well either… she hopped the rail five times before we gave up and put her in our bed. This meant I had to go to bed “early”, too, which wasn’t such a bad thing.
Today, oh baby… I was taking back naptime! It is my oasis in the desert of chaos. I took the crib rail off and she was thrilled. “I go nite-nite like Cinderelly! Big girl bed like Cinderelly!” She climbed in, pushed me away, and said, “Go Mommy. I’m going nite-nite.” As a kid that normally wants rocked to sleep, I knew she was up to something. I saw her wheels turning as I put the gate up at her door. She climbed out of bed & dismantled the gate three times. I closed the door and listened through the monitor as she knocked on the door, which sent the dog into hysterics.
Twenty minutes later, it was quiet.
So I went to check on her.
Where is Babycakes?
Too bad the only thing that could fit thru the door was my camera.
Big Girl Bed, Round 2: Attempt 1 = FAIL.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I love your style! Now come to Austin and decorate my new apartment, please? =)
I love it! The room looks great and I feel your pain on the toddler bed. I am about to switch my daughter that is just turning 2. I worry about how bad she will be up and out of that bed. But she is just getting to big to lift over the crib rails. Kills my back!
The room looks great!
Hope the toddler bed is getting easier – for you AND ‘Cakes!
Love it! The shelves, the paper lanterns- all of it! And sleeping polka dot baby.
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