So it's very obvious I could never keep up with a blog like some moms do. The climax of this whole thing, and I'm like almost a week late posting it. Sorry guys!
Last week we moved Alyssa's bed and Laikon's crib in to what was the boys' room. There is now a twin bed, a crib, and 2 toddler beds in one room. We put both sets of drawers in the boys' closet. Now Alyssa's old room is the toy room. We went through everything and weeded out about half, and when it's all cleaned up it looks like they have nothing left. But let me tell you something....puzzles, and trains, and blocks, and all those "little" things can make quite a mess. The day after we got it all out, the kids stayed in there all day. I had to make them come out for lunch and supper. After that day though, they had destroyed the room, so they didn't play in there any more. This morning we cleaned it all back up, and they stayed in there for hours again, but now it's a mess. The only rules for that room is that all toys have to stay in that room and that it will be completely cleaned up once a week for me to vacuum. (There is a bit of gray area because we don't mind if they are wearing their dress up clothes around the house or riding their stick horses around, but they must put them back as soon as they are finished.) Otherwise if they want it a mess that's their problem. I will not nag them about it. However, because they won't play in there when everything is dumped in the floor it tells me they would rather it be clean, so now I have to convince them to put things away when they are finished so it will stay that way.
This past week it has been me who needed to learn to let go and work with what we have. I am a perfectionist. It was hard for me to put all the beds in one room because I had worked hard decorating each of the bedrooms. Everything matched and there was a theme throughout both rooms. It bothered me that there are 2 white beds and 2 black beds. All the decor is different so I am having to pick which pieces I like the most and what will work well together. I cannot buy more, and I cannot change their bedding, and it's hard for me to let it go. But the whole idea was to appreciate what we have and to live more simply.
The rest of our house has stayed tidier because the toys are all in one place, and since they have their toys back they haven't been pulling random things out of cabinets and drawers to entertain themselves. We actually have some extra space because the train table, book shelf, and Little People are in the toy room and our living room is just furniture and the tv and computer now. Our hall closet got cleaned out for toys that we ended up not putting in there so it is available space now too. Their bedroom is slightly cramped, but I love opening the door to one room to find my whole world right there together. They fall asleep giggling, and then I bring Laikon in when they are quiet. I know they are all there and safe and still close to me, even though they are in another room. It settles my nerves a little. If anything bad were to happen I could get to them all at the same time.
When they've played in the toy room there has been little to no arguing, and if they fight over a toy it has only taken me saying they have to take turns once to get them to settle down and move on. If they leave out the toys, I just remind them that they could have no toys and they will quickly get their things put back in the toy room. When school starts, it will be nice to have a designated area for schooling besides just the kitchen table, and we'll probably switch it up to keep things interesting.
I am glad we did this. We will definitely stay conscious when it comes to buying new toys and things because that's all they are is "things". We're asking that no one bring presents to the kids' birthday parties. We will spend that time eating, playing games, and visiting. And this year at Christmas we will be following the "one thing to wear, one thing to read, one thing you want, and one thing you need" rule. We did a little better this past Christmas but could still use some improvement.
Now that we are finished I will still be updating about things we do for fun, how we do with presents at parties, and also other changes we've made to live more simply. Check back tomorrow night for a guest post from Heather Von St James, who experienced first hand how quickly life can change in a way that makes you realize what is most important.
Last week we moved Alyssa's bed and Laikon's crib in to what was the boys' room. There is now a twin bed, a crib, and 2 toddler beds in one room. We put both sets of drawers in the boys' closet. Now Alyssa's old room is the toy room. We went through everything and weeded out about half, and when it's all cleaned up it looks like they have nothing left. But let me tell you something....puzzles, and trains, and blocks, and all those "little" things can make quite a mess. The day after we got it all out, the kids stayed in there all day. I had to make them come out for lunch and supper. After that day though, they had destroyed the room, so they didn't play in there any more. This morning we cleaned it all back up, and they stayed in there for hours again, but now it's a mess. The only rules for that room is that all toys have to stay in that room and that it will be completely cleaned up once a week for me to vacuum. (There is a bit of gray area because we don't mind if they are wearing their dress up clothes around the house or riding their stick horses around, but they must put them back as soon as they are finished.) Otherwise if they want it a mess that's their problem. I will not nag them about it. However, because they won't play in there when everything is dumped in the floor it tells me they would rather it be clean, so now I have to convince them to put things away when they are finished so it will stay that way.
This past week it has been me who needed to learn to let go and work with what we have. I am a perfectionist. It was hard for me to put all the beds in one room because I had worked hard decorating each of the bedrooms. Everything matched and there was a theme throughout both rooms. It bothered me that there are 2 white beds and 2 black beds. All the decor is different so I am having to pick which pieces I like the most and what will work well together. I cannot buy more, and I cannot change their bedding, and it's hard for me to let it go. But the whole idea was to appreciate what we have and to live more simply.
The rest of our house has stayed tidier because the toys are all in one place, and since they have their toys back they haven't been pulling random things out of cabinets and drawers to entertain themselves. We actually have some extra space because the train table, book shelf, and Little People are in the toy room and our living room is just furniture and the tv and computer now. Our hall closet got cleaned out for toys that we ended up not putting in there so it is available space now too. Their bedroom is slightly cramped, but I love opening the door to one room to find my whole world right there together. They fall asleep giggling, and then I bring Laikon in when they are quiet. I know they are all there and safe and still close to me, even though they are in another room. It settles my nerves a little. If anything bad were to happen I could get to them all at the same time.
I am glad we did this. We will definitely stay conscious when it comes to buying new toys and things because that's all they are is "things". We're asking that no one bring presents to the kids' birthday parties. We will spend that time eating, playing games, and visiting. And this year at Christmas we will be following the "one thing to wear, one thing to read, one thing you want, and one thing you need" rule. We did a little better this past Christmas but could still use some improvement.
Now that we are finished I will still be updating about things we do for fun, how we do with presents at parties, and also other changes we've made to live more simply. Check back tomorrow night for a guest post from Heather Von St James, who experienced first hand how quickly life can change in a way that makes you realize what is most important.
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