It started yesterday, and is nearly done today: the house transformation.
And we had a cool Christmas, too.
I stayed up late moving some furniture and finishing a little “Melody” dollhouse doll (each family member had a doll in their stocking) to go with the dollhouse we gave the girls this year.
Both girls loved their little parka dolls from Teena, making up elaborate stories all morning, and Elisha asked for his new puppy toy to sleep with during nap.
Yesterday Jay and I brought home our new bedframe and mattress. He assembled it last night (we’ll be buying the plywood to go under the mattress tomorrow) and I spent most of today working around the children to move the last of our room into its new home.
To update:
Last weekend, while the kids were at a hockey game with Gma Florie and Papa, we moved the bookcase and file cabinet out of the yellow room, and moved their beds in. Over the time since then we’ve been transforming the (former) master bedroom into the playroom, and the kids’ old room into our sleeping place and my office space.
The frame we bought (we did end up buying a frame) is a double-loft with a desk underneath. My dresser fits under the edge of the desk nearest the wall, making my workspace an L-shape, and I’ve set up the tiny built-in shelf with my small collection of knick-knacks.
My favorite thing about this rearangement is that each room (that the children use) has a very specific purpose which (psycologically, at least) makes it easier to keep it in order.
The kids have been in their new room a week now, and every night the floor is clear before they go to sleep.
They had their first day with their play-room today, and every time they left something I could (and did) direct them to go back and finish putting it away. Thanks to having a space for e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. it was straightforward and eaisially done.
They’ll probably be 14 before they’ll know where to put everything without direction, but it’s consistently worked better than the toybox method as long as I’ve been available to direct them.
And I washed *all* the dirty clothes in the house. After folding and putting away about three loads yesterday.
I have six baskets of clean waiting to be folded tomorrow– and everything (after today’s work) is going to be going to its real keeping place; the moving’s all done.
In a week.
It seemed both very fast, and an eternity.
I am very pleased to be finished.
Aside from the laundry (and the stuff that’s under a foot of snow now–and I’m mostly used to living without) all I have left to do is to set up my writing area.