An Update on the Playroom

Before I show the updated pictures of the playroom, I have to share one of the big reasons why I'm finally getting to it. We are over-run with toys and we have no where to put them except the living room. I'm tired of the living room looking like this. Baskets and toys and no toys in the baskets because that's the favorite game around here. Pull the toys out of the basket, have mom pick them up, pull them out again.

Another reason is that Kevin is having his ACL surgery on Wednesday and I knew he'd be of no help to me for a while afterward, so I had to get him to move things and carry things while I could.

Finally, the weather is beginning to get colder and I wanted Lubbock to have an indoor area in which to run.

So, yesterday we got to work. We moved everything out of the room and sprayed the walls and floors down with ammonia (my eyes stung something awful). I wanted to make sure it was scrubbed before we let him in there. Then, we moved back the furniture we wanted in there. We still have about three sets of shelves full of things that don't have a home. (Picture included of where most of the crap went!) I've got more sorting and donating to do. But, now that Lubbock has a place to be while I'm down there, it will be easier for me to be down there.

My new mantra is ...
I wrote it on the dry erase board that is in the stair well going downstairs. This way, I constantly see it and am reminded of it all day long. It is really true and I suppose that's why I've embraced it.

And now for the pictures! The first pictures show my craft area. I have a ton of work to do there. So many pieces of paper and stickers and cards and not a great way of organizing it right now. I'm sure I'll get to that soon. You can see my awesome table I picked up. It's really long and creates a nice barrier between the craft area and the play area. And it's tall, so I can see down on the play area and keep a good eye on Lubbock while doing my own stuff.

Then there's a picture of Lubbock's area. The toys aren't picked up. We took him down yesterday and let him loose. It was so much fun. You could really tell he knew this area was his. He was having so much fun. I can't wait to get started on the mural. Heather offered to help me with it (don't think I won't take you up on that!). I want to at least have it sketched out by the time we host our first playgroup downstairs.

This morning, I took him down there while I read the newspaper and drank my coffee. He's still really excited about it. I think I'll need to get some more of the mats and a baby gate to make it safer for guests. You can see the train table (he's not quite old enough to find trains exciting yet), the little table and chairs, and the low entertainment center which is in need of a TV. I've also got a teepee that will go in the corner. All in all, it's coming together rather nicely. I've got lots of work ahead, but I'm excited to have a place to put his toys that isn't the living room! YAAA!