Cleaning up the Kids’ Rooms

You know when you walk around your house and all you see are unfinished projects? Those projects you started with the best of intentions and then you couldn’t figure out how to finish them and you just left them there? We had a million of them so we hired Nate the Great (the amazingly talented builder behind our porch) and used the past two weeks to crank out projects. I can’t even begin to tell you how much better I feel about our house now. You probably thought I just decided to stop blogging but in reality every minute the kids were sleeping I was working on getting things done. Here’s how the kids rooms look today and then I’ll show you some of the other spaces later this week. Drew and Elle’s rooms and ceilings have been repainted and they look so much more pulled together now.

I remember once hearing about a study of high school kids who played sports. Those kids were generally better students because they figured out how to use their limited time in between school and bed wisely; in general those kids learned to prioritize at an earlier age. I found the same kind of thing true for me this past week… when I knew that we had a mile long to-do list I found that I needed to get some things done at the beginning of the day so that time wouldn’t get taken away from me. I’ve been running at about 5:20 every morning. It’s amazing because it’s completely light out but I only see a few die-hard walkers or runners out at that time. I’ve been using the time to be praying over a big decision AJ and I are making now and then I come home and plan out my day. The time by myself in the mornings has been so life-giving.

Speaking of life-giving… I wanted Elle’s room to not feel so tiny and be a space for her to call her own but it didn’t feel like there was much space for her to play in there with both the crib and the dresser. So I had this idea… I could sell the dresser in Drew’s room and move Elle’s dresser into the empty spot in Drew’s room. It was the perfect solution to bringing a lighter feel to Drew’s room and using what we had (the built-ins!) in the nursery. I love the idea of really maximizing what we have.

The whole upstairs feel so much cleaner. It’s incredible how you just get used to things as they are and then when you finally make the decision to clean things up you wonder why you didn’t do it ages ago.

Sources:

Drew’s room paint: Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore | Windows: Coastal Windows & Exteriors | Bedding: Nautica from Wayfair | Curtains: West Elm (from shower curtains)

Elle’s Room: Behr Marquee Gray Gull | Rug: Overstock | Mirrors: Christmas Tree Shop |Almost everything else is handmade