No we have not been burgled. This is the “before” shot of the boys’ room. The aftermath of Christmas, going away on a mini break and general school holiday slack-heartedness (is that even a word)? I know it’s hard to look at, but it’s real and I’m sharing it so we can all be even more excited when I post the “after” shot in a minute.
The first step is to GET RID OF STUFF. Sort the STUFF into three piles – Keep, Chuck and Donate.
If your kids are anything like mine, they form an immediate and unbreakable attachment to anything that looks like it is headed for the bin. Mine have even been known to retrieve stuff from the bin and return, hugging it like a long lost friend. Hence, I find the “chucking out” part of the clean up is best done when the kids are not home, if at all possible. I am ruthless – if it has unfixable broken parts or missing parts that will never return, it’s gone.
Next step is to donate toys they have outgrown. We always involve our boys in this as it gives them ownership of the process and also teaches them about community and that good ole gratitude I am always banging on about.
We sometimes choose to sell a few items if the kids are saving for something special, but most are donated on. We especially like to help families in need who are moving into a new home for one reason or another. That’s another story for another day.
Once all THE STUFF IS GONE it’s time to find new homes for everything that remains.
The big old chest of drawers was on it’s last legs after serving us well through pre-marriage and the first ten years of parenting. The shiny new IKEA set (surely they will start sponsoring me soon, right?!) we purchased are perfect for this phase of life. Super dooper affordable, reasonably robust and the deep drawers run smoothly, making my most loathed task of putting washing away almost bearable. I got a bit carried away organising inside the drawers so I will do another post on that soon.
As this was a mini makeover we opted for some cheap and cheerful linen, some new wooden bunting and a couple of new accessories to freshen things up for the new year. Add these to the existing original artworks and pieces already in the room and we have the eclectic look we love (OK, the eclectic look I love) without breaking the budget.
Drumroll please as we unveil the boys “new” room …
Can we all take a moment to hold virtual hands and focus on the CLEAR floor and CLOSED drawers. Ommmmmmmm ….
rudy and the dodo 