Getting Organized: McKinley's Space

I don't think that there will ever be a time where I say, my house if finished! It's organized to the point where I can finally sit back and look at all I've done! Never going to happen. I have kitchen cabinets, a linen closet, a coat closet, and a playroom on the list of things that have to be organized and now! But, I really wanted to create a little space for McKinley, even if he only uses it from time to time. 

I blogged several weeks ago about whether I make him a work space for school activities or just let him use the age old kitchen table. So far, we've been using the kitchen table, but I was still determined to make him a small space that was just his. You never know if he decided he just needed a moment to himself to create. (I have to mention that this weekend he told us he was inspired to create an ice skating rink and that he was going to draw it when we got home. I loved that he used inspired!)

I got to work about a week or so ago getting his room prepped for the space. I removed the brown chair that we used for late night/early morning feedings since he doesn't use it and it was just taking up room. Don't worry, we didn't get rid of it completely. It's now housed in one of my mom's spare bedrooms and it looks perfect!

The blank space!

 I then cleaned off the table in his playroom to get ready for the move. Um, do you see this table? It took me about 10 minutes to clear. And I threw half of it away!

I can't believe that table ever looked like that! So, after taking 10 minutes to rid the clutter, I moved it up three flights of stairs to its new home. And this guy is heavy! 

Since then, I've moved the table a little and added some cute details. My mom knew I was on the hunt for a cute art supply caddy. I didn't want something plastic. I wanted something sturdier and chic for the space. My mom found this perfect piece at Michael's and it's exactly what I had in mind. I was even going to sketch something and have my dad help me make it. Thanks, Michael's!

This little storage box is what started this whole process! It used to be housed in a corner in my kitchen and it became the catch all for everthing related to McKinley. Anything he brought home artwork wise wound up in this box. And, it also housed all of his art supplies and so many other things. It was spilling over and it was so unsightly. I wasn't sure what to do with it after it was all cleaned out so I turned it into a storage unit for all of the other art supplies like finger paint paper, his sketch pad, bottles of paint, and finger paint tubes. It fits nicely beside his changing table, that I turned into a mini library, and is right next to the new art station. I love it!

I love his new space and Joel does too. His favorite piece is the art supply caddy! It cleaned up the room, made it a big boy space, and it gives him a place that's all his. And, it helped me contain the clutter and take space back in my kitchen. And I have big plans for that space. 

What are some of the ways you organize your home? Do you ever feel like you're done or do you have that constant list of things to do? One day, I'll get there...

XO,

Andrea

A Kid Friendly Work Space

I love our house. I've loved it since the minute we drove into the driveway! And, it was the perfect starter home. We were going to live here for roughly five years and then upgrade to the next level home. Fourteen years later, we are still here! For a family of three, it works, but at times it's a little tight. We have a two story home, with three bedrooms, but one of the things we like most is that it's multi-level. We have the main level with a kitchen and living/dining room. We have the upstairs with three bedrooms and two baths. We have a room downstairs from the living room, our den, but then we have another level down to the basement which is partially finished. It's McKinley's playroom on one side and the laundry/storage room on the other. It's perfect for what we use it for currently, but I'm now looking around and wondering where we can build a work space for McKinley. 

For those of you new to the blog, I created a home office earlier in the year in our den. It's a long narrow room, so I took the opposite end of our living space and made it a little office. I don't have much there. A desk, nice upholstered chair, and a little antique cabinet I "stole" from my parents for my storage cabinet. I love it! And now, I want the same thing for McKinley.

Now that he's in Kindergarten, he needs an area to work on afternoon activities that are required for him to earn SOAR tickets each day. These tickets are super valuable as he's able to turn them in for something from the treasure box as a reward for completing his work. I've loved working with him in the afternoons on math, sorting, writing his name, alphabet scavenger hunts, and other fun things I've come up with with the help of Pinterest! And, he was able to earn a little firetruck he's had his eye on since she introduced the treasure box on the first day of school.

Right now, we use the kitchen table, which is the age old space where kids have done their homework for years. But, he has this darling table and chairs in his playroom that is currently being used to collect toys that he doesn't feel like putting in their proper place on shelves! It's a pit and you can't even see the work trucks that are painted on the table top. I want to find a place in our house for this cute table to be utilized. I'm thinking of a little corner in his room that houses a chair where we gave him nightly feedings when he was a baby. That chair is the catch-all chair for clothes, blankets, and other things. I see a pattern here. If we moved out the chair, the table would fit nicely and we could use this space to do school work and other fun arts and crafts throughout the year. 

 But then there's the issue of just having the table and nothing else. Yes, he has his playroom, so I guess technically he has a place to play, so this new area would be specific for work. So if we carved out a little nook in his room, we could add shelving to the walls around the table to give him cubbies and other places to put things like crayons, construction paper, and such. And I've found some spaces, again on Pinterest, that I love and that have brought about some inspiration.

Okay, okay, so the ones on the bottom are a little far fetched, but how cute are they? And I love how bright and cheery they are. I could really get to work in a happy space like this! However, the top two are much more realistic. I love the loft idea with the bunk beds and the work station below. It would grow with him as he grows older. I would definitely jazz it up with color. I love pure white, but he needs a little color and pizzazz! 

So this is where I am in the newest "finding space to use" in our house. I'm constantly trying to help our home evolve, but eventually we are going to run out of room. I'm in constant denial regarding a potential move that really isn't necessary. But, it would be nice to have a little more square footage to give everyone the personal space they need.

What have you done to prep your home for a space that your child can call their own? Are you thinking that a playroom is enough and to use that space wisely? My fear is that he won't really concentrate in that room just due to the fact his toys are all around. It's so easy to loose focus when your play thing are so close at hand. Does a child need a work space? Should I simply rely on that age old kitchen table where I too did my homework year after year? 

Let's chat!

XO,

Andrea