Monday, September 01, 2008

You Want a Playroom? Fine. YOU Build It.

This weekend I began to tackle the playroom. I have big ideas for this space, ideas that involve the room looking picture perfect nearly all the time that will certainly be dashed to the ground unless the kids find the room utterly dull and never go in there. So far, though, that doesn't seem to be the case. This morning I found them in there, having liberated every single item that was once in a container of any kind. The goods were strewn about the room. Once I spotted the kids among them Kate gave me a dazzling smile. "We're playing with everything!" she said.

Anyhoo, I persist. I wanted a line of low book and toy shelves to divide the book nook from the rest of the room. I endured IKEA for a bit this past weekend but then began to panic and fled without making a purchase. Have you ever tried to flee IKEA? It's not easy, I kept ending up in yet another bedroom of some Swedish kid who liked only one book and had at least 15 copies. Throw in a midget and you've got the makings of a recurring nightmare.

Later, I was in Target because somehow I always end up in Target and I found myself staring at boxes of little cubes on sale. They looked to be just the right size... a passing fellow shopper saw me pondering and said "oh those are great, and really easy to assemble. A 2-year-old could do it!" I began to load them into my cart "I have one of those!" I merrily cried. I put the first couple together and decided it was, in fact, easy enough for Sarah to build. I set the parts out before her and gave her a screwdriver. "Get to it, youngin', Mommy needs a drink" I said and handed her the instructions. She figured out the mechanics of the work but I have to say, her craftsmanship was pretty shoddy. Eventually, I had to help her out. Not without a lot of complaining.



I still have the art space, lighting and chair rail that will act as chalk holder to install, but with Sarah's help, the room is really coming together. We've got the walls painted with chalkboard paint to chair rail height, the book nook is cozy, the kitchen is ready for cookin' and there's a little area for dressing up all gorgeous and what-not. It's annoying to me that I have to go back to work tomorrow instead of to Home Depot for chair rail. Work is pretty fun but this playroom stuff is way better. Way. Better. Here's how it looks so far:

13 comments:

Says Melissa said...

I
LOVE
CHALKBOARD PAINT.

jdrueke said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
jdrueke said...

If it weren't for the pacifier, you could here Sarah saying "You know what your problem is?"

LMP said...

- Says Melissa, who is not really Melissa at all, which I think is pretty funny on a blog where the theme is truth (but that's cool, I like it), I love chalkboard paint too!!! It goes on easily, dries almost instantly and works like a charm. I have more. It's very difficult to resist painting all available surfaces with it.

...I see a red door and I want to paint it black chalkboard...

Uncle Steve said...

I really appreciate the picture of Sarah surveying the project, arms akimbo, pacifier docked.

I have struck this exact same pose many times while working on a building project, so I know exactly what she's thinking: "now, let's see...where...did I put...my beer".

FlapScrap said...

Beg your pardon, sir, but my SISTER is a midget! I believe an APOLOGY is in order!

LMP said...

I'm 5'3"!

Unknown said...

looks terrific!

Uncle Steve said...

I'm sorry your sister is a midget.

FlapScrap said...

Having a midget in the family is the kind of struggle American families everywhere have to struggle through. They sit at their kitchen tables (with the midgets on boosters) and try to figure out how they're going to pay for gas AND have the midget's tail removed. If the end of days weren't coming soon -- very soon -- I don't know how we'd live with all the vile, vile things normal people say about my sister.

LMP said...

I'm 5'3"! And I do NOT have a tail!

FlapScrap said...

53 inches is not 5'3". Grow up (oh sorry).

*pal said...

will you please come to florida to visit (er, make a playroom in MY house?) it is wonderful!