Room to Grow

As a first time mom, an aspiring interior designer, and a ideal...er perfectionist, I fell into the trap of wanting to make the perfect nursery for my son.  The nursery of my dreams entailed a quiet, blissful sanctuary where I rocked my son gently to sleep and placed him in his crib, and shut off the light as he slept soundly through the night.  

Reality hits when your beautiful bedding that was just as important to purchase as the diapers and clothing suddenly gets stained with all sorts of bodily fluid; the crib that was a joint gift due to a hefty price tag became an immobile teething ring; the chair that you thought of gently rocking him to sleep became your second bed, and the whole sleeping through the night..well, lets just say that those first few months you spend more evening hours in his room while your side of your nice plush bed down the hall remains a cold distant memory.

Okay, some exaggeration of course (kind of).  I did love my son's room and it did have a sense of calm that was imperative during an anxious time. 

The room became trickier as my baby turned into a toddler.  While some of the things were able to grow with him, other things not so much.  I hadn't planned on redoing my child's room after he grew out of infancy but the abundance of toys that seemed to accumulate as quickly as he was growing out of his clothes needed some intervention.

I also needed to take into consideration that as a military family, we move every three years.  It was still up in the air if were were staying in or not, but just in case, I wanted to make sure if I invested time and money in his decor, it would transport easily.

Here are some things I did to turn my son's nursery from this 

to this.

Furniture

Say it with me folks; Multi Purpose!  Kids grow out of things quickly so while you want it to look beautiful, also realize that it's going to get beaten up, chewed on, and outgrown faster than you can say Bouncing Baby Boy.

The Crib: Even though our crib was more expensive than necessary, its life has been extended by simply converting to a toddler bed and later with the option to convert it to a full size.  Awesome concept.  My niece used hers until she was 10 before inheriting my grandmother's guest bedroom set. Jude's is still in good enough condition to be passed down to another child for a few years as well.  It will need some TLC to buff out some teeth marks but nothing my husband can't handle.

Dresser/Changing Table: My husband grew up with a solid wood queen size bedroom set that we had used in our guest room in our previous house.  Nothing was wrong with it, except it didn't fit our modern style persay.  Easy fix with some elbow grease and a can of paint.  We painted the furniture white to match the crib.  We weren't sure how large his room was going to be (he was born a month after we moved into our new house at our new station...fun times), we intended to use the dresser first, and the chest of drawers at a later date.  The dresser was also used as a changing table.  We used the top right drawer to hold diapers/wipes/and creams and the cabinet in the middle for extra storage.  When he got older, we changed out the dresser for a chest of drawers and placed his changing pad on his sturdy book shelf.  The top shelf is still used for diapers/wipes.  

Theme

Pink Princess Tiras or Blue Sports Equipment, a nursery is a great way to play up the gender sterotypes and predict what our children are going to be when they grow up.  For instance, mine was going to be a safari guide.  

I would like to say we did it tastefully by focusing on complementary colors and hints of giraffes, elephants, and the like but the only giraffe we have in his room now is a giant stuffed one that my husband named Mortimer and my son isn't yet 3.

When I switched out his decor, I focused on the theme being my color.  To me, this is how I zone in on the mood I want to create with the rest of my house so why wouldn't I decorate my son's room this way as well.  To my surprise, I found I was attracted to the bright blue, orange, and green (surprise because I typically fare more muted tone in the rest of the house and was turned off at the "brightness" of kids kitsch pre kiddo).  Not only did this bode well for the simplicity of finding things that incorporated these colors but it also worked well with bright toys and art work my son brought home.  I was able to make his room look coordinated and not cluttered.  

Decor

To keep with the simple, versatile theme, I used my son's art as a starting point.  I used the frames that I had previously adorned photos of my husband's safari in Kenya, and framed his first art work.  I had to buy two more at IKEA for cheap.  It makes his work look neat and organized, helps to preserve it, and adds color.  The art can be swapped out with new ones and the old ones saved in his memory box.

Adding to the art theme, my friend Britney of Britney Brown Design Photography helped me create a screen print inspired quote canvas with some of my fav artist quotes.  Simple and inexpensive way to add a modern and personal touch.  Here's the  DIY way we used to create this look that I found on Pintrest.  I used the similar colors to paint over the white Pottery Barn letters that are over his bed.

I bought an inexpensive toddler bedding set at Target that yes, won't last more than a couple of years but also didn't break the bank.  It has the colors I wanted with some cute animals, that my son adored.  Win win.  The Land of Nod bedding I had when he was a newborn is beyond precious but the quilt wasn't going to work as an additional blanket.  I plan on using it as a backing for a memory quilt I'm having made from his baby clothes. 

To tie the room in, Jude got this rug for Christmas.  It works with the colors and is a fun play mat. 

Finally, as way to display more of his art work that isn't necessarily "frame worthy" I display it on his wardrobe.  This keeps it in one nice location while not cluttering my refrigerator.

Organization

Two year olds insist love doing things themselves. A place for everything and everything in its placed can be instilled at a young age (with helpful reminders of course).   When Jude wants to play with a different toy, he rarely has to ask me where it is.


Jude's smaller toys are stored neatly in baskets in our current living room but will be moved to the Rec Room at the new house.  I love IKEA's Expedite Series as it allows me to organize his toys in a system that still looks decent in my living room.  Another post on that later.

For the larger toys and art work, they are stored orderly in his wardrobe.  I know we Americans love our large closets but the wardrobes that Europeans have adapted are much more functional.  No wasted space and the doors close nicely to hid said toys for the next play time.

No room would be complete without a place to hang your hat, and in my son's case I mean that literally.  Three BASTIS Hooks from Ikea allow my child to easily grab his coat, bag, or favorite Cowboy Woody Hat, while adding a cute touch to a playful child's room.

It may not be magazine worthy like I originally envisioned but it's decorated and coordinated enough to keep Momma happy.  Plus, it's functional, playful, and more importantly has some room to grow.

A Place for Everything: Kitchen Organization

Life in the military is a constant revolving door of people coming and going.  You meet people, make friends, say goodbye and the cycle starts over again.  In many ways, the friends you meet in the military are like the friends you had in high school.  You have your Upper and Lower classmates.  You have your Jocks, Thespians, Band Geeks, and Outcasts.  You have your cliques.  Sometimes you share classes with these individuals and sometimes you may see each other at the same party Saturday night or stop to have an actual conversation with them while studying at the local coffee shop Sunday afternoon.  Then one of you graduates, moves on, and the cycle continues

Thanks to the world of social media, you look back on these individuals from time to time and realize that you may have had more in common than you thought.  Introducing Jennifer.  Jennifer, who has an uncanny resembelence to Jennifer Garner, is former military now military spouse, SAHM of three beautiful girls, and married to a dashing young doctor who has flawless Ken Doll hair.  She and I met in 2008 while we were stationed in Hawaii.  She was a senior to my freshman status since her husband was one of my husband's bosses.  We met while she was pregnant with her third daughter and my husband and I were still enjoying life as DINKs (dual income no kids).  While we were tied to the same social circle, we never really ventured outside of that.

Of course, knowing what I do know, that's an absolute shame.

Jennifer started a blog, Organized Ohana which combines so many of my passions it's scary.  Organization, Interior Design, Cooking, Raising Kiddos, ect.  We also apparently have ESP because the other day while I was scheduling to write a post on Kitchen Organization, she actually did write a post on Kitchen Organization.  She even mentions a kids' drawer in a later post which I've been using for my son since he could crawl.  I promise, I'm not stealing her ideas or topics even if her ideas are certainly steal worthy.  She presents some great tips so while I will dabble in some organization techniques from time to time, be sure to bookmark her blog because she has some really awesome ideas that will make your home function much more smoothly.

E3's Kitchen Organization

Everyone dreams of having a kitchen that well  stocked, functional, and perfectly organized. Challenges come into play when you have little or no pantry, odd size packaging, and an explosion of condiments and spices that overwhelm your fridge.  Here are three areas that were taking over my kitchen and my sanity.  

Pantry

Problem: Narrow but deep pantry, odd packaging sizes, random pre-packaged snacks, and inability to determine when you are almost out of rice.

Solution:  A designated area for similar goods, Clear, Stackable Air Tight Containers and a small plastic bin.

Top to Bottom 1st Shelf Breakfast, 2nd Grains and Random Snacks, 3rd Canned Goods, Pasta Sauce, and Extra Stock.
Drawer full of Baking Supplies, Basket holds freezer, sandwich, and trash bags, Bottom Shelf extra dog food and treats

To counter the deep and unused space on the top shelf, I pulled our every day breakfast items up front, and placed minimally used, extra stock, and large items in the back.  Since most of the packaging is clear, I can easily see what's behind.

The 2nd shelf contains 2 sizes of clear air tight containers that I purchased at IKEA for around 2euro each.  Things like pasta and grains are taken out of their store bought package (and then recycled) and placed in the appropriate size.  I cut the instructions off the package and tape it to the outside of the container with thick packaging tape.  This saves a step for when I need to just replenish items.  

For dried beans and lentils that I don't use often enough for their own container, I simply place multiple bags in one container.  I can still see what's inside, and since the containers stack easily, I don't sacrifice space due to odd shaped, semi empty bags and they stay fresher longer.  

For those random pre packaged snack foods that are a necessity in every child's life, I immediately remove them from the larger packaging (and then recycle) and put them in a small Rubbermaid bin.  I can still easily tell what's in there and I don't find random fruit snacks or peanut butter cracker packages mixed up with the canned goods.  I also place minimally purchased items like Ramen noodles, Taco Shells, and boxed mac and cheese stacked nicely behind the bin.

While my flour, sugar, and brown sugar are stored in nice airtight containers on the counter, when I feel like baking cupcakes, I can easily find my extra ingredients such as baking soda, shortening, canola oil, and sprinkles in one nice tidy location (fyi, drawers are an awesome organization technique).

Refrigerator

Problem: An explosion of condiments, odd sized packaging, and leftovers that have been left over for too long.

Solution: White plastic bins of different sizes, a place for everything, and clear containers.

      

 

Since my husband and I love to cook we have a massive amount of condiments, sauces, and spices.  We tried to stuff as much as we can in the door which resulted in our flimsy door shelfs breaking and condiments crashing to the ground.  After seeing this post, I went to IKEA purchased 5 white plastic bins found in the kitchen section and divided it into the following categories:

Condiments (and another for Salad Dressing)

Small random spices

Pickles and Olives

Yogurt and/or Apple Sauce Cups

Leftovers go into clear containers so that they are visible.  Cheese and lunch meat go into the small drawer below the milk and produce goes into the produce drawers. 

 Produce that does not need to be refrigerated however is nicely displayed on this Pampered Chef 3 Tiered Tower (or into a bowl if I need to use said tower).  

Kids' Bowls and Plates

Problem:  Random assortment of character induced, uneven, unsightly children's dishes over crowding your nice stack-able wedding registry dishes.

Solution: Kid's Drawer at reachable level.

Since my son is 2, I keep his cups in a separate cabinet with our to-go mugs and his cutlery in our cutlery drawer (the latter not because of accidental self inflicting wounds but because apparently it is a lot of fun to scatter them all over the kitchen floor).  Keeping his plates in reach allows him to be a big helper at meal time and when unloading the dishwasher but also teaches him colors, shapes, and sizes.  Another bonus, I'm instilling at a very young age, a place for everything and everything in it's place.