A playroom it is!

Those of you who know me, know that I in general don't see the need for a designated playroom as I a) never had one myself (we played in our rooms or brought a few toys into whichever room our parents where in) b) have a child that LOVES to be where I am. We had a play table with drawers underneath for Nia in the living room and that has worked great. She spent the morning in school, took a nap after lunch and then played in the living room with the few toys she had til dinner. In between, she'd watch some TV. When we started this arrangement she was a little over a year so she didn't need a lot of toys and didn't want to be in a room by herself. But now that she is 2 things are a bit different. Especially since we took her out of school (the reasons for this would make up another entire blog post). Lately, more and more toys, crayons, play kitchen supplies and books would take over the living room, making it not only a crowded space but also a giant mess! Since she's still very young I didn't want her to play in her room upstairs unattended but having play dates at our house started to become less and less peaceful as we adults were constantly trying to avoid getting knocked in the head with a golf club from Nia's alligator golf game. Something had to change. Plus, with her being home and not attending school I was looking for a way to still give her a learning experience in a classroom like atmosphere. Joseph and I sat down and discussed several options before we finally decided to turn the office/man-cave into the play-/classroom and move the desk, couch and computer into the guestroom after selling the guest bed. Now, the desk is quite heavy and Joseph was dreading the thought of having to move it upstairs. Needless to say, he procrastinated and it took him over 1 1/2 months to finally get it done! Friday he then moved it, putting a dent in the wall! He really worked hard, assembling the book case, easel and toy organizer, moving the chair downstairs for the reading corner and the play table upstairs. His back hurt so bad, the poor guy couldn't even bake cookies! (It's funnier if you'd been there for it! Rica can tell you all about it! And she'll love to, too!) But it sure was worth it! I still need to move a few things that are still in one of the shelves and hang some posters but I really like it! Most importantly, so does Nia! Especially the easel! We have chalk marks everywhere! I will post pictures soon. I cannot wait to get all the things I want to get so we can do fun activities! We already planted seeds in our greenhouse, her friend Chad and her did an awesome job. Most of the seeds have already sprouted! Next month we'll start hatching butterflies while reading "The very hungry caterpillar". We have a bilingual version (German/English) so it'll combine different subjects. I'm glad we did it, not only is it nice to have all the toys out of the living room but Nia doesn't feel so left out when Isaiah gets all the attention with PT, Infant Development, etc. I often feel bad for her, having to stand back and wait while everyone is concentrating on her brother. She doesn't understand it yet and I can only ask so much of her being that she's only 2. And she does great for her age! The other day, I caught her helping Isaiah to open his hand and placing toys on it, like we do during PT. Today she then gave her baby doll medicine with a syringe while I gave Isaiah his. I hope she'll always be this caring. I love her and I'm really proud of her! Alright, let me go to bed now. The laundry will be waiting for me in the morning.... Night y'all, Mimi