New Year, New Playroom!

How do parents of 19 month old twins spend New Year's Eve?  Putting together bookshelves and extra-wide baby gates.  We hardly even noticed the ball drop in between switching our downstairs all kinds of around.  But as Addison says, "ohhhh-goodness" do we love it now!

It was time.  For us to reclaim our living room.  And for the kids to have their own play space.  Toys were overtaking everything.  Nothing had a defined space, only general spots to stash everything out of sight.  And the kidlets were regularly trying to summit our furniture and end tables.  It was time.  So we performed a bit of a miracle, totally emptying the front room and putting it all in the kitchen and front hall.  Then moving all the kids' stuff from the living room into the front room.  And then reclaiming our living room.  Which involved finding our hearth again, setting up our office, and remembering how we used to be able to sit on the couch ; )  

We put the kids down for bed and launched into DIY mode.  Five hours later we had a living room back that I am so in love with.  How delightful to be able to watch tv with my husband again, instead of from the back corner of the room.  And we have a play room that I am about 60% happy with.  But I am content with stage one of our play room conversion.  Thankfully the kids are in 100% in love.  They so enjoy having a big space to explore.  Defined spots for most of their things.  And easy access to what they want to play with.   Sneak a peek at things in progress...

Building and action toys.

Book nook.

Dramatic play is to the right, chairs for sitting and looking out the big picture window are just out of view in the foreground, and the back wall there is what I like to call, "etc."

The only trouble is the kitchen and front hall are still jam packed with everything that still needs repurposing or relocating.

So what's still on the to-do list?

• painting the walls and trim...  the walls are currently very pumpkiny with taupe trim.  Weirdly it sort of makes me want soup every time I go in there.  Would much prefer a light khaki with crisp white trim.  
• creating more defined learning spaces...  we need an area for arts and crafts, a more cozy "book nook", and something to confine our dramatic play so that it doesn't spill out across the whole room.
• add lights...  this room has no overhead light fixture.  Guess that's part of the fun of owning a home built in 1966.  So we're currently using floor lamps and a lamp on top of a bookshelf.  That's why all our furniture is against the walls.  To cover outlets and the prevent access to the floor lamps.  Our little electrician would LOVE to get his hands on these most intriguing gadgets.  Ultimately it's too involved to add something overhead, so we're thinking about wall lights or better lamps that would be out of reach.  Of course lighter paint and trim would also help to make it feel less like sunset for most of the day ; )
• organizational systems...  the current system of bagging like-toys in old plastic pouches from bedding, linens, etc. works like a dream when all the bags stay locked up and I'm in control of putting them in and out of rotation.   (THANK YOU GRAMZY for the suggestion and the pouches!!!)  But stringing beads, bean bags, etc. now need some other home in the new room.  Like a nice white bookshelf that Dad has been enjoying in the garage since we moved in.  With a bunch of clear shoe boxes that I may or may not have purchased this morning.   Just saying.
• safety-fying the whole she-bang... at minimum we need to fix our lighting situation and anchor the larger furniture once each piece finds a permanent home.