Jack and Ella's room - the, um, reveal?

Finally, the moment you've been waiting for!  Here, for your viewing pleasure, are the pictures of the new room.  And a very wordy explanation for everything.

We bought this bunkbed last weekend from a man who made it for his kids who are now my age.  This bed is rock solid.  It is held together by only eight bolts and has three drawers underneath that span the whole width of the bed.  It's pretty rustic, but that's great because it's long term home is with two boys.

I had arranged all the furniture in my head before we brought it home.  I had even measured it out. 

My measurements were wrong.  My head placed things badly.

The problem is that the bed fits nowhere easily.  It's the same size as Ella's last bed, but because of the height, there is no way not to lose a window.  It made me very sad to realize this, but we really did look into all of our options.  To make matters aesthetically worse, we put a very large dresser of a completely different style right next to the bed. 

Why, you ask?  I mean, I'm all about ecclectic design, but these just don't mesh.  Well, because Jack is still learning to stay in bed, we don't want temptation {meaning toys or books} too close, and that left us with only this arrangement option, but it means that two huge pieces of furniture are taking over the room.  I feel like the room almost tips in that direction.

And this is my pictoral confession of what this room looked like for a few days.

A mess of stacks and bundles and piles.  No wonder it felt claustrophobic in here!

Still, the kids love sharing the room.

As of today, it looks like this.  Nothing more has been checked off the design to-do list, but at least it's as neat and organized as it can be for the moment.

None of Jack's toys are in here yet, though.

We moved the play kitchen over and put the table with it {not that the table is currently usable because of all the books} for a "domestic zone."

I also found two plastic crates in a neighbor's garbage {no, I'm not above going through trash} and brought them home and cleaned them up for shoe storage.

So, where to we go from here?  Well, things are hopefully looking up.  Handsome Hero is working on a plan to build shelving on either side of the closet.  That would allow for all the kids' toys to be in here, with the higher shelving storing Ella's paper dolls and other delicate things that she really doesn't need to be sharing with her two-year-old brother.

So there you have it.  A room in progress.  I'm glad to have taken the plunge, but I'm looking forward to being able to say that it is complete.

The third day

You know how diets go, right?  On day one you're strong, confident, and excited.  On day two, you're still feeling good because of how righteous you were yesterday, and you are sure you're going to make it.  On day three, you're eating a Big Mac and a bucket of fries. 

I don't know this to be true from personal experience.  I've just heard about it.

Er.

Anyway, I have decided that more than diets hit a rough patch on day three.  Want to know what else hits a rough patch on day three?  Sharing a room hits a rough patch on day three. 

Let's be clear:  I'm thrilled with how the kids are doing at night.  They're getting used to each other, and are going to bed a few minutes earlier each night.  They even slept until eight o'clock this morning!  Best of all, Jack has not had a problem with getting out of bed, which shocks me more than I can say.  That there young man is one stubborn and independent little kid.

No, the problem is the daytime.  The transition is not yet complete, and right now Jack only sleeps overnight in the room, but naps and does roomtime in his old room.  Why?  Well, roomtime is, by design, time by themselves, and all of Ella's toys are in her room, so Jack goes back to his room.  And Ella doesn't nap anymore, but looks at books or sews during naptime and Jack wouldn't sleep very well in there with her. 

There are kinks to work out and we're feeling our way along.  In the transitional period, however, they are both a bit confused and tired and cranky and today, day three, has been the epitome of Whine, Holler, Argue, Complain and Kick up a fuss Day, or WHACK Day. 

Did you know this "holiday" was coming up?  'Cause I didn't.

Wait, it's not a holiday?  Now you tell me?

That is so WHACK.