Under Construction

I finished school last week, but the boys have 2 1/2 weeks left. Yesterday was my first day of the quiet solitude that I will get to enjoy until I have to endure days of fighting, complaining, and whining that "I'm bored". The next few weeks will almost be like a mini vacation that happens from 8 to 4 everyday.

And I plan to spend much of that time organizing and moving the boys TV, video games, and toys from the large upstairs loft area down to the much smaller den. And I'll be moving Q's desk, computer equipment, and books up to the area formerly known as the toyroom.

And this project has taken on a life of it's own. What started out as a simple paring down of stuff and moving of furniture has turned into a full-on redecorating project. For starters, TAFKATTR has been painted a golden mustard yellow. Now, the search is on for a very nice, yet very cheap ceiling fan and new window treatments.

Here's how the toyroom looked before. Unfortunately, I neglected to take these pictures before the dismantling began.
When we bought this house 8 years ago, the boys were much smaller and we made this their space for spreading out toys. They would build entire room-sized train track layouts, create entire towns and parking lots with wood blocks and Hot Wheels, and generally make messes that were sequestered from the rest of the house.

In recent years, this room got used less for toys and more for TV watching and video games. Also, the elliptical and weight bench invaded the space.

This room started life as our home office. On days when he would work from home, Q would set up shop in here. But during the dog days of Cushing's Syndrome, he moved his laptop out to the living room, where he would read e-mails and take phone calls while lying on the couch.

While Q was in the hospital, I used this room as a dumping ground for insurance statements, tax papers, and other important crap that I didn't want to deal with at the time. It's also a storehouse for books, old magazines, winter coats, obsolete computer peripherals, and all my purses. There is no organization whatsoever.

Well, times have changed and we now need more space than the boys do. I now face the daunting task of packing up these rooms and getting them ready for the mini-move. I anticipate that the dumpster will be overflowing by the end of the day.