Survival Mode

When living in a small house, especially during winter, survival mode sets in. It's a battle of the fittest...or in our case...it's a battle of wills and space! Paul and I decided that enough was enough, and we just had to have more than 1m of distance between our bedroom and that of the kids. So out went the office into the workshop (certainly a luxury now looking back on it) and down stairs went us - a good 5m and a level away from the kids.

Also with Oscar nearing intermediate age, it really was time for him to have his own space again and now that the kids would occupy the entire 1st floor wing - no toys downstairs!! Eliminating dreaded clutter and lego deathtraps from the lounge (yeah right!!!!).

Obviously - moving is never just a simple process - before this transition could happen, walls had to be painted, layouts had to be planned - towels and sheets had to find a new non existent space to occupy and I would have to learn to brave the cold when working late at night. Nothing is ever straight forward in a small house with no room for a shuffle! The wardrobe in our new room is also considerably smaller - with no floor space for even the smallest chest of drawers - so more de-cluttering and space planning. (Before we ever extend, I fear I will have de-cluttered to the point of possessing almost nothing but the clothes on my back and that one pair of ridiculous but oh so beautiful pair of shoes I have never worn!)

The day of the room swap was pretty exciting - and because the 2 little guys were a little disappointed they weren't getting a new room, I decided to move their furniture around so that it would feel new too.

This was something my Mum often did. She would re-position all the furniture in our bedrooms so that it would look completely different when we got home from school. I loved this, a surprise and a new room in one. Although mums reason for doing this was purely to increase the life of the carpet and furnishings, and give the room the ultimate clean, the kick we got out of it was priceless none the less.

Upon completion, the boys were ready to stake claim of their new spaces armed with signs and notices - 'Oscars room do not enter' - 'keep out' - 'please knock' - 'Zach and Leo's room'. They love their new rooms, and I love the fact that now I can read a book with my light on and our only bathroom almost feels like an ensuite!

Why not try and move things around in your kids room when they are at school or kindy - they will love the surprise when they get home! Or even better move the furniture in the lounge - great way to experience your home in a completely different way.