Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Post-Mother's Day Present To Self...Or Not

Normally, I would use an excuse like Mother's Day to buy something for myself...
a piece of jewelry...some great fabric....
a cute pair of shoes...However, I am currently waging a war on stuff. Having a kid has totally changed my priorities. The minute I got pregnant, I realized that living in a small house with a baby was going to mean a major overhaul. First, I had to make room for his diapers, and his clothes, and his toys. I cleared out tons of stuff then. I pared things down to what I thought were the essentials. I squeezed a wooden play kitchen into my kitchen. I turned my old bedroom into his playroom/our bedroom. I turned my studio into a studio/office/bedroom that never gets slept in. I thought I did a pretty darn good job, too.
But as he has gotten older, I've begun to reevaluate once again. I've decided that in order to get any work done, I'm going to need a space for him in my studio/office/bedroom. I've tackled a giant set of shelves and successfully removed it from the room thus clearing out a large chunk of wall. Okay, so I haven't found homes for all the stuff that previously resided on the shelf, but given time I will...I'm determined. Most of it is going in a garage sale and then off to Goodwill.
I'm envisioning a little Levi-sized workspace, so that he can "work" alongside mommy. I'm currently on the hunt for a small table. I've already found the chair, a super cute thrift store find. I even have a few small shelves for all of his collecting (if he's anything like me he'll have collections). In my clearing out I found a couple of frames that are just begging to become bulletin boards, and I'd like to hang some binder clips to create a rotating art display. Right now all of these things are piled up next to the wall waiting for the table. The table is critical. The hanging height of all these things can't be determined until it is in place. I know...I'm a little crazy, but I have a vision.
So, for a post-Mother's Day present I'll be forgoing the jewelry, fabric, and shoes (as if I actually need any more). Instead, I'm treating myself to a child sized table. First, I have to find it, of course. And, it has to blend nicely into my decor. As in, it must be made of wood--no plastic. And, unlike the above Etsy-window-shopping, it has to actually fit into my budget. I keep hoping to spot something on the side of the road. Hey, it's happened before! That's how I got Levi's little wooden kitchen....Wish me luck!

7 comments:

  1. It is funny how children change everything for us :)

    Good luck with the table, if all else fails you could build one yourself.

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  2. Good luck finding a table. Have you signed up for Freecycle? It's a Yahoo group, but you can get it sent to another email address if you don't use Yahoo. You post offers to get rid of stuff you don't want and you can post things you're in search of. You never know what people have and want to get rid of.

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  3. Oh stuff. So good, so bad. Nowhere to put it all! We are considering a move and just thinking about all our stuff gives me a headache.

    Good luck moving all your stuff around and finding that perfect little table.

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  4. I JUST stepped away from the etsy and did some blog readings and there you go tempting me again! LOL! (Well, I didn't buy for me of course. Just for Ivy!)

    Steph

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  5. Hope that perfect little table turns up for you soon. Sounds like you know what you want.
    Yes, the stuff certainly creeps up on you. Especially little people stuff. I'm forever juggling the stuff my three girls accumulate.

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  6. Ah, stuff. We are of the same like-mind. I was planning a fabric store trip for Mother's Day and then I really thought if I needed it (and had space). I haven't bought any yet! Although, those shoes are killer. Too cute - those are hard to pass up.

    As for the table, we got one for Ronan at Michael's. It's wooden and you assemble it yourself and paint it or stain it however you like. You could even cut the legs down to the height you needed (it was tall for him at 18 months, but by 2.5 it fit him perfectly).

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  7. I hope you find it too...I always find if I display patience, like you, the perfect thing pops up soon enough. I love how on becoming a parent our need to buy for ourselves becomes complete saitisfaction in providing for our wee ones.

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I'm so glad you're here!