There was a family who lived in Overland Park, Kansas. There was a dad, a mom, a girl (N) and a boy (little C). When Christmas time would come the family would have so much fun decorating the house in elaborate theme rooms. There was a snowman room, a Santa room, a nativity room and Usually a Christmas tree in just the right spot. They would wrap pictures to look like presents hanging on the wall and their fireplace or bookshelves would become home for a growing Colonial Village. Christmas music would fill the air from November through the new year.
Now the family lived in a modest home. They had actually converted the garage into a family room a couple years ago. The parents had moved their bedroom to the finished basement too. This left 2 bedrooms (one for each child) and an extra room for mom's office. Mom MUST have an office, the office is to her equivalent to some women and their kitchen. It's where she feels she contributes the most to the family and where she can sit and relax and just have her time. She does everything from her office, the bills, the kids homework, playing gin on the computer, blogging, and chatting online.
This set up was one that worked well for the family and they all seemed to enjoy their space. The family was creative in utilizing the space they had, but they finally had a set up that worked well for them. One year the mother realized that they would be gone a lot for the holiday seasons, she suggested not decorating--or at least not as much. Dad said "we could do that." This became the accepted plan.
About a week later, mom has come up with a plan. "Dad, I think we should shut the door to the family room this year. Let's move the TV to the living room and not heat the extra room for this winter. We could move the table in the kitchen to the side and put the tree in front of the window." It was a good plan. More importantly, it was a plan that required little work and while limiting their space for a little while (during the cold months) it seemed like a GREAT plan to mom.
Dad had a different plan. "I don't want us to use these couches like that." Mom's reply "Then we can swap the furniture for the winter months so that we aren't 'using them' like that." More work, but a reasonable compromise! Yes? No. Dad speaks the words out of his mouth and before she could force him to take it all back, they were in a 3 hour long discussion --truly a discussion not a "discussion ;)"-- about rooms.
Dad says "Let's move the office into the family room and the family room into the office." "What?" Mom's shocked reply, where was this coming from? "Well, you can use the laptop anywhere and we could shut that room off, like you said and still have a family room. In fact N's room would be the best place for the TV room because it's got the bathroom too and when we have guests that stay it can double as a guest room, complete with closet and bathroom."
More then once she tried to get this 3 hour long discussion back on track, "I wasn't saying move rooms, I was talking about a chair and maybe a table." His reply, "I know but it would be nice to have a TV room with carpet again, and I don't want to give up our sitting area. This way we keep things the way we like for entertaining and we can shut that room off still when it's cold."
So finally at 5 o'clock, after MANY "are you sure about this?" They began arranging according to the plan. NOW, their garage is an office/craft/play room. Their bedroom has had a TV area added to it (the first time in 9 years.) The TV/family room is where N's new now old room was and Her old room is now her new room again! Poor little C has been told that painting would have to be involved for him to get a new room, so he just continues to rearrange his room every week on his own!
The mom, is still in shock how "let's move a chair and bring up the Christmas tree" became a "Franklin Shake Up" moment. She's decided that they do this frequently enough that it's earned it's own title. The dad is happy to have a cozy TV room and the Christmas tree and decorations are still in their box in the basement!
7 comments:
Kudos to you if you made it through that long a blog! BTW, if you were wondering....we NEVER move the bathrooms or the kitchen.
BUT dash has entertained the idea of trying this a few times too!
OMG!!!!
This is so much more than I realized than from your IM last night...LOL!
I am totally exhausted just reading about it today!!!!!
Thank God you don't move the bathrooms...lol...like I mentioned last night...at least I know I can find something the same at your house when I come to visit! =D
It wasn't as much work as T makes it sound like .... ok (who am I kidding - of course it was!)
It was all worth it though.
I really enjoyed the 15 minutes or so we spent considering the physics of getting the couch through the corner hallway and into the new TV room.
At one point, I thought we had duplicated Douglas Adam's impossible couch wedge scenario....but then we discovered the leg would come off.
Now, where should we put that tree....
I don't know anyone who rearranges their rooms as much as you guys do! : ) Is N sad about loosing her cool bedroom with a bathroom?
We are too lazy to do that. Dust is so glad that I keep things where they are.
I don't know anyone who does this like we do either! Oh well, keeps the kids entertained! :)
N wanted her lamp back that goes with the other room because of lighting (and lack of) so yes, I think she'll miss the bigger closet but she's getting the lamp back! She and cman share the bathroom, so she's kind of glad that he's not coming through her bedroom to utilize the facility! :)
Well, I do KNOW someone who changes things as much if not a little more than you do...but I know you DON'T want to know who it is...LOL!
Golden promised me when we got married that she wouldn't have me move furniture once it was in place. We really don't have two rooms that we could use for a living room, though, otherwise she may have considered it.
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