Small Spaces: Our Children Invaded the House

People who visited us in our pre-kid home would go, "Oh my goodness! You guys are not living in a real home! Is this a show flat?" Oh yes, we had our fair share of neat and tidy homes until I became a parent *haha* I am ashamed to admit that I had judged my friends' toy-tornado-swept homes. I said I'd never let my house or life be invaded by kids but I had. Inevitably, I had! 

Right now, I have the messiest home ever but it is our humble abode full of joyous laughter. I had to [had to had to] hop onto this blog train that Justina had initiated. It literally nudged me with a "You've got to document your children's living quarters! It's now or never!" What a good read it would make when we look back in a decade's time. 

There are toys and children's books in every part of our home. Is it the same for you? It doesn't matter if they were in their own rooms or chilling out in ours, they will always have something to entertain themselves with. Let us first take a peek into Faye's and Ewan's bedrooms.

FAYE'S NURSERY is designed primarily for cosy and restful naps and nights. I kept it free from interactive toys that may cause quite a hullabaloo when you put two kids together. Her room is mostly decorative with essential needs like diapers, creams, hair clips (oh yes accessories are vital) and clothes. Everything that hung from the ceilings or the walls are held in place with 3M removable strips. I must say they have never failed us thus far. Best of all, I get clean walls whenever I want to redecorate.

The only fun spot in there would be the reading corner - a quiet activity perfect for the objective set for the room. I blue-tagged (a cheaper alternative from 3M) a short strip of her first month party bunting above her pastel KidKraft sling bookshelf to make it look a little bit more playful.

I chose a 3 Sprouts pink unicorn storage box as her laundry basket, tucked under a vintage table which is used to store more storybooks, stationaries and art supplies. Storage spaces are crucial to put things away and I settled on decorative pieces to do the job. Do you play The Sims? Adding a plant or a grandfather's clock increases the "Room" factor, and so I kept that bar green by opting out plastic storage boxes.

EWAN'S ROOM was redesigned into a toddler room when he turned 20 months old. We had four months to get him settled into his own big boy's bedroom before Faye came along. We didn't think he'd be able to sleep well sharing a room with a baby that wakes every two hours and so the decision to move him out of his nursery. Previously, we co-slept for six months even though the intention was for him to sleep on his own. Involving him to shop for his own bed and mattress gave him a sense of responsibility - my room, my toys, my space. So do not underestimate a 20-monther. They are ready to make decisions and understand a lot more than we think.

 

 

His room is made up of solid primary colours - Red, Blue and Yellow. It is gender-neutral so when Faye is ready to be moved in with her brother, it will not be boyishly overpowering. We spend a considerable amount of puzzle, music and reading time in this room. Here, you will find jigsaws, train sets, books, an edutainment table and daddy's Bose system (*sobs* got robbed off him). His toys are kept in their original boxes right at the top of his wardrobe and the door is kept opened at all times. It makes it easy for Ewan to choose his play at a glance and out of reach so that he learns the principle of "One Toy At A Time". Secretly, maybe more for the parents to control the mess.

He is a music lover and learns the quickest through music. We will have to listen to his array of CDs every day and they are usually accompanied by his killingly funny dance movements. I do not find children singing to pop songs exceptionally cute because these songs have lyrics that are just not age-appropriate. Imagine us singing to "underneath your clothes, there's an endless story"! Oh my goodness. I definitely ain't ready to discuss what stories are to be found under those clothes to a three year old! Of course, it is unavoidable to pick songs up from the radio. I won't be anal. We will still sing "Shake It Off! Shake It Off!" together but I'd rather the CDs on his table are children songs. These are his current favourites. I highly recommend Julia Gabriel's Alphabet Zoo. Now, he is savvy with his phonics without me having to teach. Just press PLAY.

THE MASTER BEDROOM is not spared. Tucked away in a hidden corner beside my large chest of drawers sit a Lego head, a Tea For Two set, a Melissa & Doug Toolbox and a box full of Dinosaurs. These are useful to keep the children entertained (close to me) while I showered, blew my hair, get changed or simply just having to get things done in my own space. Why of course I am always pulled into their play and a different environment does create a different kind of play experience for everyone.

 

THE LIVING ROOM creates the first impression for our guests. Our friends now go, "Wah! You guys really dropped your standard post-kids man! Whatever happened to the showroom?" Heck the showroom! I am a Stay-At-Home mom with no live-in help. As long as I keep my children and myself alive by the time the husband comes home, I think we're doing more than good! *hahha* We have been working on keeping toys and books off the floor for a month now and it has proven to be successful. In the past, I'd just leave them strewn everywhere. The rationale: it's going to be messy again tomorrow anyway. However, that's lazy talk. We decided that it is also time Ewan learnt about responsibilities. The daddy got really mad from stepping on a toy one night, he spoke sternly with a very very big and deep voice, "If Ever I See You Leave Toys Or Books On The Floor Again, I'll Throw Them In The Dustbin! You Hear Me?" It shook Ewan so much he went down in tears.

From that day on, he scrambled to pick everything from the floor and never left them lying around again. Yay! So mommy is keeping up with that new mantra, "Off the floor or into the bin!"

Now now. If you said it, you've got to keep to it. Anything found on the floor thereafter must end up in the bin. Are you up for this? I got a feeling I'll have people criticising our methods. Just don't follow suit if you disagree.

 

We separate library books from our own by putting them on the coffee table. The children pick them up conveniently whenever we hung around in the living room. If we chucked them into their bookshelves, we will have a hard time looking for them when it is time to return. It happened before and we do not want to put ourselves in that situation again.

Toys are separated by cuddlies, battery-operated and miscellaneous in 3 Sprout bins. These toys are overplayed by Ewan so he hardly touches them now but when he's in one of those moods, I might have overturned-bin days like this.

We have more toys under the graceful long-legged console as well. These musical instruments use to sit in the master bedroom but toy rotation had them in the living now. It's funny to see them striking up a band under a table but hey it works! See what I mean by children invasion? [Repeat] We have toys under tables! If I hadn't written this, I wouldn't have noticed that we have so many playthings at home! I seriously hadn't notice.

THE PATIO, the area we complained about pre-kids but gladly appreciate after kids. It is an amazing space for private outdoor play! They can scoot up and down the length of the house, run about like crazy monkeys, play football, golf and many more. We keep the vehicles and big ticket items outdoors. To prevent them from collecting dust (there's still dust even if you played them daily), I cover them with throws from Ikea. It keeps them away from rain splatters as well. Ewan and Faye love this space the most. Who wouldn't?

 

 

Now that you've seen it for yourself, do you agree that we've got our home invaded by an excessive amount of toys? I must thank all our friends and family for them all. 90% of what the children have are gifts and hand-me-downs. Aren't they a lucky pair!

If you think this is over, it isn't. We just found out that our refrigerator had also been taken over.

We love our children very much.

This post is part of the Small Spaces blog train, which is hosted by Mum in the Making. Click the button for a look at more small spaces by 22 other Singapore Mom Bloggers and be totally inspired! There is a bonus post this Friday so do check back for a good read!

Read our articles on Small Spaces:

Children's Room

A Cardboard Playroom

2-Bedroom Apartment for 4

A Tree-Free Christmas Tis' Year

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A stay at home mum, blogging to widen her social life. 
We want to echo the sound of love through our lives to inspire other mothers alike.