I'm going to try harder though because I do find that it is very important. I'm not sure why but there is a good reason to blog. Maybe so my kids can read it in the future, or maybe because it is therapeutic. And maybe because others identify with my season. And others, like my sister are just plain entertained. I'm also a lot more honest on the blog than I am on Facebook and Instagram. Blogging isn't just pictures with funny captions, it's stories. Real ones. Like this one...
The downstairs toy box situation was getting out of hand and making me angry every time I looked at it. I've been wanting a shelving unit with the individual compartments for a long time. I've mentioned it to Dan but he poopoo'd the idea every time I've brought it up. He claimed it wouldn't work because the kids would just stuff whatever into the boxes and it would just be an organized mess.
But once I get an idea in my head I just can't let it go. It's how we ended up with the treadmill I needed (that I sold two years later) the super expensive camera (we never use) and the super tiny amazing video camera (I can't find). BUT some of the things I absolutely needed I actually ended up using like the Dyson Animal for instance... and the crazy awesome Vitamix. There are just some things that are worth every penny.
So last Sunday Mari informed me that the shelving unit I was looking for was at IKEA for $65. I had just received a check for $54 from a local consignment store for some clothes I sold, sooooo it was pretty much destiny that I bought the shelves. I mentioned it to Dan again and told him the price of the shelves and informed him that it was just a few more dollars than the check I had in my wallet... He didn't fight the idea too much so I took that as an OK.
I woke up the following day with a very strong urge to get those shelves. I love IKEA but I get lost there every time I go by myself. But Dan was working a 4 day and I didn't want to wait 4 whole days till he got home to put an end to my toy nightmare. He probably wouldn't have agreed to go all the way down there with me anyway. So I told Mari my plan and she is a saint so she watched my two littles to give me a better shot at actually accomplishing my goal. And off I went to the land of cheap furniture in a fun maze setting.
When I got down there, I made sure to ask every person in blue for directions and clear shortcuts. I made it safely down to the warehouse where the shelving unit was. I even located the flat carts all by myself. I tried to lift the box but it was super heavy. But then two large men walked past me. I talked them into putting it on my cart for me and voila. And then once I bought it, an IKEA guy put it in my car for me. I was super proud of myself for not getting lost and finding the shelves and getting them into my car.
The plan was to go and buy it and then talk to Mari about how easy or hard it was for her to build. I wasn't really thinking I would build it myself. I'm not really a build it myself kind of gal. I was going to beg (and possibly bribe) my sweet husband to build it for me. But Mari said it wasn't hard and it shouldn't take more than an hour. And I had a whole two hour nap time to build it. I am a mom of four little ones and that's pretty amazing in itself soooo yeah. How hard could it be?
So I put the little ones to bed and dragged the box out of my car. I took all the pieces out and looked at the instructions. IKEA makes pretty idiot proof instructions I have to say. I was pretty sure a monkey could build the shelves, so I got started. And piece by piece it came together. If you haven't built something like furniture or shelves from IKEA, I strongly recommend it. I felt like I could do anything when I was finished.
I moved the shelves where I wanted them and went to work. I made little piles of toys, sorting like a crazy person. I was so excited. I wish I had taken a picture of the toy box before I cleaned it out. The toys were stacked so high you couldn't add any more toys to the pile. It was ridiculous. I decided it will just be for dolls and doll accessories from now on. All other toys will go in the super smart and amazing shelves I built ALL BY MYSELF.
AND I made labels for each box. Again, good ol' Mari told me they had labels available on Pinterest I could print out. And I did of course. Soooooooo now we shall see if the kids can actually keep the toys in the correct boxes. They'll get mixed up I'm sure. They aren't magic boxes but I will love putting the toys back where they go because I crave organization. Just a little organization in this messy world I live in.
Can you even stand it?! So awesome! Dan comes home tomorrow. I cleaned the garage just in case he isn't happy that I did this without consulting him. He loves a good clean garage almost as much as a clean minivan. Oh I cleaned that too.
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