How We Do: fitting 4 girls in 1 bedroom

I’ve been meaning for quite some time to do a post on how the triple bunks turned out, and that means showing the girl’s room. No, we don’t have 4 girls, but we could fit 4 girls in the room if needed. We have slept 4 girls in there for several nights when cousins visit and I have to admit I felt like that was a huge parenting win! When we moved into this house, we had a ‘sleeping room’ and a ‘toy room’ for the kids. When we were expecting Ruth, we decided we needed to move to having a ‘boy room’ and a ‘girl room’. We did not know that G would end up with his own room and a spare bed, and that the girls would end up with triple bunks AND a crib. It does work though. Big(ger) families + medium sized houses = creativity. 🙂

So here goes: *disclaimer–this is a rare sighting and their room is never this clean. It took quite awhile to look even this presentable. And I made their beds. So there’s that….*

Welcome to the girl’s room 🙂

 

We painted the bunks a medium gray because we thought it’d be a neutral color that would grow and change with them. We had to carry each board individually in from the garage and upstairs into the girl’s bedroom, then assemble in there. You could say that it took a huge amount some time. I got their matching comforters at Target on super sale and with Cartwheel so that made me extra happy. I had thought about making a little curtain for under the middle bunk for a hideout, but it works really well to keep a lot of their taller toys under there, so I saved myself some work and they just roll them in there. Lucy’s prized posession, her vanity, sits next to the window and Amelia’s ladder.

Lucy rearranges her vanity daily. It’s always a source of my clutter anxiety because she cherishes all the trinkets…..

The room actually has a good amount of floor space, especially for having 4 beds. They also have a large chest that is overflowing in dress up clothes and a large bookshelf that I didn’t photograph because it’s always just full of stuff. You get the idea.

I have a thing about dressers. I don’t like them. We have 1 in our bedroom, and the rest of clothes are kept on shelves in the bedroom closets, arranged in bins or baskets. This has worked so well for us, because the kids can put away their own clothes! It’s quite magical….. They each have 3 bins; 1 for tops, 1 for bottoms, and 1 for PJs. They also each have 2 drawers in a Sterilite cart; 1 for socks and 1 for undies. All of the hanging clothes and dresses go in Gabriel’s closet because it has a hanging rod and he’s got the space. We go through their clothes 2 times a year (or sooner if they have a growth spurt) to change seasons and whatnot. I do all the washing, drying, folding, but it’s their responsibility for their clothes to make it from the laundry room to their bins and to the hamper when they’re done wearing them. I don’t care if their bins are just a heap of unfolded clothes, as long as it’s in the right bin and not all over the floor. I am thinking of doing a post just on managing kids clothes…I know, rivoting, but this is what season we’re in right now and maybe others can relate. Stay tuned.

Lucy and Amelia’s bins, on lower shelves so they can reach

Ruth’s bins (outfits, onesies and PJs) and rolling drawer

So yeah, my girls may never know what it’s like to have their own bedroom, and I think we’re ok with that. 99% of the time they like having all of them in there at once, even when Amelia sings a little too long at bedtime and Lucy steps on Amelia when she’s climbing into her bed.

 

 

Friday Five: 7/21/17

1. Helloooo blogging world! I’ve returned from hiatus as a lot of our time-consuming aspects of summer are now over. We spent an average 4 nights/week at a ball field in June watching baseball and t-ball (and much to my surprise, I really really enjoyed both!); G and L just finished swimming lessons; G and L did a week-long 4H day camp; we’ve swam, hiked, ran; attended 2 professional baseball games; J finished his intensive summer class for grad school; visited an alpaca farm; kids did VBS; summer reading programs at libraries; wedding reception/birthday parties/bridal shower/grad parties; we camped overnight, in a tent, with 5 kids under 8 and survived to tell about it…..
2. 

   Mermaid sisters

   Speaking of surviving, those puddle-jumper floaties that Amelia’s wearing are pretty much the bee’s knees. Especially for parents of many younger kids. I took all 3 girls to a beach by myself and it was a game changer.  I didn’t have to worry about Amelia toppling over in the water and sinking if I looked away for 3 seconds. I next bought one for Lucy as she is on the verge of being a good swimmer, but it’s good when the pool’s full and we can’t hold her hand constantly. We took all 4 kids to an aquatic center today and they worked so well! The girls don’t mind wearing them (G is becoming quite the fish!) and it is amazing how well they keep them afloat without all the bulk of a lifejacket or the inconsistency of arm floaties. We had a moment of bliss today when J and I looked out from under the giant shaded umbrella and saw the 3 older kids all floating and playing together without us worrying about them sinking. Puddle-jumpers 4 the win!

3. Awhile ago, on one of the days I was feeling overwhelmed and underimpressed with dishes and messes and whining and clutter and well, life, I decided it was high time to fill my own bucket, and I committed to doing the Quad City Half Marathon in September. The race is the day after Ruth turns 1 and will be my 4th half marathon….and I have 4 kids! Well well….. because what all moms of 4 kids who also work outside the home, have a husband in grad school and multiple other projects on the side need to do is to sign up to train for 13 miles….amiright?! Well, this mom DID need to! This bod ain’t 25 anymore and I can definitely tell I’m going to have to work harder for a decent time. So far so good, I’m running farther than I have in a few years, so I’m headed in the right direction.
4. Ruth. Well here’s an update on her. She’ll be 10 months old on Sunday (where did that come from?!) She has 8 teeth. EIGHT. Nursing + EIGHT teeth = a circus. And sometimes, I hear her grind her teeth *shudder*. She can climb. Stairs, picnic tables, lounge chairs, trampolines. She definitely has strawberry blonde hair, there’s no doubt about it as people are asking us where the red comes from (ahem, have you not met Aunt Mel or Uncle Cam?!) Her hair has just recently started growing at an exponential pace. She’s about ready to walk but in the mean time is mastering the quiet crawl to the bathroom where her most favorite activities include shredding rolls of toilet paper, dumping the trash, and dropping tiny things down the heat register. I got her a baby walker, she hates it. She’s in that stage where she enjoys trying to gouge out my eyes and hooking my cheek like a fishhook, all the while breaking the few full strands of hair I have left on my head. We have been making it through an average of 15 mins of Mass before one of us ends up out in the entry way because her scream is blood curdling and loud. She’s a very observant child and never wants to miss out on anything. In all truth, she really is a good baby. She’s always VERY excited about life. See what I mean:
   

   Her cuteness kills me!

   

5. We did something weird at the beginning of this summer. Well, more weird than we already are, I suppose. We removed our TV. It’s in the garage. We have NO TV in our house, for several reasons. And guess what? We haven’t missed it! Tonight, G told me “Mom? I like having no TV. I think it’s better.” BAM. Spoken from the mouth of babes. Before we took it out, it had probably been 3 weeks since anyone had watched it anyways, so we really didn’t notice. The final straw was Ruth’s 3rd attempt at pulling it over on herself from the low stand it was perched on. We’re not much of the TV type, but we have watched some netflix and youtube here and there. I’m planning to write a whole blog post about my thoughts/our experiences on it soon, maybe by the end of summer. The TV will probably return at some point when it gets cold and The Voice is back for a new season, but for now it’s taking a little time off on a shelf in the garage.  😉

J and I are celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary tomorrow! We have a little 16-hr getaway planned that is going to be a blast, I’m so excited!!!!!