I purchased my first capsule wardrobe piece today! The Lauren Conrad brand at Khols fits the style I chose perfectly. There were a lot of soft white, mint and peach items and many of them had bows, lace/crochet detailing and everything was very flowy and feminine. I could have probably gone ahead and purchased everything I needed all in one place but I was good and left with just one item as planned. The boys and I spent the rest of our morning/early afternoon having the car serviced. I always go to a place that has options within walking distance. We had lunch at a coffee shop and then walked around a few consignment stores. One for furniture, one for adult clothing and one for children's clothing and toys.
Lately my gut has been telling me that it is time for a change in sleeping arrangements. We don't make decisions based on main stream opinions or what all of our friends are doing. We do what works for us and when we feel like it is time for a change, we make one. I believe this is what ALL parents should do. Who cares what everyone else does, just do what works for you. Especially when it comes to everyone getting as much sleep as possible. We have both of our children in our bedroom at night and have no shame in this. We, as parents, like to take care of nightime parenting duties without even getting out of bed. Plus, in a house with absolutely no consistent upstairs temperature regulation, it offers us peace of mind knowing the temperature of the room in which they are sleeping all night. At our new house we plan on starting Ayden out in his own room from night one. He would have a big boy bed and the crib would stay in our room for Logan. I really like the Montessori floor bed concept for a lot of reasons (inexpensive, maximizes playing space, fosters independence, etc.) We were given a second crib mattress from one of David's co-workers and we plan to use it as long as Ayden still sleeps well on such a small mattress. Ayden's big boy bedroom is going to have a Native American inspired "be brave, grow strong and move mountains" theme and I want to build a teepee over his little floor bed as a headboard. It would also provide such a cozy place to have a calm mind and body.
Now that Logan is crawling and getting stronger, I don't always feel comfortable leaving him to sleep on our bed without me there with him. We haven't had any scares, have a bed rail and a video monitor but I am not at total peace with the situation anymore. I decided that it was time to open up the crib for Logan but, I couldn't decide what to do with Ayden. He has been able to climb out of his crib for a long time since it is right up against our bed so keeping him contained is not something we are trying to do. He still sleeps very well in the crib, we didn't have anywhere else to put it, Logan did not need it yet, etc. so up until now it's has just been his bed. In the new house I plan to do his room first and to have the teepee up and ready for his first night sleeping in it and we are going to really talk it up for the months leading up to our first night in the new house. I thought that would make it special and exciting for him and help ease the transition. When I realized that we would be ready to transition him out of his crib before the move it made me wonder how I could somehow give him that same excitement while not having the money, time or energy to build his way cool teepee...
Then while spending some time in the consignment store today Ayden found a $7 pop up tent and as soon as I saw it I knew it would be perfect. There was a rip in the mesh of one side so when we got it home I took some scissors and cut enough of the mesh away for the extra crib mattress to slide right in. He was SO excited to sleep in it and I don't think he has ever been so ready for a nap time as he was once we got it all set up. It is on the floor at the foot of our bed for now and Logan napped in the crib and started out the night in there just like Ayden used to do. It seems to have solved our problem for now. Yay for the smoothest transition to a big boy bed ever!
~Sarah
Flashback! Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Counting And Resets"
Two years ago today: "Sous Chef"
And three years ago today: "Let's Go Fly A Kite"
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My Macky is on a floor mattress. I wanted to build a teepee in his room also, but we don't have the room. I never considered the kids pop up tent! Can't wait to see how Ayden's room turns out in the new house.
ReplyDeleteThe pop up tent has been perfect! I am so excited to decorate it for him :) We have some arrowheads that my great grandfather found after plowing the fields on the family farm that I am excited to display. Hopefully he will take an interest and will be inspired.
DeleteMallory sleeps on a twin mattress on her floor and she loves it. Lately she has been asking for a big bed, so I guess that means we are in the market for a craigslist search for an actual bed soon :)
ReplyDeleteSome of our play group friends have upgraded to big girl beds! It has gone well for all of them :). The crib we have turns into a double bed so, as of now, the plan is to convert to that when the boys are ready to share a room and they can sleep in it together.
Deleteare you Native American or teaching your children early about appropriating Native American culture and stereotypes?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI am inspired by a culture that I respect very much.
DeleteI like your blog. You seem to live your lives treading lightly, so I say this gently. Its disrespectful. http://nativeappropriations.com/
ReplyDeleteCultural appreciation is very different from setting up a teepee bed.
I did look into the blog you linked. Thank you for bringing this to my attention and I would like to continue to research this further.
ReplyDeleteHere is where I stand on this at the moment: I do not claim to be Native but I do come from Native American descent. That was part of what inspired me, along with the fact that my great grandfather collected hundreds of arrowheads on our family farm over the years after plowing (in the very field in which we are building our home). I wanted to display some of them in his room. I am just having trouble understanding how it is disrespectful when I am doing it out of such a positive place... I do not plan to make money on any of it, I plan to make everything myself (rather than purchase from someone who may be non-Native), we don't disrespect ANYONE from ANY culture or ethnicity. I am sitting here, trying to look at it the other way around. How would I feel if someone from a different culture used aspects from mine in their child's bedroom and can't help but feel like I would be flattered... an "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" type of feeling. I maintain an outlook of "we are all one" and just don't compartmentalize groups of people into being so separate that one group isn't allowed to do or use things that the others do. I understand that I am not a member of a minority and that maybe if I were my feelings would be different. Like I said, I will continue to look into this but for now I still do not see harm in my plans for his room.