Kid Friendly Office Space!!

No matter how many times I organize and rearrange, the room we call the office just seems to get smaller and smaller. Over the years I have gone through different phases of having kid stuff stored on shelves and toy storage accessible for the kids in the office. There is still one small bookshelf that holds a few toys, the kids CD player, and their homework boxes. Not to mention the file drawer stuffed with kid stuff, and half the closet. Never mind that they have their own rooms, the TV room with their chalk and dry erase easel, kids bookshelves in three rooms, an entire playroom stocked with kitchen play, dress ups, doll houses, strollers, manipulatives, marble works, blocks, and a huge closet full of stuff!!! And the puppet theater, train table, and felt board in the family room. SERIOUSLY--how spoiled are they and how many spaces do they need???!!! I know it's really all my own doing--and I love it!! It's fun for me to have stuff all over the place for them. Not very great for their over-all understanding of reality--I do know that. I've read up on it, and know the consequences of indulging them to the extent that I do. I am getting better and cutting back. Christmas morning will not be the North Pole this year, and they now have to use their own earned money to make purchases at yard sales. For those who don't know me well--most of this stuff is second hand or a bargain--that's half the reason I have so much. I can't pass up the deals!!

Ok, so I don't store toys on the main floor of the house except for games and puzzles, and the one shelf in the office. The kitchen has served as the kids art area. Three cupboards and one drawer have been dedicated to their art supplies, paper, coloring books, glue, paints, scissors, etc. It has been pretty handy to have them close by all the time. But I was nearly loosing my mind with the constant mess of projects. They do projects, or at least color and cut SEVERAL times EVERY day!!! I've been trying to think of an alternative--and Saturday I found it!!!!

Of course it means giving them MORE space in the office--but I spend a ton of time in here anyways, and now they are right here with me. And...I get part of the kitchen back!! So, here are the changes we've made in the office to make it more kid-friendly. (And, truth be told...to keep the mess out of the kitchen where it is constantly visable!!)

Magnets have been moved into the office on the side of the file cabinet. No, these were not previously on the fridge. That's too cluttery for me. They were in the TV room on the magnetic side of the easel.

Kids art work is now displayed on two walls.

And here it is.........my great find on Saturday at the DI. They had a bunch of these school tables, and rectangular ones. Only $8!!!! These are hundreds of dollars brand new, FYI. I REALLY wanted to buy two of them. You put two together and they make a hexagon table. But I couldn't think of a place I could fit a hexagon--it would have to be in the middle of a room. So I only got one--even though they were a SWEET deal!! The little chairs are from the kids kitchen play set. I'm on the lookout for two school chairs, just a little bit bigger than these. All their supplies are right at their fingertips, and they are THRILLED that they have their own pencil sharpener right there. We have LOTS of VERY sharp pencils today!! They already spend lots of time here. It is usually a disaster. I cleaned it up for a picture. I also put two IKEA magnet strips on the wall right there for them to hang their stuff on.

Each side of the table has a little desk opening. Perfect!! When you are done with a picture--PUT IT IN THE DESK!!!!!!

When I was a kid we did not have a playroom, or an office, or a seperate TV room, family room, and basement family room. I never had my own room as a young child. My "office space" was the wooden cutting board pulled out of the counter in the kitchen, and the crayons and paper were in the drawer right under it. We stored a few toys in the living room area--my Fisher Price house and hospital are what I remember the most. All other personal toys were kept in the bedrooms. And some family toys like the Tinker Toys, and Lincoln Logs, were kept under moms bed. Obviously my mother kept a very organized home with nine kids. I'm happy to be a little like her in my organization and bargain hunting skills. But I have yet to be able to keep the amount of "stuff" that I give my kids in check. Maybe someday!! For now--at least I only bought ONE table at the DI !!!!!