The Playroom

This weekend was “Take Back Your Great Room” weekend in the Bean household. I have had it up to here with the obscene amount of stuffies in my space, tripping over Mega Bloks, slipping on books and finding half eaten crayons (by the dogs, not the Beans) underneath my couch.

When we first looked at the house, I was excited at the thought of getting to decorate this space. It was basically a clean slate just waiting for me to fill. I clipped pages out of the Pottery Barn catalogs and sent myself links to the different accessories I fell in love with at Pier 1 Imports. I knew exactly what this room would look like when I finished with it.

At that time, the Beans were two months old. They were tiny little things. When we moved in, they spent much of their afternoons on a little afghan on the floor of this great room. A couple of toys to catch their eye, but not much, as they were still too young to grasp the concept of play. They didn’t take up much room at all, really.

The room was starting to gain some character. I had found a great print at Costco, of all places, which flanked one wall, while I added a few of my favorite photographs on the mantle in between the candles. The new television, the new furniture and the accents complemented each other well and my room became a comfortable, relaxed but neat and (if I do say so myself) stylish haven.

A few short months later, while cozy under a blanket, feet propped on the ottoman, I noticed that somehow the room seemed a bit smaller. The Pie was just starting to crawl and, as a result, some toys were scattered around the room. The bouncers made perfect feeding pods as the Beans moved onto solids. Those were butted up against my gunmetal magazine rack. I peeked underneath the couch and found a discarded bottle and a missing Pipe. A few board books were stacked next to the armchair for easy access around bedtime.

Irritated, I gathered everything together and piled it in a corner. There was no use in putting it away, as the Beans used these things everyday, but I could at least create some semblance of order here.

By one year, my room was unrecognizable. Miss E. solved my organizing dilemma by commissioning personalized toy boxes for each of the Beans. They were cute as a button and worthy of display, so I consented when Daddy Bean relocated the boxes to our hearth. It killed two birds with one stone, as it protected the Beans from the fireplace and housed the growing number of toys in our possession.

On several occasions in the past two years, I have (un)successfully weeded out the unwanted toys. I’ve since lost the guilt I had in the past felt for the disposing of cute little stuffed animals and now gladly toss each forgotten animal into a large black garbage bag for donation. I must do this in stealth-like manner, however, because the Beans, when re-introduced to said animal, will immediately make it their BFF (or at least for the next week). Similarly, Daddy Bean is the PETA of the stuffed animal world, lording over me with contempt at my disregard towards these once loved creatures. I’ve tossed Happy Meal toys, a multitude of filled coloring books, and a couple of Bratz dolls that had found their way into our possession, to my horror.

Finally, a few weeks ago, I threw my arms up in despair. The Great Room was no longer great. Over the course of almost two years, it had evolved (quite quickly, I’m told) from a sophisticated retreat to an oversized playroom. The Beans have a couch, two armchairs and a tent in that room, as well as the two toy boxes and now a table and chair set. I have spent every evening for the past year picking up toys and reorganizing the room, only to see it completely monopolized again by the playthings early the next morning. So, I thought of converting the computer guest catch-all room into the new playroom. I had been contemplating this for several days, weighing the pros and cons.

Pro: I get my Great Room back! No more having to pick up after the Beans every night! The Beans have a room of their own!

Con: The playroom is upstairs. I still have some toys downstairs that I have to pick up every night. My walk-in closet is now my catch-all room. It cannot be a computer/guest room anymore.

Despite everything leaning on the side of con, I got to work cleaning out the third bedroom. As an aside, it’s amazing how you carry your junk from one house to another. J and I have been living together since 2000 and have lived in three different homes. Apparently, it was necessary for me to bring my Martha Stewart Weddings subscription to each house, as well as countless other objects that should have found their way to a garbage can in the past seven years.

I moved J into my closet, grudgingly. It is for the greater good, so I was able to clear out a small space for him (towards the bottom and to the right). I spent a good four hours flipping through old photographs (and, bonus!, I actually put some in an album!). I let go of a lot that I am sure at one point I thought I would one day reminisce about, but at that moment, the history was lost on me.

I emptied the room of my stuff and I filled it with the Beans’ stuff.

As the room started to take shape, I became excited at the reaction I imagined they would have when I unveiled it to them. I pictured their little tea parties by the window and the works of art they would create at their table. I remembered our play room in Virginia and I smiled and thought every girl should have a playroom to share with her sister. I found girly wall decals that I would put up with the Beans and I arranged the surviving stuffies into a group for a family photo. I thought for a split second that I would save this room for their birthday in a month, but then brushed that silliness aside and hollered to J that we had to pick the Beans up at my parents’ house quickly, so that we’d still have time to play.

Yesterday afternoon, the Beans were introduced to their new space. As it always goes, the anticipation was much more exhilarating than the reality, but it was only marred because The Pie had been suffering from a fever. We sat in the middle of the room for a spell and then we went back downstairs to the Great Room to get ready for bed.

Wouldn’t you know it…the Beans each brought down a stuffie.