Painting progress

[pegkerr]

We peeled off the painters tape this weekend, only to discover that some of the green paint seeped behind the tape, leaving tiny blotches on the edge of the baseboard. So I spent yesterday afternoon crawling around the baseboard on my hands and knees, touching up the wall with a tiny brush from the girls' watercolor set.

I think it's done. Don't look at the baseboard too closely, but the colors look nice, particularly the lavender. Now we have to figure out the new furniture configuration so that the bunk beds can be taken apart.

It's absolutely absurd. Every time I've brought it up (maybe ten times in the past three weeks) the girls have adamantly refused to discuss it. We have three dressers: a small one which can go under the window between the two beds, a tall one, and another small one which is topped by a hutch. With the bunk beds separated, we only have room for one of those two. The taller one will store more clothes, but the smaller one has the hutch, and where else would we put all the knick knacks and tchotchkes that are stored there? And whichever one we choose, where the hell would we put the other one, once we move it out of the room? I'd hate to get rid of either one, since they match the bedroom set, but there's no room in either the basement or garage.

It'll be a backbreaking job to get those beds apart, move the re-painted bookshelves up from the garage to the room, and get everything rearranged. It's particularly hard when the girls refuse to make a decision about the dressers. Argh.

Comments

So not your problem...

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Just help move the furniture. Let them arrange it. No need to pull your hair out. They'll either see or not. Space has its own logic.

Re: So not your problem...

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

This only works if the girls are willing and able to have it moved out of public space into their room. Otherwise it can languish in the hall/living room/Peg's room/wherever it currently is, because that space is not "theirs" but "Mom and Dad's." Perhaps I'm being unjust here, but it's certainly how most teens and preteens I know regard public household space.

Re: So not your problem...

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Thinking outside the room? Not permitted evah in this universe!

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I'd hate to get rid of either one, since they match the bedroom set, but there's no room in either the basement or garage.

Are you hoping to restack the beds after one of the girls moves out, and thus reunite the pieces? Or are you hoping to be able to sell them as a group after one of the girls moves out? Or are you aesthetically fond of keeping sets like that together (or notionally available to be together)?

[aome.livejournal.com]

Why don't they want the bunkbeds anymore?

I suspect you're not looking for actual advice here, but what would happen if, since they're unwilling to participate in the furniture discussion, you (and/or Rob) decide it, arrange it, and they are forbidden from complaining or rearranging it themselves for a year (and if they do ... you devise the punishment - allowance, free time ... whatever), since they wouldn't give their opinions when asked? Sort of like, "You don't vote, you don't get to complain over who DOES get elected."

Yay for finally finishing the painting, though!

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Why don't they want the bunkbeds anymore? Because they both want to be able to sit up in bed without hitting their heads, Fiona on the ceiling, and Delia on the bed above her. And have either Rob or I sit down on the bed to be beside them to talk to them at bedtime--again, the bunk beds make this difficult. And they want to sort of divide the room into areas for each of them, which is best achieved by having their beds in separate areas.

Of course, Rob's solution would be to stuff as much furniture into the room as possible, so I'm battling him on this, too. (He operates on the habitrail principle: just make little corridors between the furniture. For example, he wants to put the dressers between the beds. No. Just--no.)

It's maddening.

[pinguthegreek.livejournal.com]

I'd go with aome's suggestion, with the slight alteration of giving them a reasonable deadline to either decide for themselves or have you do it for them.

That's what would have got me thinking harder.

[mareklamo.livejournal.com]

I agree with setting a deadline. You might even state beforehand your preferred arrangement that you will implement if they don't decide what they want to do before a certain time. Maybe write it down with the date so that there are no arguments at deadline time.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

That sounds frustrating. I hope you get your space back soon.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Maybe what you need is someone local who is interested in the long-term loan of a dresser.

I'm guessing, though, it's not just the question of removing a dresser, but of dealing with all the stuff that is currently in it.

And presumably if any of this had simple solutions you would already have tried them.

[murumatsu.livejournal.com]

Would under-bed boxes (the kind with wheels) help any? We've got four of them under a twin bed right now; it's not the world's most convenient storage, but it does the job and keeps stuff out of the way.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Yes, we're going to be using under bed storage, too.

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

Pictures?? Would love to see the room makeover!

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

Just a little suggestion- there may be dormroom communities around here that may have unique storage/decorating suggestions (as the girls sharing a room is very similar to college life!). When I was a young'un and new to the dorms, we put the wardrobes we got at the foot of each bed, which sectioned off the room and created study areas/dressing areas for both of us on the other side. Would the dressers fit that way?

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

We plan to put the two tall bookcases at the foot of each bed to sort of demarcate their individual space. If, that is, we can do so without blocking off one of the windows. We need bookshelf space pretty badly, too.

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

Space is such a commodity! We live in tight quarters too- good luck with deciding on which dresser!

[mkaout.livejournal.com]

so.. you have two bookcases and three dressers?

Is there a closet?

In my daughter's room I have put a long dresser (nine drawers total, but only about 3.5 feet tall) in her closet. I have hung her shirts above and her dresses on the sides where the dresser doesn't reach. Also, I have removed to doors and have hung a valance up top to match her one little window.

I don't know. You weren't asking for help. Just venting.

But it's just a thought. (though I obviously have no idea about the layout of the room)

[mkaout.livejournal.com]

"I have removed to doors"

???

I don't even know what I meant.

I have removed THE doors?

I have removed TWO doors?

jeez.

time for bed.