Well, the summer holidays are going to be upon us very soon and I'm quite looking forward to them this year. I think they may kick off with a sleep over at ours for LB and a few friends on the day they break up from school. I'm quite happy with that as in previous years we've been dashing off on holiday and LB hasn't really had chance to wind down and chill with her friends before they all go off for summer, so she'll enjoy it.
OH will be going away for a few days the next day so he'll be up at 4 and getting a taxi to the airport. While he's away I've promised LB that we will do a little work on her bedroom. She's almost in her teenage years and the deep purple walls are not to her taste any longer. It's all about pastels these days and I promised her we'd do some painting.
I revamped her bedroom nearly 3 years ago when she moved into the larger bedroom. I did it very inexpensively at the time, but the space has gradually filled up to a point where it is a little cluttered. As a consequence, she's been gradually decluttering lots of things from her room and I have to admit that probably a quarter of the 800 or so things that we have donated so far this year have come from her belongings.
To reward her for her efforts and for her 100% attendance at school this whole school year, we have decided to treat her to a revamp and to a new desk/dressing table, plus a few other bits and pieces for her room, to get it more how she wants it. She's very excited about it and so am I to be honest. I'm hoping that it will help her keep it uncluttered and a bit tidier. She seems to be going generally in the this direction as she gets older, so we'll see.
To be honest, she's taken to the project with a great deal of enthusiasm. Too much for my liking as she is seriously culling her book collection, including some very memorable favourite reading books from when she was small, that I've hung onto over the years. I'm going to have to house the ones I can't bear to part with somewhere else in the house now, as she is adamant she doesn't want them in her new grown up room.
So, I'm being forced to confront her growing up yet again. It's a little harder for me than her to come to terms with it sometimes, but it is good to see her changing and growing and becoming a thus far quite sensible young person.
A trip to IKEA in the holidays is therefore on the cards this summer, funded by the Bank of Dad thankfully, which should make for a nice day out. Nothing too expensive, just a desk/dressing table that takes up a bit less room, freeing up a bit of space and that she can happily sit at to do her homework/makeup/etc. If I had my way, I'd probably buy a few more pieces of furniture, but ever sensible she says that what she has already is fine by her. I'll keep you posted about our redecorating adventures over the next few weeks.
A lovely project x
ReplyDeleteit is hard to see favored items being set aside when they grow up, I kept loads in boxes in our attic. Now our girls are settled and have their own attics I passed the boxes to them, both were pleased to see most of their things again, and loved the idea they can be kept for their own children.
ReplyDeleteI like to keep some things in case she wants them in the future, even though it seems a long way away at present.
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