I LOVE IT!!

Well, we are finally ALMOST finished with the play room.   I thought I was done once, but I was wrong...    Two of my dear friends have moved out of state recently, and both of them had bookshelves they were getting rid of.   I can't pass up a good bookshelf.  And a free or cheap one from a friend is even that much better!!  So with a few coats of paint, and a little Pinterest inspiration, I turned three cast-off bookshelves into Play Room Perfection!!!

 

 First, we painted the three bookshelves a nice
"Lego Blue" color.  We brought them in the basement & got them positioned where we wanted, then screwed them together & used brackets to anchor them to the wall.   We wanted the two end shelves to stand up like traditional bookcases for storage, and the 3rd one we laid down to create a window-seat type sitting area, which AJ was more than happy to demonstrate.   Hunter insists that is not the only good sitting space....

Here it is after we got our stuff organized into bins & boxes, labeled, and put on the shelves.   We are putting some of the boys books here too, but keeping the majority of the books in their bedrooms.  The small wooden shelf is one my father in law made years ago that is perfect for those Lego storage boxes by Iris.  I am going to paint or cut letters on my Cricut for a quote I want over the shelf.  It will say "PLAY is the highest form of research. - Albert Einstein" 

Gotta love labels on boxes!  I printed labels off the computer with pictures of what is in each box and the words to help my learning-to-read 5 year old know where things go.  Eventually there will be a nice soft cushion on the bench part to make it a cozy spot to curl up with a good book or the latest Lego Club Magazine! We just have to go pick out the fabric.  Both boys want Lego fabric, but alas, I cannot find it

This corner has chalkboard paint on the wall, which the boys have really enjoyed.  They use that wide windowsill for displaying some of their favorite Lego builds, and store chalk and things on the Crayola shelf they got from Aunt Jenn.

This wall is where my Gramma and I have been painting Legos on the wall.   They aren't quite finished yet, but you can get the idea. 


It is definitely a Lego inspired room, but that is what my boys are really into!   We love the bright colors, without it being overwhelming. 


So, I think I will call this my Jane & Jill shelf, in honor of those friends who made this whole project possible!

Quotes to live by...

I have been thinking about quotes a lot lately.   I have pinned several on my pinterest boards recently, and I love finding the quotes on photos, or quotes with interesting fonts.  Albert Einstein is one of my favorites.  He has SO many good quotes on a variety of topics.  While searching for something totally unrelated, I ran across a quote attributed to him that I had not heard before, and really liked it. 

So I made this...

AJ and his Daddy have always shared story time at bedtime.  It is their very special time of the day.  This photo was taken back in 2007, when AJ was 4. Now, both boys enjoy story time with Daddy right before bed.  Anyway, when I found this quote earlier today, I immediately thought of this photo.  

The true wisdom here is not in the reading of fairy tales, which I do think is important, but it is in the time spent together.   Did you know that the average working father spends less than one hour a day with his children?  One hour.  That makes my heart break.  But it also reminds me of another great quote I read this week...  "Don't marry a man unless you would be proud to have a son exactly like him."  I am blessed beyond measure to have a husband who considers his family, his marriage, his sons a priority.  He takes the time to read bedtime stories, have tickle fights, and wrestling matches.  He recognizes the teachable moments and takes advantage of them.  He makes learning fun.  He does so much for our boys, and I am grateful.