*We clean the playroom because we are going to have people over who have kids. Roxanne and her buddy or buddies tear up the playroom and pull out every possible toy.
*We say we will clean it up after we get the rest of the house cleaned up from entertaining. We don't.
*Roxanne won't play in the playroom because it's so messy she can't move around or find anything.
*We are going to have people over who have kids, so we clean the playroom. Repeat steps above.
So, we decided it's time to rethink that space. In a house as small as ours, you really want to make sure that each area of the house is being used to it's full advantage. Since I'm not a stay at home mom, it's not like Roxanne plays in the playroom on a daily basis (Just in case you don't know me, I nanny full time and bring Roxanne with me). And a lot of the toys in that room are not appropriate to her age anymore. Justin and I started talking about making it an office, a guest bedroom, or possibly a music room. The problem with making it an office is that it's such a tiny room that you would hardly even be able to fit a desk in there, and if you did, it really wouldn't be able to serve any other purpose. Having a guest bedroom up here would be great for when we have guests, but it's just not that often. And the room is so small that you would be able to have a bed, and NOTHING else.
The music room idea is vastly appealing for us. Justin's music equipment is always in limbo between the basement and the living room, since playing music down there is not all that fun. And now that Roxanne has a guitar and a baby grand piano, it would be awesome to put Justin's guitars and amps, her instruments, and my keyboard and keyboard amp all in the same room and allow us to have family music time. If we can configure it correctly, maybe there will be room for a small table and or desk for me to use as a work space. Justin likes having his computer/sports TV on the computer time in the basement, so that will work well for his man room down there. I bought a storage shelf with bins for Roxanne's room at Target yesterday evening, and it was kind of expensive, and I don't love the way it looks, but it's the right colors and the right kind of storage. I also like this type of shelving because she can easily see into the bins and know what's inside. At work, Ben's playroom has the cubby style shelving, and the stuff that is not visible basically is either completely ignored, or dumped out and then ignored. So far, she loves it. Here it is next to her bed. And yes, that's her in her bed. I took this right when she went down for nap... I'm a jerk.
For now, we are in the process of sorting through everything else that was in there and doesn't fit in the bins. I filled a garbage bag with baby toys that we want to keep (in case another baby comes along...but don't hold your breath) and stuck it in the play room closet. I also put her Weeble village in there, but we left out the individual Weebles, since she loves playing with them and they fit in her bins. She has been playing with her toys SO much more, since they are organized and she can see them. Since we took the changing table out of her room, there is enough space for her to have this perfect little corner to play in. It's so cozy. I kind of want to get her a tent for her room, but I'm not sure if the room could handle it. But I did put the Hello Kitty one on her Amazon wish list. Maybe we'll have a chat with Santa... One thing about being a mom to a toddler... You just have to get used to clutter and messes. Roxanne's favorite things are teensy and include lots of teensy pieces. Oh well. She also likes pulling all of her clothes out of the drawers (um, yes, that's what is happening in the lower left hand corner). 
The expedit in the playroom is going down to the basement. We will fill it with toys again (probably) at Christmas/birthday in December, but this way we can rotate what goes in her bins in her room. For now, I stuck the expedit in the hall, so Justin will be forced to help me take it to the basement... I'm kind of a jerk. That's one of the ways where Justin and I differ. He blames caffeine. Once I decide on a house project, I want to start it immediately. I don't always finish it quickly, or at all, but you can be sure I'll start it. He likes to talk about it for a while. Then wait for me to start it. :) Aren't we like an old married couple? At least we are usually in agreement on house stuff. Here's the expedit in the hall. And for the record, it's now in the basement. Win for me!
Here's some artwork Roxanne did on the wall of the playroom this morning. For the record, we don't let her do that. She told me she couldn't find her coloring books. Which were on the floor under this part of the wall that she colored on. Sigh. Those are people. See the eye/nose/mouth? It's bad when you are impressed with your child's drawings on the wall. Makes punishment that much harder... Or in this case, virtually non-existent.
Here's the spot on the wall where the expedit was. It's nice having it open.
I'm thinking we'll put Roxanne's tiny sofa on this wall (which is to your left when you open the door).
Here's the pile of stuff we have to sort now. Yikes. And someday, I'll get around to changing this light fixture... Someday. 
You guys, I realize my photos are so bad that I should probably just not post them, but I don't have time to fancy them up, and I'm not a professional blogger (obvs) so this is what's here. Just know that I am mildly embarrassed about them, and that they are mainly here so you know what I'm talking about (or have a dark/fuzzy/grainy/poor quality idea of what I'm talking about). Maybe eventually I'll sell a kidney, buy a nice digital camera (SLR?) and take a photography class so I know what I'm doing. Right after I finish graduate school maybe.
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