A lot of people seemed to think January was the longest of months – I am personally wondering where on earth it went?! We had incredible weather and could still spend lots of time outside, and with a bunch of things on the go I could’ve used an extra couple weeks of January this year!
The best thing that happened around our house this January was the laundry room overhaul! This room is where we come in and go out every day, and with 7 people trying to get socks, coats, backpacks, purses, etc., it had become quite a schmozzle and general dumping ground.
We started with the hooks that were there when we moved in, then added a lower hook for backpacks, then a hook for my purse, then a cupboard that didn’t have a home…it all became a non-functional pile-up of mess. We also put our recycling on top of the shelf until it overflowed, too lazy to go the few extra steps to the garage. The kids couldn’t reach the coat hooks, I couldn’t reach the key shelf, and doing laundry in here was anything but joy-sparking.
The only thing to do was start from scratch. Carl took everything down, painted, put up wood strips for strength, and so. many. hooks! The best thing is that we could space the hooks the way we wanted, so the backpacks don’t overlap with each other, the coats above don’t hang over the tops of the backpacks, and there is a way-up-there strip for Carl’s hats, making use of his height!
Carl got this done in a weekend during Christmas holidays, for just over $100 (we already had a can of paint lying around), and it has been SO nice since the kids went back to school!
There are always enough hooks, and usually even a couple empty ones! I found a perfect little shelf for $5 that just needed a coat of white paint and now sits beside the laundry sink and holds buckets of hats, mittens and socks, notebooks for church, sunglasses, baby shoes, and keys. (Side note: someone suggested putting my boys’ socks near where they put on their shoes and it has been life-changing. No more irritated last-minute runs to the basement for socks on the way to the bus stop!)
Carl also declared the door boring, so he found some extra navy blue paint lying around which ties the room in nicely to our navy and white kitchen :)
And then Flamingo February was upon us! This is when my random assortment of flamingos comes out to bridge the gap between Christmas decor and full-on spring. Their irresistible pink charm is the perfect way to perk up our home during the gloomy gray weather at this time of year. I think this is now the third annual Flamingo February, and the kids were asking for it shortly after January started.
It never occurred to me that my kids were unaware that most of the world does not put “Flamingo” in front of February. Theo had a very interesting conversation with his Grade 1 teacher, and came home to tell me with some amazement and seriousness, “Mom, did you know some people just say February? She doesn’t know it’s Flamingo February.” Turns out Gavin had the same confusion when his preschool teacher mentioned only February.
Obviously, I told them only the best people know this secret, and not to worry about it if people don’t understand :) Now I just need to track down the missing paintings of flamingos holding balloons, riding a bicycle, and doing the tango…
This is the perfect season for indoor projects and rearranging, and the year here is off to a good start :) Do you have any projects you’re working on this winter?
Oh man oh man, I just DIED laughing at your Theo story, and then I read it to Stan and he got quite the chuckle as well. I can just imagine Theo’s shock. Love it. And you. Obvs. :)