A New Dresser and a New Theory

Zeke sat in the toy box a few weeks ago and broke it beyond repair.  It was a nice little box with a lid that kept the mass of stuffed animals under control and hidden away.  So it left me wondering what to find to replace it.  I found nothing.  Like new stuff that cost $75 for a simple little toy box.  Or ugly stuff like a Rubbermaid tote.  

Then crazy pregnancy brain took over and I decided I'd hit a few yard sales and see if I could find a cheap dresser.  Because then I could move the kids' clothes out of the dressers in the closet and use the dresser for the now homeless toys.  

And why on earth wouldn't a lady who is 9 months pregnant buy and refinish a dresser a few weeks before having a baby?  

I did find a dresser for $25 that I thought would work.  I hauled it home and started sanding.  

And then realized I was nuts.  It really would have been an easy project but honestly, one I had no business starting.  

I then resorted to Facebook and a local group I am on for refurbishing furniture.  Many of the people on there are small business owners who refinish furniture on the side.  One of the women on there had a long dresser she would refinish for $150 in the colors of my choice.  She also would take a trade on the dresser I bought.  She agreed to value my trade at $30 so for $120 I ended up with this beautiful solid wood dresser done in turquoise with a dark stained top.  So much better than what $120 would have bought at Walmart or Target and done in colors that match the boys' room.  Hopefully it will be tough enough to withstand boys.  It's also big enough to hold all of the boys' clothes so that meant I could simplify their closets a bit.

Really, this would probably look better with some art above it but it works just fine.  The containers on the left are actually canister sets from Walmart that were like $2 a piece.  I just spray painted the white lids brown.

I also am adopting a new theory regarding the kids' room.  We decided to photograph everything in the rooms and use those photos as reminders of what a clean room looks like.  I'm hoping this might help them be more independent in cleaning and keep us from the ongoing battle of "go pick up your room", "it is clean", and then walking in to find piles of toys and dirty clothes and trash.  We'll see...

I cleared out some of the toys under the beds and put them on the bookshelves.  Think that will help with the "stuff everything under the bed problem?"  Probably not but...

Even took pictures of under the beds...

And the closets...

And the shoes...