Roominations

The past few months have been bursting at the seams with things to do. The jumble of work, camp, events, appointments, and everyday bullshit like Target runs and broken appliances makes for a busy, busy life. I find myself asking, Did I truly contribute anything of value to this planet today? What have I accomplished this week that really made a difference to someone? I know that I help companies with my writing and marketing, and that my children are protected from harm, are well-fed, and have enough warm clothes to be able to sport fur-lined boots at Publix. In July. And I really do contribute enough to Target in any given week to help them stay in business. But this busy-ness is starting to make my chi off-kilter and my mellow harshed. I wish for more serenity, less rushing... I want to slow down but offer more. There is this deep desire to be entirely in the moment, enjoying whatever is going on right now, versus plowing through a task, only to have another task impishly grinning at me from the horizon. I yearn for zen.

We bade farewell to our grinning tasks last Sunday, and took the buoy and the gull to the beach. While we enjoyed the warmth of the waves and the salty air, I couldn't help but notice how mismatched and broken our beach paraphernalia was. Anyone unlucky enough to sit in the navy blue beach chair is sadly forced to lean way over to one side on his/her elbow in order to prevent tumbling over. The cooler handle won't push down all the way, our biggest beach bag is still way too small (necessitating 3-4 additional bags, oftentimes of the grocery variety), and our towels are circa 1998. Oh, and I have one swimsuit that fits and is from this decade. All of this hot mess lumbering across the beach is a spectacle to behold.

I told Ang that I will know when we've seriously got our lives in perfect order the day we hit the beach with a perfectly organized beach ensemble. Like this:

SurfOutlet.com

Because I feel like it's only when the rest of our lives becomes organized -- only when every piece falls into place and we are experiencing full-blown spiritual, professional, and personal Namaste -- that we'll have the time and means to put together such a stellar beach setup. Until then, we'll be tripping over the cooler and sticking our elbows into the sand.

All of this said, I want to be able to provide as much serenity and organization for the kiddos in our home as is possible now, so I've been on a mission to do so. Lila has been saying odd things, of late, intimating that she doesn't believe she is a good reader... Aside from us trying to convince her that this is very far from the truth (because it is!), it leads me to believe she may need a confidence boost in the form of a pretty little book nook for her room.

So, what was once this...

 

is now this:

And this little corner...

 

turned into a place where Lila can now get her book ON:

 [Side note: Lila's favorite part of her new book nook is not the canvas I painted with preppy rugby stripes in her favorite colors. Nope. Neither is it the bookcase I spraypainted watermelon and hand stamped with an Indian print block until 1 in the morning. Oh, is it the cute little reading stool I successfully bartered down to 75% of its original price at Home Goods? Nah. Her favorite thing of all is the fluffy faux sheepskin rug in the unfortunate shape of a penis.]

With our twins, there is always a yin & yang, tit-for-tat, Libra-esque thing going on from the second they wake up until their fuzzy towheads once again rest upon their dinosaur and ballerina pillows. In other words, AJ was jealous as all hell of his sister's brand new book nook. Little did he know that I'd already planned to create a 'schoolwork station' for him. (My efforts to convince him that our decision to update his digs was in no way a response to his fit of jealousy is a whole 'nother story.)

No befores, here. Just imagine an ugly, cheap red polyester curtain hanging from a tension rod before, replaced with this:

I really should paint the oar holders white, and I really ought to tie off those ropes a bit neater. But, judging from the length of time that horrifying red it's-only-to-cover-the-window-'til-I-buy-cute-rugby-curtains-from-PBKids-next-week window panel hung around (3 years), I'm guessing we're looking at the final reveal, here.

Oh, and I painted another ugly thing. We had a beat-up brown bulletin board I transformed into this:

I included this pic, too, because I think it's funny I got a dog bed for AJ's reading lounge. (Don't judge.) I asked my sister the other day if she found it odd that I aim to have my children nurture their love for the written word on a penis rug and a dog bed.

So, the kids' rooms are organized and offer serene little reading spaces. Zen Jen is back in the hizzouse and, while I've got an entire gang of tasks waiting for me around the corner, my newly nourished chi is sitting right here beside me... nudging me to get a new swimsuit.

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