I am pausing a minute to take a break from my work. What work you ask? Well, I have been working upstairs in our house for two days now. We decided to sell our bowflex and treadmill and reclaim what used to be our "workout" room for additional space. We have been having a very successful time at the YMCA and Norma and I feel like it is a place we'll keep going to for years. So why have a room in the house be packed full of gym equipment when you are going to a gym now?
So that part of this has been very liberating. My plan is to help transition the upstairs rooms so that they are more for Aidan than anything else. It will give him more space to play, color, watch dvds, and have fun with friends (which we both know is coming soon - lots of sleep overs etc.). We have 3 rooms and a bathroom upstairs.
1 - the office. Which is jammed full of years and years (we've lived her 10 years now) of stuff. A lot of it is packed with computer equipment over every shape and size. Including 3 or 4 computers themselves. We had a couch in there, 3 connecting desks and two book shelves. Oh yeah, and a tv and tv stand. The room was packed. The biggest obstacle though is the closet. It's a french door opening monster closet. And it is packed full of school books, binders, materials for teaching and an incredible amount of wires, routers, laptops, old desktop computers, old lamps, etc. What a mess.
2 - the workout room. The biggest challenge in this room was the closet. It is the storage for all things holidays. But, it had also accumulated tons of garbage and old and broken material that just had to go. I cleaned that out yesterday and it was a chore. But, now there is lots of space in there. :)
This room had a tv stand, tv, bowflex, and treadmill. The treadmill is gone. We sold it. The bowflex will be gone on Sunday - also sold. Both are going to good homes and we are working out better and more than ever at the "Y" - so all is good there. The plan is to move the couch into this room and create an upstair's den. A place where Aidan can play, but we can also crash with a laptop or book. It will also have some toys for him. Maybe even a small desk so that he can draw and color.
3 - Aidan's Room. We really aren't doing much differently with his room. It is the one room upstairs that is semi normal (that and his bathroom). We are going to clean out the closet and have already sold a few items on Kingwood Yard Sales.com.
Right now I am probably 1/2 way done with my work. It doesn't look like it. Everything is a mess. But, I am making progress. I needed a break to clear my head and possibly motivate myself a little more. Finishing the closet in the office is just a bear. I keep saying to myself, "This cost so much money and was so cool." But, I know I will NEVER, EVER use it again. So it's time to get rid of it. Sell it or give it away to someone who can use it.
This is liberating, but it is also torture. I am saying goodbye to a big part of my past life. All this technology stuff was such a cool part of my life, but it isn't who I am anymore. It is time to say goodbye. I'm a teacher now, a technology using teacher... but, I'm no "Mr. Fixit Computer Guy" any longer. And it is time to get some room back and have some livable space.
This is painful.
Wish me luck.