Maximizing space

Today our whole family went to IKEA. Our son enjoyed getting to play in its special play area (complete with ball pit) for an hour. (He also colored with markers and actually did the best that I've ever seen him to in terms of coming close to staying in the lines). Our 3 year old daughter enjoyed eating the Swedish meatballs on the kids' menu.

There were lots of people there today, including our daughter's teacher, whom we bumped into while looking at lamps for our living room. It appeared that our daughter had a difficult time understanding how her teacher could also be in IKEA today, as she must tnikn that Isabelle (her teacher) must live at the school. Because it's school break for this whole week, it looked like lots of parents were there with their kids.

We've had some good response to our request for help after Anne leaves in mid-December. This has been very encouraging.

Since Anne and future helpers sleep in the office, we want to make better use of that space, as well as make it more comfortable for them. Last week, I was able to purchase 4 four-drawer filing cabinets at 50% off at Auchan. These will enable me to put what we've had in plastic crates into them and help us gain space.

One of the next steps in gaining space is installing a mezzanine or loft bed in the office. This will help us to gain floor space, as well as have a more comfortable mattress than the air mattress that we currently use.

Space in our small apartment is a precious commodity that we need to maximize the most, especially as our kids get older.