Growing up, my mom referred to houses with mattresses on the floor as crackhouses. It was important to her that there weren’t ever mattresses on the floor no matter what was going on in our lives. Now, this narrative isn’t completely fair I realize. There are different reasons a family may choose to have a mattress on the floor. Cosleeping, Montessori floor beds, lack of funds, and moving are all instances that come to mind. Connor and I have had floor mattresses a few times for a few different reasons. It has always been hard on me because of the beliefs I grew up with.
We bought our farm last June, it is now April. This past weekend we finally prioritized getting the older kids’ room organized. Their mattresses have been on the floor since we moved in. Connor had built bunk beds into the closet in our last home so when we moved we didn’t have bed frames for them. We quickly realized we bought a project property and have been throwing any available funds at whatever immediate problem there was. No drinkable water in the house, broken septic, no support beams in the basement, lead paint in the house, the list does go on.
I tried not to care that the kids’ room was honestly two mattresses on the floor and nothing else. We converted the two car garage into a massive playroom so their toys are mainly out there. Often when other kids have come over Annabelle wants to bring them to her room to play. Why? Seriously, why? It’s just a bed on the floor, it isn’t fun, it’s embarrassing.
I did try over the last few months to plan out their room online and get furniture ordered. The number of options and price tags on bunk beds that I couldn’t see in person was honestly debilitating. I would start looking for solutions and would have to walk away from the anxiety of it all. In this space, my normal strategy of buying multiple solutions returning the extras, wouldn’t work. Heck, I recently bought 10 pairs of boots to try on the kids and find the best option, but that isn’t easy to do with large and expensive items like bunk beds.
If you read the Chicken Math post, you know that we filled our mudroom with chickens this past weekend. Well, we also FINALLY got around to taking care of the kids’ room. While the babies and I ran errands on Sunday, Connor and the older kids built shelves, moved toys, and put out rugs in the kids’ room. The twins and I ran to Target for a few extra things and we all finished the job together. Annabelle and Hayden were bouncing off the walls in their new room.
Annabelle as she crawled into bed stated she felt free. When Connor asked what she meant, she just said she felt like herself in her new room. It was then that I realized it had been affecting her too. We have an amazing playroom, and a great yard, but the lack of a nice place to retreat to and sleep in had also been hard on her. Their new bed frames should be here today and then we will be done with their room until we find the time to add some fresh paint.