This is going to be a little disjointed but I hope it's kind of clear.
WE've been here for 3 years now, the dh promising since we first moved in that we'd be moving "soon" in a few months, and so on, and I never really made it the best that it could be for many reasons. Serious post partum depression rendering me unable to organize a single linen shelf, never mind the apartment(moved here when I Was 8 mos with my first), why put the money and effort in if we're leaving etc etc etc. Now I've an almost 3 year old and a 1 year old and I'm getting the idea that we're not going anywhere. Ordinarily I'd just make it happen myself (I'm the make it happen person in the marriage) but this is not my native country or language, my husband is gone more than not, and I'm barely hanging on with just the kids and the idea of trying to figure out how to get out of town (I don't drive) is too much. SO now that my husband is like, never home, even at night, I want to make this place really suit the kids and I. For example, one of our three "bedrooms" was devoted to being his office. Only, it was just a junk storage room.. no desk, he never actually goes in there except to dump his keys and backpack after work, and to put tools and stuff, and garbage in. I decided to clean out that room and make it into a small sitting room/massage room with a desk. I hope to practice massage therapy for a few hours here and there with the aid of a babysitter, for my sanity.
The living room and dining room and kitchen are great, the kids play in the living room and on the balcony, it's huge and has a full wall of windows and is the best place to be because it is so bright and cheerful.
Now the bedroom setup.. and this is the problem.
On the one side of the apartment we have the "big" bedroom, and for Euro standards it is huge. My husband and oldest son sleep in there. It has the toddler bed and my husband's bed in there and that is it. 2/3 of the space is just space.
Beside it is the bathroom, and on the other side of the bathroom is a smaller bedroom where I sleep with the baby (1 year old, they're both way too noisy and wakeful to sleep in the same room yet) and then outside of my room between it and the rest of the house is a not really closed off narrow room which is used as a clothing and storage space. We have our 2 grownup ikea closets in there, a wall of shelves which have tubs that have the kids clothes in it, boxes of the rotated toys up high on the shelves, and a dresser. We've had the clothes out there instead of in the bedrooms so that we can get dressed and do things while the babies are still in bed.
It just feels like such a waste of space!!! Most of the time my toddler is alone in that massive bedroom!! I'm almost considering moving the baby and I in there to give it a go, but I am not sure if the toddler can deal with the baby's loud waking, and my snoring. I've noticed when I'm snuggling the toddler to sleep for night wakings, and I fall asleep on his bed and start snoring he goes "mama!" and wakes me up again. Also, the 2 year old is very demanding, the minute he gets up he is loud and running around and wanting me to be on my toes. When I'm in the other room and I hear him come out I generally jump out of bed and rush out of the room to try to let the baby sleep just a little longer in the morning. Sleep is the biggest concern and frustration in my life.
IF anyone has made it this far thanks... and any ideas? I want a functional and pleasing place... and feel like 1/2 the actual space is not being used advantageously. Btw. we're about 1100 square feet altogether.
WE've been here for 3 years now, the dh promising since we first moved in that we'd be moving "soon" in a few months, and so on, and I never really made it the best that it could be for many reasons. Serious post partum depression rendering me unable to organize a single linen shelf, never mind the apartment(moved here when I Was 8 mos with my first), why put the money and effort in if we're leaving etc etc etc. Now I've an almost 3 year old and a 1 year old and I'm getting the idea that we're not going anywhere. Ordinarily I'd just make it happen myself (I'm the make it happen person in the marriage) but this is not my native country or language, my husband is gone more than not, and I'm barely hanging on with just the kids and the idea of trying to figure out how to get out of town (I don't drive) is too much. SO now that my husband is like, never home, even at night, I want to make this place really suit the kids and I. For example, one of our three "bedrooms" was devoted to being his office. Only, it was just a junk storage room.. no desk, he never actually goes in there except to dump his keys and backpack after work, and to put tools and stuff, and garbage in. I decided to clean out that room and make it into a small sitting room/massage room with a desk. I hope to practice massage therapy for a few hours here and there with the aid of a babysitter, for my sanity.
The living room and dining room and kitchen are great, the kids play in the living room and on the balcony, it's huge and has a full wall of windows and is the best place to be because it is so bright and cheerful.
Now the bedroom setup.. and this is the problem.
On the one side of the apartment we have the "big" bedroom, and for Euro standards it is huge. My husband and oldest son sleep in there. It has the toddler bed and my husband's bed in there and that is it. 2/3 of the space is just space.
Beside it is the bathroom, and on the other side of the bathroom is a smaller bedroom where I sleep with the baby (1 year old, they're both way too noisy and wakeful to sleep in the same room yet) and then outside of my room between it and the rest of the house is a not really closed off narrow room which is used as a clothing and storage space. We have our 2 grownup ikea closets in there, a wall of shelves which have tubs that have the kids clothes in it, boxes of the rotated toys up high on the shelves, and a dresser. We've had the clothes out there instead of in the bedrooms so that we can get dressed and do things while the babies are still in bed.
It just feels like such a waste of space!!! Most of the time my toddler is alone in that massive bedroom!! I'm almost considering moving the baby and I in there to give it a go, but I am not sure if the toddler can deal with the baby's loud waking, and my snoring. I've noticed when I'm snuggling the toddler to sleep for night wakings, and I fall asleep on his bed and start snoring he goes "mama!" and wakes me up again. Also, the 2 year old is very demanding, the minute he gets up he is loud and running around and wanting me to be on my toes. When I'm in the other room and I hear him come out I generally jump out of bed and rush out of the room to try to let the baby sleep just a little longer in the morning. Sleep is the biggest concern and frustration in my life.
IF anyone has made it this far thanks... and any ideas? I want a functional and pleasing place... and feel like 1/2 the actual space is not being used advantageously. Btw. we're about 1100 square feet altogether.
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