Caution: Kids at Play

PLAY- TO MAKE A BIG MESS WITH TOYS - a few months ago I had a vinyl wall graphic much like this one made for the boys playroom I don't have my original saved to this laptop which is lime green and blue.

Since the flood in the basement my living room has been invaded by boys toys. Originally the kids had a play area in the big family room that was seperated from the "adult" side by a half wall, and really that didn't work so well for them or us. Bruce never liked that the toys always migrated out to his side, the kids didn't really have a kid room, it was a space in an adult room- so it made me think maybe we should turn the spare bedroom into a playroom. We don't have guests stay over all that often so a room dedicated just to them dosn't really suit our lifestyle.

I'm a big fan of giving children a space of their own, a place to foster creativity and independence. I believe that this is their home too, and they need a space they can call their own. (Not to mention I can close the door to the playroom at the end of the day and not have to look at their mess... and I want the family room to be one big room, with space for my coveted pool table {sorry kids})

So as the basement work progresses, and I can honestly say we are under budget... which would be fantastic if we hadn't spent some of the money that was slated for the basement elsewhere... ah well such is life.

I have BIG ideas for the playroom. I have folders with inspirational pictures on my computer. I have books and magazines dog-eared with images that I find inspiring. Probably my biggest inspiration came from a floor. Tarkett makes a vinyl fiber floor which is thick and warm underfoot. They have hundreds of different designs from tile to slate to hardwood look-a-likes, but what inspired me most was a design that looks like a kids carmat, and the colorwave is perfectly suited. I have leftover blue paint from Dawson's room, and a can of limey green chalkboard paint that Dylan chose a while back. The upsides to this floor (aside from working with the scheme) are that it is easy to lay- no glue required, easy to clean, and warm for the kids. The downside? Cost. For about 120 square feet it would be about $500 for this floor. I love it, the kids would love it, even Bruce likes it enough (except for the price tag) but seeing as how we're on a 3 year plan here in this house I think it might be considered cost prohibitive, not worth the investment. Would potential buyers love my flooring choice? Maybe if they had 2 little boys that were as thrilled with dinky cars as my boys are, but probably not so much if they had girls! So I will most likely have to settle for a boring old floor...

source: Tarkett Fiber Floor