There are some things my kids won't get from their mother

I am a good mom in many ways, I am a kind, caring, soft, loving, protective mom.  I think my children are lucky to have me as their mother. But there are certain things my children probably wont ever get from me.  Cordon Bleu cooking is one thing, and beautifully decorated bedrooms is another.

This was brought home recently when Sister Mel told me that her daughter Rebeka was getting a room make over for her birthday.  I giggled to myself because firstly, I so completely SUCK at things like decorating and décor and secondly, Kate is such an ungirly girl that if I gave her a room makeover instead of a skeleton and a monster book for her birthday, she would have a fit.

Sister Mel came to visit recently and saw the kids' room.  She said I HAD to take a picture of the room and post it on my blog.  Their room is all about comfort and warmth!  They have horrible new brown stripy duvet covets (brushed cotton for winter warmth!) and unmatching curtains (got on a sale), bits of odd furniture (borrowed from my mom) etc, but even Mel had to admit that the beds were damn comfy and cosy. 

I am such an ungirly girl, and things like comfort and warmth are far more important that fashion or form.  My poor daughter will never have the prettiest dress on in class (mostly because she hates wearing dresses), but at least my kids will be comfy.  Those dummy-sucking, loud, unfashionable Albertyn children.

Sister Mel and I decided we would do a cross post to show you the difference in our kids rooms.  Please click here to check out my beautiful little girly-girl niece's pretty room.

This is the room they now share.  Bit of pink, bit of blue, bit of brown, bit of lime wash. Lots of comfort.

Comments

[Bianca W]

I think I am right down the middle, between you and Mel. I would LOVE to do the whole pretty room thing, and am sure I would have loads of fun doing it, HOWEVER, my kiddies room is very simple, Winnie the Pooh Duvet Cover and matching curtains, with a Pooh boarder around the room. That is it. Nothing fancy, nothing over the top. There are 2 reasons for this, 1. We can't actually afford to the kids room out - no spare money for that right now. and B. I dont have a creative bone in my body (um, except if I am cooking). :-)

XXX
B

[Gill]

I am SO with you! I made very half-hearted attempts at decorating my kids rooms, without much success. Now, thankfully, they are old enough to do it themselves if the mood takes them. And my girls hardly ever wore dresses, they still don't. Come to think of it neither do I - I am a jeans kinda girl.

[Tripsmom]

My girls all like different things - but all sleep in one big room. Olivia, LOOOVES Spiderman, Hannah, LOOOOOOVES even more Winnie the Pooh and Leah is happy with anything pink or faries. So, I've decided neutral colours (slightly feminine) that they can grow with. Comfort is also priority. They each have a fleece blanket with their favorite characters on it (hidden under the duvet)

[Kim]

I like your arrangement as it seems more kid friendly. The other room looks too sterily clean and intolerant of messess etc. It looks like something an adult would prefer to have to look at than being fun for the kid.

[sweetbaptist]

There's nothing wrong with your children's room. perfectly cosy and well-equipped - charming really.

[Elaine]

My niece, too, used to get room makeovers as a birthday present. They were incredible productions -- for a while, her room had this arbor theme, with fake grapes hanging from the eaves (I kid you not.) I think she was eight at the time.

I personally loved it when she hung a big RedSox poster up right in the middle of it all. Heh.

Luckily there was also plenty of comfort, including a window seat with padded cushions and loads and loads of room for her stuffed animals. And her hamster!

[Veronica]

It looks comfy and cosy. I would happily sleep in their bedroom!

My daughters bedroom is a hodgepodge of everything. Luckily she seems to like it like that.

[Em]

Don't waste your time. My daughter had a beautiful garden room. The walls were just the color of your neices but I found a 12" die cut flower border that I put around the bottom of the wall, cute little bug prints with frames (nice bugs like lady bugs and happy butterflies), fairy wallies carrying flowers and curtains with bugs and flower. Even her bed looks like a little white picket fence. Seriously, it was the best decorated room in the house. I might say the ONLY decorated room in the house. My living room still has nothing on the walls and no curtains.

In a fit during a time out, my daughter TORE the flower border off the wall. Not the entire thing, just bits and jagged pieces. Her "ladies" (the fairies) lost their legs when she was a baby and used to pick at them from her crib and the curtains on their fancy pottery barn kids rod were tugged on once too often and are hanging precariously from the wall.

Kate can decorate her own room when she has a job ;-)

[jacki janse van rensburg]

i love you doll, but the girly room with the fairy lights and the matching everything wins...

[Katie]

I love the comfy room, and I bet your kids do too. All the colors are great, imo.

[Belen]

Wow, I think the room is actually awesome, no kidding. The things you've put there are nice and more or less match. I HATE "designer" rooms, they are so impersonal. I also hate perfectly matching stuff. Yours is a real bedroom, not an ad for pottery barn kids!

[KLynn]

Heh. I just finished with my 15 year old daughter's room. It's so funny that she's into black and goth and grunge, and this is her room. We started the trend back when she was little and picked out the poster print you can see in the picture. Then I developed the rest of the room around it. She actually likes it, though she agrees that it doesn't quite match her current personality. Here's my blog post with the pictures:

http://southernmediocrity.blogspot.com/2008/07/year-later.html

[Rachel]

I say whatever adam and kate like goes. I like comfortable rooms. I like cute rooms. I really do like the curtains in their room, and I do think it looks nice and cozy, perfect for two small kids. When they are older they can decorate according to what they like, but for now I think this is very appropriate.

[Sue at eLuckypacket]

I'm impressed -- Adam and Kate are sharing a room? Have you and/or his bike been skors'ed in favour of his sister? Yay Adam!

[Irene]

I like your twins' room. I think it looks v cosy. In fact, A & K's room has now made me thoroughly ashamed of myself. It looks way better than my twins' room, which is just all about functionality. It has not occurred to me that I should actually decorate the twins' room till your post. I thought putting in beds in their bedroom + a wardrobe to hold their clothes would be sufficient... Everything else they could get into trouble with was removed!

[sheilah]

Hey...at least the beds are made.

[Dana]

I am with your sister here... Comfort and functionality are good values but they are not opposites of beautiful, which is also something to be appreciated. It does not need to be "girly" or even feminine to be pretty. I mean pretty in the sense of harmony, color, gratification to the senses. I enjoy a beautiful space as much as I enjoy all beautiful things in life: a work of art, a good book, a song, a tropical beach or the eyes of a puppy. Achieving a good composition with color and furniture takes time and effort but I think it is worth it. If you do not like it, why don’t you let your sister design the room? She seems to enjoy it…

[Lisa]

Being a completely un-girly-girl myself, I actually prefer Kate and Adam's room. A bedroom SHOULD be all about comfort. My bedroom is somewhat girly with a flowered quilt, but overall, I'm all about comfort.

[Liz]

I am in the middle. I like comfort and I also like some deco. And I think your sister did a great job. It has the girlie deco and the room looks comfy. She didn't over-do it. I am sorry, your room is comfy and lacks the deco. :) I'm on team Mel.

[Juno]

Sorry to sound rude, but who gives a flying fuck about what a three-year-old's room looks like? Tertia, this is the cosiest warmest little nest, and I would be happy to snuggle under one of its brown stripy duvets. Can I come to stay, please, and can you bring me coffee and toast in bed, while you're about it? I have a very sore throat and my head hurts and waaahhhhh... Mummmeeeee

[Josie]

As long as it is clean and comfy and the kids don't mind who worries! Aunty Mel can buy co-dinating duvet covers etc when it is gift time. ;-)

[Josie]

Whops missed a comma....
As long as it is clean and comfy and the kids don't mind, who worries!

[Anne]

Actually, I saw the photo and thought, "cute room." Then I realized the whole point of the post was supposed to be your lack of deco skills. With no disrespect to the doula, I am not at all into the girly girl look. Never was, never will be. Maybe its a blond v. brunette thing?

[Victoria]

Aside from the duvet covers, which I agree are kind of horrible (but cozy-looking, too! So whatever), I think the room looks fine. The balance of girly and boyly (what is the male equivalent of girly?) is pretty good, in my opinion, and considering it's a boy and a girl sharing a bedroom, I don't think there's any sense obsessing too much. Besides, if they like it and you like it, who cares?

[Lesley Watt]

I think the room does look very cosy.

I've never been a girly girl... in fact when my room got done about 10 years ago I wanted it blue. Really I wouldn't worry about how the kids' room looks. You're good to them and they'll know that regardless of how their room looks.

[brainy girl]

OK, I couldn't help responding. I've got a 2-year old boy and a 6 month old girl who will eventually be sharing a room. The walls in my son's room are wallpapered with a sort of teal with small flowers - sounds horrible but it's actually quite nice for either a boy or a girl. And there's a matching blue carpet. I've always wondered what I would do about decorating the room, but I think I've pretty much decided, screw it - I'll put appropriate furniture in there, a few things that I like to look at on the walls, and that's it. The kids don't know the difference! And what's really made up my mind is that no one in my generation had a totally matchy-matchy bedroom, nor in any generations before. Our desire to create these gorgeous spaces is driven (I think) entirely by those gorgeous Pottery Barn layouts and the like. Which all cost like $10,000 to actually implement. No thanks - maybe if I had that kind of cash, I'd go for it, but I'd still realize it was for ME, not for the kids.

[birdie]

I think it looks lovely. We never had matchy matchy things growing up and I think our house was cozier because of that.

[Tinker]

There's no question that your niece's room is gorgeous. Mel has done a wonderful job! I'm not surprised, however, that you've decorated with comfort as first criterion, given your (and Adam's) sensitivity issues.

At our house, as much as I'd love to do a spiffy boys room a la Mel, he'd have it apart in a flash. For us it's simple and pragmatic: the same mushroom walls as the rest of the house, a green bed and dresser inherited (and repainted white) from my husband's sister, yellow cotton duvet cover, and a couple of soft toys near the bed. His eyes are closed there most of the time after all.

[isabel]

My entire decorating style is encapsulated in your photo! LOL, will have to show my DH. Our apt. may not be cute, but we do have all the computers and gaming consoles we could ever want. :) Priorities, priorities... I tell myself that Jesus was a hobo and would be very comfy in our place!