Space, the final frontier.
As the dweller in a relatively modest home, one of the biggest issues I face on a daily basis is space. Or, more accurately, the lack of it.
Cast your mind back to when you first viewed the home in which you're living. That first tentative viewing after scouring the internet (or papers, if you're my age) for hours and hours. That breath of excitement when you found the one you thought you could call home. Bet you thought it was huge didn't you? Not once did you think you'd fill it. "16 cupboards in a kitchen, who on earth needs 16 cupboards?"" Look, there's space under the stairs, oh, let's put our bikes there". "Have you seen the size of the spare room? Let's turn it into an office". All of these sentences, and many more, were said upon first entering the Castle as we marvelled at how we were moving up in the world.
Then a very annoying thing happened. My children started growing. No warning, no "please Dad, I'm just going to shoot up 3 inches, can I have more space for my stuff now?", no wise words of wisdom from Grandparents advising how best to cope with the turn of events, no helpful undiscovered room ready to accommodate the Castles' new requirements. Nothing, nada, zilch. Just one morning you awake, unable to walk more than 3 steps without stubbing a toe on something you didn't even know you had, and realise you need more space.
The 16 cupboards in the kitchen? Ha. Meaningless. Yes you already have pots and pans, but these new ones are, well, new. Do you throw out the others? Are you mad!? Why would you? You know that somewhere in the future you're going to need those pans. Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, birthdays, anniversaries. You know these occasions can't be catered for with just one everything, you need two, at the bare minimum (might need to buy more now I think about it).
As for that space under the stairs, who knows what now lies there. I haven't reached the back of that cupboard for 3 years now, and quite frankly, I'm a bit scared to do so. Whatever creature that may have made it's home there is quiet and asks for nothing so why should I disturb it. So all our hopes and dreams of office space, a sewing room, a games room or even that library are dashed by the ever evolving nature of family life. The areas of your life and home you swore would never be touched by children is, well, full of dolls and shoes and sports kit and hats and trainers and uniforms and on and on and on.
I once had my own wardrobe. No, it's true. Somewhere for Daddy to hang and store his clothes. Not now though. Now I had a chest of drawers. So in the never ending dilemma of dwindling space, as we approach that final frontier before the house literally pops, I have one question, where do I put my socks?
Cast your mind back to when you first viewed the home in which you're living. That first tentative viewing after scouring the internet (or papers, if you're my age) for hours and hours. That breath of excitement when you found the one you thought you could call home. Bet you thought it was huge didn't you? Not once did you think you'd fill it. "16 cupboards in a kitchen, who on earth needs 16 cupboards?"" Look, there's space under the stairs, oh, let's put our bikes there". "Have you seen the size of the spare room? Let's turn it into an office". All of these sentences, and many more, were said upon first entering the Castle as we marvelled at how we were moving up in the world.
Then a very annoying thing happened. My children started growing. No warning, no "please Dad, I'm just going to shoot up 3 inches, can I have more space for my stuff now?", no wise words of wisdom from Grandparents advising how best to cope with the turn of events, no helpful undiscovered room ready to accommodate the Castles' new requirements. Nothing, nada, zilch. Just one morning you awake, unable to walk more than 3 steps without stubbing a toe on something you didn't even know you had, and realise you need more space.
The 16 cupboards in the kitchen? Ha. Meaningless. Yes you already have pots and pans, but these new ones are, well, new. Do you throw out the others? Are you mad!? Why would you? You know that somewhere in the future you're going to need those pans. Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, birthdays, anniversaries. You know these occasions can't be catered for with just one everything, you need two, at the bare minimum (might need to buy more now I think about it).
As for that space under the stairs, who knows what now lies there. I haven't reached the back of that cupboard for 3 years now, and quite frankly, I'm a bit scared to do so. Whatever creature that may have made it's home there is quiet and asks for nothing so why should I disturb it. So all our hopes and dreams of office space, a sewing room, a games room or even that library are dashed by the ever evolving nature of family life. The areas of your life and home you swore would never be touched by children is, well, full of dolls and shoes and sports kit and hats and trainers and uniforms and on and on and on.
I once had my own wardrobe. No, it's true. Somewhere for Daddy to hang and store his clothes. Not now though. Now I had a chest of drawers. So in the never ending dilemma of dwindling space, as we approach that final frontier before the house literally pops, I have one question, where do I put my socks?
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