NaBloPoMo '10 - What a difference a year makes - #9

Wondering what NaBloPoMo is? Read this to learn all about it and why (and how) I'm participating!

What a difference a  year makes - #9

2009: Our lower level was a dedicated daycare area. It was decked out as a children's wonderland for my little charges, filled with toys and decor that was sure to appeal to a child's fancy. Safe and lived-in, the daycare children felt completely at home there and had an abundance of things to keep themselves busy.

My laundry room doubled as an entry area and was always littered with shoes and coats and backpacks and car seats.

Rather than anything "professional," my desk was always covered with drawings, Matchbox cars, a dandelion someone had picked just for me, an unidentifiable piece to something, a pacifier, at least a couple action figures and something that had been confiscated during the day for inappropriate use.

2010: In light of the fact that my child care business no longer exists, we have begun the transformation from "Children's Wonderland" to "Adult Shared Work Space Wonderland." While we could work from anywhere in the house (or out of the house, for that matter) we thought it best to take the opportunity to create an office for ourselves. Most of the toys have been removed from the main room and moved either into the lower bedroom or to the garage. Try as I might, I have not found a new home for my daycare equipment yet.

My laundry room is now...a laundry room and nothing more. There's room to actually fold laundry and store empty laundry baskets now. It makes doing the laundry so much easier! We have set up a desk for each of us, moved the treadmill down there to taunt us each and every day for failing to use it and moved some furniture around to create a more open space. My desk no longer is littered with toys but it is cluttered with things that are still "displaced" due to all the changes. Because I still have all the daycare equipment taking up space, there are still things that are not where they ultimately need to be. For the most part, however, our lower level looks more like a place for grownups than for children - for the first time since we've lived here.

The past year has made a tremendous difference in how we use our house as a place to work. I actually find it difficult to work down there sometimes because the space is not "finalized" yet so I get an unsettled feeling - which is not conducive to working. Once it is "done" I know I will work there all the time. One thing all those years of working down there with the kids all day taught me is the necessity of "going home" after work - even if it is only five steps away.