The One Week Challlenge

This is my office (even slightly tidied for the photo)

And I have a great week long challenge to make it more appealing but my kiddos are calling and they come first. I will be back later to describe my present situation and my vision for the future.

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Okay, nearly 12 hours later my kiddos are in their beds (for how long, who knows?). So yes, my challenge is to transform my office into a bit of a sanctuary that will be pleasant for me to work in but also a place where the kids will feel welcome to come and hang out. I want to do this is 7 days and not spend a penny more than 20 dollars (so yeah, paint and plaster is out of the question).

So lets describe this office of mine. Right now, it is most chaotic. I run two home businesses (working as a doula and also selling Victorian Epicure...a spice line) and while I've managed to keep all my doulaing files together and organised I haven't come up with the best of systems for Epicure. If you add to those papers all our personal bills and paper stuff you end up with a pile of "stuff". Then Mike (my lovely partner) who also works from home brings in piles of HIS paper stuff and we end up with mountains of paper work all the time it seems. So at any given time my desk is covered in papers and if I wanted to sit down with a pen and paper I'd have a hard time finding one underneight the piles of "stuff". Add to that I have

It is also in the corner room of my basement and it feels like a basement. The floor is cement (though we finally got an area run a month or so ago which helps), it is somewhat cold, it's definitely dark, and the walls are yet to be finished. It doesn't lead to one feeling overly inspired. Unless I was writing about someone living a life of despair (okay, okay it's not THAT bad *lol*).

I have one plant in the room and it is 90% no longer living. Mike desperately wants to save it though. Taking up the whole wall under the only window is a huge calendar with the deadlines I set for myself for a university corespondance course I am taking. Unfortunately not one of those deadlines were met. The fouton couch that takes up most of the room was meant to be a place for the kids to hang out while I worked but what happens is that Morgaine will stand on it clinging to the chair or trying to climb on my demanding "side" (her word for nursing...."side" and "other side"....and this child is seriously boob obsessed. If it's not Morgaine (and most of the time it is) then Liam is jumping up and down of it wildly wanted to know when I'll be done so he can play on PBS Kids www.pbskids.org (he's obsessed). My visions of them serenely sitting there reading books or chatting with me while I worked was unfortunately only a vision.

My plans for the room:

1. Do my filing (and I mean file it and NOT throw it into the top drawer of the filing cabinet).


2. Clear out a corner for the kids and bring in some books and games for them.


3. Hang some original art work.


4. Bring in some plants (though I have no idea where they will go (the room is pretty tiny)


5. Bring in some inspiration for Mama


6. Get some pens and note pads and maybe even a sketch pad (yes, I'm ambitious).


7. Maybe figure out some better lighting or something to make it feel less dark.


8. Get a blanket somewhere that I can wrap myself or the kidlets in.

So yeah, I'm going to do all that in a week and for less than 20 dollars. I'll let you know how it goes!!