We had a lot of goofy hippy ideas about how much our children would love having a shared nursery room – ala A Pattern Language – oh, the security they would feel! The cheerful kinship! They would go to bed singing "Kumbaya" and arise singing "Good Morning Starshine."
Um, no?
The Baby and The Boy – outgoing cheerful extroverts both – LOVE sharing a room. LOVE. We could hear then chatting long after they’re tucked in, telling each other stories and making plans for the next day. And then we could hear The Girl shrieking "SHUT UP! SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!"
Not all kids – it turns out – have the same personality. Who knew? The Girl has the same privacy-loving personality as her father, AND she also loves order, unlike her two cheerfully messy siblings. Sharing a room was making her unhappy, and unlike her siblings, her moods last for more than five minutes. So she obviously needed her own room, and I don’t know how your house is, but we just don’t have spare rooms laying around… hey, what about the playroom?
So we spent the weekend clearing out the playroom, repainting it, putting in new curtains and moving all of her stuff in. And after a CRAZY amount of work, the proud new owner of her very own bedroom was able to sleep in her own space last night.
To celebrate, we had cheese fondue for supper – to our children’s delirious joy. They LOVE fondue. Back
in the 70s, no adult party was complete without a bunch of clog-wearing dirndl skirt-clad be-braided adults getting out the fondue set, and then of course there was the fondue-backlash and I’m not talking about when some hipster spilled melted swiss cheese all over his polyester bell bottoms.
I think enough time has passed to re-embrace the sheer fun of fondue, though – we make chocolate fondue FREQUENTLY during the winter, and our kids greeted the weekend’s cheese fondue with an unnerving amount of excitement. Without having any 70s residue (I am so old) to colour (avocado green) their opinions, they can see clearly what a good time it is – and whenever we’ve served any kind of fondue at grown-up parties, it’s been greeted rapturously. It’s playful and tasty and inexpensive and a fun shared meal – and at our house, it was a lovely way to re-emphasize that we are still a family, even as old patterns end and new ones begin.
I play Good Morning Starshine to wake up my kids every morning. Seriously. I mean, I think it’s just a fun way to wake up. It really irritates my 12yo too, but that’s just a bonus. 🙂
So where did all the playroom stuff go? Into the The Boy and The Baby’s room? I’m sure The Girl is loving having her own room!
We won a fondue set at Joe’s squadron’s Christmas party a couple years ago; we don’t bring that out of the cabinet often enough!
We don’t actually own a fondue pot big enough for anything other than chocolate, but we LOVE fondue, it’s fabulous! In fact, it’s what we’re planning for Christmas Eve after we get home from the C.E. service and the LG is in bed. 🙂
Mmmm…about 15 years ago (GAWD! Can it be that long ago?) I was in France with my sister and we had THE. BEST. FONDUE. EVER. in a little wooden hut in Chamonix. DIVINE. We were able to get the recipe and we have it at least once a year. You’re making me crave it again now!
Yum! We do fondue every Christmas Eve…we have since the 70’s 🙂
beck this is just melting my heart. What a perfect day for your girl.
Fondue. Yummmmm. Why do I never think to do that?
Great job on the new bedroom! It’s got a warm and cozy vibe going, good for The Girl. This post really makes me want to get a fondue set before the holidays. That sounds delicious!
oh…. a room of her own. sweet and sad, all at once. let’s just hope no mice move in to share it with her. 😉 and the two wee kids are probably up gabbing all night now! 🙂
hey hey, I never came across this word “fondue” before, double confirmed with the dictionary… yeah! learn another new word.
this is very similar to a ‘dish’ we eat on Chinese New Year’s Day. Yes, it does promote family unity and harmony as every shared the same pot. *wink*
We did a chocolate fondue with the kids last New Year’s Eve. It was an absolute hoot. And we didn’t have to use a single avocado green utensil.
Oh, how fun… congrats to the girl. Let the nesting begin!
My girls have their own rooms, but guess what? They still sleep together in the double bed. They alternate rooms, but can’t stay apart for more than a night at most. 🙂 Many’s the night I have to fuss at them to BE QUIET. But of all the things to fuss about, girlie giggles at lights’ out isn’t the worst I can think of. 🙂
What a lucky girl to have such understanding parents. I bet she is so happy!
I too have visions of all three of my boys sharing a room together. Hmm. Wonder if that will actually work. 😉
I think that her room, at least that small glimpse of it, looks beautiful!
Glad for your girl … her room looks sweet!
And I LOVE fondue.
Now if only we had a playroom so we could make another bedroom!
Mmmm cheese.
The room looks beautiful. I wish we had a playroom laying around! 🙂 I hope the girl is very happy. My kids would probably love fondue. I should try it.
That’s gorgeous. Love the paint colour and love the curtain and love that she has her own space. Apparently I’m full of LOVE!
I never shared a room growing up, but I imagine I’d hate it, too. Our kids shared briefly, but KayTar is just not good roommate material what with the frequent night vomits of her past. Anyway, HOORAY for the Girl! Hooray for fondue! That sounds perfectly delicious right now. I think my mouth is watering actually.
the room looks warm and beautiful. And now I want some fondue.
LOL. Your ’70’s fondues sound a little more colorful than any of mine ever were.
Our kids all wanted their own rooms and when they finally each had their own, then they were begging each other for a sleepover in each other’s rooms. Go figure. I’m love the grape color of your girl’s room. I’m happy for her.
What a lovely post. Fondue is wonderful. The Butler and I spent an inordinate amount of money a year ago celebrating someone’s 50th birthday at a fondue resatuarant. Granted, it is much cheaper to do it at home, we had a need for some intimacy, which we got for 3 hours while we ate 4 courses of melted bliss.
And the Girl with her own room! How completely appropriate and exciting for her. I am so happy she has a place for her own personality to bloom. You are thoughtful and loving parents to give her what she needs.
I adored cheese fondue as a child. I seem to remember that it’s not just melted cheese – that there were some other ingredients to add to make it dippable. Am I correct? Could you let me know? This might be a great solution to our non-vegetable eating Boy.
How lovely for The Girl.
I can see fondue at our house–the little one would love it–the older one is way to cynical to be wowed by something as tame as melted cheese. (But secretly he would love it too.)
So glad the girl has her own room. Maybe a more peaceful existence will ensue.
Love fondue. Yum.
I had a fondue set. In the 70’s. Because everyone did. And never, not once, did I use it. Now I wish I’d kept it. What a fun family meal!
OK, what IS the purple stripey thing on her bedside table? I feel ridiculously happy for The Girl, for getting her own room. I can imagine how happy she is in her pretty new lavendar space.
Is the stripey thing with purple fur trim a purse or a bedside lamp? Regardless: I LOVE IT!
I’m intrigued by nowheymama’s tomato/pizza fondue. Hmmm…
I would have hated sharing a room with my brother for the same reasons the Girl has. I’m glad it worked out.
And fondue does sound yummy–and a family tradition. I may have to look into getting a fondue pot.
awww so cute that the Girl needs her own space! YAY parents for respecting it and not sticking to their own ideals 🙂
Mmmmmm fondue!
How nice! She must be thrilled. Very cute curtains btw.
Great idea. We need to fondue more around here.
My sister moved into the ATTIC when we were pre-teens, completely over sharing a space with me. I got both bunk beds for sleep overs AND three floor-to-ceiling windows. She got a draft. I totally won.
Just yesterday we unpacked all of our wedding china and other gifts from our wedding five years ago. This was in preparation for Thanksgiving. Among the STUFF was our fondue set. It say on the counter for a while as we tried to figure out what to do with it. Then we put it up on one of those high cabinet shelves, you know, where things go to die and be forgotten. Perhaps we should bust it out.
I know I never would have been good about sharing a room. But Sam was asking me just the other night when Robby would be old enough to sleep in the room with him. It got me thinking.
And yay for The Girl!
I loves me some fondue! It’s a New Year’s Eve tradition for our family, though we always did the hot oil fondue (you cook meat in it). I’m a big fan of the chocolate and the cheese, too, especially with a little white wine and kahlua thrown in…
We are budgeting now, but I have serious (non avocado green) fondue envy.
What a great idea.
(I’m glad your introverted girl has her own space now. I totally get the need for that myself.)
Yes, my two big kids share a room right now, and the baby is in with us. We don’t have spare roms lying around either. I am glad for the girl and her new lavendar room!
we have the fondue set that my in-laws used in the 1970’s to boil raw meat in oil. apparently raw meat fodue was a weird rage once upon a time.
we, on the other hand, love having good old fashioned CHEESE fondue in it these days.
The new room looks lovely. Each of my kids has their own room, but they frequently have sleepovers in each others’ rooms.
So glad The Girl has her space now!
We love fondue! It’s our traditional Christmas dinner now.
I have my eye on Cuisinart’s electric fondue pot. I want two of them actually and right now they’re on sale at Linens & Things.
We will soon be moving the baby out of our room into our girl’s room. She’s excited about it, so far.
We can’t do cheese fondue, but we do enjoy “pizza” fondue (tomato sauce). And chocolate, of course.
Yay for The Girl! I’m sure she’ll thrive in her new space. I was, for 15 years, the introverted only child of rainbow chasing, “herbed cheese” eating, crazy commune living hippie folks. If I could’ve shrieked “shut up, shut up both of you”, and garnered reprieve, I would have saved quite a bit of money on therapists!
What a treat for The Girl! She is going to love her private and quiet new space. We are in the process of moving the girls into one room to make room for the baby. I have no idea how it will turn out, but alas we are out of rooms so for now it will have to do.
Fondue sounds yum!
What a treat for The Girl! She is going to love her private and quiet new space. We are in the process of moving the girls into one room to make room for the baby. I have no idea how it will turn out, but alas we are out of rooms so for now it will have to do.
Fondue sounds yum!