My son has major food allergies and last week we had a
food challenge for soy, since his latest round of tests showed he may have outgrown it. The test takes four hours and
we were confined to a room the size of a small area rug the entire time. We packed enough toys and snacks to keep us occupied for the full time, but being in such a small space for so long can make anyone go a little nuts. I felt so claustrophobic, but after about 45 minutes, we were completely at home.
We made a small 'family room' in one corner, where the portable dvd player was set up playing Elmo over and over again. :/ We had a little 'kitchen' AKA his stroller, where he ate his snacks. The
torture chamber examining table :( acted as his 'bedroom' where he took a short 15 minute nap in between
force-feeding soy milk testing. We also had a little 'learning/family room' area where we did puzzles, played with blocks, and flipped through tons of flashcards. He
loves his flashcards!
It really got me thinking about small spaces and how you really have to get creative when you are low on space.
Here are some of my favorite 'on the small side' multi-tasking spaces:
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| I have had this in my file for at least three years and did not save the source. If you have it, please let me know, so I can give credit. | |
Seeing such great images where the best was made of their spaces, I took this as a sign (much like
my speeding ticket as a sign to slow down in life) that I needed to make the best of our situation with food allergies. I was becoming crazy thinking about traveling or even going out to eat and what food can he or can he not eat. I felt almost claustrophobic, if that makes sense....like I was trapped in this food allergy world. Will his diet be so limited because
he can't eat wheat, dairy, eggs, and peanuts? Is he going to starve? No more...Make the best of it. I have decided...finally...to make the best of it. This whole experience really opened my eyes to foods I never even would have thought to feed him at this age. Who knew he would love polenta or quinoa or spinach cakes. Cooking for him has become so fun. It has always been fun, but the challenge of coming up with healthy, allergen-free foods for a 15-month old has been such a learning experience and has made me realize that allergies don't have to be the end of the world...much like a small home or room really isn't that bad when you can learn to make the best of it. :)
ki
Going along with my anti-clutter lifestyle (ha ha), I feel that refrigerator doors could use a makeover! What? No pictures of my babies, no reminders, invitations, no pics of my kid's art?? Well, not exactly. I have no problem with those things, just don't junk it up so that they fall on the floor every time I need to open the fridge. [Magnets shown above]
And if you just can't stand the thought of organized fridge doors, how about some beautiful magnets to give your clutter that cohesive look? :) I have fallen in love with these handmade marble magnets from seller thePurplePear found on etsy.com! Check out some of her work.
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