Grace-Full Intentions: House Dreaming: Kids' Room

A lot has changed since I that first "House Dreaming" post. In it, I explained that we're kind of "stuck" in this house, thanks to a crummy housing market and some past not-so-great financial decisions. Nothing has changed in that department, but what has changed is that our home {maybe, possibly, Lord willing} will include one more person in the near future. But, before you go there..No, I'm NOT PREGNANT!

Sadly, there is not a new life growing in my belly, but there is one growing in my heart. This is the part where I'd like to tell you that we will soon be adopting a little one. And, we are... possibly. Right now, my husband and I are going through some classes to become foster parents, with the hopes of adopting a child from foster care. That's why I say, our family might soon grow... as in, it's not a 100% done deal yet.

The uncertainty of it all is the primary reason why I can't tell you much more than that right now. We still have about 10 weeks left in the class and then we'll have a better idea of what's going on. But, I did want to let you all know so that you could be praying for us and more specifically, for that child, wherever he or she may be.

What I am doing in the mean time, is trying to figure out how I'm going to make our small home work for a family of four, when it already seems so cramped with the three of us. For starters, my hubby is claiming the third bedroom as a music room/studio and, as much as I'd like to tell you that it's a frivolous thing, it really is a necessity for him. So, I'm basically working with the equivalent of a two bedroom home and it needs to fit enough space to live, learn, and play. MUCH easier said than done.

But, in order to prevent feeling overwhelmed, I'm simply jumping back into "House Dreaming" mode so that I have an idea of what needs to be done. And what better way than to kick it off {again} than to share what I have planned for the kids' bedroom...

{Bed pictured above is the MYDAL bunk bed from IKEA; we'd also buy the TROMSO trundle.}

Here are the details: Little Man and our future child will be sharing a room. But, here's the thing: any child placed into our care must be younger than our youngest child which, in our case, means that we won't be caring for a child older than two or three years of age - we're going through a private agency and that's their rule, which is fine by me. So... we may or may not need a crib in this room, as well. If we do need one, the room is definitely going to be tight. It's all good though because this room is just going to be for sleeping and dressing anyways - toys will be stored elsewhere. If we happen to get a toddler who no longer needs a crib, or grows out of a crib while still living with us, we'll just let him/her use the trundle bed instead of a toddler bed. Three bodies able to sleep in the same amount of floor space as a full size bed? Talk about a space saver!

As if all of that wasn't challenging enough, this room also has to double as guest quarters when we have overnight company. What this bunk-bed-with-a-trundle-underneath will do is provide a place for up to three guests to spend the night with our family. And, if I can purchase a better sofa bed {seriously...ours is so uncomfortable}, then we'll have room for up to five guests! {In case you were wondering, Little Man usually sleeps in our bed when guests come over, so when we have another little one, we'll continue the tradition... maybe we'll "camp out" in the living room or something... who knows!}

When this bunk-bed-with-a-trundle-underneath isn't accommodating guests, it's going to provide a place for my son to sleep {bottom bunk} and play {top bunk will become his own "secret" hideaway... at least until he gets "promoted" to top bunk...}. To create this hideaway, I'm going to hang curtains from the ceiling and attach one of those ikea spice-rack-turned-bookshelves {or something similiar} to the wall for books. I'll also add several comfy pillows and his stuffed animal collection to make it feel more welcoming. Really, though, a chance to climb and "hide" is pretty welcoming enough to a little boy!

{Inspiration Photo found HERE}

Another thing to note from the first photo {with the bunk bed} is those two gray squares with the words "striped walls" next to them. Honestly, I'm not sure where striped walls fall when it comes to the "still popular" and "so yesterday" scale, but I really don't care. I still loved them and I think it'll be a fun way to add some fun to this room in a sophisticated kind of way.

As for the color scheme... The need to keep this space gender-neutral stems from the fact that we don't know whether the child that we would foster/adopt is a boy or a girl. Plus, if we're still in the house when/if a third child enters our lives, we want this space to work for the long haul.

Having said that, I though we could do something a little different and, hopefully, a lot of fun over on Pinterest. Let's play "tag"!! Here's how it works...

You find a picture of a unisex bedroom that you like.
Pin it to one of your boards, adding "@Alana @ Domestic Bliss Diaries" to your description.
I'll see it and leave you a kind little comment about it.
In the next week or so, I'll share some of my favorites, along with a link to your board/blog {whichever you prefer} in a "Pinterest Interest: Unisex Kids' Rooms" post.

To participate, all I ask is that you follow me on my blog {via GFC or email} and on Pinterest {you don't have to follow all of them, but follow at least one, please}.

*HUGS*