The Cupboard Under the Stairs

I think some kids just need their own space. When Gordon was in middle school, he willingly moved his "bedroom" into the space under the stairs. He literally lived in the cupboard under the stairs**, just like Harry Potter. Only he wanted to, so he could have his own "room."

Last week I hit my last nerve with Chandler and the early wake ups. We've struggled with him and his natural alarm clock for the last couple of years, but lately it's been especially bad. Many of my friends around here have heard me complain "I've been up since 4!" and all because of my cute little Chandler. Trust me though, he's not nearly as cute at 4 a.m. One of the biggest problems was that if we put him back into his own bed, he would wake up Emilee with his "chatting" or kick the wall and wake up the big guys. So, he usually ended up in bed with us, keeping us awake. It was getting unbearable.

So, after much thought, I decided to move him into our own little "cupboard under the stairs" where the book nook formerly resided. We moved the books out to the boys room, and made a little wall with a dresser and a curtain, and . . . voila! Chandler has his own room.

You might be thinking, "isn't this "room" in the middle of your family room?" Why yes it is. But, luckily, once Chandler man is asleep, he is OUT. At least for the first part of the night. He goes to bed by 7, and by about 7:20 we can resume our normal activities in the bonus room for the most part. It's been a week now and he hasn't been bothered yet (and that even includes a popcorn and star wars night with the guys!).
The best part about it is, he doesn't wake up the other kids any more. And, I don't have to keep him in my bed because we can send him back to his own room to wait out the early morning. So far so good! Hopefully it will be a good solution for a little while. . .

**for my parents, who are probably the only people on the planet who have not read the Harry Potter series, this is a reference to where poor Harry was forced to sleep before he became a wizard, while his spoiled adopted brother occupied two bedrooms of his own. :)