Boy's Rooms - A Reality Check

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Is there anyone else out there that feels less than adequate in some area or another of your life because of Pinterest and social media? I mean, according to all of the pins and information floating around in cyber utopia, I am supposed to be able to whip-up a perfect, nutritious meal every night, have a perfectly formed body with all of the easy, peasy twenty minute workouts and such, put together fashion savvy and beautifully accessorized outfits in the blink of a pin, send my kids to school each day with balanced lunches that are works of art with their faces carved in a radish and lets not speak of the easy crafts and gift ideas that I am supposed to make and we haven't even touched on the home decor part. Deep breath. Hello? Anyone?

These are the rooms that I envision in my head and what cyber utopia tells me the male children of my family should live in. Really?

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Sally Wheat interior design found here

found here

found here

found here

I can't figure out where they put their smelly soccer cleats and gym shoes.  Where are the cluttered desks and all of the "stuff" that my boys have endless supply of? I never see them carting big bunches junk up the stairs, yet it just multiplies. For my oldest, God love him, he is a "saver." Every single magazine (fishing and hot rods), every Bass Pro Shop catalog - hundreds of them. I cannot throw them out fast enough! But that's not the worst! My boy, again, God love him, in the words of his fourth grade teacher, "Loves him some good office supplies." His motto, if one is good, thousands are better. He is like an office supply doomsday prepper. No joke. My little man? It's the usual Legos and Matchbox. He is actually my "neat kid," just don't look under his bed or open his drawers. Mercy me. Please tell me this happens at your house! 

So, imagine my horror when I finished our holiday decorating and walked into my eldest son's room to this...

Yes, he loves Christmas Vacation  - Clark Griswald would be proud

It is quite the light show experience.

He was so proud. The picture says it all, but let me paint a few more layers for you. Close your eyes and imagine the aroma of the sweaty basketball shoes and the day old gym clothes that were strewn across the floor. And why? Why does he insist on leaving extra deodorants on every surface? Ok, I will give him that. He doesn't want to forget to use it and face that stinky shame. And all of my children have a dishwasher full of glasses in their rooms. I have to do bi-weekly glass round-ups so we can have something to drink out of.

This is youngest son's room after sleepover with best friend.

This is the desk of youngest son's room after said sleepover with their choice of reading selections.

The book makes noise. Awesome. Thank goodness it doesn't make smells. Oh wait, that is what boys are for!

All this being said, I LOVE my children. And hopefully, they will love me after this is posted. I will pay them a compliment, they all make an attempt each day to make their beds. Is it what I would do? No, but they tried. I am thinking of starting a new trend. It will be called Reality Posting. We can all post the real pictures of our homes. You know, the rooms that real people actually inhabit on a daily basis. The rooms that have never seen a stylist or professional photographer. So, who's with me? I think I hear crickets.

Thought I would post the rooms after a bit of tidying from mom. Pinterest worthy? Maybe not, but they really love their spaces and if they do, I do too!

Reality rules!

Krissy

D.I.Y. Bulletin Board

My home has been quiet for the last week and a half. Two of the mini-pearls are at camp for two weeks and Fisherman has been - wait for it - fishing. Yes, my first born spent the last week in the Keys with my mother-in-law. It is tough to be him. Now, don't go feeling sorry for me having to be home alone. It has been rough, but I am dealing. Mr. Pearl and I have been forced to do things like play tennis each evening and eat leisurely dinners. It has been very difficult. I have had to spend my days working on projects for the house. Yes, very tough to manage. Ha! Don't get me wrong, I love my babies more than life, but I know they are all having fun and are safe, so I should have fun, too.

Look at that grin - Fisherman in his element, the Keys. Yes, that is a shark that he is holding. It is a little bonnet head and was released unharmed.

First project up, Fisherman's room. I have been putting-off hanging all of his decor and settling him into his new digs (since we moved in February) because he is just so darn agreeable, that he has never asked when I would finish his room. He has his Xbox and TV set-up and room for all of his stuff. Life is good and the fact that his room is "not finished" is like permission to not really tidy things up in there. No more! 

Fisherman did ask for a bulletin board and I am happy to oblige. I fashioned one out of an old screen door that I purchased in Round Top over a year ago. Originally, I had purchased the door thinking that it would make a really cool, full of character door for Fisherman's closet. His room has this whole fish camp, hunting lodge vibe and I thought that would be perfect. When the time finally came to actually submit the door to the contractor for installation, I woke-up from my dream. What was I thinking? A see-through, screen door on a teen boy's closet. Not just any boy, my boy. My first born has many talents. He is smart, witty, blessed with the gift of gab - the boy can talk to anyone, any age, any time, any where and has since he could talk. He loves the outdoors and has compassion for the people and critters that God has put on this earth. He is a cool kid, if I do say so myself. However, he can, at times, remind me of Bubba from Forest Gump. Bubba went on and on about shrimp and my oldest, well, it's not fish recipes, but everything fish: types of fish, places to fish, fishing lures, rods and reels, live bait, the habits of fish, the type of weather best suited for fishing, the best fish to eat, the best fish to catch... Get the picture? He also collects all the paraphernalia to go along with his passion.

This is what the door looked like when I brought it home from Round Top. I love the chippy, turquoise paint, but the weathered, untreated wood on the other side won out.

Where does all of this fishing stuff go? In Fisherman's closet, because, according to him, it must be in a temperature controlled environment. We had our contractor build him in a special place to hold his rods, but with all that stuff and a few clothes, it isn't pretty. All that to say, a see-through closet door was a no-go. If you have an exceptionally neat boy, and a screen-door closet would be a cool edition to his room, by all means, use this idea! It is too cool not to.

Back to the D.I.Y. part of this post. I removed all of the old screen from the door and cleaned it up. Then, I simply bought several rolls of cork from the craft store. I rolled the cork out along the back of the door, two layers thick and secured with staples along the sides. (Note: I totally for got to take pictures along the way. Sorry!) I then put a layer of foam core behind the cork, as the cork was really thin. I secured this with heavy duty packing tape. Not pretty, but strong. For the largest opening, I used a bulletin board that I already had and covered it with some camo fabric to match the room. The door is secured with long screws into the wall. Mr. Pearl made sure that it was really secure, as it will get alot of use. The door still ads character to Fisherman's room and the contents of his closet are hidden. That makes me and Fisherman (to quote a character from one of his favorite shows, Duck Dynasty) very "happy, happy, happy."

The finished project, hanging above Fisherman's desk.

 The rest of the room - the gun is an antique that belonged to Mr. Pearl's great, great uncle, a Texas map (yet another Round Top purchase), the light above the chair is made from an old bait bucket. 

That's my oldest boy's room. These may be the only pictures ever made of it, because, well, he is a teenage boy and I have to pick my battles.

xoxo,

Krissy