If you give a mouse a cookie...

...she will tear the house apart.

Yesterday I decided that cleaning Avary's room was long overdue.

But I realized, if I was going to clean her room, I was going to have to do some major organizing as well. Everything was so bizarrely out of place. Yes, I said bizarrely.

In one toy bin I found - bath toys, a sock, puzzle pieces, padding for a bike helmet, garbage, hair bows, and a tooth flosser, along with a bunch of random toys.

Then I thought, if I am going to organize, then maybe I should rearrange the furniture - to make better use of the space.

Maybe...since I am going to rearrange the furniture, it would be a good time to convert Avary's crib into a toddler bed - cause that makes sense right?

It has to get worse before it gets better - and it did.

I began my demolition of the room, and decided that I just HAD to move a large shelving unit INTO the tiny closet.

But if I was going to do that, I'd have empty the closet first. So naturally, I dumped the contents of the closet, and the shelves onto the floor -on top of the folded up rug (along with everything that was on the rug prior to demolition), the large rocking chair (upside down), and every stuffed animal Avary owns (which is ALOT).

Then I was ready for the move into the closet.

(Before I continue, I think I should give you an idea of what this shelving unit looks like... It's about 3' 3" wide, and 16" deep, with three lateral sections that drop down about 1' each, creating what looks like a staircase.)

So I turned the unit on it's side. It wouldn't fit.

I tipped it up. Still wouldn't fit.

I turned it over to the other side. Nope.

And as all projects like this go, I went ahead and...

I turned the unit on it's side. It wouldn't fit.

I tipped it up. Still wouldn't fit.

I turned it over to the other side. Nope.

Ok...It really won't fit through the doorway.

So, I decided to take the door off the hinge. Surely it would fit if I did that.

The door came off smoothly, and I once again made the attempt to get the shelves into the closet.

I turned the unit on it's side. It wouldn't fit.

I tipped it up. Still wouldn't fit.

I turned it over to the other side. Nope.

I needed just a inch more - then it would definitely fit.

Again, naturally, I chose to take the base moulding off the wall inside the closet. (I know. It seems extreme. But it wasn't even connected to the wall in ANY way. AND... is it really necessary to put moulding INSIDE the closet?)

So I took the moulding out, and began to twist and turn the unit.

Nope. I guess my "one inch more" was more like two or three.

So I gave up.

Just kidding! I couldn't give up now! I was in it too far already!

All I had to do now was remove one or two parts of the shelves...no big deal...

About 8 screws later, the unit was a bit lighter, but more importantly, a bit skinnier.

I turned it up on it's side, and it slide right into place.

Whew!

Once in the closet, I even had room to put all pieces back together, replace the moulding, and of course re-hinge the door.

Now that the shelves were in place, I had room to put everything away and the room came together quickly. Everything looked so nice and orderly. And then I had a thought...

Since I have done all this work to organize every last toy, it would be a shame to let it get messed up again. So I decided to label EVERYTHING.

Wooden blocks. Puzzles. Art supplies. Instruments. Diapers. Wipes. Hair bows. It looked great. But then I thought... What happens when multiple items are taken out at one time? Maybe I should also put labels on the shelves, to indicate where each bin belongs...

So that's what I did. Now it looked REALLY GREAT.

A quick vacuum, and the room was clean and VERY organized.

When it was bed time, we went through our usual routine, and then tucked Avary into her 'new' bed. She loved it! We said our goodnights, and left the room.

It wasn't long before we heard a thump (don't worry! I padded it!) and a tiny hand wiggling the door knob. I went back into her room and explained that she needed to stay in her bed, otherwise we'd have turn it back into a crib. I tucked her in, and left the room.

Soon, we heard A talking, so I went back in, to find that she had pulled 4 blankets out of their drawer, turned on her lamp, and pulled 3 books off the shelf, one of which was up on her bed with her - she was 'reading'. I gave the speech yet again, and left the room. I guess it stuck. She stayed in bed and everyone got some sleep.

This morning, I woke up to the sweet sound of that tiny voice reciting 'Where the wild things are' word for word.

I went into her room, and found her once again, with the light on, and sitting in bed with a stack of books. She woke up, got out of bed, turned on the light, got books off the shelf, took them to her bed, and sat down to 'read'.

What an amazing little girl?!?