This morning I am considering a ban against children hanging out in the master bedroom. Doesn’t it make sense that hard-working parents should have at least one room free of precious, yet messy reminders of little ones?
For example, I have my children rest every day at the same time and I always put Davy-do in my bed for his rest time, so that he and Caleb are separated.
As a result, I’ve had my nicely made bed torn apart. I’ve had the little switch thingy that goes “click-click” when you turn on the lamp, spun out and lost “somewhere”. Parties in the bathroom result in an un-flushed toilet and toilet paper all over. I’ve had my cosmetics unlidded and explored with one small Davy-do finger.
Also, the master bedroom includes our computer. So every afternoon it becomes the local hangout with at least two children in a chair, and one perched on the desk, all excitedly watching the action on a computer game. This results in little irritations, too, like dirty bottoms (always dirty now from all the adventures outdoors) sitting on the desk (leaving grit behind) and sometimes my clean clothes. (I left out some new clothes that I had ordered and before I could even wear my new snow-white shirt, someone’s wet dirty bottom sat on it. Thankfully, it came clean!)
But last night was the last straw.
I was awakened at 3:30-ish in the morning by a strange noise. Was Rich having breathing trouble? No. Was someone out of bed? No. Was it a burglar? I don’t think so. A rat or squirrel? Maybe.
I tried to go back to sleep. But, there it was again. A strange noise, like a busy little creature.
“Rich.”
(pause)
“Rich?”
“hwawehla?”
“I hear something. What is that noise?”
Rich sat up. And just sat. So long that I finally asked, “Rich! What are you doing?”
“Just trying to figure out what that noise is!” He laid back down. (I think he was still half-asleep)
We both listened. Rich pounded on the wall. We could still hear. . . whatever it was.
Finally, I had a thought. “Do you think it’s a turtle? Maybe the kids brought one in.” That would explain why our bathroom had dirt in the sink, and a dirty bowl on the floor earlier.
“Oh yeah,” says Rich, “the kids did tell me that a turtle got loose.”
Me: ?????
So, at 4 in the morning Rich and I were out of bed, laughing, and trying to find a turtle. Rich still didn’t quite believe that we would find one. But, I KNEW, of course I knew, that we would. Any mother would have had 10-15 red flags raised in her mind if her children said a turtle was loose in her house.
Rich checked the closet, and there was nothing.
Then we both searched under the bed. He on his side, me on mine. Our eyes met and we laughed again.
“There it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I said, excitedly. He was up against a box, and sort of stuck.
I got him out and Rich said, “Where’s the camera?” (I was proud of him, I had no thoughts of taking pictures).
We let him loose outside on the lawn and then I ate a piece of bread and we both had a drink. We were WIDE AWAKE but we made ourselves go back to bed. I eventually fell asleep, only to groan when Caleb woke up at 6.
Honestly. In my dreams, I can imagine a wonderful master bedroom. A place where shiny clean windows are open, and a gentle breeze is puffing the light airy curtains into the room. The ceiling fan is slowing turning. The bed is crisply made with fresh clean sweet smelling sheets, with pretty pillows neatly arranged. The floor is clean and vacuumed with no small toys. There is NOT a pile of clean clothes in the rocking chair, it’s empty, with a pretty blanket folded on the back of it. Things are neatly placed in baskets and jars. My pretty decorations are sparkling and in the places in which I arranged them. The whole room says, “Come, tired mama and tired papa, rest in me, rest in my cleanliness, refresh yourselves together in a lovely room just for the two of you.”
I think it’s time to kick the kids out of the room. Perhaps a special invitation will be offered up now and then but for now I’ve reached my limit.
This is a room for love. Not small children and their little critters. They can have the rest of the house.
Good to be Home 
Oh boy, you got me smilin’ this morning! But Shanda, just a warning ~ in about a dozen years, your room will be sparkling and quiet and empty ~ and you will remember these days with a happy-sad smile ~
In the meantime, is there any way to move the computer elsewhere? That would help oodles, I’m a-thinkin’ ~ so glad your blouse came clean ~ I can feel your frustration there! Have a blessed turtle-less day ~
Hilarious! I have been hoping to ban toys from our bedroom. No matter how much I make them clean up before bed time, I always seem to find toys lagging behind in our room. Why, exactly, are they in there????
Good luck with banning kids from your room. Maybe banning wild animals from your room??? LOL! That poor turtle. I’m so glad you were able to rescue him. 🙂
You poor thing. I thought I had it bad when my kids decided to wake up at 6:30. I should’ve known there was someone else out that had even less sleep. I agree with you on the “no kids allowed” thing. Now if only our bedroom really was some place we could relax in. As it is, we hate it so much, we only sleep in it with our eyes closed. :~) It’s only big enough for the bed with a little walk space all around. The closet it way too small, so clothes are piled on the floor. Yuck.
a turtle loose in the bedroom… ROFL!!! that is such a hilarious story. i am thinking keeping your bedroom private (from all life forms other than you and your husband) might be a very good idea. LOL
Oh my goodness!!! how funny!
I totally agree with banning kids from the master bedroom! I was just thinking that as I stepped on a “little engine” as I got out of bed this morning….(apparently Thomas and his friends were playing hide and go seek….James wanted to hide in my room, that is the story I was told anyways….)
Have a great day Shanda!
Do it! And don’t feel a bit guilty. Once our kids were old enough to roam at night, we even locked our door……. er………… on occasion!
I think it is a great idea to ban the kids from your room. You should have one room where you can go to have your own space and it would be great to know when you came to bed after a long days work it will be just as you left it that morning with no dirt or critters. 🙂 Have a great day!
Shan-that is hilarious and I am sure it was frustrating for you too. 🙂 My kids do not get to come in my room very often to play. They can come in if they need something or if they want to lay with me, but usually, they have to play in the rest of the house. I am too wanting to make my master bedroom clean, and a refuge for Glenn and I. Sounds like a great idea!! Have a wonderful day.
I think you should have a no turtle’s rule in your room…hehe. that cracked me up, man. Our kids know to stay out of our room for the most part, but it’s not a hard and fast rule. I hope you have a good day today.
It sounds like a great rule to me! I agree that you should NOT feel guilty about making it a “no-kids” zone. I am glad that you were smiling at the thought of the poor turtle roaming around your room at such an early time of day! I am certain that I would not have been so amused!
My husband has to present a paper at a conference in Orlando next week so the kids and I are tagging along. We only have ONE day to spend at a theme park and was wondering if you had a vote on which one we should tackle. The boys are 4 (in July), 3 1/2 and Piper is 10 1/2 months. We have never been before. Thanks for your input!
My son’s 24″ king snake got loose for a day and it was unnerving where we might find it or whether we would step on it in the middle of the night. We found it curled up under the toy box. And we stepped on a crayfish too that had escaped from its water bowl….I guess it is part of raising children. But honestly, I think the master bedroom should be reserved for the king and queen. When the door is closed, knocking is required. The only time I can remember a child coming in unannounced was a few years ago when our 20 something daughter rushed in at 3AM to say that her temp. was 106!! Scary!! It is OK to make this room off limits…most of the time.
We DO keep our bedroom as a sanctuary for Mom & Dad. The girls must knock before entering. The are “invited” to climb in bed and lay down with us or watch TV, but no toys are allowed. They ask permission before rifling through my shelves of books (Amish picture books, our wedding album, etc.).My final straw was when I closed the bedroom door, went into the bathroom and closed the double doors leading to that, and sat down to use the restroom. I looked up to see Luci standing in the bathroom’s doorway saying, “Mom, I’m bored and there’s nothing to do.” Even the cat and dog push open the doors while I’m in the bathtub leaving me chilled from the rushing air.It didn’t take them more than a month or two to learn to knock – especially when the door was closed. They seem okay ASKING if they can come in and talk. They wait outside the bedroom doorway while waiting for our reply. It’s not a completely forbidden room, but it IS *our* room. We explained we don’t come in their bedroom and plop down. But, we have also begun to knock on their door or door frame before entering. Kind of a mutual respect thing!
thanks for the laugh!
I feel your pain!! I have already been sitting in the bathroom and glanced over to see several frogs in the bathroom sink!! Yes, as a mom of 5 kids we keep our bedroom off limits most of the time. I too need just one room that is clean and free of turtles, frogs, etc:). This reminds me our sheets and comforter are in the washer and going out on the line soon. Oh how I love getting into a fresh clean bed at the end of the day… Have a happy one and keep smiling.
Oh….my. Oh my oh my. Yes, I agree. No more kids in the bedroom. Yikes.
LOL…our masterbedroom is our own, Spence has even trained the dog not to go into it
ROFL!! I loved this post. I’m a staunch believer in keeping the master bedroom a sanctuary, but it never is!! I have the same problem, minus the computer and turtles. 🙂 last night we were rolling in bed brushing crumbs from our sheets…gag! My mother was/is the ultimate Queen of BedroomSanctuary, you would think I’d have learned better….but it’s still our little family hangout. And the bathroom? Why my bathroom when they’ve got their own…I’m beginning to think my 3 little boys feel a sense of duty to christen every toilet in our house on a daily basis…:)
This was hilarious! I even made my husband read it! That would have really scared me, I would have thought it was a mouse and I would hate to have a mouse in my house so I probably would have went crazy! You really are a country girl with all the animals, bugs and creatures that don’t seem to bother you! Thats great, I wish I was more that way!
Ha, ha, ha! I can TOTALLY relate to this post! For all of the reasons you stated…..our master bedroom is off limits to the children. We have had a ban on it since they were very small. It is nice to have one room that stays crisp, clean and pretty. It is our haven. The rest of the house…..well…..as you described, it is very lived in!!! LOL!
Thanks for sharing. I loved it and found it fun to read another post I can really relate to. I didn’t even have to imagine what things looked like. All I have to do is look around my own house, lol!
Have a great day!
Love,
jana
I totally agree! You need to have a place to call “just yours”. You need a peaceful haven to run to. I have this rule in our house. The only time that Landon is in the bedroom with me is when I am getting ready in the morning and he wants to chat. I also give him a bath in our bathroom only because it is on the first floor. By the time it is bath time, I am too tired to climb stairs more than needed! We also have the knocking rule. We also knock on the kids door/door frame before walking in. We are trying to teach them about these respectful boundries.
I have to say that it has been great. We went from total free access and the computer in our room to a kid free zone! (I did move the computer in the living room area). Now we just go to our room and take a deep breath. It is VERY peaceful! Now it is the perfect place to cuddle up to my man. (and let me add….no more plastic toys or cars sticking me in my hinny when I am trying to sleep!)
The turtle story gave me a good laugh though! Hysterical!!!
Shanda, Honey, Two things. You will have years and years of a childless bedroom I miss the pile on and snuggle times like crazy. Stories told under quilts on cold nights. Those times developed into intimate teen talks sitting in the same secluded intersanctum. BUT having that perspective you still need some rules to insure the calm of the place. Respect for Mom and Dad’s room helps with understanding the need to repect other peoples space. Make up some rules (for Rich as well) No pets or animals. (in the bathtub or anywhere there), no dirty feet and hands. Now, Move that computer. Study etc should be confined to another spot (we lived with that one for years!) Knocking first is a must. Entering quietly at your permission is good, but kids need always to feel an easy access to you. You will need that during the coming teen years, which will be here before you know it. You will have the room with a view for two for years and years. You will have those five at home for just a little while longer. Enjoy! Blessings and daily prayers for you. Love, m in sc
OK I would definitely ban the kids from the room…Move the computer out (maybe the landing at the top of the stairs?). But find a way to keep the critters and kids out. My girls only come in our room at night if they need something important. But they know that they are not allowed in there during the day. I usually keep the door shut during the day. I can’t believe you had a turtle loose in your bedroom and they didn’t tell you!
Too funny! To bad you lost precious sleep though.
Good Morning Shanda…..what a great post!! I have that same problem with my lamps. The little thingy that clicks the lamp on are gone!! I love the part….”parties in the bathroom”…..that is soooo true with my girls. After they are done, wet towels on the floor, wet wads of toilet paper on the sink….whatever for I don’t know. Couple of times I looked up and found them on the ceiling!!! AAAggghh!! I have a basket with my lotions, cleansers, hair gels under the bathroom sink. Those mysteriously disappear…but they are usually being used by my girls. (insert loud sigh here)….but I wouldn’t trade all that for the world!! You should be a writer. Have a wonderful day in your part of the country. We have snow!!!!…and its April!! ok be quiet shelley let the woman get back to her family………
your life in pictures = pure beauty.
i say that because i’ve just flipped back
through previous posts… your family is so warm looking
and the love shows.
sorry to be invading,, i’ve just passed by a few
times without comments, and wanted to say “hello”.
be well,
*~matthew~*
So funny!! I can relate, except maybe for the turtle part. 🙂 It’s strange: we upgraded from a full size bed to a queen, and there’s still not enough room! lol Thanks for the mental picture of the two of you turtle hunting ~ it put a smile on my face!
Too funny! I’m sure it was disconcerting at the time, though. Our room is too small to be much of a hangout, and we don’t have a master bathroom. Good luck with making your room a sanctuary. I like to walk in my room throughout the day (putting away clean laundry and such) and see my bed neatly made with the quilt that I made. I understand your desire for a quiet, clean haven. How goes the packing??
Shanda I simply LOVE your posts. They tell of love for your children. They tell of your love of life, love for God and love for your husband. Thanks.
amen. We had a similar experience with a pet huge stink bug that escaped when a son brought it in for show and tell — bad thing was, we swatted it too hard to catch it and the smell was horrid – my hubby and I spent the rest of the night, trying to get ride of the smell (which if you have been around one of those, takes quite a while to get rid of :0) — or attempting to sleep despite the smell! ~Thanks for sharing your turtle story — and complete understanding there on the banning of children except for invites on special occasions and times 🙂
So glad it was ONLY a turtle! yikes. I agree to making your room your own and having a sanctuary. We seemed to achieve that when our older boys were young….our room was so small it just had a bed and small dressing table….but because of that I could keep it clean ….lace curtains and all. It helped the mom when the rest of the small house was too chaotic. We still had boys invited in for snuggle time with clean jammers on for storytime and prayers so no suprises. As the boys got older we all would knock to enter a room. David being so much younger wasn’t always good about that. We had a master room by that time with the bathroom at the entrance. David barged in one time too many and my husband picked him up and threw him back into the hall….I look back on it now and laugh. At the time I thought my hubby was way too harsh….even though it was a soft toss onto a plush carpet. My husband was usually right about boy things though. David stopped barging in and would laugh about it too.
I agree you want to have the kids feel they have you when they need you…but I think you can have both. As our boys got older and stayed up later than Dad…it was real sweet to see them come in for prayers to our room and kneel next to our bed….being too huge for the middle any more or sometimes lay partially over my husbands chest. How sweet is that as they grew into young men?
So cute and joyful that in the middle of searching,and in the middle of the night you and Rich could laugh together! Blessings to you sweet mommy, Jenny
I don’t have messy little ones anymore (bummer)and I’m trying to think how we handled the master bedroom. I loved having the youngest nap in my bed – but I can’t recall messes in the bathroom (oh wait, Jess DID get into my pink lipstick…) Obviously, you are feeling that there is way too much freedom here and you are no longer comfortable with it. You’ll find a happy medium, don’t worry! (Aren’t you glad it was only a turtle and not something with a long tail? eeeek!)
What a great idea. I made my bedroom very sanctuary-like a few months back, despite the fact that my husband works in there and now I have a crib set-up for our baby-to-be who will arrive any day now. Your post makes me glad there aren’t any turtles in there (hah) and inspires me to clean up the clothes and mess that now adorn the place to make it more restful and peaceful again.
I agree that as the keeper of your home, you are allowed one room to be left alone. However, you will miss those little things that irritate you at this moment. Either way, as ‘da mom, YOU ARE RIGHT! LOL
When my hubby gets irritated with messes (he’s more a neat nick than I am) I will be caught saying (sarchastically of course!) “Won’t it be great when they’re all grown and gone and you don’t have to step over that dirty sock?” It always puts things in perspective for us. I too love a neatly cleaned and orderly home, but this is just a season. We have three grown children and three reversal babies so I do have sort of a grandparent mindset at this stage of my life. Is that good or bad? Hmmmmm
This is SO funny! I have to say that I agree with you though. I would be at my limit too after that! I hope you have a GREAT vacation! I love you! Lish
tooo funny!!!!!!!!! Let me know when you figure out a way to have a “sacred” room…..=)
i remember when my older brother and i lost our pet lizard… it ended up IN mom & dad’s bed!! the WHOLE house was awake that night!!! =Dfrom all i know of you you’re an awesome mama.. i think having one room as a “no-no” is not going to make your kids question your love or availability for them one bit~ but i love all the comments from the “older mama’s” reminding us younger ones there is a day a comin when we’ll miss it all – – we need those reminders. and often! 🙂
Not every night a person wakes up to a lost turtle trying to find it’s way home! Very cute story Shanda. I encourage you to definitely make your room a sanctuary. Make it pretty and clean and organized. No turtles allowed!! It makes it even more special when the kids ARE allowed in for reading and snuggling on the bed. By the way, did the turtle thank you? I’m sure in his own turtle way he must have. Can you imagine the relief?
That’s hilarious! I love the part about your eyes meeting and you both were laughing!
My parents had that rule and it made me respect them more, I was happy even at a very young age that they were able to say “no” to us playing in their room in order to keep it clean and private and just for them.
Oh this story totally cracked me up! It’s hard keeping little ones out, but yes, having some privacy is very good. We do that. They can come in when we let them to snuggle in bed, etc. But they can’t just come in. Master Bathroom is way off limits, etc. I try to have a romantic secluded place as a retreat for my husband and I. Not just one cleared of kid’s stuff, but also laundry, piled up papers, etc. It should be clean and relaxing. I always take in a deep breath when I go in my room, it’s quiet and different from the rest of the house. In a way, it gives the kids a thought of the privacy and importance of marriage: it is sacred and special and different, something to respect. Hugs to you, and the turtle!
Good for you!My mother’s biggest piece of advice was, “Keep your bedroom the SANCTUARY!” A good reminder to me…to pick up the odds n ends I leave around!!!!
This is so funny! I can see that little turtle!
My kids are (usually) banned from our bedroom too. I think parents need a ‘sacred space’ to escape too from all kinds of critters. Human or Amphibian!
What a priceless story. I agree, the master room is for Mommy & Daddy only, except for invitation-only weekend morning family snuggles!
Someday when you’re old and gray, I’m sure you and your husband will be laughing your heads off about the turtle under the bed!