Wednesday 26 January 2011

The Right Height For Children

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

I expect some of you who used to visit my son, Sam's blog, will be wondering why he has gone one year and 27 days with out producing a new post. Well, he has now revealed why there was a gap. Maybe you would like to look him up again at The Mighty Sam.


Obviously, my granddaughters spend a good deal of time with Harry and me. There are little traces of their existence all over the house. Small gloves left on the backs of the dining room chairs. Various bags of school equipment left all over the house.
I wonder why the chairs are so often used to hang these little bags of sports gear and ballet things, not forgetting swimming stuff. These hanging places seem to be just the right height for the girls to reach their belongings.
Every now and then, I have a good tidy up and there are wails of protest and much searching at the last minute before school.
One day, maybe I will be able to persuade Sam to put up some low level pegs in the hall.
It is on one of those endless lists of *to do* jobs.
I am hoping they will not have started work before it all gets done. Assuming I am still around!
In the meantime, the pegs we do have, are on overload.
Any suggestions?






30 comments:

Gone Back South said...

How about a free-standing bookshelf (no great expense or assembly required - just look on eBay or in a second hand shop) tucked away somewhere, where you can train the kids to put all their book bags, gloves, hats, PE kits, homework folders, etc.? I struggle with this problem of "stuff" spreading all over the house as well, and our coat hooks are overloaded too.

Suburbia said...

I have a coat stand, kindly donated by a friend, well I think it's still there, under the pile of coats and bags!

No solutions this end either!

Sam said...

Low level pegs? First I've heard! You only have to ask ;-)

The Mighty Sam

Celia said...

I haven't ever solved this one. Let us know how it turns out. I do know that after my own kids left to be on their own, I actually missed the flotsam and jetsam. So now I'm quite as anxious to see it gone this time as the girls are edging into their teens and those fluffy mittens may disappear from sight.

Celia said...

I meant "I'm NOT quite as anxious to see it gone this time" changes the context entirely. I should learn to type.

MARY G said...

I have a line of low hooks and the grandkid hangs her stuff on the newell post and the hall bench corners anyway. So does her aunt. My solution is to grab stuff as they come into the house and firmly hang it all up. If they move it, I move it back.
Sigh.

secret agent woman said...

I have occasionally taken a blog breather when something difficult was going on, but I blogged my way right through my separation and divorce. I NEEDED to!

Unknown said...

My mother's kitchen has a decorative black wooden bench in it. On the bench, she has a basket for each granddaughter ... it's where their "random stuff" goes, but the baskets themselves are very pretty, so you almost don't notice that they're filled with junk ;)

Jackie said...

Peg overload?...sigh.
The only solution I can think of is more pegs... and that's not much help, is it? :))
I'm going to Sam's blog now.
Hugs and smiles to you, Maggie.
Love,
Jackie

Hilary said...

I was thinking along the same lines as Gone Back South, only I was envisioning separate, smaller areas.. kind of like the cubbies that kids have in kindergarten.

What About The Girl? said...

I'd go with the pretty baskets on the bench. It would be like a big bag of goodies.

Sueann said...

You definitely need another row of pegs for sure!! Maybe a piece of furniture there...with drawers and shelves and doors and pegs. That would be ideal!
Hugs
SueAnn

mrsnesbitt said...

We are tackling our porch too - more pegs! Infact a whole length of pegs!

larkswing said...

More pegs, or a low shelf, maybe one with baskets? At least the short people in your house use the pegs! There are some in the world that just can't quite get that concept...hehe

Jeni said...

I have much the same problem here too! We have both sides of the walls in the entrance-way to the house studded with little knobs on which to hang coats and stuff, plus a coat closet is there too but one particular adult in this household seems to never be able to find a place to hang her many coats/jackets and relys on the dining room chair backs for that! The kids, I can understand, as the pegs are still a bit too high for them to reach, but daughter is an inch and a half taller than me and yet....well, you get the picture there, I'm sure. So much for lead by example, huh?

Rose said...

I love the first photo, Maggie--it made me smile:) My grandchildren aren't here as frequently as yours, so I don't worry about the mess so much. But after they've been here even for a day, I always find little things in the oddest places, and it always makes me smile. One grandson sometimes leaves his shoes here--you'd think that would be something he wouldn't forget:)


Looks like you might get those lower pegs very soon!

Clare Dunn said...

Dear Maggie May

Found you through Eddie's blog, read this one post and felt an instant connection.

Will follow you, if I MAY...

xoxoxo, cd
http://clare-dunn.blogspot.com/

Akelamalu said...

No solution from me sorry - all my coat pegs are taken up with my own coats! :0

Eddie Bluelights said...

Yes more pegs Maggie should do it.
Nice to see Sam back in BlogLand.
Eddie x

cheshire wife said...

What about storage boxes for the things that do not need to be hung up?

SandyCarlson said...

Looks like my house!

Ayak said...

Before you know it they'll be all grown-up and won't be leaving their stuff about the house...then you will miss it!

Casdok said...

When i tidy i can find things either!
Love the glove photo 8)

Anonymous said...

What adorable traces of your little grand-kids.

Dimple said...

No suggestions at all from me, but I know you enjoy the girls who are responsible for all these "decorations!"

Jules~ said...

Yeah! I love purple fuzzy gloves! :)

Hanging stuff on the backs of chairs, I think I am guilty of the same. In my mind it helps to keep the table free for table stuff. Great logic right?

Solving the great explosion of stuff on pegs....oh boy. Secretly I think that the more we try to organize it the more it wants to run away from us because we get more and more stuff. lol But I do love the lower pegs solution. When my girls were younger I had a lower coat rack (an expandable shower rod) in our coat closet so it would be more tempting to hang up their belongings.

I am so glad you are able to spend so much time with your grand children. I know it is a blessing.

Have a blessed and wonderful day today.

Lakeland Jo said...

I feel your pain... if it's not on the floor or on pegs and hooks, its stuffed in the wardrobe or in capacious sports bags... it just gets worse and worse as they get bigger. Prepare yourself.........sorry this isnt helpful. I suggest bigger house and plenty of staff XX

family affairs said...

Sadly not. My house looks just the same - chairs fall backwards all the time overladen with bags.....

Sorry to hear about your son and his divorce. How sad. Hadn't realised he was responsible for you starting a blog all those years ago - we are dinosaurs now - haven't been over for a while but thought I'd just drop in to say hi as saw your name on Gone Back South and remember all those times you had to advise me! Not sure how much it's all improved post divorce to be honest......

Oh well.

Lx

if you want to find me I'm at new url

http://familyaffairsandothermatters.com

Working Mum said...

We just seem to throw everything under the stairs!

However, Ikea's Trofast storage has been very useful in daughter's room and she seems to be keeping everything tidy now she has it organised and to hand.

Brian Miller said...

smiles. love the gloves on the bed posts...we are putting low level pegs in the coat closet for the boys...