You are probably going to think I am insane, but I actually like putting together furniture from IKEA. Super crazy, right? I find it a huge challenge and if I can get the whole piece together without having to backtrack, unscrew and rescrew and manage not to lose or break any of the pieces, I feel as if I have climbed a mountain. I guess you know by know, I always love a good challenge.
This past week Tabitha was gearing up to reorganize her room, which included her purchasing a new dresser. Tabitha has hoarder tendencies and still owns clothes from the 5th greade, which she refuses to part with. As a result her room is in a constant state of chaos and when she finally cleans it up, she shoves so many clothes into each dresser drawer inevitably the bottoms fall out of the drawers or the handles break off from trying to push and pull them so hard. She’s had an IKEA 6 drawer dresser in her room with 2 broken drawers, and an antique dresser with most of the handles missing for at least a year. My mom and I have been begging her to let us help her buy a new dresser, reorganize or do a cleanse on her room, but she always says NO. When she was a kid, we used to go through her stuff and clean out and she would get so mad at us. It was always her worst nightmare. Now that she is an adult we can’t just take over. Totally sucks!
Two weeks ago, she started her search for a new dresser. She found a few she liked but they were way out of her budget, so after much wasted time, she decided to re-buy the same IKEA dresser but in a different color. I offered to go with her, but once again I got denied. She was asserting her independence and went with a friend and bought the dresser herself. Very cool. Her Dad carried it inside for her on Friday night and then she promised to start working on it in the morning.
Saturday morning, I was super eager for her to wake up and need my help with the dresser. As soon as she popped her head outside her room, I was on her. “Hi honey. Do you need my help putting the dresser together?”
Tab: “NO!”
Me: “Oh, OK, let me know if you need me, I am really good at putting together stuff from IKEA.”
Tab: “Really Mom?”
Me: “Yes, did you forget I was an organizer and people paid me to buy stuff from IKEA, assembly it and then organize for them?”
Tab: Eye roll and exits the room
I decided to make myself useful, so Trinity and I worked on her room. She was more than willing to take my help. Of course, I couldn’t help myself but an hour later I poked my head into her room to check on the dresser assembling. The picture was grim. She was standing there just glaring at the pieces. Of course, she still wasn’t willing to accept my help, so I left. I know, I am such a bugger. Louie had to leave for work at 11am and just as he was walking out the door, the princess emerges from her room.
Tab: “Dad, can you help me screw something in, it is really hard.”
Lou: “Let me take a look. Oh wow, that seems hard, I will help you after work tonight.”
Tab: “Thanks Dad!” Saunters back to her room as if she has just found a way to put off this project for another 8 hours.
Me: ” Let me look at it, Tab.”
Tab: “fine….”
I walked in grabbed the screw driver and easily turned the screw. I looked over at her and said:
Me: “this isn’t hard, you just have to be patient. Do you finally want my help?”
Tab: “Well, I knew I had to ask you or Nana at this point, so I guess you will do.”
My poor baby was so overwhelmed by the entire project she finally needed my help. Wow, she must be bad off. I got the directions out and started on my IKEA system I have developed over the years. I am such a freak. It literally took me the whole day between watching Tiara and catering to Trinity, but I finally finished around 5pm, just when my parents arrived with Tiara’s new TV and Blue-ray DVD they bought her for her birthday.
I was so tired and my hands were aching but I immediately got to work on setting up the TV. I had that crazy tired energy that allows you to get so much done, but if you even rest for a second, it’s all over. You will collapse from exhaustion so you have to keep charging ahead.
By the time Lou got home from work at 6pm I was filthy, sweaty, at hideous to look at, but HAPPY . I had reorganized Trinity’s room, finished assembling the IKEA dresser, set up the new TV and DVD player, along with streaming to Netflix!
Now, that is what I call a good day!
xoxo tiffani
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