Resolution #2 Fix up the Cozy Corner

There's a corner of my house that is everyone's favorite: the big chair in the bedroom.

• It's got a table and a lamp by it, so it's good for reading
• It's near the TV, so it's good for movies
• It's near the fireplace, so it's warm and toasty
• It's got an ottoman in front of it, so it's good for relaxing or the occasional game of chess or Risk

Everyone loves that chair -- including Jasper who often spends the night in it. I have to admit, though, that with so much love and use, the cozy corner is looking a little ratty and worse for the wear. The cushions are smooshed, the slipcover is both dirty and torn, and someone appears to have created a work of marker art on the ottoman.

I've decided it's time for a new chair and have picked out the PB Comfort Armchair from Pottery Barn because it's got all the attributes that are important to me:

• It's slipcovered so I can keep it clean
• It's got a 42" deep seat so it will be comfortable for at least two Furbers at once. JP and Katie like to sit together in the chair right before Katie's bedtime, so this is a very important consideration.
• It's built entirely of sustainable components
• It's built to last with a kiln-dried hardwood frame so it won't squeak, sinuous springs, and a tripled padded frame and cushions that will stay cushy for a long time

Our new chair will be delivered next week, and the cozy corner will once again be the comfiest spot in the house. Sorry, Jasper. Back to the floor for you.

Mama, Do You Think the Stars Are Glowing Tonight?

We have to admit, our little Katie likes to sleep in our bed at night. Who can blame her? Furbers all like to be together, so during the day she's always with someone: running errands with Dad, doing homework with the big kids, at the park with Rachel, or keeping Mom company. Getting tucked in at night all alone in her room must seem very lonely to her.

This week in Sun Valley, though, she's decided she wants to sleep in her room. Not because JP and I are master child psychologists, or because she's outgrown her need to have company when she sleeps, but because we have glow stars on the ceiling of the bunkhouse here.

Two years ago, when I about passed out from standing on the ladder looking up with my arms over my head putting those glow stars up, I wondered if the task was worthwhile. (Note that there are 135 stars in the bucket. Being the overachiever that I am, I had to cover the ceiling with three buckets.) But when I hear Katie ask "Mama, do you think the stars are glowing tonight?" and when I tuck her in with the stars to keep her company, I know it was.

Beds that Take 30 Seconds to Make

We're spending the week in Sun Valley, enjoying the snow, sun and warm sunshine. For some reason, our condo in Sun Valley is the only place where I make all the beds every day. I think it's because our condo is small enough that you see most of the rooms in an eyeshot, and also because all the beds are all constructed very simply so they're easy to make:
Fitted sheet and pillows
Fluffy comforter in a duvet cover

Quilt folded at the foot of the bed

When I make my rounds in the morning, I just shake out the comforters, fold the quilts, prop up the pillows and I'm done.
Even Katie can do it. I can't say the same for the dishes in the kitchen, but I've got Jack and Andie for that.

Life in the White House

My friend Sheryl stopped by the other night to pick up her son after a playdate with Jack and we were discussing the new slipcovers I had just bought for my family room sofas. When I told her they were white, she said "WHAT?! White? Why would you do that?"

I realized then that it's time to share a secret with all my fellow moms: white is the most under-used and under-rated color in the interior palette of a family home. Unlike bright colors, or other non-white neutrals, white can be washed in hot water and bleached. I buy everything that gets tons of use in white: I have white sheets and a white duvet on my bed, white bathtowels in my bathrooms, white floursack towels in my kitchen, white slipcovers on my sofas, white table linens in my linen closet.

I don't worry too much about spilling. If I did, I'd be in a straightjacket -- I've watched my son Jack wipe his face on the sofa. Whenever something gets messy, I just give it a warm, sudsy, bleachy bath and it's good as new. When something needs a little extra brightening, I make like my Mother-in-Law and put it out in the sun for an afternoon.

Because my basics spend lots of time in the pool, I've learned to always have a few extra sets of everything, and to pay a little more for quality base fabrics so the items last longer. Here are some rules I live by:

For sheets and towels, I always buy combed cotton when I can, because carded cotton pills.

For slipcovers, I always buy denim or canvas when I can, because those fabrications have more body, and don't get too wrinkly in the dryer.

For kitchen towels, I always buy the classic floursack towels made by Ritz. They're the best, they don't leave lint on your glasses, and they're cheap -- you can get 4 for about $10 from any restaurant supply or kitchen store.

For table linens, I always buy classic hotel linens. The good ones have a really thick, mitered border all around, so they don't shrivel up in the wash, and whatever that fabrication is, it lasts forever. Best of all, the hotel linens don't really need to be ironed. Which works for me because the last time I had an iron out, my daughter Andie said "what's that?" The time before that, my Mother-in-Law took a picture of me with the iron because she wanted to have it on film.

Waiting until the kids are out of the house to indulge in white is for wusses. I've got a Maytag Neptune and a bottle of Clorox. Bring it on!

Kermit was Wrong by guest blogger Andie Furber

First, I want to say Happy Birthday to my Grandpa Doug. Happy Birthday Grandpa.

My mom has been writing about being green all week, so I thought I would too. Being green is important, and anyone can do it. Even kids. Here are some ways for kids to make their own room green and eco-friendly:

1) Keep a recycling bin in your room. Whenever you're finished with paper, bottles, cans or other recyclables, put them in the bin instead of throwing them away. If possible, try using both sides of the paper.

2) Try organic bedding. It's really comfortable, and comes in all kinds of colors and patterns, and is totally eco-friendly. I like this one from PBTeen


3) Try putting some plants in your room. They clean your air in a Green way. For the best plants to clean your air, see my mom's post entitled, "My Mom was Ahead of Her Time."

4) Try reusing stuff for your room. When your parents decide once again that it's time to purge the house, snag a few things from their pile to add to your room. The best way to be eco-friendly is to reuse things instead of adding new things. My brother is always taking plants, coffee tables, bins, and decorations into his room.

5) When you ask your parents to buy you new things for your room, make sure it's something you will like for a long time and won't want to replace after just a little while. Like I said in number 4, adding new things is not very green.

6) Use CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb) lightbulbs in your lamps, because they use less energy, and always turn off your lights when you leave your room, or during the day when the sun's out.

Being green is important. Saving energy and our resources can help conserve our earth. Anyone can go green, and everyone should. Even kids. So try these tips, and even these small things you do can make a difference in our world.

I Am a Teenage Pack Rat by Guest Blogger Andie Furber

My Mom calls me a pack rat, but I prefer to think of myself as an archivist.

My room is the "DANGER ZONE" of the house. If you ever opened my closet door you'd know why. I have so much stuff I need multiple places to put it all. For example:

1. My desk: it's an architect desk, so it has nine compartments on each side. 18 compartments to hold things in!!!! WOW....
   
2. "Under" my bed: my bed sits on the floor, and has six compartments with baskets to keep my clothes in. Saves space in my room by not needing a dresser.
   
3. My nightstand: my nightstand is really tall, and has 3--what do you call it--layers? There are three different places to put stuff, and I keep magazines, books, pictures, my alarm clock, CDs, and notes there.
   
4. The left side of my closet: my closet has 2 sliding doors, and the left side is used for some clothes. It has my laundry basket (which is usually empty because my clothes are all over the floor), button up shirts, coats, formal dresses, and shoes.
   
5. The right side of my closet: used for just random stuff. Books, old magazines, bags, hats, just some other random things. But my mom exaggerated when she said I had six tiny bottles of ketchup in there.

My room, even though it sometimes can look like a cyclone hit it, is my favorite room in the house. The bad thing though, is my valuable stuff, like my iPod, camera, and other things get lost a lot. I listen to my iPod almost everyday, and when I can't find it, I FREAK OUT!!!!

About once every 6 months, my mom has me "purge," as she puts it, my room, and I have to clean my floor, desk, and my whole closet. She gives me about 5 garbage bags, says "When you fill all these bags, you're done."

When I purge my room, I approach the project like an archeologist. I carefully dig through each layer and admire each artifact. I recall the week I wore those dirty jeans to school (they were clean then), I recall the fun sense of accomplishment I felt when I presented my six Egyptian clay jars in my core class (I wondered where those went, until I found them under my pink chaise), I remember my friend Allyson telling me about the fun road trip she took, and how nice she was to bring me back four (not six) tiny bottles of ketchup. The purging goes on like that for some time. Sometimes, several days. It takes me that long sometimes to find five bags full of stuff I can bear to part with.

I think that my room really shows a side of my personality that will come in handy when I grow up and start to look for a job -- maybe I'll be a curator in a museum, maybe I'll be an anthropologist, maybe I'll be an archeologist. My Mom says maybe I'll be a garbageman (or garbagegirl).