100th post

Woo hoo - I've blabbed online 100 times. That is kind of hard to believe. I feel like I'm never on here. But presently I have a new workspace (IKEA rocks) and I am enjoying getting things done in it!

We started preschool this morning. My class of 10 has 8 boys. Previously it's always been 2 or 3 boys and the rest girls. Maybe I am destined to be surrounded by boys. It sure is fun. There is never lacking in the areas of adventure, fun, noise, and general wildness. Did I mention noise? I think I am preemptively taking Tylenol before I go in next Tuesday (this week is our open house time, next week the parents will actually drop these little men off and entrust them to us.) I may even employ the use of my magical orange earplugs. Just kidding. I think.

So, since I mentioned IKEA, I might as well give you the rundown for those who've never been. It was unlike any store I've ever been in. My husband couldn't stand it. It is a store for people who enjoy shopping - also smart shoppers - you have to be pretty on your game and self-sufficient in there because there is SO MUCH to see and it's mostly all self serve. We were there for four hours. (Matt's idea of fun shopping is a bit different - he'd prefer less maze, fewer people, and about 3.5 hours less. But he was a trooper. I felt loved.) We started in the very inexpensive and kid friendly restaurant. Then Matt and the boys trailed along with me looking at things for as long as they were having fun - which was about an hour maybe. Then they went to get balloons made by the clown on stilts and went to the car and fell asleep. I ended up with pretty much everything I needed for the workspace I have been wanting to set up, for less than $400. I have a new desk, chair, filing cabinet, accessories, lighting, and a couple of random cutting boards for that amount. Great prices! I also found it was pleasantly geared toward women. I was able to get all the boxes off the shelves on my own (smart packaging) and set everything up on my own as well once we got it home. Tips for other families (I had a friend who gave me some of these and I found it very helpful):

- go online ahead of time and get an idea of what you're after.
- eat first. you need to start out energized!
- it helped me to focus on one room at a time. I saw a ton of things that gave me ideas for other rooms, but was able to keep from being overwhelmed by just sticking with the one room. Maybe that's because I had so much I needed to get for that one room though.
- if you have kids, take them with you through the showrooms for a while, then utilize the kidspace because you can only drop them off for a limited time (we didn't do this, but I could see how it would be the only way if there wasn't a second adult to care for the kids) Then they might have some reserve left for you to finish up your shopping and get through the line.
- follow the arrows.
- write down the item numbers and info on everything you like and take the papers with each display you like - you may never find it again! And you can go online and order some things later.

Hope this helps someone, I personally can't wait to go back.