When Furniture Fights Back

Up until recently, Beanie had been sleeping on a twin over full bunk bed that was given to us by moving neighbors. We only needed to add the required mattresses. And it had served us well. But lately, I've noticed that the bed seems wobbley. And squeaky, making noise with each move. When Beanie started bringing screws to me, screws that had worked themselves out of the frame, I knew it was time to replace her bed.

But who replaces just a bed? Right. That's my juicy rationalization for purchasing her a "new" bedroom set. The reality is, the only dresser in her room was the maple baby dresser that each child had used. It had 3 drawers, which is fine for a baby/toddler but we were finding that dresser real estate was at a premium and something needed to be done.

So, I started scoping out Craigslist. Why not new? Well, Beanie has a penchant for markers, sharp objects and anything that produces a sticky residue so I deemed her not yet ready for new. I found a set that was perfect but waited too long and it had been sold (how come the items I put on Craigslist don't sell that quicky?). It took me about a week to find a different set that we thought would be perfect for an 8 year old girl. A twin 4 poster bed, a dresser with mirror, and a night stand; all pieces were a white washed pine with some flower embelishments on them. So last weekend we went and purchased it. Not one to let grass grow under my feet, I tackled her bedroom. OY! I pulled 4 big rubbermaid bins of CRAP out of her room. I got the bedroom all set up, the bed washed and remade. We were all set for her first night in her new bed. And she did great.

Then, the second day she did what I expected. She fell out of bed. Let me preface this; she slept on the top (twin) bunk that used the wall on one side and the guard rail on the other to keep her in the bed. She is also a thrasher. The new bed is open on three sides so there is no "protection". Apparently in the midst of her thrashing she fell out of the new bed and popped her cheekbone on the nightstand. Hard enough to leave a lovely lump on her cheekbone, which promptly turned into a shiner under her eye with the cheek bruise appearing 2 days after the fall.

The bad news is, we had a few nights post "fight" of her not wanting to sleep in her own bed. The good news is, she's now back in her bed and seems to have come to detente with her nightstand. Or maybe she is just plotting her revenge. I just hope it doesn't include markers.