Monday, April 4, 2011

Making Beds

Unlike most kids I know today or even when I was growing up I was not required to make my bed.  Was it an only child thing?  Maybe.  I'm not sure.  My dad made his bed every morning (most likely a product of being in the military) and so did my aunt that lived with us most of my growing up years.  But me?  Not so much.  I had a water bed most of my growing up years and the only requirement was that it would remain covered so the heat would not readily escape.

I am not sure that I REALLY knew how to make a bed until I took a job as a maid room attendant in a popular national park after my sophomore year in college.  That's when I learned about hospital corners, became a little fanatical about how a bed should be made, among other things that came with that job.  You would think that I would be in the habit of making my bed after that summer.

No.

Not so much.

I once read that your bed take up about 1/3 of your room.  If you just make your bed you have already cleaned 1/3 of your room and that can really make a a huge difference.  Well, it's true.  The calm that it brings to our room is totally palpable.  It becomes more sanctuary rather than stress-inducing.

I am trying to work on the same habits with Miss L each day.  It is quite difficult to make her bed at this point in time because there are rails on her bed (which we are toying with taking off) to keep her from falling.  So, we make due with what we can do in folding the cover neatly at the end of the bed and arranging her menagerie of stuffed animals at the head of the bed.  She's pretty funny because she wants to be all over the bed when I am changing sheets and she wants to pull the covers off when I am folding them at the bottom.  Oh well.  We will press on.  At this point repetition makes practice and practice eventually will make perfect.

At least I will be able to teach her proper hospital corners.  Folding a fitted sheet?  Well, that's another story.

3 comments:

  1. Fitted sheets are the work of the Evil One. I'm sure of it. ;-) All the youtube videos in the world can't help me there. I too have the worst habit of not making my bed. As a kid I don't think I had to either. Though I did better when I was single. Probably because 1). I only had a sheet and a bedspread (stacy likes a sheet, a blanket, another blanket and then a bedspread) 2). 2 pillows & a couple throw pillows (Stacy likes 8 pillows plus we have 3 pillows). LOL! Who knew? :-) But you're so right. I feel so much better when the bed is made and when the house is clean in general. Not doing too well in that departement these days.

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  2. It's a noble task that you are taking on! I am not a bed maker - though your posts are at least making me consider it!
    Have you checked out my cloth diapers posts at onbecomingmom.com ? I'd love your thoughts!

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  3. We "straighten" our bed every morning. It's not fancy and we only have hospital corners when I change the sheets, but I love having the blankets pulled up and straightened! We used to have Cora make her bed, but now that she is on the top bunk, eh, not as much. It's a little difficult for her.

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