March 10, 2016 In Lifestyle By Jessica Shyba

A Place to Read

It didn’t occur to me until recently how much I love our home. I love being home brimming with people and pets, I love the way the house smells when we’re cooking a yummy dinner or baking with the kids, I even love the reminders laying all over the house that a family lives here. So often I feel inundated with tasks and duties like laundry, cooking and general pickup that my default mentality is geared towards getting out of the house any and all times of the day.

We thrive at home, though. Sure, there are messes and things to be done, but the kids play with their toys and with each other and they feel so evidently safe and protected here in this home. It’s smart to plan different activities throughout the day to keep everyone motivated and engaged with sports and exercise, but we all treat our home as a sanctuary. We make sure to carve out corners of the living spaces just for the kids while keeping it somewhat practical at the same time. Target’s new Pillowfort line is totally adorable, slightly trendy and completely whimsical, and all at affordable prices, naturally. The kids really get a kick out of the homemade, indoor “chill spot” we made for them out of the the dip-dye bed canopy, the corduroy bean bag chair, a shag rug, and of course their own table and desk lamp. There’s something about an indoor tent that truly revitalizes their imagination and saves us all from dreary rainy days, this one just happens to be pretty enough to keep it up all the time. There’s a fun aesthetic about these pieces, specifically the canopy and the tassels, pop-pop trim that I think is really sweet but the kids also understand that it speaks to them. It isn’t too serious, but it isn’t silly, either.

With six people in a 3 bedroom home, there aren’t a lot of secret or quiet nooks to retreat to, especially if you’re a child. They all share a bedroom and their reading time is often interrupted by one of the other 5 of us (or 8 if you include our various fur babies). My goal in creating this special little child sized haven was to make it a reading zone. Jack recently started reading Harry Potter, and I’m finding that he has his nose in that book more often than not at home. This little nook that we created in our living room is out of the way of the normal foot traffic and tucked in a bright, often sun lit spot. I was specifically drawn to the Discovery Den collection, as it’s gender neutral and has an style that mixes well with our children’s age range. With the wall art, several vibrant and monogramed throw pillows, the space is the perfect spot for a one person reading room, and when it isn’t being used for quiet time, it makes a great fort, too.

With the many different personalities that we have taking up their own spaces in our home, there naturally tends to be some overlap and sometimes conflicts. The beautiful part of feeling completely comfortable and cared for in our home is the ability to let those personalities shine their brightest. Often that also means creating spaces for the various different hobbies and interests that each of us has, but one of the consistent priorities that I’m insistent on is reading. I’m thrilled with our little reading space that Target Pillowfort has so beautifully helped to create that space.