I just finished redecorating my kids' bedrooms. It was more fun than I thought it would be. There were a few reasons for this. Firstly, the world of redecorating has been revolutionized since I was a child. Secondly, it was less work than I thought it would be. And, lastly, a part of me that was long forgotten came alive in me. It was my childlike imagination.

As I entered a few of the local department stores I was close to overwhelmed by the room redecorating options. There we so many fun themes to choose from. I discovered that I could pretty nearly give my kids what they wanted in a room, and I could give it with much less effort than I had originally anticipated. Initially, I had seen myself stripping furniture and working tenaciously to hand paint designs and decorations onto my kids' bedroom furniture. What I saw changed when I learned that all this work had already been done for me. All I needed to do was decide on which selections matched the desires of our imaginations. Then, a simple, fairly inexpensive investment was all that was required.

Once my kids and I had made decisions about what would fill their new bedrooms it was time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work. When I first juiced up to do these bedroom projects I loathed this part of the process. I figured that I'd be spending several weeks getting everything to come together in a way that matched the desires of my children. I was very wrong about this process. I didn't have to make curtains to match the bedspreads. I didn't need to hand paint murals on the walls. It wasn't necessary for me to reinvent the wheel like I had anticipated. My "do-it-yourself" projects had already been done for me. I had a theme, children's furniture, wall decorations, bedding and detailing that came together perfectly. Much of what I needed came right from my local department store. I just needed to put it all together.

When it came time to put it all together, the kid in me really came alive. I absolutely loved the process of making all my selections fit together. I had a "dot theme" for my daughter's room. The bedspread had dots, the dust ruffle had dots, her desk top had dots and the wall border was full of dots. Even the shelving had a dot theme. Dots were everywhere and they were wonderful. I felt like a child again as I put up the shelves, made the bed and added the wall border. I don't know who liked the final outcome more. It might have been my daughter? Perhaps, it was me?

My sons' room redecoration project was just as fun. My oldest son had just discovered his love for baseball and baseball was a very popular room theme. It was so simple to find the right stuff to put in a baseball theme room. Matching baseball bedding, kids' furniture, wall decor and knick knacks were just about everywhere I looked. I even added baseball appliques to the outside of the boys' wall cabinets. Baseballs stuff was everywhere and so were the smiles. My boys had the baseball bedroom of their dreams. I felt like it was my room too. I could taste what it was like to be a boy who loved baseball. It was as though I had climbed inside my own boys' imaginations.

Kids' furniture, kids' decor and kids' themes rule in today's shopping world. If you don't believe me, make a simple internet search for children's furniture, decor and themes and you won't have enough days in the week to consider everything you find. I loved this process of considering all the options, though. I didn't let it overwhelm me. I let my inclinations as a teacher, artist and former kid take over. I allowed myself to dream and imagine all the ways I could make our redecorating project come alive. I trusted my professional experience, my talents and my experiences as a mom and I let it all guide the process. Most importantly, I let the project bring out the kid in me. I put it all together with the eyes of a child.

Today, my kids are appreciating and enjoying the fruits of my efforts, skills and experience. Today, when I look into my children's rooms I feel tremendous satisfaction. I see how it has all been worth the effort, time and resources. I see how it has all been worth the investment.

Consider redecorating your child's room. Consider the possibilities. Let your imagination take over. See the world though the eyes of a child again. Enjoy the satisfaction, the "thank yous" and the smiles.