Luca and Adriano have been sharing a bedroom for almost a year now. When they shared a room as babies I thought I was going to lose my sleep-deprived mind, so we were quite nervous when it was time for baby Clara to move into her own room. To our surprise, this time is going much smoother now that they’re older. Yes, they talk too long before they go to sleep and wake each other up in the morning, but their bond is deep.

In fact, they seem to understand each other without words and go by a set of unspoken rules. Sometimes Luca tells me Adriano wants something even though I’m sitting right there and he hasn’t said anything. This seemed to intensify when Adriano moved in with Luca. I noticed less arguing, as well.

I attributed the change to more alone time together and the bonding that goes with talking until you fall asleep. But I should also add that I spent a lot of time talking to Luca and showing him how to be kind to his younger brother. He has a strong personality and sometimes takes his big brother bossiness a tad too far. Okay, a lot too far.

Have you ever heard of the book Birth Order? I’d love to find out more about how it affects us. I suppose after I finish the other five books I’m reading (two pages at a time, over an enormous time span) that will be next!

These boxes provide a storage for their favorite trash treasures and create a smaller space for books so they actually stay upright and not sideways, backwards and crammed. At least for 10 minutes longer than before.

Right now the boys are into birds and nature so I bought a 2 year old bird calendar on Amazon for $2 and used the pictures on top and bottom. As for the posters, I actually made them myself for a newspaper before I even had kids! I was surprised I still had them and how much the boys liked them.

I found these owl knobs on sale for $2 a piece. They’re a little small for the closet doors, but I’m okay with that.

I intentionally don’t have many toys or clothes in the boys’ bedroom. It takes consistent editing and shopping restraint, but it’s worth it to me to keep things simple. Read more on how I organize and keep things simplified here.

They wake up way too early and sometimes Marcello and I catch them looking at books by the nightlight together. (It’s hard to get mad when you open the door to that scene.) They crawl in each other’s beds and make up stories and imaginary worlds. If my hand weren’t forced, they might have stayed in separate rooms, but I’m glad it turned out this way.

For you!

Projects and printables for your own child’s room:

Get your free Lord’s Prayer poster here.

Here is how to make your own height chart with a super simple ink to wood transfer technique.

How to make an art wall with clips.

Learn how to make confetti decals for $1 and scrap fabric in half an hour here.

Here are my best tips for getting kids to stay in bed, including a sticker chart and tools to teach kids (and get you a little more shut eye).