Ok. I can't spell. Should be "Furnishing... "

I'm in therapy for CPTSD right now. One of my self exercises is to write down good memories.

I remembered my Dad reading to me about age 4, "Winnie the Pooh" We had a big overstuffed chair and matching sofa. Floral print of either red poppies or peonies 2 feet across. They were hideous.

But they were super comfortable.

There is a win for having furniture that holds more. Kids need to be touched, held, cuddled. And the right furniture can make that easier to provide. The overstuffed chair pushed me gently into my Dad. I felt safe and warm.

We replaced them with a brown danish modern chair that seated only one, and was uncomfortable to sit in and difficult to get out of, and a beige vinyl covered sofa that was easy to keep clean, but no one wanted to spend much time sitting on it. (Was ok for naps...)

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If you have to double up on bedrooms, make sure there are other places to hang out. Sometimes a kid just needs alone time. Having corners of the house where you can sit out of the way with a book or video game means that one kid can either give or get space from another.

• Create a nook in a window. (build a table that is flush with the windowsill and put a fabric covered pad on it, or a couple of salvaged sofa cushions. The table can be a storage chest, or a book shelf.
• Move a piece of furniture 3 feet from a wall, and plop a bean bag chair in the space. This gives a little spot where a kid can be on the edge of whatever is going on in the main room, but not having to participate.
• You can make a great kid cave by putting skirting on the ping pong table.
• You cannot have too many pillows and cushions. Don't be afraid to salvage cushions off of abandoned furniture on the curb side. Inspect for bed bugs and lice. Strip the cushion covers off, wash in very hot water. Check locally to find out what pests are present, and how to deal with them.
• I saw one bunk bed made with big sonotubes. The cardboard molds used for concrete pillars. An oval was cut into the side, and the mattreess used to line the bottom curve. Reading light and book shelf inside at one end. Inside was painted butter yellow, outside dark blue. I thought it really cool, and wanted to make one. Sono tube is expensive. But the concept remains. Turn a bed into a safe cave. This particular one was a bunk bed. It was oriented end to the wall, and the entrance ovals were on opposite sides, so that each was sort of private.

If you need to make your own furniture Sunset has at least one book about it. Sturdy furniture is easy to make with dimension lumber and common hardware. Making it can give you something to do with the right kid.

A dog is a big help. A teen, especially a boy, feels silly explaining his woes to a plush toy (my go-to until I was about 10) but has no problem turning a dog soggy with his sorrow. Labs and Golden retrievers are excellent for this, but any low key breed will do. Generally terriers are not laid back enough. Cross breeds are fine. Lot of merit starting with a 4-5 year old dog, as they are lower energy. Cats can work this way too, but are pickier about people.

Note: Dark furniture attracts light hair. Light furniture attracts dark hair. Medium furniture attracts all hair.

Consider making the house "no shoes" But have storage by the door for at least 2-3 pairs per resident. This will reduce the inside dirt to that that comes in with the dog.

Bare feet will put oily spots on laminate floors. Light coloured floors don't show this as much. Busy patterns don't show this as much. In general I've found that Faux Stone stays clean looking longer than any wood patterns. No laminate floor is water proof. Some just take longer to get soggy. Bathrooms require ceramic tile or sheet vinyl.

If you are doing a reno for foster care, divide the bathrooms into half baths. You have rooms with a toilet and a sink. And you have rooms with a shower and a sink. This doubles your morning throughput.

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If you have a yard look at making playground equipment with variable skill levels. This is hard to design, but 6-8 inches of sawdust on the ground below will save a lot of skinned knees. Note that sawdust will get everywhere. Sawdust and carpet are a bad combo. This is one item you may need to run by your social worker.

Trampolines are a lot of fun too, but are responsible for a lot of ER visits. Ones set into the ground have fewer minor injuries, but about the same major ones. Nets help some. There is a small but not-zero chance of having a paralyzing injury.