Need Advice: Safe Spot

Right after I moved to Turkey with my two-year-olds, I wrote this post asking for advice on finding a safe spot in a new house for my kiddos. Here it is again for any of you all who are struggling with moving with little tykes!

All right folks. Bring it on.

In our last house, I felt like I had a "safe spot" for the boys. I could shut the gate to our kitchen, shut all the doors in the hallway, and know that they, basically, couldn't get into anything.

I could sometimes even take a shower (if I had timed it badly and couldn't do it while they were sleeping or JB was home). I could get ready to go somewhere. I could do my hair and put on my make-up. I could look like I cared about my appearance.

I do not feel that way here. At all.

We are going to put a gate up at the top of our stairs. I think that will help. (We have a lot of things that we are "going to put up" but we haven't gotten to it yet.) But the bottom line is, when I need to get ready to go somewhere, I just don't know what to do with the boys. It just seems like there is so much that they can get into.

My only option has been to turn on a video. But we try to avoid "excess TV." And yet, I am finding that a video is my only way to keep them occupied so that I can have fifteen minutes, or ten, or even five, to get ready to go somewhere.

I feel like I look like I threw myself together. Last night we went to church. JB had sports physicals so he wasn't there. And it was just me. In order to get ready I have to bring both boys up the stairs. I have to put a video on. And even then, they may not sit and watch it straight. They are running down the hall. Jumping on Scrubs. "Helping" me do the laundry Hatice folded by dumping it out. Isaac brought me his nightlight which means he pulled it out of a 220V socket. Then he shut a door (and we have HEAVY SOLID DOORS) and Elijah's toe was underneath the door and he got quite a nasty bruise on his toe. He was screaming. I tried letting them up on my bed to play but it is really high, and Elijah almost fell off. I have set up their room with toys but they wander out of there to other things. I can't shut them in the room because all the doors have drop handles. And they'd scream. And screaming doesn't really make me feel rosey.

Sigh ...

Any advice?

A quick note. I don't want to use pack-n-plays or cribs to "hold them in." We have decided that these are places for sleeping, and if we use them to "contain" they are going to see bed as a bad place.

So what am I missing? Help!