Incarcerating your kids...

We've all been there - you have a project or chore to do, but the kids are getting into things and keeping you from getting what you need done.  Most parents have tried the "let's take a nap" approach to getting the kids out of the way, but that only works if your kids are in a crib (crying the whole time) or borderline narcoleptic!  You are naturally going to feel guilt, remorse, and you'll turn in your application for "worst parent of the year."  But, the important thing to remember is that these moments can be important for your kids as well.  It can teach them to be independent, engage in imaginative play, and it's a whole lot better than letting them roam the house or yard totally unsupervised.  The key is to engage with them from time to time, check on their progress, and let them know that you are there.  If you have kids with separation anxiety, the last one is key!

Of course, there's always getting the kids involved in the chore (which I do when baking or picking up the living room) but the other day I was working on cleaning up the bathroom construction project (picking up sharp tiles, heavy tools, and messy tubes of caulk - things that Phineas' little hands are not meant to touch.

What to do... what to do?  I ended up putting Phineas in the bathtub (dry) with a bunch of foam bath toys.  This let me get most of my accomplishments done until the point where Phineas found a waterlogged toy and poured it all over his socks.  All in all, I got a solid 30 minutes of work done, while Phineas had a good time. You may be asking where Declan was... he was on PBSKids.org playing a computer game.  He traps himself!!!

Making sure that your child knows where your are (and that you can keep an eye on them) is important.

Other forms of "incarceration" Sarah and I have used over the years are:

• Putting the kids in the empty Kiddle Pool while we pick up sticks and weed the flower beds
• Buckle the kids into their car seats while we wash and clean out the car
• Put the kids in the "way back" of the SUV while shoveling the snow on the driveway
• Buckle the baby into a bouncy seat at the open front door while we raked leaves in the front yard
• Put the Bumbo on a blanket in the shade while planting flowers
• Move the high chair to the kitchen while preparing a meal

So, in the end don't feel bad that sometimes you need a way to get the kids out of your hair.  We all have things that simply must get done and the kids underfoot can be a real hindrance.  Keeping them engaged, where they can see what you're doing, and in a place that is safe are all key to getting things done.

Sweating the small stuff... I hate sweating!

If you've known me awhile, you probably know that I detest sweat... (as a big man it's inevitable in the warmer months - between February and November), but more than that I find myself getting hung up and frustrated by small things in my life.  Whether it's Phineas' constant whining, Declan's not paying attention to the obstacles around him, or when I can't find the shirt that I want to wear.  I've been accused (and rightly so) by many people of being emotionless... and for some degree that is true.  I spent so much time in my childhood crying in my bedroom (fat, effeminate, uncoordinated, and loudly opinionated kids got picked on sometimes) that I try really hard not to let things get me down.  So, when I was a Senior in High School I made a pact with myself.  I would only get emotional at special occasions (weddings, funerals, births, and of course Disney/Pixar movies). 

I wanted to focus only on the positive emotions - joy, laughter, love, etc... but lately I'm finding myself doing a lot of yelling and a letting my emotions take me to darker places than I want.  This year has been a little stressful so far... we spent more money at Christmas than we should have, then my bathroom tiling project was $$$ I was not expecting to spend, then I just got 4 new tires on the car... so, mixed with having less money in Savings than I do in Checking, things have been stressful with the kids and Sarah.  Our house has not rebounded from the holidays (new stuff, but no space) and that chaos is almost numbing... but at the same time it's so overwhelming that we don't know where to start.  We've tackled some of the easier tasks, but we really need a solid day or two to devote to the house (preferably without the kids, who pick up whatever you put down or get out whatever you put away!).  Now, the question is, "When?"  Where do we get the time to do this?  It won't be fun... but it will help us all be a little less stressed and on edge.

Also, in case you were wondering about the bathroom... it's almost done... I finished sealing the grout and caulking, but I broke the shower curtain rod this morning.  So, no final pictures just yet!

In the meantime, I'm counting to 10, breathing slowly, and thinking happy thoughts...  and despite wearing a sweater, there's no sweat today!

Bathroom Gate: Day 3...

Well... let it be said that I did not wait, stall, or go half-hearted into the bathtub project.  I've officially taken my first two "floating holidays" of the year so far, and will need to take tomorrow off as well.  I have not had a real shower since Sunday (it's Wednesday night now) and so I feel kind of gross.

My father has been awesome this week!  His guidance and support has been amazing.  Not to mention, we rarely get a chance to just be together one-on-one.

The boys think Papaw is here to play games...but I have other plans!

So, a few updates since the BBQ Pine incident:

The blank slate...

Monday:

• Tore off all of the tile (could not find a match at the store)
• Scraped and patched the walls to make sure we had a smoother surface
• Re-built the shelf with treated lumber



Troweling, troweling, troweling... what a wonderful time indeed!

 Tuesday:

• Painted the whole tub surround area with Red Guard (water proofing membrane - goes on pink, then dries red)
• Went to Home Depot and Menards in search of the right tile (ended up buying trim at Menards and main tile at Home Depot)
• Stopped off at a granite tile shop and ordered a shelf from remnant stock (huge money saver)
• Measured, planned, measured, calculated, measured, planned, and calculated some more

The Pink Lady

Wednesday:

• Started putting up the trim pieces and some of the tile
• Picked up the shelf on Wednesday morning
• Put the rest of the tile up
• Began grouting the tiles

Loving the vintage feel of the subway tile and ceramic chair rail...
It's just like being in the subway except there are no rats, urine stains, or homeless people singing...
Okay, so it's nothing like the real subway, but it's cool and vintage looking!  Mind the gap!

 

All the tile is up, just waiting for the grout to magically fill the gaps.
I put a trowel under my pillow and a $20 bill, so I know the grout fairy is coming tonight!

All totalled we have made 2 trips to Menards and 6 trips to the Home Depot in the last 3 days.  Not to mention 2 trips to the granite place.  Lots of work has been done, and still more to go!

It's a new dawn, it's a new day... it's a new house project for me!

It's official!  This is the first post of the new year and the official start to my blog.

This year I'm finishing projects and the most pressing one is the brown spot on the living room ceiling (under the bathtub).

I was planning on just replacing some grout and re-caulking the bathtub, but it's so much worse than that!  I popped off a tile and found that the underlayment for the tile was sopping wet and the consistency of spackle... oddly enough, because it was SPACKLE that had been wet for at least 6 months!  More and more tiles popped off easily and the supporting 2x4 was the texture of BBQ pulled pork (minus the yumminess, but with 1000x the fiber!).

Note the tender morsels of pine, falling off of the bone.

My neighbor Freddy stpped by to take a look and he removed even more tile and some of the backer board... what a mess!  After 3 days of drying, the bathroom is ready for us to tackle.  So, tonight Sarah and I are talking about how we want the bathroom to look, instead of how we want the brown spot to go away.  We're thinking white, 3x6 subway tile in a brick pattern with a marble or granite shelf for shampoo.

Thank heavens my dad just retired last week and he's driving up first thing in the morning to help make this problem go away! While I am a crafty beaver, my dad is a true handy man!

Cross you fingers!