Thursday, March 01, 2012

Remodelling

We have been remodelling our house. New carpet, new granite countertops, new tile bathroom floors, new appliances, new paint and bedroom re-arrangements. We decided to do this in the middle of the school year because, clearly, we are crazy. We also decided to remodel in the middle of winter, in Colorado, where it snows. This February has also been the snowiest February for over a hundred years according to the record books. Did I mention that we are crazy? My beloved husband and I clearly like to do things the hard way but we get them done.

In the midst of the remodel craziness!
Everything looks beautiful though and I love, love, love my new double ovens and GIANT frig! What I have loved the most about this whole project in the middle of the school year, in the snowiest February on record, is the life skills our kids have learned. We are so busy that we generally don't stop to teach our kids some basic life skills that are oh-so handy. Scott has taught the kids how to take out and then replace plumbing in the sinks, patch holes in walls, put up coat racks, how to find a stud in the wall to put up said coat racks, change light fixtures ( which he told me were the hardest light fixtures ever, clearly blaming me) and basic use of tools. With me, the kids have learned how to prep a room for painting, how to use a roller, edging a room and write funny sayings under the new paint in Connor's new room. We have also torn apart every room in the house and gone through everything and decided what we still need and what we can donate to help others. We have organized and cleaned, budgeted and shopped, and I think we will have a new beautiful organized and updated house at the end. What I  love the most is the fact that my 13 year old, computer loving, physical labor disdaining, son, was so pleased by his new found skills that he said, "Mom, I really am glad we did this so that I could learn how to properly take care of my own house someday.".

He is still inordinately proud of the new kitchen faucet and garbage disposal that he helped his Dad put in. That is worth it's weight in gold and even all the crazy stress that we have put ourselves under.