The Remodel, Day 9

Ahhh, today was better. We installed the "First New Board" in our Forever Home. It went in (say it with me) The Bathroom. The boys signed their names on it. James titled it, and Zorak dated it. We got pics, of course, since (God willing) we'll never see it again after we're finished. It's lovely.

Zorak then proceeded to finish replacing the rotted boards, chalking the line for the new wall, planning venting. (Side note: were you aware that every drain is supposed to have a corresponding vent? Sinks included. We've ripped out a lot of sinks before and have yet to see one - this house is no exception- but it's true. One of the things a vent will do is prevent other drains from gurgling when you flush, drain, or run water in your pipes. The more ya know...)

I ripped up carpet and padding in the study and dismantled the erstwhile coat closet turned* utility room. It's ready for framing the last wall and will get subfloor and rough-in during the week. It's going to be strange to see the house with internal walls again someday.

While Smidge napped, the boys explored the Joys of Flight. There's a swinging monkey bar on their swingset and I guess they tired of leaping from the swings themselves because suddenly James came galloping up the steps, shouting, "I FLEW!! And I SAT in THIN AIR!" He was so proud (and wasn't bleeding), so we congratulated him and went back to work. Not ten minutes later, James came bolting into the house shouting, "John tried to fly, but gravity kicked in and he's HURT!" Well, John was up and walking, but a bit bruised and obviously uncomfortable. It seems their flying scheme involved the same stunts tried by children of every generation since the invention of the monkey bars: hang by some appendage, start swinging, and let go at the height of your swing! They don't even have playmates to teach them these things on the school grounds! Some curiosities are simply genetically ingrained, and we comfort ourselves with the knowledge that if it weren't for that drive, man would still be using the donkey cart for transport and crossing oceans on the occasional land bridge rather than by boat or plane. The sound barrier would still be unbroken, and our world would not be as rich as it is.

We sat for a while and I told them a Mommy story about my exploits on the monkey bars when I was a little girl. Within a few minutes, the tears had dried and been replaced by giggles, snickers, and all-out guffaws. Soon, they were off to perfect their landings and I meandered back into the house feeling like I'd just glimpsed something pretty special, thankful that it didn't include capes or a trip to the ER.


The boys played and played and played. Then they came in for snacks and a movie. The movie picking session wasn't your Classical Homeschooler's media event daydream. Among the selections from which to choose were such classic titles as Pollyanna, Old Yeller, The Adventures of Huck Finn. The choice? By unanimous vote (even Smidge raised his hand in the air and said, "Me! Me!") they picked Tom & Jerry. Well, for five bucks and an hour's peace, I am SO good with that. Plus, we don't have any problems with these cartoons. We enjoyed them as kids. (And we've had The Talk about anvils and, on a similar vein, ordering anything, ever from ACME.) Charlotte Mason can help me bridge the gap after we're moved in. Right now, we're in survival mode.

Wow. The video is about an hour long, and they did not stop laughing. At all. James had tears running down his cheeks more than once. John was laughing so hard he choked. Smidge giggled so hard, for so long, that he had to lay on the sleeping bag. The laughter was so non-stop that Zorak and I found ourselves chuckling three rooms away; not because of the video, but because of the boys. That was five bucks well spent.

We threw out more stuff, pulled more nails than I can count. It was a wonderfully productive day. Then, to unwind a bit and provide a little cheap entertainment (because little boys, and big boys, love to see things explode) we took one of the commodes out to the field... and shot it. The calibre .22's aren't tough enough to do any damage to it, but your basic .22LR will do the trick on the tank. Even those will only chip the bowl, though, so we'll take the shotgun out next time. (Yes, shooting is legal out where we are. We checked first.)

We dined at Chez Taco Bell, enjoyed a wonderful evening together, and the boys were comatose by the time we pulled into the apartment parking lot at eight. It was, truly, a great day.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

*edited b/c Jess pointed out that I hadn't used the, erm, best term to post on the 'net. *blush* Thanks for watching my back while I'm too tired to think straight!*