Hammers and Nails and Shovels, Oh My!

My kids like to dig. A lot. And to build things, or at least, pretend to build things. Most of the time nothing much comes from all the banging and sawing and digging except some banging, sawing and, well, holes of course. It took a couple months but we were able to contain the hole digging to one large sandy area in the front yard at the bottom of the berm separating us from the road. We refer to it as the sand pit. But, the rest of the building occurs wherever and whenever it's needed.

This means, that at any given moment of any given day my yard will be strewn, not with toys, but saws, hammers, nails, boards, shovels and any other dangerous tool a kid could find useful. They are all aware of the need for safety and, for the most part, are trusted to use the tools.

To be honest, I'm never far away. Of course, that does not mean we don't have the occasional smashed thumb or, most recently and most severe, a severed fingernail but, I agree with Gever Tulley, and my own mom, when it comes to kids and tools.

Many, many years ago I called my mom to ask whether she thought my daughter, 3 or 4 at the time, was old enough to use sharp knives, she loved to cook and desperately wanted to help with the chopping, my mom lovingly pointed out that the worst that could happen was that she'd cut her finger, need a few stitches and learn a valuable lesson and she was right, of course.

There is a sense of importance when they use the tools, their play becomes more than play, it's serious business. I love that my kids are comfortable with tools, that they are aware, first hand, of the dangers and listen intently to warnings, even more so since the fingernail incident.

I don't usual think much of this hobby my kids share but, yesterday a man stopped by to survey the house for the insurance company, we had no idea he was coming. The house was a mess and the yard, well, the yard to me is lovely, sprinkled with the things that make us happy and keep us busy. But, to a surveyor for the insurance company? Not so much.

Not only had the kids been happily digging in the sand pit all morning, they had also been constructing a lovely home within it, meaning shovels, rakes, miscellaneous boards and the entire contents of the recycling bin, were everywhere.

My son's recent obsession with baseball means there is always a field set up and what's a resourceful boy to do but use the available scrap wood he finds as bases.

Then there's the "dock" the kids built when their friends visited, the one that's basically pallets stacked on the edge of the pond.

Not to mention the still under construction chicken coop with two by fours tossed under and around waiting to be made into fencing for the run, and all the garden junk I have laying about and oh yeah, there's that swing set in the back that is still waiting to be put back together from the move over a year and a half ago.

I believe the term construction zone was used.

I suppose I knew it was bad, but it all looks so pretty through my rose colored glasses. The kids happily digging and raking in the sand, the boy tossing the ball in the air, swinging his bat and running the bases and the messy garden waiting for me to finish my tea and get back to planting. The coop and run are looking great and only need another solid weekend of attention before they're done and that swing-set, well with a sand pit, a garden and chickens to tend to who can blame us for letting the swing-set go?

I tried not to let it bother me, but it did. The negative voices crept in, "What kind of mother lets her kids use a saw or hammer and nails? I should be ashamed. Why is it I can never keep up with all the messes, inside and out? I must be doing something terribly wrong. These kids should be playing with toys not tools. You should put away all your garden mess even if you're planning to get back to it after that tea break.

I suppose a major yard clean up is in order for this evening, it's wet and rainy and none of us are in the mood but, not everyone can see just how awesome it can be to live in a construction zone and we really wouldn't want to have any visitors get hurt, we'll try to be more careful Mr. Insurance Man and, maybe it's time we start working on that wood-shop we keep saying we'll set up in the garage.

Loving

 ~The fact that the train, that has gone by the house twice a day almost every day since we moved here over year and a half ago, still fascinates them.

~How tough my littlest little pumpkin can be. Lost a fingernail? No problem, "just paint the rest of my nails red so my fingers all match."

~The games the big girls create while completing the much dreaded chore of washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen, and the fact that those big girls still love to play pretend.

Loving

~That my boy will practice baseball for about 2 hours in the rain before coming in soaked to the bone and grinning from ear to ear.

~The way getting high fives and cheers for a big hit or a good play, makes him cheer louder than anyone else for his teammates.

~How his sisters, who get very tired of watching little league, light up, giggle and bounce anxiously in their seats until they can congratulate him when he does well.

~The fact that my 7 year old, who only a short time ago would fall to pieces if he lost or was wrong about almost anything, has learned that loosing is part of the game and deals with it amazingly well. (Sometimes with 2 hour practice sessions in the rain.)

Between the Loads of Laundry

I'm always impressed at what kids can get done in the shortest bits of time. A call of, "we're leaving in 5 minutes!" is plenty of time to start one last game of make believe. 15 minutes waiting for mom to find the car keys, someone's missing shoe and the bag of library books is plenty of time to create a masterpiece with markers (with or without paper). And, that half hour or so before bed? Well, the possibilities are endless.

I have decided to take this lesson from my littles and try to squeeze more out of those bits of time I find sprinkled throughout the day. As it turns out, the time it takes to boil the water and steep my morning tea, is the perfect amount of time to unload the dishwasher. And on laundry day, I discovered that, apparently, the 58 minutes it takes for one load of laundry to go through the washing machine is plenty of time to head to the nearby park for the first, cold, swim of the season, find cool bits of seaweed, play in the sand, enjoy a little reading, and then stroll through the park on our way back to the car.

I feel like I've discovered a secret well of time, the ladle is small and I only get a sip at a time but, with enough sips, who knows, maybe I'll be able to write a blog post every now and then, or finish that quilt I've been working on for 5 years now, or maybe, just maybe stock my etsy shop that has been so neglected for so very long. 

The possibilities are endless, but somehow I know that what will most likely come of this discovery is just a few more stories for my youngest who's growing way too fast, a few extra conversations dreaming and planning with my oldest, a few more cuddles on the couch with my chicken loving ballerina girl, and some extra games of catch with my sweet boy.

And of course, a few quick trips to the beach between the loads of laundry.

The Kiddie Kitchen

This past Christmas, I sorta gave my husband an ultimatum, Santa needs to build something cool, or I'm buying her this because my sweet baby girl has asked for nothing since we moved to this house (and got rid of the broken, 10 yr old, plastic one) except for her very own kitchen.

Well, Santa, could not have us spending money we don't really have and she was really, really good this year. He sure is amazing, that Santa, with all the other work he's gotta do, you know, besides the Santa-ing, he really must be magic to have pulled this off.

And, I know for a fact, that he worked on this late at night, in a cold garage. It's perfect. And, she absolutely loves it.

So, the details.

• The base was rescued from the discounted, damaged or returned cabinet pile at a local cabinet supplier. (Santa told me all about it, he knows how we like re-purposing things headed for the heap.)
• One door was turned and a handle added for the stove. A ledge of wood scraps installed around the inside supports a cookie cooling rack for the oven rack. 

• A piece of oak routered and stained to match was placed on top, we originally thought we wanted it painted, to look like a counter top, but all that wood is just too pretty.
• Real stove knobs that actually turn, magic I tell you, and foamy, sticky tape finish off the stove top.

• Custom, Santa built, shelving stained to match was attached to the back of the cabinet, extending above, to hold all the pretty little pots, pans and dishes. 
• The sink is a thrifted, stainless steel bowl that, my girl discovered Christmas morning, actually holds water so, I covered the entire thing with some of our leftover oil and beeswax mixture to save it from water stains. She doesn't seem to mind the missing faucet so, for now, it'll stay like this.

• The legs are store bought and add just the right amount of height for our growing 4 year old and her big brother and sisters.

Dandelion Fluff

Somehow,

Even though last year there were none,

This year we have dandelions,

And the kids, the chicks, and I have all been enjoying them.

New

Spring has been full of lots of new for us. New friends, new adventures and new responsibilities.

We've ventured further from home than usual, through thunderstorms and chilli Michigan spring weather, to explore towns and cities we've never been to. It is so very wonderful to have adventurous new friends who don't let a little
(or a lot) of rain ruin our plans for exploring.

And, we've been exploring our own back yard in ways we never have before, thanks to those same amazing, adventurous new friends. (Who knew jack-o-lanterns make great pond scoops?) After a year and a half homeschooling and living in this home I feel like we are finally finding our community.

And finally, we've welcomed these little cuties into our home. My middle girl was so thrilled that, even the strangers at the feed store were excited for us and, thanks to these little gals and my girls enthusiasm, our circle of friends keeps growing. Strangers no more, they have been a source of advice and reassurance, on more than just raising chicks.