Renovations

by Missy

Langston, my 7-year-old, was fiddling around with something.

"Whatcha making?" I asked.

"A tin foil hat," he said.

Of course.

It made a strange kind of sense, and if his worked out well, I was going to ask for one for myself.

Unfortunately, the foil we had in the house didn't work the way he wanted and so our brains remain vulnerable. I really could have used it, at least over the next few weeks.

We are, voluntarily, demolishing our kitchen. In the end, it will be a good thing. Until then, it's...beyond any descriptive I can think of.

I'm exhausted, which has nothing to do with anything except perhaps to explain my state of mind in case I have difficulty effectively explaining my point. If, in fact, I have one.

It's an exhilarating process. I'm tearing down wallpaper; my husband is tearing down cabinets. We're both attacking the tiled backsplash.

My patience has taken up temporary residence elsewhere to make room for our new cabinets that are sitting in our living room. Our new appliances are scheduled to be delivered next weekend, which means the floor needs to be installed this weekend.

The kitchen is being set up so that the kids can bake,  we can do messy experiments, and the boys can make the occasional potion without destroying a portion of the counter. Our tiny little space is going to tweaked and polished to accommodate a lifestyle that is often chaotic and never quiet, and that includes little boys that are always busy with Very Important Projects, and who need constant access to food for energy.

And while we get to that point, it's a little more chaotic than normal. Every once in a while, though, I get a moment to pause and observe and I've noticed that the learning hasn't stopped even now.

The boys disappear with the retractable measuring tape for hours (we now own three of them). Yes, sometimes they use it as a ramp for buttons and marbles and spare lego tires, but, increasingly, they're using it for...measuring.

They're learning what the new tools are for, and they've also learned a bunch of new words that aren't found in their Children's Dictionary.

Meanwhile, my daughter has been busy designing a pet-sitting business and rounding up clients. She wrote up a business plan, created a flyer on the computer to advertise and is keeping a notebook with contact information. In the last month, she's had three jobs and earned generous tips with each. Additionally, she has perfected avoiding anything unrelated to pets. Like...cleaning. Which is rather inconvenient because that always been my special talent. (Avoidance, not cleaning.)

Which leads me back to my house. It is a wreck. At this point, though, it's supposed to be and I try to find comfort and a little peace in that. I find comfort and peace in the wicker chair on my porch, where I sit at night sometimes, listening to the quiet. I bought the chair at the beginning of this "adventure", a couple months ago, knowing I would need it. Particularly in the absence of a tin foil hat.

Missy's homeschooling journey began when she realized that the walls surrounding her daughter's classroom were too narrow; there was no room for exploration, no space for stretching. Now, she and her three children stretch and explore the world together. My blog: caffeinatedjive.

Comments

[Robin]

LOL! This post will be very inspirational for my kids! What great ideas your kids have come up with, and you're handling it all really well.;-)

[Jamin]

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Here is the link:

http://homeschoolblogger.com/jaminacema/348454/

Jamin!