long term house projects | Good Times with Jess

I love summer! And I’m sooo ready to put my kids on the bus. Any bus really. It’s time for them to gooo.

They started the summer off with a 90/10 split. 90% getting along and 10% ready to kill each other.

I don’t want to say the split has completely inverted, but maybe?

Yesterday we were fighting over one Lego brick. And when I say we, I do not mean me.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I cannot emphasize enough how my kids can create a fight about ANYTHING.

But also it can’t possibly really be about one Lego brick. Maybe it’s about school’s starting. Maybe it’s because BB has decided she’ll wake up at 6am to get in the swing of things for middle school, but isn’t going to bed any earlier.

That’s definitely not helping.

RB, my 6-year-old, LOVES Legos and builds all the time. BB, my 10-year-old, likes legos and likes to play legos with RB.

RB worships the ground BB walks on and would much rather play with BB than on her own.

BB requests I partition off the yard so RB is not allowed to approach her. That goes as well as you’d think.

Playing Legos together usually works for everyone. They have plenty of sets, and many builds that are original creations.

Some Legos started off as BB’s and some as RB’s, but a clear delineation does not last long. If we were in a court of law with any one Lego brick, a jury would never be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt to reach a verdict on ownership.

(Yes I’ve been consumed by the Clancy trial and jury verdicts are on my mind.)

If by some small miracle my kiddos really did manage to keep track piece by piece, Opal the Destructo Cat is on the scene and has confiscated a fair share of bricks.

We keep cleaning out treasures from under the couch, but that’s not as exciting as it once was.

At first we found things from years ago. Now it’s just a 6-pack of mice from yesterday.

In case it’s not obvious from my writing, but I hope it is! I live for all things funny.

When I’m not losing my mind over a sibling fight, I’m trying to incorporate jokes and imitations of inanimate objects into my parenting.

BB said I did my best one yet this summer. Next time you see me, I’ll be happy to do it for you. I was one of her poor poops she didn’t want to let out at camp.

Which in retrospect is ironic, because I spent the summer yelling at everyone,

“NO MORE POTTY TALK!!!”

It’s also an uphill battle, because everyone in my family except I can fart on command. Arguably a very amazing talent.

When I say no more potty talk and no one says anything, but then BB gives me a side-eye and farts, I’ve got nothing.

BB gave me the highest parenting compliment I could ever dream of. From the back of the car she said,

“You’re the funniest mom!”

“I AM?!?!?!? YOU REALLY THINK SO!??!?!?!??!”

BB dislikes my over-enthusiastic reactions. She immediately hedged her bets,

“Well you’re the funniest mom I know and I don’t know that many.”

Still! I’ll take it!

And lest you think this summer was just beach, Legos, and poop imitations, we also have a house project which may or may not be nearing completion. Send thoughts and prayers.

Captain has spent years building or intending to build a retaining wall along our driveway.

The concrete was poured this week and the forms come off today for a big reveal.

Captain presented the math to me the other day on how much he spent on all things wall versus what it would’ve cost if someone had come and built it for us 3 years ago.

You may be surprised to hear we didn’t really save much money, BUT we’ve had the joy of the process. Which is priceless?

RB DOES love tools, building, and helping her dad, so that has SOME value. Maybe not 3 years worth, but who knows?!

When her future partner tells me RB is on year whatever of some unfinishable house or car project, I’ll enjoy a commiseration drink with them and pray it was nature not nurture.

While we’re talking about nature versus nurture, there’s BB’s sense of humor. She told me,

“I’m funny just like you!”

“You are so funny!!!” She really is. Yes I’m biased, but she is.

Then BB added,

“Yeah, I’m funny and then I get annoying.”

“Really?”

“Like you.”

Wheels up in a week. No stowaways allowed

My “new” deck is open for business!

New in quotes because it’s been in progress for three years. And while that’s a slight exaggeration considering March 2022 will be three years, it’s been three summers.

I have no excuse for my delay in blogging aside from wandering aimlessly around my deck.

It’s beautiful. For all the people out there taking their decks for granted, I’m not there yet. I’m enjoying everything about it. My brisk coffee mornings, getting brisker by the moment. My kitchen slider functioning as a door instead of a barricade. My children screaming outside my kitchen window instead of under my feet.

The day we took the barricade down and walked out from the kitchen, felt like a miracle. RB had never even gone through that door before. The old deck disappeared before her time.

Tentative first steps and then racing back and forth. The deck is 800 square feet. That’s bigger than the condo Captain, BB and I started out in.

The kids run and run and run. RB counting the whole way,

“Two four five!”

One and three are overrated.

As I sing the deck’s praises, everyone keeps asking,

“What’s Captain’s next project?”

THE DECK STAIRS.

He may have other ideas, but stairs and railings will really be the crowning touch.

I’m well aware that this deck isn’t on anyone else’s radar, but it’s the product of a lot of sweat and tears. Sweat from Captain and tears from the rest of us.

Side note: RB turned two! Which was as good an excuse as any to invite people over to stand on the deck.

There was a hint of Baby Shark, with a heavy dose of pumpkin beer. I went with deck party rather than birthday party. I have my priorities.

Although the birthday deadline was good motivation for the construction crew, i.e. Captain.

I pushed for something similar last year, but you can see how well that worked out.

RB is just happy to have “friends.” Friends in quotes because she can be friends with anything. She’ll say hi to any person, pet or inanimate object. And woe becomes the person who doesn’t answer her right away. She stands at the edge of the deck monitoring the street. When people walk by without acknowledging her, she raises her voice, waves with her whole body and hollers,

“Hiiiiiii!!!”

Which is adorable.

When she’s yelling it at Captain, when he’s on a work call, not so much.

If there was any doubt as to what age she is, she woke up with the attitude to prove it. She was giving me trouble when I was trying to change her diaper. I put her back in her crib and told her,

“You can stay there until you’re ready to get your diaper changed.”

She looked at me and sighed,

“Oh fine.”