Today I’m starting something new!
Um, newish.
In the tradition of lame blogs everywhere I’m going to have a column-like thingy once a week because I’m nothing if not a pathetic follower. So, beginning today, the sixth day of the week will be known as Fix ‘er up Friday here at To Shape and To Mold.
How did this come about you may ask? Why in the world, in the midst full-on summer parenting (read, the kids don’t go to school so they can drive me crazy with their fighting every single minute), in the insanity of trying to start a home-based business, when my husband is working like a dog to make sure his business turns a profit, why am I going to start personally fixing things up around here?
Answer: Because I can’t stinkin’ stand it anymore. I caught myself driving around having mini anxiety attacks about it today and I’m done.
Later I’ll post my first befores and afters of home improvement projects at Chez Nugent. (We’ll pronounce that Shay New-ZHAHN to make me feel oh-so-fancy.) Ideally I’ll start and finish these small ventures on Fridays but maybe I’ll start on Friday and finish on Saturday. Or maybe, as is more often the case with home improvement projects I begin, I’ll start on Friday and never finish. Ultimately however, I’ll come clean with the world about just how craptastic our house is becoming and what I’m doing about it. Maybe it’ll be liberating because I won’t have to pretend like Todd’s handy and I’m anything more than a marginal housekeeper or maybe it’ll just be embarassing. Either way I’ll preface the entire thing with this disclaimer…
We bought and moved into our current house in August 2004. We knew it needed a little bit of work–especially in the kitchen–but it wasn’t terrible and it had five bedrooms which we most certainly could use. Instead of diving into fixing things up though we unpacked and took the whole clan to Disney World. When we came back we found out I was pregnant. (Actually, Tinkerbell clued us in. Not one to cry much, I broke down and sobbed on the way to the airport when the kids presented me with a Tinkerbell mug and keychain because they knew she was my favorite Disney character. Nothing says you’re pregnant like tears of joy over Tink.) Two or three weeks later we threw Christmas. After that I became ill with preeclampsia, had the baby, spent a year with him attached to my breast, started doing stuff to settle in and found out I was pregnant. I threw Christmas, got preeclampsia, had the baby and was rendered rather useless for another year by the dropping of everything every few hours to nurse. In the midst of all that we’ve discovered that more than a few things here were slapped together in the name of looking nice so the house would sell, that a gaggle of boys can kill a house in many, many ways and that sharpies are like homing devices for James.
Now the second baby’s finally weaned, I’m overly ambitious and I’m determined to get caught up with four years worth of “stuff.” Plus, I can’t count on Todd to do it because he’s not fixer-y upper-y and he works about six zillion hours a week. I figure I might as well do it on Fridays when he’s not here lest I lose it with him for not helping, or as is a woman’s perogative, for not helping the right way.
Irregardless of who does it and when, the point is I’m tired of wondering how other people with large families have things like toilet paper rollers that are attached to the walls and art so I’m taking action. In the words of the immortal Scarlett O’Hara, “As God is my witness, they’re not going to lick me! I’ll live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never live like Sanford and Son again!”
Or something like that.
Spending the morning catching up on “stuff” and got to read your blogs since 7/11! What a treat! I don’t know if I can relate even 1/7 of the amount as the sum being greater than the individual parts bla bla bla but definitely got a good chuckle out of stuff!
Tell Todd Mi Tools es sus Tools!!
Tell Jack his free range peeing story is locked in my vault for when he gets older and I need some leverage….
I would like my middle name to be changed to Nextstore..
I look forward to next weeks entry!
Tom NS Guy
Thanks for the halaryous (as spelled by one of the Nugent kids) comment.
No need to relate. Just laugh. I don’t even know how I got here. Well, I do but sometimes I wonder…
What the heck are you guys doing nextstore today? Chopping trees?
Your blog is interesting!
Keep up the good work!