We had a rare stay-at-home day, which also happened to be rainy. On days such as these, we usually pop in a movie and snuggle up on the couch, or spend the day baking in the kitchen. This day, Cody pulled one of the kits off the shelf and decided to put it together. A kit that involved using a hammer. And nails.
Such an innocent looking box, right?
We dumped the contents onto the floor and found this:
Do you notice what's missing? Look again. OK, look harder. Still don't notice the very important missing item?? I'll give you a hint: it's the directions! Um, so that was more the answer than a hint, but you get the point.
Now, I know what you're going to say. "FM, it's a few pieces of wood and some nails. How hard could it be?" Hel-lo, are you new here?? (If you are, you're excused). This kinda thing is NOT my forte. And unfortunately Cody takes after me in this department (and the throwing department. Poor guy.)
He was determined, though, so we worked together. He was afraid of smacking his own fingers with the hammer so he suggested that I hold nail.
How freakin' blonde does this kid think I am??
Apparently as blonde as I actually am, because I *did* hold the nail. Until he grazed my thumb. And then I screamed like a girl.
After a good hour of working on it, we managed to get the whole bottom section put together (including the handy-dandy secret compartment), but decided to leave the lid for hubby. He was thrilled ;P
.jpg)
9 comments:
HAHA...don't you just hate it when that happens...or when the instructions are only in Swedish...which has happened to me...and why do you always have bits left over after you put together a chest of drawers?
I love doing this stuff! I have taken my three kids to all of the FREE Home Depot and Lowes workshops. They can build anything and they usually help the other kids, like Cody! LOL
Now that we have build the addition ourselves, they can even use most power tools!
Teach him well and he will thank you later, when he doesn't have to call a handyman for everything! :D
youheld the nail for him? I think you're the bravest woman I've ever met.
I don't even like holding my own nails :-P lol
The box looks great, even without instructions! You two did a great job..and you still have use of all your digits, so that's a huge plus! :-D
I was chuckling along already, but when I came to the "screamed like a girl" part, I really laughed out loud (LOL: it's not just a silly texting acronym anymore)!
Stace is right...you are a brave woman. I refuse to hold a nail even for professional carpenters, let alone my 13 YO. :}
You did do a really terrific job on that, though!
H-T and I just did the whole building thing the other day as we put together a wild bird feeder. He made me hold the nails, too. It actually came out really well, but guess what? There are about a million wild birds in our yard, and not one of them will try out the feeder. We are SO bummed. I'm thinking we must have left some of my blood on it from the whole boy-with-hammer-mom-with-nail debacle. Scaredy cat birds. Afraid of a little human tissue. Geez.
Emma,
I haven't had a Swedish only instruction manual, but I have had one that was only in French, Spanish, and German. And since my French is limited to what I remember from high school, my Spanish is limited to a few cuss words, and all the German I know is from watching Hogan's Heroes - well, let's just say I was left to fend for myself ;)
Kimberly,
Well, he's hasn't learned much from us in the carpentry department, but hubby is teaching him how to work on the vehicles and I'm teaching him to cook. Maybe he can trade some baked goods for carpentry work ;D
Stace,
Oh yeah - I'm sooo brave ;P Seriously, though, I'm like you. I don't like holding my own nails, either. Probably because I always end up smashing my thumb (and then giving everyone within earshot a colorful vocabulary lesson!)
Teresa,
So glad I can make you use the acronyms for real ;D What are friends for?
Kerry,
Why does it not surprise me that you've also held the nail for your kid??
As for the bird feeder - it's not the tissue that bugs them. They can still smell the stench of fear from when you held the nails ;D
Love this post! Glad to see we're not the only homeschool family who's amassed way more educational kits than we can ever use.
And, BTW, I LOVE the fact that Bon Jovi came up when I opened your blog!
Jennifer,
Thanks! And welcome! And yes, I think collecting (hoarding??) is a common affliction among homeschoolers. It's so easy to rationalize "It's educaitonal!" - and then buy it ;D
Glad you like the tunes! There's plenty of 80's fare to choose from on my list!
Interesting content.
Just wanted to share some information that may help busy professionals caught up with work and who have less time to maintain their nails. You can try out gel nails which are now becoming a hot favorite as they are natural looking even without nail tips and the best way for nail enhancement. Also, if you are allergic to those strong smelling chemicals which you can experience with acrylic nails, then you should use gel nails as these are odorless.
However, when you are planning on gel nail application, make sure you approach a nail salon or a nail artist who is well versed with gel nails and is properly trained and mastered in gel applications. This will save you from problems that can arise with improper gel nail applications.
Post a Comment