Clubhouse, Playhouse, Treehouse!

I don't know how many of you have seen the arbor in our backyard. It was built by the previous owners. They had a cute picnic table under it. But since we already have a patio off the downstairs and a deck off the upstairs, I was never sure why I needed another picnic table in the corner of my yard. So although the arbor was pretty, it wasn't all that functional. I just looked at it periodically and questioned it's value. (My backyard only has so much space.)

I mentioned this to my Dad and he said,

"Well, let's turn it into a clubhouse!"

So we did.

Since the roof was already built, and was about 10 feet high, we figured we had plenty of space for a two-story structure. So, we began by creating a floor in the middle.

Using 2x6 beams, we made a solid base and then placed trex decking across for a sliver-free floor. This took two days.

Although we tried to make the whole project as interesting and kid friendly as possible, Bryce did not believe the fact that all of this effort was really for him.

He felt like he'd been set aside with the lumber.

After we built the floor for the upper level, we built a railing that went all the way around. Each of these pickets had to be individually cut and drilled into place using a spacer so the distance between them would always be the same. This took two days.

After all the pickets were in place, we secured a handrail that went along the top. We also cut a hole in the side where we would build the ladder. This took another day.

This is the old floor that the previous owners put down under the arbor. We decided it needed to be redone to better fit the space and also to properly bury the water line that ran underneath.

I don't know if you've ever layed bricks before but it is the most tedious, patience-testing process imaginable. It took us all of one day just to relay this floor.

Here is Spencer on the new floor. We ran the bottom of the railing along the bricks and put two cans of cement in the front to hold the future handrail.

Rain Delay.

Grandpa also hung a swing for the kids to play on from our tree. This is looking sideways into my neighbor's yard. The arbor behind is not ours.

We put a sandbox in the back corner behind the clubhouse.

Grandpa built this ladder to fit perfectly in this spot.

It is nice and wide and perfectly slanted so both kids and adults can get on the upper level.

You can see the sandbox back behind the ladder. It is wedged between a 2x6 piece of trex and both my neighbor's fences. This is as far as I could possibly get it from my house and still be in my yard. I hoped this would curtail the sand from making it's way into my house.

My Dad said that is impossible.

Our last project was raising the original roof 10 inches higher. This gives the older kids plenty of head-space on the upper level. (The upper roof is 60 inches high and the lower level is 50 inches from the bricks to the ceiling.)

Finally, it's done!

We placed GrandMary's darling wicker furniture on the lower level. It is Chelsea's favorite little space. Carter likes the upper deck and Spencer is in heaven in the sandbox. Bryce still hasn't quite grasped the fact that he will get more use out of the clubhouse than anyone else. But at least he's not trapped in his carrier next to the lumber pile, so he's fine with it. Thanks Grandpa! It's the coolest clubhouse--playhouse--treehouse ever!

Pareidolia

Every so often, someone will see the form of the Virgin Mary in their mashed potatoes or the profile of Jay Leno in their peeling wallpaper. This is called Pareidolia. Well, this morning we had our own version of pareidolia (say that three times fast) over breakfast.

At some point while I was preparing lunches and Spencer was enjoying his bowl of Cap'n Crunch, he suddenly shouted, "I see Mickey Mouse!"

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"You see Mickey Mouse, where?" I asked, looking around the kitchen.

"Right here!" He pointed to the counter.

Well, I have to say, as far as images in milk doplets go, it was certainly Mickey Mouse-esque. We took a photo for posterity and blogging purposes.

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And also, to give you a little boost of faith.

School Daze

This is a picture of the first day of school. (Yes, it was a month ago.) Don't the kids look nice and clean and well groomed and ready for a new day?


You would never guess the amount of stress that goes into making this possible.

Each morning I get up with the mistaken impression that I have plenty of time to get everyone ready for school. (Tyler leaves at 6:45am, the kids leave at 8:30.) You would think that at some point I would have enough foresight to prepare for battle instead of breakfast, but I'm a slow learner. It seems that regardless of how much prep I put in the night before, I am invariably in a cold sweat by 8:25am because I have spent the last hour and a half walking around saying:
"Practice your piano."
"Did you finish your reading?"
"Where is the practice spelling test we did last night?"
"Is that your third bowl of cereal? Leave enough milk for other people."
"No, that was sloppy, practice that song again."
"You can't wear that, it's dirty."
"There is a big wad of gel in your hair, go brush it out."
"Please don't leave your pajamas in a pile on the stairs."
"Did you make your bed?"
"Why did you take your pony tail out? It looked fine!"
"It's not my job to find your shoes."
"No, a bag of chips and a cookie does not qualify as a lunch."

On top of all this, Bryce is usually crying in the background because he has exceeded his "I will only sit in this swing for 15 minutes" mandate, and Spencer at some point yells at me from the bathroom, "Mom! Come wipe my bum!"

I know that an ounce of preparation beats a pound of perspiration, so I honestly try to make sure that everyone's homework is done and in the right folder the night before. But I swear "homework gnomes" come in the middle of the night and scatter everything. I also do regular laundry inspections to ensure everyone has clean clothes to wear. But, to a nine-year-old, "clean" is not as important as "favorite," so we spend many mornings discussing how many times per week one can wear the same shirt. We have also entered the realm of "it's my hair, I'll wear it how I like," which means too much gel for him and a crooked part for her.

Chelsea started piano in August, so I outlined a routine for morning piano practice, which I understood to be Carter: 7:30-7:45 am and Chelsea: 7:45-8:00am. But they see it more as: "If I'm sloppy and resistant and perpetually behind schedule, I may be able to avoid this completely." And, I won't even go into the "pack your own lunch" system that I thought was a great idea at the beginning of the year. That quickly disintegrated into the "Oh forget it, just buy school lunch today" system.

Perhaps I am disorganized, and perhaps my children make things as difficult as possible to avoid as much responsibility as possible. And maybe this is just the plight of the elementary school mother. It's probably a little of each. But somehow each morning we miraculously manage to get everyone dressed, combed, packed, fed, prayed over, hugged, and kissed goodbye. Then I collapse in a heap in the middle of the kitchen floor and wonder why I never have enough energy left to exercise.

But, aren't they cute?

Shoo Flu

The flu has visited us recently. Spencer and Chelsea got it while Tyler was in the Wind Rivers. Chelsea had it for four days. Spencer still has it (mildly). I got it last weekend and Tyler and Carter are now infected. This one's a doozy! Luckily Bryce has avoided it and so have my carpets. But I've about had enough -- it's been three weeks for heaven's sake!

I once again have renewed respect for morning sickness, chemotherapy patients and other chronically nauseated individuals.

I anticipate further blog posts once we are all well...